"The Case of the Golden Idol" playthrough

New game!

I already started playing The Case of the Golden Idol to take little breaks from Mean Streets, and now I've finished it in a little over six hours!

The first scene! Quite basic, doesn't really prepare you how complicated future chapters can get!

It was perfect for in-between gaming since it's divided into separate chapters, each with a new case to solve.

Finished part one! On to part two!

People have been recommending this game ever since I mentioned loving The Return of the Obra Dinn. And yes, it's somewhat similar but still a whole lot different. Obra Dinn still comes first for me; I spent almost 11 hours on that ship and prefer those graphics over "Beavis and Butt-Head go 18th century"...

Two more words or names to find here... Where the hell are they?!

So, in each chapter of The Case of the Golden Idol, you are thrown into a scene, usually where someone has just died.

Yes, that's a dining room table, and yes, you'll have to figure who sits where...

The game then demands you fill in a whole lot of blanks in a list of facts, quite often asking you to figure out who killed whom where and in what way.

SPOILERS!!! A completely filled out scenario, to give you an idea what it's like. All the colored boxes were blank at first.

You search around the available scenes and you find words you can use in the gaps. Luckily there's a counter keeping track how many words you still need to find, since some are quite hidden.

 

Little comic book style cutscenes in between the chapters.

The list of facts is also divided in sections, and for each section the game will tell you when you only got one or two words wrong.

Oh, they go outdoors too!

Information in one section can also help figuring out the facts in another section. Usually this went well, but sometimes I had to brute force it, trying all available words or names since I had no clue what the right answer was supposed to be.

Oh, they go WAY outdoors, too!

There are two extra DLC stories to play through, both prequels to this game, so I'm looking forward to check those out too (I bought the bundle in this winter sale), but I won't post about them separately here...

The epilogue gives a summary of the game's full story, in case you lost track of the big picture.

Finished "Mean Streets" in 8,5 hours!

This one really was a doozy. I died loads of times during my last couple of playing sessions. I made a habit of saving my game each time before leaving my speeder. And even then a lot of luck was involved in finding the reset buttons of the burglar alarms in time.

Whoops...

I still missed some things, though. I never found the location for Robert Knott and Big Jim Slade, two characters involved with the "Law & Order" party. But I guess talking to them wasn't really necessary, since I found my way to the final showdown.

 

I'm sure there's something interesting in that trash can...

That one took me several tries too. I had to escape a room but had to time it just right to slip through the door a robot had left open. Really had to find the sweet spot, as far away from the switch as I could get and still be able to flip it.

 

Damn, missed the exit again! That darn robot is too fast!

I really had to use a notebook for this game, jotting down all names and location codes, then the colors of the passcards and their passwords. I got about 4 pages of notes.

 

Ominous...

It's a very interesting detective game where you follow lead to lead. Once I got the hang of searching the rooms, I start to like that part of the gameplay as well. But I'm glad games evolved to point 'n click, because it wasn't always easy. It played more like a text adventure, but with supporting graphics, and with choosing the right verbs in a list instead of a text parser.

 

Yay, I saved the world!

Glad I played it though! And looking forward to the other games in the Tex Murphy series! But first some other games

I'm 4 hours into "Mean Streets"

Even though I'm starting to get the hang of things, this games is HARD! Not to mention BIG.

I've encountered 23 characters and locations so far, not all of them helpful. I've only searched through three locations classic adventure game style. Most of the game is talking to people, asking them the right questions, bribing or beating them up if they don't want to talk. And flying from one location to another. This takes lots of time, even with the auto pilot engaged.

 

How rude!

I died or got arrested several times myself. I triggered the burglary alarms at two locations, which triggers a countdown, giving you a chance to find the off switch. But the interface takes lots of button tapping, and I discovered too late the MOVE function is quite essential.

 

She might look nice but make no mistake, she'll empty your wallet post haste!

It also took me a bit to realize I really have to use my secretary Vanessa and my informant Lee to provide me with new locations. But Lee is expensive and I'm slowly running out of cash.

 

Lots of interesting people in Future San Francisco...

But I made some headway in the storyline and I know what I got to do now. I need to find passcards and the accompanying passwords. They all belong to scientists working on some mind control project, which I need to shut down.

 

Ah, my secretary Vanessa comes through again!

I've got two more leads to follow at the moment. Let's see if they can tell me anything worthwhile, or if they're more red herrings...

Classic time: "Mean Streets" playthrough

New game!

I've started my very first playthrough ever of Mean Streets, the first game in the Tex Murphy series. The only game I've played before is Under a Killing Moon, but Mean Streets is a VERY different game, which in my opinion hasn't aged all that well.

 

Thank god for that auto-pilot!

It's part detective game, where you indeed have to search rooms for items, scavenging for keys to fit in locks; part flight simulator, but luckily you can turn on the auto-pilot; part arcade game, where you have to shoot bad guys and try to make it to the other side of the room.

 

I have a feeling I need to threaten this guy before he'll answer my questions...

Carl Linsky has jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge. His daughter Sylvia has hired me, Tex Murphy, private investigator, to look into it, because she thinks there's more going on than a suicide. So I have to follow some leads, question people, and try to uncover the truth.

 

Remember to duck!

So far it's an interesting story, the gameplay is a bit weird, and at first I was thinking, "What have I done? Why did I choose THIS game?" but I'm starting to get into it too after 1 hour of playing. There's so much information coming at you, though, I really need a notebook to jot every name and detail down.

 

Searching through Carl Linsky's belongings...

Really wondering where this game will take me next...

Finished "Cruise for a Corpse" in 6 hours!

My last playing session went really fast, because suddenly lots of stuff happened and I didn't really have to interrogate people anymore. It was basically just walking around and finding stuff.

 

Suddenly people want to talk to ME instead of the other way around...

And I must admit, I also went looking for some external aid at The Adventurers Guild blog, which has a very detailed and interesting playthrough report that almost reads as a murder investigation itself! I can really recommend it.

 

Anyways, during my playthrough I witnessed a fight between two people, someone fell overboard, I discovered two more murder victims, I finally got into the kitchen, I got into a fistfight myself, and suddenly I had to point out the murderer!

 

Finally got in the kitchen!

So, there was a lot more action in the second half of the game. Halfway through, I got stuck for a while because suddenly I had to ask someone about something I had already asked them earlier, but VERY earlier, like only an hour into the game or so. AND there was suddenly something hidden in a place that had remained empty so far.

 

This makes it a VERY difficult game. You'll find items in places where nothing could be found earlier, forcing you to go over the entire ship again if you exhausted all other options. Meaning asking everyone about everything again, because even though the replies always stay the same, sometimes they'll suddenly progress time. As if Raoul didn't deem the information important at first, but now suddenly he does.

 

Finally got into the captain's cabin!

I finished this game in 6 hours but that's only because this was a replay and I also checked that blog for some help. I still remembered some things for years ago, so some hidden items I knew would be there. I'd still forgotten about several others though. Because of all the repetitive questions and actions, this game is pretty brutal. I think it was a good game on paper, but something went wrong putting it all together. If it could be redesigned, it has the potential to be an awesome detective story.

 

Finally the end!

 

I'm 3 hours into "Cruise for a Corpse"

I've learned so much about all the characters, but not that much about the murder...

Hector is buffed!

I was able to talk to Hector, the butler; Rebecca, the wife; Daphne, the daughter; and Rose, the wife of Tom. But it's always maddening how the in-game clock refuses to move forward even after I asked new characters about all possible topics!

 

Oh, Suzanne, thank you for leaving the door unlocked...

I found a pocket watch that changed hands through a poker game, and a newspaper article about the death of Niklos' first wife. I discovered there's an illegitimate child in the family who snatched away Niklos' inheritance. There's so much going on but I'm not getting any closer to figuring out how it all fits together.

 

I spy with my little eye...

It's 1:30 pm and it's been a while since the in-game time has moved on. I don't really know where to go or what to do. I've got some new questions to ask Tom and Rose but they've vanished. It's weird, it's such a small ship, there are supposed to be 10 people on board, so where are they all hiding all the time?

 

Yay, new characters!

Classic time: "Cruise for a Corpse" playthrough

I don't have the box anymore, but I do have the ship's map and the character background information booklet!

I'm replaying Cruise for a Corpse. I've never finished this game on my own. It's been a while, so I hope I can do so now without resorting to a walkthrough again.

The frustrating in-game clock...

I'm Raoul Dusentier, invited to join businessman Niklos Karaboudjan on a cruise with some of his other friends and family. First night on board, Niklos is murdered, and I have to find out who did it.

 

The opening scene...

I'm 1 hour into the game now and I've met and talked to five people so far: Father Fabiani, Tom, Suzanne, Julio and Dick. So far I've been running back and forth between them, asking them about all conversation topics as they unlock.

 

Raoul is a very polite inspector...

So far I discovered that both Fabiani and Suzanne had an argument with Niklos the day before. Fabiani is a gambler, Tom is having an affaire with Niklos' wife it seems, Suzanne is an alcoholic and it's a mystery why Niklos even invited her on board. 

 

Will I ever get into that kitchen?

Julio is engaged to Niklos' daughter but basically without her consent, and Dick... is Dick, just layed back, not thinking much of anything, pretty much clueless and not any help at all.

 

I so want to examine this cabin, but either it's locked or Tom is there!

Every time you make a discovery, the in-game clock moves forward ten minutes. Then the playing field changes; NPC's change places, and objects can suddenly be found, like a mysterious key on your cabin floor, a receipt from a jeweler under a chair, and invitation cards in a dining room drawer, giving you extra topics for questioning the suspects.

 

The handy in-game map for quick travel! Though you might miss triggering eavesdropping scenes that way...

Did I just find a motive?

There's a flaw in the design, though, because sometimes, to forward time, you need to ask a certain character about something specific, even though you already asked that at an earlier time. 

 

I SEE YOU!

So it's very tricky, and sometimes you just go around asking everyone about everything again to find that one bit that will move the clock.

 

I don't trust priests...

When I was in my teens playing this game, I never got past noon time, I think. Let's see if I can do better now!

"Vlad Circus: Descend into Madness": my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

 

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot. 

Excerpt: I’m not a big fan of bloody horror and jump scares, but I do enjoy being chilled by suspense and psychological mind games, and Vlad Circus: Descend into Madness largely succeeds in this respect. The adventure game tasks involving locked doors and scavenger hunting are fun, and except for the final sequence, the combat segments shouldn’t bother non-action players too much, and the ones who do enjoy the adrenaline rush can easily switch to a more challenging mode. The story of a former circus troupe meeting up again years after a shared tragedy keeps you wanting more, and the mysterious circus director combined with the main character’s mental state really pulls you in. For only a four-hour game, the story is filled with surprises, and when it was over I wished the mansion had been bigger, with more rooms to explore and more puzzles to solve. Still, I had a good time while it lasted, and can heartily recommend Vlad Circus as being well worth the price of admission.

Finished my second playthrough of "The Colonel's Bequest"

Analyzing the heck out of this game...

This one took me about 10 hours, meticulously keeping track of all NPC's during all time slots on a second computer, trying to compile a perfect path through the game. This came with a lot of saving and restoring but hey, it's a Sierra game after all, you HAVE to do that with them (though usually only to survive till the end...)

Jeeves keeps telling me to get out of his room, but he doesn't really seem to mind all THAT much...

And it worked! I didn't reach Super-sleuth, but I am a Seasoned P.I.! I'm very much satisfied with that result, even though I still missed some things (didn't examine enough items with the monocle, didn't use all items where I could, stuff like that...)

 

I'd like to try some gumbo, please. No idea what it tastes like actually...

I spied on loads of interesting conversations this time, AND I found my way in some unexpected locations as well! Like the butler's room, Celie's house, the attic, and even an underground cave system leading to a couple of surprises!

 

Okay, this is getting creepy...

Truly a great game! I had loads of fun with this one, can't believe I waited this long to play it!

 

Yay, seasoned P.I.!

 

I reached the ending of "The Colonel's Bequest" after 4 hours or so...

 ...but I only got an "Absent-Minded" rating on the Sleuth-o-Meter!

Bummer...

There's a lot of stuff I missed, as was obvious when Laura goes over her notebook at the end of the game. Lots of things I should have uncovered are left incomplete. And I even got the bad ending!

 

Wasn't expecting this!

I restored to see the good ending, but that didn't change much about my score, if not to say nothing!

 

The End? I don't think so...

So I'm diving back into the game for a second playthrough, and this time I'm going to make sure to find out where all NPC's are during every time slot!

 

Aha! I finally know how to spy on people during my second playthrough! No more secrets for me now! Mwahaha!

Let's rock that Sleuth-o-Meter this time!