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A Bore

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 26
Date: December 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

What a bore! This game has stilted characters, bad acting, stupid puzzles (it seems you have to find out things in a particular order -- if not, too bad). Maybe it gets better as it goes, but after about 20 minutes, I couldn't stand going through it again to get the clues in the proper order. It goes into the waste bin.

Disappointing

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: June 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I love this genre of games and this game sounded like it had a lot of promise. It has turned into the most disappointing game I have ever played. In my opinion, it is a follow-the-directions kind of game. There are few, if any, puzzles. There are many scenes in which you die and then have to repeat the whole scene over and over and over again in order to move on. I actually purchased a game controller because one scene could not be accomplished via the keyboard. Well, the game controller didn't help much either. This game volleys back and forth between boring and frustrating. Not a good combination. Save your money. Don't buy it.

A Big Disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 18 / 23
Date: February 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I eagerly awaited this 3rd episode and was very disappointed. The graphics are not as good as the 1st two games, and the use of the arrow keys, rather than the mouse, was cumbersome. I r ead that the creators of the game say that this is the future of adventure games. I certainly hope not as, in my opinion, the mouse action is so much smoother. The rich color of the 1st two games was amazing, and since this game is several years ahead, I expected more in the way of lush graphics. It was not there. It was difficult to get the characters to move in straight lines. I found the game concentrated too much on eye-hand quick coordination to get through many parts, rather than logic. I did not enjoy spending hours trying to progress through the game by learning which keys to press, in which order, and doing it without missing a beat. To me, that is not an "adventure game" but rather a game of beating the clock. I finally through in the towel about 3/4 through.

Hindered by annoying copy protection

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 1 / 6
Date: December 04, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The copy protection for this game installs a system driver and causes the game to take over a minute to start each time. Super-annoying.

A fast-food adventure game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: January 07, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Not to discourage adventure game makers, since there are so few these days, I must say that this game is not the goal to aim for. While it is a good game, an enjoyable game in many respects, it represents a lone voice in a current adventure vacuum. After playing it from start to finish within 5 days, I have to say several things; it is very easy, in terms of logic challenges. Ever heard of the old slip a newspaper under a door and poke out the key from the inside lock and gain access puzzle? This is that kind of game. This is the kind of game that gives you a small area to explore, and all the answers are right there, and the challenge is minimal. Also there are action-based challenges, which are fine, but sort of transform the game into a reflexive rather than cerebral arena.
This game also owes a major debt to Gabriel Knight 3, which is a superior game. There are too many similarities in detail to be mistaken, but the major difference is that Gabriel Knight was written exceptionally well, and Broken Sword is merely adequate. The BS story takes you along to the next little episode, but doesn't quite bring all the parts together. When the final confrontion comes about, I was reminded of Asmodeus from GK3, until the action was over and the story was resolved. In the case of George and Nico, it didn't really come to anything, so I'm holding out for Broken Sword 4. I admit, I'll play it, since there are so few choices these days. But I have to say, I care so much more about Gabriel and Grace, and the ending of GK3 left me feeling more for two fictional characters than any movie or other game ever has.
Sorry, George and Nico are lightweights. They don't have depth, and the series has never made the leap of genius, but they are fun for the short time that the game requires mastery of.
I can't wait to play Jane Jensen's upcoming game, but I don't want it rushed out. I hope that The Adventure Company will take their time and do it right. A five-star game is what we all want.

Sadly in 3D, which results in awful controls

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: September 17, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Why is it that any game company which has successfully produced great comic style adventure seems to believe that today's good adventures *have* to be in 3D? After Lucasarts, it is saddening to see that Revolutions chose the same path for the sequel to Broken Sword. Rather than presenting an easy to handle, mouse controlled game, they released a game which seems to require quick fingers rather than the kognitive ability to solve riddles.

The awful controls of the game spoil the gaming fun to a large extent, particularly since there are several scenes in the game which require a fast reaction from the player. And so one often finds oneself repeating the same part of the game over and over again, just because one can't seem to get the 4 different keys the scene requires timed correctly.

Also negative points for the lack of a gamma slider - many of the rooms in game are so dark, it's difficult to see much when playing during the day.

Then again, the game is at times far too easy and requires little thought. Important objects are marked by a blinking star, so it doesn't take a whole lot of thinking to figure out what to take along or to use.
It's almost completely unnecessary to save the game any time other than when logging off, because the game will automatically replay sequences that were failed. As it is impossible to save the game during these sequences, the repeated replaying of the longish scenes tends to get somewhat annoying.

Despite these issues, the game does get a few stars for its good, solid riddles, its overall good story and the fame of its prequels.

Ok game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: July 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I would consider this more of a platform game than an Adventure game. The character interaction is great, and the graphics and locations are cool, but my biggest problem has been with the timed projects that need to be completed. I don't know if I just need a better graphics card, or what but I had a really hard time getting my characters to move where I wanted them to. With the timed events this becomes a serious problem. Other than that it is overall a good game.

Pipe and slippers.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: January 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you haven't played any broken sword games before then I would advise you to check out all the reviews first. This is a very neat game but it's like reading a long novel or sitting through all lord of the rings movies back to back. This game requires a lot of thinking and problem solving with not a great deal of action going on at times. Don't get me wrong the graphics are great and the voice acting and sound are top notch. It's just different from the tomb raiders or metal gear solids of today. If you want something different and want to use your brain more than your thumbs then this is well worth checking out. All the original voices are back from the first two games and the story is well told and executed to keep you interested. Problems must be solved in a particular order though and you don't get much freedom to solve them in your own way. But don't let that put you off, as most games of this type seem to suffer from the same problem. I did however miss the 2D format from the first games and the point and click interface has now been replaced by a Resident evil type control system. So overall a good game just remember to get out the pipe and slippers before playing!

A frustrating paradox

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: April 10, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I looked forward to this game and wanted desperately to be able to give it a good review, partly just to reward the publishers for having the guts to publish a story-based game (as opposed to yet another first-person shooter featuring mute Neanderthals with guns). But as other reviewers have said, the interface is so clumsy it short-circuits the game completely. I'm not good at the hand-eye stuff, and this game has some sequences that require lightning reflexes -- coupled with an interface so unbelievably awkward and anti-intuitive that it's almost another bad guy trying to make you fail. And it's all the more frustrating because the story, the characters, the acting, the writing are all so good that I really want to go on with the game, to find out what happens. How could they do the story so well and the interface so badly?

Well, I hear Benoit Sokal (of Syberia fame) is working on another game. Guess we'll just have to wait for that.

Good ... not great

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 23 / 25
Date: April 14, 2005
Author: Amazon User

First a confession: I'm a lousy (albeit enthusiastic) gamester. I had to rely on a walkthrough just to get through a Nancy Drew game (I'm NOT a youngster, by the way).

So, when I say I was able to play the entire game with almost no 'hints' you get an idea of how relatively easy it is. That's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I preferred it over the completely illogical and complex Myst-type puzzles.

The story was a bit hokey (and that's being kind) and I don't understand why they had to "hunk" up George. If I'm not mistaken, in the first Broken Sword game he was a bit of a bumbling nerd -- but charming and at least not an Indiana Jones clone. And does every female character in these games have to look like Lara Croft, with the obligatory short shorts???? Let's try something different once in a while!

Still, that didn't detract too much from the fun of the game. Oddly enough, once I got used to the controls, I didn't have any trouble moving the characters around and I thought the graphics were very well done for the most part.

I did have a few other 'pet peeves' I need to get off my chest, such as:

a) Nico's constantly stretching and flicking link off her shoulder -- these gestures were annoying and distracting. Was the stretching some adolescent male programmer's idea of sexy, perhaps?

b) no way to bypass certain cut scenes so if you did "die" you had to sit through them again (and again and again).

c) when both Nico and George appeared together, the graphics were terrible. She kept disappearing and reappearing, flicking around the screen, etc. Not a glitch, exactly, just poorly done.

d) too many dumb "move the boxes" puzzles. For once, I was good at something and by the time the end game came I though if I had to shove one more box around the screen, I'll kill George and Nico myself and align myself with Sussaro (the bad guy).

Okay, lots of pet peeves and complaints ... but I still give the game a 4 since, compared to so many other adventure games, it had enough good moments -- at a good price -- to put it ahead of the pack.

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