Customer Reviews

Journeyman Project Trilogy

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Journeyman Project Games are the best surrealistic, problem solving games in existence, even though i didn't buy this bundled package, i got the original and Buried In Time as a bundled package years ago, i later bought Legacy of Time, the third chapter to this illustrious saga. These games are challenging, the graphics are beautiful, they may not be fast paced, but they give great fun to the sci fi fans, all of my friends love these games and I certainly do and always will.

While the first Journeyman game didn't excite me too much, the second and the third are so much fun we've played them several times, challenging friends and family to join us. Until Myst and Buried in Time, the only games with any intelligence were the Zork series. Everything else on computers were about killing and bloodshed. Journeyman continued much of the bloodshed tradition, but Buried in Time left that behind for intellectual problem-solving and a fantastic time.

My husband and I played the games from within our trailer as we traveled across North America. We were photographing the wildlife and nature of the continent for two years. During the long waiting times waiting for cooperation with the weather and the wildlife, we would not only play the game when the laptop was with us, but we would spend an inordinate amount of time discussing the plot and trying to figure out what to do next. It kept what could have been a dull and tedious time exciting and alive.

The challenges that face the player, playing Gage Blackwell, stimulate the imagination and capacity for learning and figuring out potential solutions. It enhances the eye's capability for detail, paying attention to EVERYTHING all the time as one small thing missed means a problem not solved in time, or left behind. We spent hours going over the tower room at Leonard D'Vinci's studio, looking for the clue to get us out of there and down, and the clue of the intruder in time. What detail were we missing? Once in the studio below, it was wonderful and exciting to go through the plans and books of the master's work, and then actually put together some of his incredible instruments. Even finding the wonderful computer character, with all his snappy comments, added magic to the game. We didn't find him until later in the game and wished he was with us for the Mayan time period, so we had to play it again to experience that. Legacy in Time just continues much of the same magic.

For parents with children 10 years and older, this is an excellent game to share with them. The skills to play this game are not an eye-hand coordination required for shooting and kiling things. It is an adventure and learning experience for the mind. The history that is revealed through the games makes it come alive, not residing dark and dank in a dusty text book. You can not go wrong with these games, especially the later two in the series. The graphics, the challenges, the entire spirit of the game is excellent for families.

I'll stop talking about it now so you can just buy it. I could talk about it for days. And I do.

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE PURCHASING THE JOURNEYMAN TRILOGY

As you read the reviews, you might notice that some reviewers had problems with the 2nd game of the trilogy. Specifically, disk 2 of Buried in Times would not read. In fact, if you look carefully, you will see that everyone who bought the trilogy had this problem. Those reviewers who bought Buried in Time separately did not.

I did not notice this at first, so I took a chance on a used copy of the Journeyman Trilogy. I also have a disk 2 of Buried in Time that cannot be read. I decided to explore this a bit further by examining the files on each of the 3 disks. Disk 1 of the Trilogy version of Buried in Time is named BIT_MPC_1 and has an identifying file called BIT_DISC.1. Disk 3 is named BIT_MPC_3 and has an identifying file called BIT_DISC.3. So we would expect disk 2 to be named BIT_MPC_2 and its identifying file to be named BIT_DISC.2, but its not. Instead, Disk 2 is named BIT_MPC_3 and its identifying file is BIT_DISC.3 -- identical names to those used for disk 3. Not only that, but the size and creation date of the BIT_DISC.3 file on disk 2 is exactly the same as the one on disk 3. In other words, the disk that is labeled disk 2 is really just another copy of disk 3; there is no disk 2.

Given the prevalence of the problem (see other reviews here), it looks like this was a manufacturing problem. It's likely that many packages were shipped with this error. In fact, it appears that the technical support folks weren't even aware of the problem so whenever it was reported, they just shipped out another copy of the same defective disk (see one of the reviews here).

I haved tried to track down a correct copy of disk 2 for Buried in Time, but since so many of the original developers and marketers have either gone out of business or have been sold and merged with other companies multiple times, I am having no luck.

I am still happy with my purchase because I bought an inexpensive used copy. I will be able to play Journeyman Projects 1 and 3. I am trying to find someone who has the original Buried in Time so that I might use their disk 2. I wouldn't spend the money for an unopened box unless I was interested in it as a collector's item.

I hope this was helpful

While the first game does not have the graphics or the engaging interface of the second and third game it has a solid story line and great puzzles to solve. Much like the earlier Myst, the technology was its only limitation.

When you get to the second game you understand the concepts and are ready to go. There are more aids here to help you if you need them. They do a wonderful job of simulating different times and you find it interesting to imagine you have traveled back into these times. (Might even make you a tad bit more interested in those history books).

When you are on the third game, you are hooked. The graphics and interface are even better and the game play even more interactive. I even found, some tidbits where the programmers put somethings for the players that puttered around to find. Absolutely great game.

The only sad thing is, there is no Journeyman's 4 on the horizon that I see.

The game play is wandering around solving puzzles that have some logic sense and talking characters that you give or get things from. Minimal violence. Your character can die, but you generally can fully recover.

If you like Myst, Riven, Zork Nemesis, X-files game, Blackstone Chronicles and Phantasmagoria, you should like these games. On top of that, the price is great considering you are getting three very good games.

I first picked up "Legacy of Time" on a whim and was not disappointed. The puzzles are stimulating and intriguing. I'm a great fan of the text adventure games and was pleased to experience the vivid scenery and colors in corporated in it. I was excited to find it was a series of three and promptly bought the game pack.

I do have a few gripes though. When trying to play the first installment, I was not able to get it to run correctly. The second installment would not save correctly. Some of the hot spots in the third installment make solving some scenes too easy. As I didn't want to play the games out of sequence, I set aside the third installment. I got fed up enough with the bugs in the other two that I put them away for a later date. Few years later, I still haven't found the time or patience to figure out the issues. I am eagerly waiting when I have more time to devote to getting them to run.

I do expect to get back to them eventually. I enjoyed the premise, the craftmanship and the mentally stimulating puzzles. For those who might have the experience and acumen to work past those bugs (I suspect they might be user error), this game pack is totally worth it!

My first review of this game was written here in 2000 and it is now 2004 and Buried in Time and Legacy of Time remain tops on my list of computer games, and I have played a few over the years.(...)

Be sure and right click the icon for the game and select Properties, Compatibility, and change the settings to 256 colors, 600x800, and to run in Win95 mode, and turn off the visual themes, and make sure a few things as possible are running in the background to give up as much memory as possible. This program is so virtual in its reality playing, watch for signs of motion sickness and obession!

Never before has a computer game I've played had so much staying power in my memory. While I adore Myst, Riven, Exile, and have played many interactive fiction games, among others, few stay in my memory over the years as much as Buried in Time. Truly a delight and well worth every penny spent on the game, in whatever format, though I'm hearing it runs better as a stand alone on the newer machines than in Trilogy form.

Absolutely incredible, very educational, and a must play for teenagers up to the elderly but actively thinking.

The Journeyman Project Trilogy recounts the tales of Gage Blackwood, Agent 5 of the Temporal Security Agency (TSA), whom you play. Along your time-traveling adventures, you will encounter such interactive carachters as TSA Agent 3; Professor Elliott Sinclair,inventor of time-travel; the alien Cyrollan Ambassador Jhessela; William Daughton,TSA Cheif Engineer; and Arthur, the A.I. (artificial-intelligence). Also, you experiance such richly-detailed environments as a flying city, the Morrimoto Mars Mining Colony, the derelict Space Station Amarax, and the fabled Lost Continent of Atlantis. Fight to repair a historical time rip, to clear your name, and to save the world from an alien menace. If you like science-fiction and computer games, this is THE thing to get.

Journeyman 3: Starting this game was not as easy as some. The El Dorado setting is slightly dark and hard to navigate. It does get better. The latter parts of the game including Atlantis and Shamballa as well as the Living El Dorado are bright and easy the find you way. However, sometimes having to go back and forth between places to find things can get a little crazy. Overall, a fun game. Arthur is a hoot. Be sure to put him on chatty. He gives lots of comments and hints.

Jane Jensen (the Gabriel Knight series) has received worldwide acclaim for her writing, and deservedly so. But I think the Journeyman series rivals GK for the best-written adventure game "saga" ever. Each game individually carries great storylines, packed with suspense and mystery. Additionally, games 2 and 3 contain quite a bit of humor from Arthur, your wisecracking AI sidekick. Now ADD to that the fact that there is a wonderfully consistent overriding plot that ties all three games together...a plot that plays out like the best episodes of Star Trek: TNG.

Of course, it isn't writing alone that make TJP so wonderful. The puzzles are original and top-notch, varying in difficulty from "piece of cake" to real head-scratchers. Each game offers a different kind of interface, allowing different types of puzzles for each volume. (Another similarity to the GK series.) And the acting (particularly in TJP3) is some of the best ever in a PC game. Only GK2 and Black Dahlia even come close to the same level. Given the notoriously bad acting in many Full Motion Video games, this alone would make TJP a rare jewel. When you combine all the elements, TJP ranks right up there with Gabriel Knight, Myst, and Monkey Island (for its incredible humor) as the best adventure game series of all time. Not bad company!

A word about the complaints of bugs in TJP1: Most of the problems can be solved by simply running your QuickTime player in the background while playing the game. (The most common problem is that the game calls for a file then decides it can't find it faster than the QuickTime can load.) Also, There are some compatibility problems with the nVidia TNT video card. Most other cards or integrated graphics chipsets will play the game with no trouble so long as you configure the game correctly. TJP2&3 also have the problem that on many computers you MUST fully disable any sound acceleration (Go to control panel/multimedia/audio/advanced properties/performance on Windows9x.) or you get garbled audio.

I have played this game before I bought it and I liked it so much I decided to buy it. However once I had the game I was a little disapointed especially in the third installment: Legacy of Time, which was my favorate. After one time through beating it, it loses its fun. Also, the first two games: Journeyman Project and Buried in Time don't work well on more modern computers, I would keep that in mind.