Customer Reviews

The Longest Journey: Adventure Game of the Year Edition

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

The Longest Journey is more of a trip than a journey, more of a quest than an adventure. Like Alice falling down the rabbit hole into a very tripped out world of caterpillars smoking hash, and concoctions that turn a person very small or very large, The Longest Journey is a five-senses experience. And April Ryan, TLJ's central character, is the perfect hostess. If this were a movie, think natalie Portman or Wynona Ryder (pre- sticky finger days).

TLJ is a more-edgy version of the Myst series, but in a platform more similar to a DreamCatcher game (inventory items, various characters with whom you must interact, etc.)

You bounce between two parallel worlds: Stark (a mythical, futuristic west coast city) and Arcadia (Grimm's Fairy Tales meets Jules Verne), with the fate of the world in your hands (and eyes, nose, ears, etc.). TLJ is to be savored - rich graphics, excellent voice acting, compelling, not-too-difficult story line, puzzles, etc.

This is not your typical, McComputer fare. Rather than hamburger, think filet mignon. As such, it will flood your senses and fill you up right.

Caution: I wouldn't recommend this game for young ones - the language is profane at times.

When I purchased this game, it was because of the rave reviews it has recieved by gaming magazines and organizations, as well as my own personal love of adventure games. It had been a long time since a worthy adventure game had hit the market (Grim Fandango springs easily to mind), and I was looking forward to the stunning visuals and in-depth gameplay I had read about.

Well, the visuals did indeed impress me, and the voice acting was extremely high-quality, a virtual rarity for such games. And the game's story and characters are very in-depth. Indeed. VERY in-depth.

Believe it or not, this is where my major complaint with the game is. I do believe that story and dialogue are important for a good interactive adventure game, and Longest Journey has it. In abundance. Perhaps a bit too much. The puzzles are inventive, the characters multi-faceted, the story captivating, and the background well developed. But after the game gets past the initial introductions, there are certain spots in the game where I found myself clawing my eyes out waiting for the in-depth dialogue to end. Do I want story and interaction? Yes. Do I want to spend forty-five minutes listening to two people drone on about the historical background of the game while I sit hunched over clicking the mouse every fifteen seconds to keep the conversation going? No. To be prefectly honest, I got about two thirds of the way through the game before I gave up and stopped playing. I was weary of the lengthy conversations going nowhere, and my carpal tunnel was really acting up.

Interesting dialogue is important, but I'm not willing to suffer for it, which is sadly what I ended up doing. The key word is "Game", and I'd prefer to play the game instead of watching it like a hand-crank powered television. This game has much to offer it, but the extensive padding eventually turned it into the Longest Journey on several different levels.

In short: If you love adventure games, then you definitely want to check this out, but be prepared for some exceedingly long stretches of boring dialogue that hold you captive to your mouse.

.....I have to admit up front that I'm not usually a big fan of adventure games. I've always been more of a turn-based strategy / role-player type. Most adventure games I've played are just strings of contrived, non-intuitive puzzles and pixel hunts. But, I had read some great reviews for TLJ, and so bought my first adventure title since the King's Quest series ended.
.....First, the graphics are excellent. The backdrops are gorgeous works of art that really bring the in-game world to life. Secondly, the puzzles are, for the most part, intuitive and fun to solve. The game almost won't let you screw yourself by 'using up' or dropping a critical item. The game only allows you to use items where necessary, and removes them from your inventory when no longer needed. But the best part of the game is the characters. They are well-developed and realistic and the voice acting is top-notch. There were a couple of dialogue exchanges where I actually laughed out loud ("PECK it off?!!"), and I don't laugh out loud much.
.....Also worth a mention is that it ran flawlessly without a single crash or lock-up, which is sadly uncommon with most unpatched computer games currently on the market.
.....I did have a few small problems with the game, however. A couple of the puzzles were non-intuitive. Most of the secondary characters, though well-developed, played almost no part in the great scheme of the game. Finally, for a game that was all about story and had great cut-scenes, I would have thought they would be more numerous and longer, especially the game finale.
.....All in all, though, playing TLJ was a fun and memorable experience that was well worth the bargain-bin price its going for now.

I read about this game a few years back while browsing through a videogame website. It was European based, written, produced, and published. It had huge success in Europe and recieved great reviews. They also emphasized how it wasn't planned for US release for at least another year. I was eager to play it but had to wait patiently. A solid year later I purchased my own copy. There are five games that have grabbed my attention so effectively that I played them constantly, went to bed thinking about them, and dreamt about them: Half-Life, Ghost Recon, Gran Turismo 3, Starcraft, and The Longest Journey. It absorbed my life for three weeks. It cut into my sleeping time, it made me forget to eat, and my only thoughts at work were how to get to the next chapter.

It's an original story with tons of characters. Once the story gets rolling it'll suck you in. A lot of people say it's a slow start but I beg to differ. It sets up a lot of script and facts that you need. Clues pop up every once in a while that pique your interest until you can't stand it any longer and absolutely must know what's going on. It's superbly paced and the voice-acting is great. It's not Oscar winning but it's definately not like Final-Fantasy-X-unacceptable. Sometimes you do run into gobs of dialogue and you'll catch yourself daydreaming. Imagine you're reading a book and it's much easier to follow.

It really is a great story. Something that many video game companies forget to involve.

I bought this game recently and can't say enough good things about it. While it came out some time ago, there is nothing dated about it. It runs on old systems, and is a blast to play.

The 3D graphics aren't the latest, but the 2D art is beautiful. Also, the cutscenes are very well done. The story is magnificent (the strongest part of the game), and though the game gets slow sometimes, there were no puzzles that I couldn't understand (unlike some other adventure games). The humor is not used as much as in some Lucasarts games, for example Grim Fandango, but it is there (however, much of it is adult humor)

Thus, my first warning would be that a person needs to be mature when playing this game (I was 14, and I didn't have a problem, some people might not be as mature at my age). There are sexual themes (including homosexuality), a great deal of bad language, and a little violence. My only other warning is to not forget to eat, sleep, and talk to family while this game is on your hard drive.

While I recomend this game to anyone, I especially recomend this game to anyone who is not a big gamer. This game is a great introduction to gaming.

I truly have never played a more enjoyable and interesting adventure game than "The Longest Journey". Right from the start, I was totally entranced by the graphics, sound, and story, which continued to improve as the game progressed. The character of April Ryan is very likeable, and her dialogue is very real and appropriate for every interaction. I went through a variety of emotions while playing this game, and found myself staring at the screen endlessly into the night. About five hours later, I realized I'd only left my desk once, and it was about time to get some sleep!
This game allows the user to pick and choose questions and answers, which I liked very much, because this means I can play the game more than once to see the other reactions and answers that characters might offer.
The only difficulty I had when trying to play this excellent adventure game was in the beginning movie. I had help from the troubleshooting guide in the "read me" text though, and my problem (thankfully) was fixed very easily. If you have a slow computer it's a good idea to disable 3D acceleration and high quality video.
I am so glad that this outstanding game won the title of adventure game of the year. It truly deserves it. I hope every person who plays this game is filled with amazement during this journey of discovery, and recognizes it for what a well-written and thoughtful PC game it is.

This is an entertaining game. The story is great- not too predictable and spans two separate dimensions which gives you the chance explore several different environments (from deep sea to outer space) and meet amusing and frightening characters(no fighting or dying though). April Ryan, as the main character, is full of sarcasm and wit. The dialogue is funny and real.

Although the background graphics are good, characters' animation aren't the best (the game is a few years old). The cut scenes are done well.

My biggest complaint is that the longest journey isn't long enough. Unless you get stuck on one of the puzzles, it doesn't last long enough, and there is little replay value. Still, this is a good game for the price.

This game is very similar in play to Syberia. However, I thought this game was superior in terms of the story, character development and mythology. It really pulled me into its world and left me wanting more. I won't give anything away, but my one disappointment is that the end of the game was a bit unresolved--it left me hanging, and there does not seem to be any sequel.

Also, if you want to play a game that has some gay characters in it, this one does, and in what I felt were positive portrayals. Interesting for a game that is a few years old, yet takes place in the future.

As far as gameplay goes, it was 3D scene-to-scene movement in third-person (you see your character walk around the screen). What I liked most was the feature that allows you to jump ahead while running by hitting the ESC key. This is invaluable if you need to return to places you've already been and don't feel like watching April stroll across a wide-open area.

My Journey just ended today and it truly was a long one. I finally beat it...!!! Now I can sleep in peace. I myself was skeptical about buying this game, but I can assure you, you'll be captivated by it. Please note, this is actually a 4.5 stars game. I am only able to put 4 starts because the dropdown box doesn't allow otherwise. I come from a background of playing various adventure games by Sierra On-Line and Lucasfilms. TLJ did not disappoint.

This is one of those games that draw you right into the story and makes you feel like you're a part of it. In fact, it was almost impossible to go to sleep on some nights. And even when I got the opportunity to, I actually started to dream about what was going to happen next.

TLJ was very well put together - there are so many different places to visit and so much detail in each of the scenes and full motion videos (FMV's). Each one was magnificent and just pure eyecandy. Kudos to the designers and graphic artists! I must also say that the characters and their voices were also very convincing. Just about everyone of them fit their mood or accent. They were very much alive. Particularly Detective Minelli (*a reference for those who have played the game already). Whoever did the voice for April did an incredible job. The musical scores were also amazing; they were well performed and added dimension to each scene. But most of all, I fell in love with the story and thought it was terrific.

There is one drawback: For those of you with a short attention span, be warned... there is A LOT of dialogue. This is actually a good thing as it adds the feeling of actually being in the story and it gives you more of a sense of the who the characters really are.

After reaching the end of the journey, however, it left me wanting more... I wonder what the chances are for a "The Other Longest Journey"...

I just finished The Lomgest Journey this afternoon. Pardon me while I gush geekily for a minute.

What an amazing game! I've thought that computer games could be excellent medium for storytelling for a long time, and The Longest Journey is storytelling on a grand scale. The tale it tells is intricate, deep, and very cleverly put together. I'm a big fan of story, and it's the story that keeps you playing this game, pure and simple.

The voice acting in The Longest Journey is some of the best I've ever seen for any computer game, anywhere, especially when you consider the sheer volume of voice work that had to go into it. Sarah Hamilton, the voice of main character April Ryan, should have won some kind of award. She carried this game with a charming personality that is so rare... it really sets the standard for future games of this sort. The other voices were equally good, especially when you note in the credits that many of the actors voiced multiple characters, and did it without being obvious about it.

The graphics are a little outdated compared to many more recent games, but the good part of that is that The Longest Journey will run on PC's that are a little older. The gameplay is clever and intuitive, and never gets in the way of actually playing the game (a feat many games never seem to manage). The puzzles (which are many) are a little contrived at some points, but for the most part they work. The game definitely makes you think your way around some corners, but the solutions are there.

What it comes down to, though, is the story. It starts out a little slow, while they establish the characters, but it's all worth it because by the end, I actually cared about what was happening to them. Revelations near the end of the story are both moving and actually surprising, and the gameplay is balanced well with the progress of the story.

The Longest Journey would make a great novel, or a great film, but honestly I believe that one of its strengths was that it was told through the medium of the game. While the story is strong enough to be maintained in a more mainstream medium, the interactive nature of it is one of the things that make it so magical.

The ending is as satisfying as one could hope for, but it leaves an opening for a sequel... and indeed, Dreamfall is coming in 2005, a continuation of the The Longest Journey. I'll be looking forward to that one.

Great game, great story, well worth the money and time spent on it, and proof that the medium of computer games is ripe for some fantastic storytelling. What more could you ask for?