The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery

"Gabriel Night : The beast within" was "only" a videogame.....but I think it would be a wonderful movie.....I hope someone else will think about it. (Using the same cast,of course!)

Not many Full Motion Video games being put out now, but The

Beast Within is the best of them all, hands down. The second in

the Gabriel Knight series, Gabe is now in Germany trying to

solve murders involving a werewolf. But what does a lost opera

by Wagner have to do with it? Incredible storylines, fine acting

by all involved, and wonderfully rendered backgrounds.

Ah, my friend Gabriel, come in, its so good to see you.

These are the words politely uttered by Gabriels lawyer in Munich. German politness, but the local police chief sneers at him like a rabid schaefer. The mysterious Baron von Glover is the coolest caracter in the game. He hangs around in an expensive hunting club, and he is just beyond coolness. All in all a great game. Forget that is is a few years old, its still good fun.

I'll admit...when I first saw the opening movie with Dean Erickson behind the typewriter, I chuckled to myself and thought "who the hell is this joker?" Indeed, as the game began, Erickson did little to change this sentiment. But then something happened: he got better and better as the game went on. Don't get me wrong, he's not exactly the same Gabe that was written for Tim Curry, but Erickson has a personality all his own. In the hunting lodge, Erickson reaches the apex of his character. He just seemed so cool and natural, a regular guy (albeit a schattenjager) caught up in an extremely horrendous situation.

But the rest of the acting is also superb. I've played a few FMV games and they were TERRIBLE. God, even the one with Christopher Walken was a disaster. But this game, filled with unknowns, delivers the best acting that I have ever seen in a video game. Kudos to all involved.

The oscar goes to: Peter Lucas. A 200 year old werewolf with homo-erotic tendencies. This guy was great. Funny, charming, likeable, and very cool. You never know exactly what he's thinking.

Also, the girl that played Grace was excellent, which is good because you control her for half the game. In fact, nobody really stunk. Wait a minute, this is a game we're talking about right?

Oh yeah. Great story, great puzzles, great sound/music/video/everything. Jane Jensen is GOD.

I just played Gabriel Knight 2 for the first time, and I am astounded that it is actually quite a few years old but still hardly feels dated! I had heard such good things about it, and it lives up every bit to it's reputation. GK2 isn't just a game - it's an experience. Like another reviewer mentioned, you'll come away from it feeling like you've read an amazing novel or watched a stunning movie. The story line is complex and engrossing, and the acting for the most part is above-average. But what elevates the game from excellent to out-of-this-world is Peter Lucas' performance as the enigmatic and sexy baron von Glower. It's such a shame FMV has a bad reputation, because I feel live actors breathe life into their characters in a way that 3D never can. I would love love GK4 or a Gabriel Knight movie, featuring the same cast of course, even if they've aged!