The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery

"Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within" is not only the best computer game ever made, it's also one of my favorite horror movies. I guess you could say it's half-game, half-movie...although, in truth, it's so well-researched and cleverly written that it reminds me more of a novel. Who cares what it is? It's just awesome.

Like other games of its type, "The Beast Within" is very linear. If you're looking to wander freely through a huge 3D environment, wasting polygon creatures with a shotgun, you'll be disappointed. Your job in this game is basically to solve brain teasers and push the plot ahead to the next mini-movie segment. I suppose there is a passive aspect to the gameplay, and I do get frustrated when I can't solve a particularly obscure puzzle and my progress grinds to a halt. But the rich storyline and sharp dialogue - courtesy of Jane Jensen, clearly a talented writer - more than compensate for any shortcomings with the game's format.

The movie segments feature several strong actors, particularly Peter Lucas, who makes for a very suave villain indeed. The underrated Dean Erickson is extremely likable as Gabriel Knight; in fact, I prefer his interpretation of the character to the oily purrings of Tim Curry in the series' first and third games. Too bad he seems to be doing real estate deals these days! Oh, and come on, hands up - who else recognizes Clabe "Preiss" Hartley as the evil Caliban from Trancers 4 and 5? Oh...nobody? I guess it's just me, then.

I won't summarize the plot much; suffice to say, it involves German history, werewolves, and homo-erotic tendencies. When I played the game as a teenager, I was a little impatient with all the background information on Ludwig II, but when I replayed the game recently I found it all pretty fascinating.

It's a shame that this type of game - that is, the cerebral type - has all but died out over the years. Hopefully, at some point, the computer game industry will climb out of its rut and start taking an interest in good storytelling again.

"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!)

I cannot say anything else of this FMV-IF-game that it is magnificient. Great cast, great plot, great music, amazing atmosphere. After the stiffness of the early game Dean fits in the role of Gabe like a fist in the crack. The feelings when played through were more like having read through a magnificient book series than having played through a game.

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!

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.