Grim Fandango

there is so much to say about this game... that i just don't know where to start. you know, every once in a while a great game is being created... the game is so unique and that it just steals your heart and makes playing it an unforgettable experience.. but no game has ever..ever combined so much genius and at the same time, soul and creativity... and in this game, "grim fandango", you have so much of them both that just looking at the environment of the game melts you... now i have played a lot of games from all kinds, and there were some games that made me feel this way, games like monkey island, neverhood, oddworld and many more games that are all very good. but never, ever, a game so good with such a great plot and art directions has been created, and to create a game like this takes a gigantic Passion for games, intelligence and a really large heart. this fantastic Mexican film noir style game can be played over and over as a game, as a movie, or even just to remember the great characters on it such as many calavera, the hero or glottis his friend, that are so hard to say goodbye when the game ends... there is no reason in the world why this game should not be voted 10, and it can be described in 3 words: best - game - ever. but on the other hand, it cant be described in words... because only when you play it you understand the greatness of it...

Ah, the golden days of yore, when you could find adventure games of this quality often. Unfortunately this is no longer the case. The golden age is over, but every once in a while a game appears out of the dusk that blast through to the mainstream. This game blew my mind (and that of many others), it was voted game of the year by many sites (totally unheard of for an adventure game). The graphics are very impressive, I am not usually a fan of 3D-graphics, but the jagged, iconographic style suits the theme (which is a curious mix of film noir and a south American folklore). Of course, the greatest thing about this game is the story; it is an epic tale of a man's redemption after his death, delightfully free of usual American sentimentality and with numerous references to film noir. The narrative style is highly cinematic and the excellent voice action, along with great music, helps convey the atmosphere beautifully. This is as close to an interactive movie as you can get. That, however, does not mean that the game is too easy, you will easily spend hours on this game. This game represents everything that makes this genre great, I can't recommend it enough. By the way, if you want more of the same, I can also recommend The Longest Journey from Norwegian developer Funcom.

This game is smokin! I loved the witty dialogue and jazzy music. The scenery makes the sometimes impossible puzzles worth solving to see. I have to admit I cheated and went to online walkthroughs for help, but this game was really fun for the most part. It's a little odd that I found Manny almost attractive. I mean, the guy is a cartoon, he has no skin, but he's such a snappy dresser! And he's really cool and funny. Thanks again to those guys at LucasArts for making a wonderful game. I also loved Jedi Knight, and of course I'm a major Star Wars fan.

This game is simply awe-inspiring. It uses its consistently excellent plot to hold you, while it presents fiendishly difficult puzzles for you to solve. The game felt immensely satisfying both intellectually and aesthetically.

The story follows Manny Calavera in his four year journey of the soul through the land of the dead, as he searches for a woman he believes that he cheated. There are classic themes of corruption, redemption, love, betrayal, karma, and others. The story has a profound sadness to it, lamenting for time, love, and opportunities stolen by injustice and greed. At the same time, the game never loses its sense of hope, and never loses its razor-sharp wit. In short, this plot is as good as many of the movies out there.

As for the puzzles, they are extremely challenging. If you have played Lucas Arts adventure games before, you would know the formula. Basically, it consists of this:

1) You cannot possibly lose the game

2) There is no general time limit, or indeed, general progression of time at all

3) You are given a general, limited area in which to find items and to solve puzzles necessary to advance the game

This particular game seems to require you to find comparatively few items (compared to the other Lucas Arts games I've played), and relies more on the clever use of your surroundings in order to solve a puzzle. Most of the time, I found I had all the tools I needed to solve the puzzle on hand, which was very useful. The puzzles are still difficult enough to keep you entertained for hours.

The only flaw I found was the control system, which was clunky and irritating at first, but the environments become easier to navigate and I stopped noticing. Despite the obvious flaw, I found it hard to justify deducting a star from the overall rating. The game was really that good.

Introducing Manny Calavera to you all, salesman and dead. With a risk of sounding necromantic I must say that I'm in love with Grim Fandango. This is highly enjoyable for everyone but I think we moviebuffs get even more out of it. This game is shockful of references to movies, from the "Glengarry Glen Ross" style opening were Manny doesn't get access to the best clients to the Casablancaesque police officer and the film noir feeling of it all. This is just a game you need to own. The cut scenes are beautiful, the voiceovers are the best of this world, the puzzles are also ace, it's all so good that it's really hard to describe. The only bad thing was the ending, not because it was a bad ending but because this game ends and because it doesn't open up for a sequel. Go buy this now instead of reading this review.

10/10