Grim Fandango

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.

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...

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

Grim Fandango was one of the top games of 1998. It's made by LucasArts the people behind the Star Wars and Lucasfilms related games.

This game is taken place in the land of the dead. The place where people go to when they die. Only it's different from what you would expect the "Afterlife" to be.

In this universe you are first met by a Grim Reeper who'll be introducing you to your new living style in the land of the Dead. Grim Reepers are more like Travel agents who'll give you a good profit.

If you lived a good life you'll receive the good profits like a car, be on a boat cruise line and if you lived a great life you'll get a ticket for the 009 Express which leads to the 9th Underworld where you can live peacefully for eternity. And if you lived a bad life you don't get either of these opportunities.

Mandy Calavara is a Grim Reeper working for the D.O.D.(Department of Dead). He's been a great salesman and getting great clients right until he's been getting lousy clients who aren't worthy of getting a 009 ticket. Mandy's been on the bottom list of achievements for awhile. And he's wondering why other Salesmen get good clients while he doesn't.

Through out the game you control Mandy who'll be solving the mystery and finding out the secret of who's really behind the scheme of taking all the 009 tickets.

You get to collect items and figure out puzzles and solutions. And interact with several mysterious and random characters.

The have nice 3-D background and great voice acting. CGI is a little old but it's still well done.

I recommend this game to those who like to play a game that does rule.

Put simply, this is one of those games you have to play before you die.

Lucasfilm Games/LucasArts is one of those studios that has a well-deserved and rabid cult following even years after it has ceased to support its classic titles, and Grim Fandango is perhaps their greatest achievement. It's Monkey Island with heart, Full Throttle with depth.

Although Grim Fandango has its share of one-off gags and one-liners, its humor is more situational and cumulative than typical humor titles, which gives the entire storyline a kind of cohesiveness that is supposed to happen only in the movies. Seeing characters at the end of the game and finding out what they've gotten up to in the two years since you last ran into them is unexpected and satisfying. Each Act takes place in a new location, but maintains threads of connection with previous Acts that entirely avoids the Where Am I Now, What Am I Supposed To Be Doing And Why Do I Care? syndrome that so often afflicts adventure games, particularly more recent ones.

Although graphics junkies will find that the 3D modeling leaves something to be desired, the artistry that went into the creation of each character (and there are many, many characters) will thrill adventure fans. The voice acting is superb, and the puzzles are, for the most part, refreshingly intuitive and sensible.

The Latin American film noir setting is entirely original, a selling point which cannot be understated. It's absolutely nothing you've ever seen before and nothing you're likely to see again, and for most PC gamers it's a cross-cultural experience that is unique in the realm of PC gaming. You'll learn, you'll feel, you'll laugh, you'll hope, you'll cheer.

Without a doubt one of the best PC games ever released.