Grim Fandango

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.

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.

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...

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.