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Should I spell my thoughts as "amazing" or as "mindblowing"?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 45 / 45
Date: November 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I just browsed through the games rack when this box caught my eye. The description on the back was promising and so it wasn't long before my bank account was emptier and I was siting before my little silverscreen and enjoying the first scenes of this breath-takingly beautiful and absolutely mesmerizing story.

The begining informs us that we are going to hear a story that ends where it begins, as all good stories do, and so we are introduced (well, not exactly) to the Guardian of Balance and a little bit later to Ms. Ryan and her weird dreamworld. The quality of movies, areas, and overall graphics is very good and that is one of the things that makes you want to follow the story, to see more of the (un)real worlds. But soon you understand that the story that you are playing/watching/living has swallowed you so completely that it is hard to get away from it even for a few minutes. Yes, it is THAT good and it gets better with every step you take (literally) and every word you say.

Two of my friends have played it and they said that it was the best came they had ever played, and I'm afraid that I have to say the same. For first, there has never been a game so emotional: I'm the type of guy who will soon download a walkthrough if he gets stuck but this game was different - I got stuck sometimes for 2-3 hours but I never downloaded the ticket to freedom because it wouldn't have been fair, wouldn't have been real. Secondly comes the environment; the visuals, the audio, the little details... everything is right. And last, but not least, is the story that is one of the best I've ever experienced. In the end, when you almost only watch the screen and listen to the dialogues, you don't mind the fact that you can't be the one who wins the game, because the game shows you what happens in the end, tells you the story's grand finale.

So, there is nothing bad to say about this game (and that deffinitely is a good sign) and very many good things. I'll only tell you this: if you don't play it, you'll loose the longest and the greatest experience of your life.

A Game So Good, You'll Want to Share It

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 44 / 44
Date: November 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The Longest Journey is the type of game that isn't supposed to get made anymore: intelligent, affecting, host to dozens of fantastic locations and believable characters, and unforgettable. I'm a big fan of adventure titles like Grim Fandango, Zero Critical, and The Curse of Monkey Island, but comparatively The Longest Journey doesn't seem like a game at all: it's a whole lot better. You could say it's like being in an interactive movie, but most movies aren't even this good.

Unlike Myst-type games, where you pan through still shots to go from scene to scene, in the Longest Journey, you follow the story by directing a single character, April Ryan. The interface is almost identical to The Curse of Monkey Island, except that it's in a more-detailed, more three-dimensional world. With out giving anything away, the plot is somewhat familiar but terrific nevertheless.

Put succinctly-since every review here so far is five-stars-The Longest Journey is must-have stuff. That expression is overused, but it's titles like these that keep it around. There is material that some adults may find distressing, but it's much tamer than a typical day in high school. I'd recommend the game to anyone fourteen or older, especially younger folks who can empathize with April Ryan and her feelings of displacement, confusion, and amazement in settings that can be both magical and ultra-realistic at once.

If The Longest Journey were a young adult novel, it'd be an instant success. Don't let the format keep you away from enjoying the strong story or truly genuine characters of The Longest Journey-stuff this good is just too hard to find.

The Best Game Ever!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 42
Date: October 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is truely amazing! I can't remember the last time I played a computer game that was so engrossing. You can almost feel yourself growing along with the character, April Ryan, and by the time you've finished the game you will be totally understanding of her. I know that sounds kind of stupid, but this game real brings you in.The Longest Journey will be enjoyable to anyone from ages 13 to 80! From teenagers to adults. The puzzles range from dreadfully easy to taking you days to figure out (for those of you who won't run to the nearest walkthrough or hint page). I hope anyone that likes adventure games (& those that don't) will by this game. I really, really hope you do, 'cause the creators of The Longest Journey have the story for both a sequal and a prequal already written, but they won't make them into a game unless The Longest Journey sells well in the states. I imported the game from Britain & now I'm kicking myself for not waiting. Well, anyway the game's awesome! Buy it!! :) (PS, sorry for any spelling errors!)

Simply Amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 21 / 22
Date: November 26, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I don't write reviews very often. This game had me enthralled in a way not many adventure games do (my favorite genra). From start to finish I couldn't put the mouse down.

If you liked games like Grim Fandango or Black Dahlia, Curse of Monkey Island, you simply have no choice but to buy this game. It's been a very long time since a game of this caliber came out. In fact, I think I'd have to go back to Grim Fandango to think of a game that was this good. But I think this was better.

Maybe it's because this game had a year to stew before the US got its hands on it, but I had absolutely no problems with bugs. I didn't need a patch. The voices can be choppy at times, but not horribly so...and the game more than makes up for this problem.

The voice acting was incredible. The graphics were extremely well done. And the story...oh the story. There is a lot of dialogue, which I normally don't care for. But the lines are interesting, well acted, and made you care for all the characters, April especially. There is a humanness to all the characters, even non human.

If you are an adventure fan and can only buy one game in the next two months, let it be The Longest Journey.

Definitely long and fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 21 / 24
Date: November 27, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game *is* worth the 95/100 ratings it keep getting. It's easiest the most beautiful adventure game ever made, if not one of the best ones overall. This is definitely more serious (and with mature material) than any LucasArts title, it won't make you laught your pants off but it has a more down-to-earth, more real-life kind of humour that keeps the game very enjoyable.

There are so many places you can explore in the two worlds it's breathtaking... and they are filled with characters who feel alive, not just there to answer one question or two. April herself is very lovable, you grow to care about her and her world, and feel sad when the game is over and when she only lives on in your head. And yes, these world do feel like they are still out there somewhere even AFTER the game is finished.

This game reminds me of the age when adventure games were big, when character development and intricate plot and DETAILS are what makes a game world amazing. If you call youself an adventure gamer, this is a *MUST*. If you are just looking for a great, interactive story and looking to try things out, this one is a great one to start too (with its easy interface). Though it may spoil you for life, for there isn't that many game much like it out there I'm afraid.

Sophisticated and Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 22
Date: November 09, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I have played many adventure games and I personally like the ones with character interaction such as the Monkey Island series, Tex Murphy series and Gabriel Knight series. This game is the most outstanding of all. I laughed, I got teary eyed and I appreciated the adult spin that Funcom put into this game. There is adult language but it makes the story very real. The puzzles are of medium difficulty and make sense, there are no sliding tile puzzles or mazes. In this climate of fast paced, twitchy games... take time out, have a glass of wine and get lost in the world of Arcadia.

Great game; a necessary booster shot for the adventure genre

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 19 / 22
Date: January 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I haven't bought any games for a while because they've been getting worse and worse. This game was good in every sense: very involving storyline, wonderful characters and voice actors, beautiful scenery, engaging puzzles and a lovely soundtrack.

There are, of course, the downfalls: like most "adventure games" from the past (take the older King's Quest games and Myst as the perfect examples), you have a beautiful world that you cannot explore. It's in no way like some of the more RPG-like games (Ultima, for instance) where, though there's a nice storyline and set plot, you can pretty much do what you like. TLJ has an annoyingly limited area of travel and action. That being said, what you get to see is all the better. Next, there's a lot that borders on the Absurd; some of the puzzles are downright silly, and it seems illogical and very unrealistic to spend hours poring over the screen to find a mouse hot spot, or testing random objects in random places. Absolutely no variation. But some of the sillier aspects are a lot of fun; the talking sticks and Crow, etc, which give this game a bit of the classic gaming Wit that games like Quest for Glory were so good at. It didn't take very long to play, and the ending was, well, stupid.

But you can't have everything. This game scores major points for its originality, its departure from the stagnancy of the adventure game genre. Further, from a pure computing standpoint, it runs very efficiently and quickly without the zillions of bugs that seem to happen to every other game nowadays (hello EA and EIDOS). And that was on my Dell laptop, certainly not top-of-the-line.

I hope these mysterious European game-makers keep at it.

The best adventure game I have ever played. Period.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 30 / 33
Date: October 23, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is totally amazing. No question, it's the best adventure game I have ever seen.

The story. You play an 18 year old art student called April Ryan who lives in a 23rd century city called Newport, in a little neighbourhood called Venice. Life is pretty much the same as today apart from holosculptures, cops with exoskeletons and DNA scanners on subways. But weird things are happening in Venice. April's dreams are becoming more and more vivid, strange creatures appear in the local cafe and the only person who seems to know what to do is the mysterious old man, Cortez.

Through him April learns there are two Earths, one - her own - called Stark, the other Arcadia. One is science and logic, the other chaos and magic, and both have been held in Balance for eons. But now the Balance is crumbling. The Guardian has left his Tower, the malignant Vanguard are advancing and the only person who can save the worlds from being torn apart is April, who learns a strange gift called Shifting - passing from Stark to Arcadia and back again.

She embarks on a journey from the depths of an Arcadian ocean to the space station in Stark in her quest to not only heal the Balance but to find out who she really is, and why.

So why is this game so great?

First, it has deep, believeable characters with nary a stereotype or cutout in sight. Every person in TLJ has their own personality and enjoys it to the fore. April herself grows as a person during the game, which is unusual for a female heroine, and her history and character become more and more important as the game progresses. And somehow she never loses her sense of humour, whatever happens.

The story is engrossing and amazing with plenty of great twists. I got on a roll playing this and found myself desperate to carry on at midnight just to find out what happened next.

The graphics and cutscenes are just incredible. The whole game is beautifully rendered. Although the 3D characters don't always mesh too well with the 2D background, they look stunning. Arcadia is very beautiful but Stark has its moments as well, especially where the cutscenes are concerned.

The music is hauntingly lovely, and suits the game perfectly. Most of the emotion in the game is portrayed through the sound and music.

Two useful little extras if you're stuck are the Conversation Log and April's diary. You can read both to help you sift for clues as to what to do next, but in actual fact the game is pretty linear so you rarely get stuck for long.

The only things I would caution about this game are the language and the dialogue. A couple of the Stark characters turn the air blue which may be realistic but not suitable for younger children. There is also plenty of social awareness in the game, which is great but also may not be suitable. PG 13 would be a good rating for TLJ. The dialogue does also tend to go on a bit at times, and though it might contain important clues your eyes do tend to glaze sometimes.

All that aside, you won't regret buying this game. It's funny, touching, inspiring and beautiful.

Great story with a great sense of humor!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 27 / 28
Date: January 04, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I purchased The Longest Journey after having read review after review saying it was one of the best Adventure games ever. But the reviews of the game could not truly capture what it was about the game that makes it such an excellent work of art.

1) The characters come to life. You will find yourself getting involved with all of the characters. You will get to know them very well.. probably too well. The voice acting of the characters is fantastic, and you really feel like these computer generated characters are real people.

2) A great sense of humor. You are pretty much guaranteed a good laugh or two every few minutes of gameplay. The first night of playing this game, I found myself laughing almost constantly. There are a couple of parts in the story where the humor builds up so much that you will laugh non-stop for the entire conversation! I am a big fan of comedy, but never has a game made me laugh so hard.

3) The graphics are amazing. The characters could use a bit of work, but the backgrounds are all fantastic, as well as the movies.

If you are buying this for your children, beware, as the content is very mature. But if you're buying it for yourself, and you like adventure games, you will surely enjoy this one.

The combination of wonderful voice acting, great comedy, and beautiful videos depict one of the greatest stories of any computer game to date.

The Longest Journey

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 16
Date: November 14, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I ordered The Longest Journey from Britain several months ago. The only bad thing about the game is that it spoiled me. No other game I've played since comes close to this one. I hope the company comes out with others in this line.

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