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I'm sorry, but this game is terrible!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 13
Date: July 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

There are two main problems with the game. One is the mechanics: it attempts to play in pseudo-real time. Which means that if you aren't in the dining car when Anna talks about the Phoenix, you've missed your one and only chance at hearing that conversation. For the most part you can succeed without hearing all of those conversations, although the game doesn't handle this completely gracefully. Sometimes your character will act as if he heard something that he never did. For instance, when I first started playing the game I walked into the dining car and sat down next to a German man and said, "Hello Herr Schmidt." Imagine my surprise, I had no idea my character knew who this was. It turns out that if you are in your room at just the right time the conductor comes to tell you that Herr Schmidt is waiting in the dining car for you. Even though I missed that, the game still thought I knew Schmidt's name.

The far worse aspect of this "real-time" game play is you spend a lot -- and I mean A LOT -- of time walking back and forth in the halls of the train. Which wouldn't be too bad except that the game world is amazingly small for a game on three CDs. And there is very little to interact with. So when you have a concert at 3:00 and it is only 1:15 now, you just walk back and forth, up and down the train, clicking on anything and everything even though there isn't anything for you to except wait until 3:00.

But those are technical details. They could be overlooked if the game was completely engrossing with a compelling, immersive, believable story. The problem is that last word: "believable". Almost every aspect of the game is unbelievable.

Imagine this, you arrange to meet a friend on the train. You board the train and make your way to the room you share with him. Inside you find his dead body. What is your reaction? Call the conductor? Report the murder? The game doesn't even allow those options. Nope, instead you toss his body out the window and put on his jacket. Huh?

Later on you are invited to a concert. You stand up in the middle of the small private concert (with about 5 spectators listening), exit through Door A, climb onto the roof of a train, break a skylight to enter a private room, and find a suitcase full of gold. What would you do? Climb back up through the skylight, taking the gold with you? Nope, the game won't let you do that. Your only option is to walk back into the concert, this time coming in through Door B (and carrying a suitcase you didn't have when you left through Door A). You walk past the five people listening to the music who show no suspicion or in any other way indicate that something is out of place. Huh? What's going on here.

Likewise the conductors will prevent you from entering other people's rooms, but they seem to have no issues when you mysteriously emerge from supposedly locked rooms.

All in the all the game is just way way way too forced. It is impossible to suspend disbelief and take part of the game world. The provides a small amount of free action but only enough that it becomes extraordinarily frustrating when you run up against its many, many limitations.

Please don't waste your time on this game. (Not that it takes very long to finish, you can do it about 10-15 hours.)

The Last Express

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 9
Date: December 11, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I definitely don't care for nonlinear games. I may go back and try to solve this one again some day, but for now, I prefer games with puzzles and progress. I did a lot of dying the few attempts I made at the Last Express.

Horrible

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 15
Date: December 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Maybe I am jaded by games like Grim Fandango, and the longest journey. I just want more to a game than jerky graphics and trying to find a plot, by being in the right place at the right time. The plot should be the programmers responsibility and not mine.

Lame

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 25
Date: October 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

The stereotypes are only mildly irritating. Germans are fat, French are snobs, Brits are chatty, etc. The American is Indiana Jones of course (what else?)

The real nuisance came at the end. If you don't catch a roach and trade it for a stupid whistle in mid game, the game continues but will prevent you from winning. It doesn't get any lamer than this.

Intriguing, yet Frustrating

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Those who enjoy this genre will probably have much less trouble playing this game than I did. I am a complete novice at this type of game(similar to games like Myst), and was about as frustrated as one could possibly be without actually resorting to physical violence against the computer. I finally broke down and downloaded the "helpful hints" from a sight on the internet...which made ALL the difference! In general, I would say that the graphics, the design of the game,etc. were beyond excellent...unbelievably good, actually. The frustration comes in knowing that you have obviously missed something (because the computer kills you off), but having no idea just how far back you need to go (when so many of the events are very precisely timed)in order to try to figure out what you've missed. For those who normally enjoy playing this type of game, it would probably grab all 5 stars and maybe more; for me, the frustration factor was just a little too high.

great game but with a few flaws

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 25 / 26
Date: June 01, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I found the storyline great (better that many other adventure games I've played) and the characters even better. The game is well designed and thought out.

However, I thought there were a few problems that kept me from giving it five stars. This game is real-time (you need to keep track of the time) which means you have to be in the right place at the right time to have a conversation. If you need to sneak into a room and miss your chance it's to late (this happened to me more than once. ugh.)You can't quickly reload the game like you would in other adventure games. Last Express only lets you start over at certain points in the game. It's very frustrating! My other complaint is that I found some of the puzzles to not be very intuitive. I don't want to give anything away since this is a truly great game but I did have to hunt down hints at a few points during the game.

Overall, this game is great entertainment, if you don't mind some of the frustration.

A storytelling tour de force that almost succeeds

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: June 24, 2000
Author: Amazon User

It's rare for an adventure game to have such an intricate, richly detailed plot, but for fans of literate entertainment (especially mystery fans like myself), THE LAST EXPRESS is a real gem. Around the most well-worn clichés (murder, secret alliances, and international intrigue on the Orient Express, after all, hardly seem like fresh material), Jordan Mechner, the writer/designer, has woven a labyrinthine story so meticulously crafted, it feels like a collaboration between Christie and le Carré.

You are Robert Cath, a suave, sarcastic, resourceful American doctor traveling through Europe on the Orient Express in pre-WWI Europe. No sooner have you arrived, however, than you discover the bloody corpse of your friend and host, Tyler Whitney. This is only the beginning of a story impressive not only for the suspenseful twists and turns, but for its faithfulness to historical accuracy. Mechner's decision to set the game during a particularly complicated era was an ambitious one, but the threads of his story neatly tie in with the bizarre social and political tensions of the period. In short, he's one hell of a writer, and THE LAST EXPRESS demonstrates, in grand form, what the highest aspiration of any adventure game should be--to tell a good story.

There's no doubt that there's a good story here, but a more important question would be, how well is the story told? That's a different matter. Aesthetically, THE LAST EXPRESS is a marvel of impeccable construction. This is a game that does such an astonishing job at creating atmosphere that you can easily lose yourself in its environment for hours. Visuals, music, sound effects, and voice work are all done to a tee, but the real star here is the train itself. The opulence and luxury of the Orient Express have been faithfully reproduced from old designs and photographs--this game really looks and feels like no other. It's amazing how fun it can be to simply stroll down the corridor in the sleeping car, or to explore your compartment from top to bottom, while listening to the constant sound of the train running along the tracks. Equally engaging is the ability to sit around and eavesdrop on the various conversations between passengers--and believe me, you'll be doing a lot of that.

Which brings me to the central flaw of THE LAST EXPRESS. The game runs in real time; a clock is always ticking in the background, and certain events have been pre-programmed to happen at a certain time regardless of whether our hero is there to see them or not. Fortunately, it isn't necessary to hear every scrap of whispered conversation in order to win the game, because it's impossible to be everywhere at once. Unfortunately, because there are so many characters (with foreign names that I lost track of more than once) and so many different plotlines going on, it's easy to get lost, especially toward the game's conclusion, when things get really complicated.

In other words, the interactive game may not be the ideal medium for such a tricky story--THE LAST EXPRESS would have made a first-rate novel or film, but as a game, it's got its shortcomings. For one thing, there is such an abundance of things to read (diaries, secret letters, news clippings, etc.)--and very little time to read them in. There are certain tasks that must be performed, but because you are given very little clue of when or where, you often miss them--along with vital plot information. Through its innovative use of real time, THE LAST EXPRESS tries to reflect reality as closely as possible, and to that end it succeeds brilliantly; unfortunately, it can also make for a very frustrating gaming experience.

I've made this sound fairly difficult--which it is. This is intellectually demanding entertainment, and those looking for a more simple-minded, combat-oriented type of adventure are strongly advised to look elsewhere. Not that THE LAST EXPRESS

doesn't have its share of physical combat; there are a number of exciting action sequences as well. However, these sequences, unlike the shoot-em-up variety found in such games as DOOM and QUAKE, require a considerable amount of hand-eye coordination and timing. In short, even the combat in THE LAST EXPRESS emphasizes brains over brawn.

You'll only really start to appreciate the game's craftsmanship after playing through it a second or third time, with a better understanding of the interface, the train's geography (which takes some getting used to), and the crucial plot points. The whole project is so well-done, however, that you won't mind playing through it several times, as it holds up extremely well on repeat visits. THE LAST EXPRESS is a game not only to be played but experienced, and the beautiful attention to detail, plus the rare intelligence of its design, more than make up for its minor flaws.

A great game, worth playing mainly for the atmosphere.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: September 12, 2000
Author: Amazon User

"The Last Express" is very different from the other games that are now considered popular, since it combines mystery with an attractive period setting (Europe on the brink of war in late July 1914). Furthermore, the game takes place on board the Orient Express, which almost makes the game an experiment in claustrophobia: you know that what you are looking for is somewhere on the train, but you don't necessarily know where it is, or what you are looking for.

It's the way you feel when you start playing the game. You arrive late on the train, and the first thing you discover is that your best friend, Tyler Whitney, who had convinced you to travel on the Orient Express, has been killed. As for yourself, you are an American doctor, Robert Cath, who was involved in a murder in Ireland. You will spend the rest of the game assuming the identity of Whitney (which means that you'll have to get rid of Whitney's body), and trying to understand what he was involved in.

The Orient Express is a great setting for the game, because it crosses several countries which will be involved in the First World War: France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, the Orient Express was made famous by Agatha Christie's famous Hercule Poirot novel, "Murder on the Orient Express", and was also featured in a few films, including the James Bond film "From Russia with Love". Playing "The Last Express" also reminds one of the Alfred Hitchcock film, "The Lady Vanishes" (the vanishing lady was a spy), and of other films, such as "The Seven Per Cent Solution", which features a train chase and a duel on the top of the train. One has great expectations regarding this game, and in most cases the game meets these expectations.

The best reasons for playing this game are the claustrophobic feeling, the political uncertainty of the period (which includes the fear of being trapped in an enemy country at any time), and its strong sense of history. I will discuss this last aspect in length, because it is one that has become so rare in today's games. The Orient Express as depicted in the game seems very accurate (with its Art Nouveau style), and I particularly enjoyed reading the newspaper on the train (which included articles on the Wagner festival in Bayreuth, the Serbian crisis, the Madame Caillaux trial, and even letters to the editor). The discussions between the other passengers are a pleasure to listen to, because the acting is perfect.

One of the few things I did not like about this game is that it is very linear. Even though the game is in real time, the same events will take place at the same time every time you play it. Also, the "mysteries" in this game are very easy to solve, because there is a conspicuous lack of red herrings. In this game, if you can grab an object, it will certainly be useful later on. That's easy to understand for items such as the passengers list or the train schedule, but other items, such as both the matches AND the matchbox, or even Tyler Whitney's telegram, also serve a purpose later in the game. Apart from these useful items, there are very few objects unrelated to the plot which you can examine or take. The compartments of people who have nothing to do with the plot are virtually empty.

Your movements in the train are also very limited. You can only sit at one place in the dining room and in the lounge, you can't move outside the train at stations, your movements to some places are limited until you have reached a certain point in the game, and you can't talk to other passengers until you are supposed to talk to them.

(Please skip this paragraph if you don't want some clues regarding the story.) The characters, as diverse as they are, are very caricatural and in some cases, predictable. After a few minutes playing the game, you know which characters are important, and which aren't. You know that August Schmidt, the German industrialist, deals in weapons and will eventually put guns on the train; you know that violinist Anna Wolff is more than she pretends to be, etc. You quickly know that the Boutarel family has nothing to do in the story, that those suspicious-looking Serbians are up to some mischief (such as, say, hijacking the train), and that the Russian anarchist, Alexei Dolnikov, is likely to put a bomb on the train (and guess what ? he does!).

As for the story itself, it is a great tale of international intrigue, although I think that it would have been better without the "firebird", because the latter belongs more to a fantasy tale rather than a down-to-earth espionage story. However, the "firebird" is vital to get to the end of the game.

The ending is totally unpredictable, and it takes place a few minutes before Constantinople. It is great and memorable, though sad, with a strong pacifist statement. It leaves you with the feeling that even though you have finished the game, you've won nothing.

It is written on the game package that there is "over 40 hours of game play". In fact, this probably includes all the time you waste rewinding the game because of the mistakes you've made, because I have finished this game under six hours (and this included listening to interesting conversations). Another reviewer wrote that the game could be finished in two hours. I believe this statement to be true, but in order to finish the game in two hours you have to know the game already, and you will have to forget about listening to other passengers' conversations.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend this game.

An amazingly unique and innovative classic

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 01, 2000
Author: Amazon User

There are certain things that I like to have in each adventure game I play. First, I want a cast of characters that are unique and interesting to talk to, and secondly I like to feel that I make an impact on the events around me. And finally I like the setting to be real enough for me to lose myself in and feel like I'm really there.

The Last Express does all of those things. The animation takes some getting used to at first (it looks as though they filmed live actors and then animated over them, although at times the animation is more of a slide show than people actually moving around), but sooner than you think you quickly fall into the mystery of the game.

You are an American spy who sneaks on board the famous Orient Express to meet up with a companion,only to find him dead and an object in his room stolen. From there you venture out on a 4CD game of whodunit.

One of the appealing things about the game is that whether you sit in your room or if you wander around, things happen. You might be walking down the hall and see a woman rushing past you in tears, but if you choose to sit in the dining car and evesdrop on people's conversations you might find out what made her cry. But whether you are there or not, things will happen. but fear not! If you die or fail the game will rewind the clock and allow you to try again.

The ambiance in this game was phenominal, and the eye for detail was equally as nice. I wish there were more games like The Last Express.

A classic worth buying even 5 years later

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: May 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The Last Express is all that an adventure game should aspire to be - artistic, enthralling, humorous, and captivating. Up until recently, this classic was out of print. Originally published by Broderbund, TLE was a sleeper hit garnering rave reviews, but backed up by modest sales. I had to track the game down on Ebay before finding out a week later that it was being re-released under Interplay. Damn!

At any rate, the graphics are more "art" than flair. The animation is slightly jerky, but like most people who play it, you'll get used to it and appreciate the finer elements before you. Without a doubt, this is some of the best voice acting you will find in any game. All the different languages you'll hear immerse you in the story - close your eyes, and you'll think you're on board the Orient for the murder mystery of a lifetime.

The only potential drawbacks (every game has flaws) is the awkward game-save system, and the sometimes confusing feeling that you're not where you're supposed to be. The game plays out in realtime, and all the characters on the train have a routine. If you're not in the right car at the right time, you may miss something. Then again, that's also half the fun - running around trying to figure out what to do, where to go, and who to trust.

I can't stress this enough. If you like adventure games, and want something really unique in your collection, buy this game...

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