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Sam Spade on the Orient Express

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 101 / 103
Date: February 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Pros:

1. Everything in The Last Express is topnotch: the graphics and the voice acting; the varied, fascinating characters, and the absorbing story. It's an atmospheric mystery/thriller like "The Maltese Falcon," plunked into a colorful, stylish Art Deco set. As Robert Cath, a young American doctor, you hop a ride on the Orient Express, where you encounter a sumptuous world sliding inexorably toward violence and war.

2. Nearly all the action takes place on the train, which heightens the intimacy and drama. In this, it is reminiscent of Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes." Last Express takes place in "real time," which means that events and conversations continue on at their own pace. A rewind feature permits you to go back in time to redo things you missed. If you have played "Titanic: An Adventure Out of Time," in which the end game takes place in (much more frenetic) real time, you will have a sense of what Last Express is like.

3. There are several endings, but the one in which you "win" is a classic. IMHO, the ending alone is worth the price of the game.

Cons:

1. The characters in Last Express were filmed, and then animated; the end result is rather jerky. I found that I noticed this for about the first fifteen minutes, then I adjusted and forgot all about it.

2. The game includes a handful of fight scenes, although there is an easy cheat to get past these (I used it). There are also more subtle adult themes. They might go right over the head of a child playing the game with you. On the other hand, they might not.

3. The save-game mechanism, which doesn't allow you to easily identify your game.

Bottom Line: Wit, Beauty, Romance, Elegance, Intrigue, Action, Suspense.

A New Art

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 17
Date: July 02, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This is the first video game that has ever made me consider that the video game might be the novel of the twenty-first century.

Looking at the screen-shots, it may not draw in the traditional video game player (such as myself). And yet, once you are in the environment, the game is totally aborbing. There aren't enough "puzzles" to qualify the game as Myst-style, but the characterization and story make this game something beyond any other video game I've ever seen. It's emotionally involving, in the way that we merge ourselves into truly good movies and books. The somewhat cartoonish style isn't so much like King's Quest or Space Quest as it is like Toulouse-Latrec. And the background design is stunning and intricate. There are plenty of plot-twists and mysteries to solve -- this is no stale adventure -- but the involvement you experience in the story is unlike anything I've seen since, despite all of our technological advances. This is, still, one of the finest video games ever produced, a first-person story of the highest order, where you determine, every time you play, the flavor of the story.

A Little-Known Classic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: October 08, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game had a hard time being widely accepted, as it came out at a time when the gaming industry was hyping cutting edge graphics, and more thoughtful (but less graphically exciting) games like this were basically ignored.

This is a beautifully crafted game that takes the player back in time to an earlier era. The story takes place in the last days before the Great War changed the face of Europe forever. You are a rogue American adventurer named Robert Cath, and all the action takes place aboard the Orient Express on its final trip from Paris to Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).

Players will first notice that the game uses a sort of stop-motion comic-book style of animation. This is the game's only serious hurdle. Some folks dislike it, others don't mind it at all. I thought it added to the game, as the Art Nouveau style of the graphics lent the requisite old-fashioned air to a game set in Europe in the early years of the 20th Century. Had it been made using a more modern style, I feel it would have lost something. As it is, the visual choice that the developers made seems perfect for the period and serve to draw you deeper into the story.

Another choice the developers made was to make all the game action take place in real time. Again, this choice may be disliked by players who want fast-paced excitement all the time. At certain periods you have time to just drink in the atmosphere of Europe on the brink of war. This is part of the game's allure. It's a game for people who like to change into a robe on a winter's evening, set a roaring fire in the fireplace and curl up in an overstuffed armchair with a well-written historical novel.

The game presents players with a traditional adventure story, and a rich and deeply involving one at that. The action starts in a Paris train station, and you are soon aboard the Orient Express. As you board the train you have no idea what the next 48 hours will bring, but you will be called on to perform deeds that will determine the very future of Europe. As the story unfolds, you are torn between your allegiance to yourself and your responsibility to save Europe as it plunges into chaos. You will experience adventure, the temptation of riches, love, and tragedy as the Orient Express takes you inexorably towards your destiny.

This game is probably the best game I have ever played. I have owned it for 8 years and I think I've had it on my hard drive all of that time. In terms of atmosphere and story it is unmatched. I am not ashamed to say that it is the only game I've ever played that has made me weep for the characters. Emotionally engaging, deep and ultimately unforgettable, for me this is the perfect game.

This game is no longer available in stores, but if you can find a used copy, buy it. If what I've written above appeals to you, you will love this game. Although it was written for Windows 95 it plays perfectly on modern Windows XP systems.

Regarding the negative reviews: yes, the game has puzzles you have to solve, and some of them require a bit of thought - i.e. the 'roach' and the 'stupid whistle' requires you to make a relatively simple connection between two objects shaped like a beetle - I guess that's too complex for some - and yes, if you don't do it you lose the game. It wouldn't be a game if it allowed you to win without accomplishing the game's tasks. Then there's the review stating that the player should report his friend's death to the authorities - yeah, sure! The newspaper clipping that Cath has in his pocket makes it clear that he's wanted by the police, but I guess that reviewer didn't bother to read that. This is a case of a reviewer who was in such a hurry to finish the game that he didn't bother to actually take any notice of what was going on. Similarly, the idea that the people in the concert had no reaction to Cath's appearance with the gold is wrong. They had a reaction but it was muted because they wanted to avoid suspicion. In short, if you don't take time to understand what's going on you will have a hard time understanding the game. There may be a couple of instances where you can avoid getting the proper information, but 99 times out of 100 you will be in the right place at the right time. Conversations do sometimes occur in different areas of the train simultaneously, but this is a feature, not a flaw - it gives the game more playability beyond the first time, and the whole point is to try to figure out what's going on without needing all the clues.

My two cents...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: July 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Having long ago experienced that warm fuzzy feeling of utter emotional satisfaction when completing The Last Express for the first time, I find myself returning to it, like a favorite book, every six months or so.

I won't reiterate the positive comments that have already been made - the rich storyline, the well developed characters, the immersive playing experience - suffice it to say that I agree with all of them.

Indeed, I am furthermore one of a minority that enjoyed the real-time nature of the game.

To my mind, the fact that my fellow passengers' conversations can rise or fall in and out of earshot, that relevant snippets of dialogue aren't always waiting for my presence to toggle them, that appointments can be missed and so on, only contribute to an overall sense that one IS 'Bogart' for the night on a train speeding into oblivion (there is even a Gutman-esque character, albeit Germanic).

I am now at the point whereby I can stroll through the game in under 2 hours - but they are a riveting couple of hours, and at the end of it all I still savor the glow.

The best computer game ever?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 11
Date: August 26, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've owned this game for two years, and still play it on my iMac. It is timeless and THAT good, with excellent characterizations, well-thought out plots and timelines. The game is so unusual, as it has separate timelines going on at the same time; i.e. depending where you are on the train as Robert Cath, you may/may not hear certain conversations and interactions between characters. The characters will interact with each other and go about their business regardless of whether you are in "ear-shot" or not, yet if you approach characters to interact, you may get different responses, depending on what you have done or haven't done in the game, etc. A beautifully conceived game by Jordan Mechner, creater of the Prince of Persia games. Although this game won accolades upon release, it wasn't incredibly well-received, and the Smoking Car Productions (Mechner) that produced the game folded quietly after the game's release.

Fans of this game can also purchase the excellent CD Soundtrack through amazon, as well as the "how-to" player's guide through amazon. One can only hope for a sequel by Mechner if there is enough interest....

The Best Adventure Game Ever Made!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: August 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of the Last Express the first time it was made available which was in 1997. I was very intrigued after I saw the preview that was included with MYST. After about five good minutes into playing the game I found this to be no ordinary common variety game. The graphics were spectacluar and very detailed! The artists really have outdone themselves. The animation, I thought, added substance to the game that you probably can't get with FMV. Anyone who has played full motion video games can probably relate. The voice-overs were really something. They were flawless, and very convincing. I have to say the touchstone of the game itself is the train. You are free to roam as you please in a beautifully detailed luxury train that is historically correct in all areas(Except for the color of the blankets in your compartment they were Red not Blue) suspended in "real time." For example if you are in the sleeping cars you may hear the conductors chatting, or at the same time a German man is flirting with an Austrian woman in the dining car -- it really adds a reality that is so effective you forget you are at the computer and almost believe you are right there on the train - as the game is portrayed in first person for the most part. So check it out, take a ride on the fabled Orient Express. You won't be sorry you did, and once you're finished you will hope for a sequel that is long overdue!

Immersive, beautiful, well-written Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: November 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I loved this game. I had to cheat a little (found a web walk-through) to finish it, but it was a fantastic game, with splendid character development. If it was a novel, it would have been a bestseller. The gameplay was fun, the dialogue realistic and well-written, and I loved the rotoscoped animated cut scenes (I despise those cheezy badly-acted live action characters in many games). I enjoyed playing the Last Express right up to the end, more than any other game I have played.

Very good game for person sick of pointless puzzles

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: September 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I liked this game a lot. It had an interesting storyline, I really felt for the charcters in the end, I haven't felt that way since Gabriel Knight 2. I had to save a lot in the game but I really had no complaints about that. Some people found it tedious to go back a redo sections of the game if they missed a crucial conversation. I guess if you like to finish games quickly then this game is not for you. I liked that you got to know each character in the game, and the dual love stories added romance. I liked the historical background and the artwork of the movie. It was probably one of the best adventure games I have played.

Great murder mystery

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: September 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I had such a great time playing this game. It's smart, it's historical, it had wonderful tests of skill and problem solving. Much better than hack and slash games!

the best adventure game I've ever played!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 20, 2001
Author: Amazon User

When I started playing LAST EXPRESS I felt a bit annoyed because of the screen presentation (the game used only about the middle third amount of the computer screen when walking through hallways on the Orient Express). But all negative thoughts thoroughly evaporated when I got into the flow. There are dozens of characters to get involved with, and I never felt a lack of plot or characterization. Even the minor characters such as the cheif berating his apprentice behind the dining cart curtain gave me something to laugh about. And unlike many of the adventure games out today, there is more than one way to play it. As another reviewer mentioned, you could simply walk around and listen to conversations, you could choose to ignore the characters that you find to be "creepy," or you could just follow up on the events leading to the world war by reading the newspaper that is changed once in the game. I think that the cartoonish style is an interesting touch because I understand what the creators meant by using it. Too often when there is digital video graphics in a game people tend to concentrate on the graphics instead of the plot, which is the heart of adventure gaming. In short, I couldn't stop playing. If you are the type of gamer which need to blow something up every five minutes, this game isn't for you. If you are interested in a game with thought-provoking conversations, and exciting events occuring one after the other (including scenes where your character REALLY DOES fight!) you should seriously consider buying THE LAST EXPRESS. If you are an adventure gamer (or a beginner in this genre) that is interested in history, or the out-break of the first world war, this is a GREAT game for you.

Thank you for your time

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