The history of gaming is written at a brisk pace. Not too long ago, LucasArts and Sierra fought it off for the throne of the adventure game kingdom. Nowadays most gamers don't even recall what a classic point & click game is, let alone that Si?erra and LucasArts even existed.

Let's freshen up everyone's memory with some of the best adventure games ??ever made by what I believe was the best adventure game studio to ever exist.

Loom (1990)

Loom is the black sheep of Luc??asArts' adventure catalogue, but it's not a bad game. It features ?a very experimental take on point & click gameplay, and it's one of the very few LucasArts titles to mostly do away with comedy to pursue a more serious storyline in a hard fantasy setting.

Loom mostly achieved what it set out to do, as its story got a lot of praise by the time of its release, but I'm just not crazy about its overtly complex take on gameplay. Loom didn't sell very well, so everything LucasArts came up with for Loom m??ostly died with it �and we're also not likely to see a remaster anytime soon.

The Dig (1995)

The Dig is the other game in LucasArts' catalog to deviate from the norm, and also to mixed results. Whereas Loom went for Fantasy, The Dig went for Sci-Fi, but it had ?a few more cards up its sleeve than its predecessor?.

The Dig featured fantastic presentation that included a movie-worthy soundtrack, excellent voice acting by Hollywood pros, fantastic graphics, and even state of the art cutscenes. The Dig felt mesmerizing due to its highly-immersive environment, but most complained about it being hampered? by game??play that felt challenging in an unfun way.

Though The Dig has enjoyed a deserved positive re-evaluation in the years since it's laun?ch, it's also yet to receive a rem?aster.

Maniac Mansion (1987)

This is the first LucasArts adventure title, and also the ga?me that put Lucasarts on the map for i?ts prowess in the adventure game genre.

Maniac Mansion came out in 1987 and is yet to get the remaster treatment so yes, it will feel considerably dated to someone picking it up nowadays �especially if they're new to the genre. Still, it features a very memora??ble cast of characters and a wide collection of great jokes, so it's still an artifact worth unearthing for some.

The Secret of Monkey Island (1990)

This is both the most iconic series to spawn out of LucasArts, and also the one still living, as proven by the fantastic Return To Monkey Island. The Secret of Monkey Island is where it all started and,? despite being a little rough around the edges for today's standards gameplay-wise, it still has a bunch of jokes that instantly became classics.

Did you know The Secret Of Monkey Island is the reason why the Pirates of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl exists? That's ?how awesome this game is. T??he only reason I'm not ranking it higher is because it also the reason why the sequels exist.

Sam & Max Hit The Road (1993)

Detective work is a staple of adventure games, and one of the best titles in the detective point & ??click adventure genre is, interestingly, a spoof of the genre.

On top of some great puzzles �the lifeblood of the genre �this beautiful game based on the comics by Steve Purcell stars Max, the rabbit part of this detective duo, who's a complete psycho and one of the funniest characters in gaming. Deadpool & Wolverine proved once again that buddy comedies are the way to go, and Hit The Road remains an absolute classic of the genre.

And, best of all, naysayers can't criticize it for doing law enforcers dirty, because Sam & Max aren't police �they're freelance police!

Full Throttle (1995)

Adventure games tend to put players in the shoes of characters who tend to have more brains than brawn �is my kind way of avoiding calling them nerds. Full Throttle?????????????????????????? is a great antidote for that, a??s it allows players to embody one badass �one who's also pretty smart.

Full Throttle manages to have a bit more of a darker edge, but not without doing away with Lucasarts' classic charm and comedic flair. It's also filled with memorable puzzles that oftentimes come accompanied with beautiful 2d animation sequences. Full Throttle ?also enjoyed the remast?er treatment, so there's no excuse to avoid trying it out nowadays.

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992)

Living in a time when an Indiana Jones video game is better than any Indiana Jones sequel feels unprecedented, but Indiana Jones and The Great Circle isn't the first game to do it. Before that, we had Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, the rare point & click adventure that surpassed most of the movies it was based on, and, interestingly, also gave players the kind of gameplay freedom people are praising The Great Circle for.

The controls are a bit dated by today's standards. A nice simple remaster is way overdue, but, if you like Indiana Jones and/or games with intricate puzzles and a fun story, Fate Of Atlantis is still worth checking out.

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (1991)

Monkey Island 2 is one of the greatest sequels of all time. It outdoes the already great predecessor in just about every thing it did right, then even adds a lot of welcome elements to the mix. LeChuck's Revenge fee??ls darker, and with the darkness comes a much opportune higher level of difficulty a??nd depth for its the puzzles.

The series went back to its lighter tone for all the remaining games in the series, so LeChuck's Revenge is both awesome and unique.

Maniac Mansion: Day Of The Tentacle (1993)

Day Of The Tentacle improves upon the original in every way, so much so that even though they play similarly, it feels like its very o??wn thing. It's quite a strange feeling, but one completely in tune with this game where a sentient tent??acle �yes, as in the octopi appendage �becomes super smart and decides to take over the world.

Day Of The Tentacle plays to the strength of LucasArts adventure games, which is their humor. Day Of The Tentacle is a hallmark of all-around hilarity. Good games writing sometimes isn't even something you read or hear from a character, rather a deeper part of the game's design, and Day Of The Tentacle sure has that in spades?? �tough it also features great jokes of the regular kind, if you'??re worried about that.

Grim Fandango (1998)

Though their games tended to go toe to toe quality-wise, Lucasarts' games tended to sell less than those of Sierra. Grim Fandango's numbers turned out so low that they paled even when compared to the lowest-selling Lucasarts titles. Quite disheartening, as not only is Grim Fandango arguably the greatest adventure game ever mad?e �it's definitely the funniest game ever made as far as I am concerned �and also the most modern title ever made by? either company.

And sure, even the most modern title to come out in the late '90s doesn't feel all that modern now, but no problem, as the remastered version is sure to have covered all the rough edges from the original release. I honestly do believe that regardless of your �and its �age, Grim Fandango is the rare title that might change how you see ?and play video games as a whole.

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MANUEL!

At E3 this year, Double Fine will be hosting an event that reunites the original cast from Grim Fandango. Being streamed via Facebook Live, the cast will do a live reading of select scenes from the game along with live music. This is all in honor of the game's 20th annive??rsary, which suddenly makes me feel very old.

My history with the game is that I completely missed it upon its original release (I was 10 years old and being blown away by Ocarina of Time). I didn't play the game until around 2004 when I had been looking through a list of the "Top 100 Games Ever Made" and took an immediate interest in the art style. It quickly became a favorite of mine a?nd is something I always recommend to people that pine a?bout the death of adventure games.

Double Fine [Twitter]

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Today is a good day to die

GOG.com is kicking off its winter sale with a bang! From now until December 14 at 6am PST (2pm GMT), you'll be able to book your trip to the land of the dead with a free copy of Grim Fandango Remastered. Being this is on GO?G, it will be a completely DRM free version of the game with a couple of extras like a behind the scenes documentary and some wallpapers.

Along with that freebie, if you spend $15 or more, you'll receive a gratis copy of Hard West. If that really tickles your fancy and you just have to get it, the standout discount would be 50% off A Hat in Time, which brings the game down to $14.99! You can also grab Master of Orion for spending $40, which will probably net you around 20 different ?games with these prices!

Here are some of the deals that I found the most ?appealing:

• A Hat in Time - $14.99 (50% off)
• Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition - $4.99 (75% off)
• Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition - $4.99 (75% off)
• Don’t Starve - $3.74 (75% off)
• Jade Empire: Special Edition - $3.74 (75% off)
• Mafia - $10.49 (30% off)
• SWAT Bundle - $19.96 (50% off)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – GOTY Edition - $19.99 (60% off)
• Theme Hospital - $1.49 (75% off)

The w??inter sale will be running until December 26, so you've got a bunch of time to deliberate over the choices. Practically everything is on sale, so you're bound to find something you'd like to either revisit for experience for the first time.

GOG Winter Sale [GOG.com]

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La Parca en tu bolsillo

After almost 20 years, LucasArts' Grim Fandango was remastered by Double Fine Productions. It released in January on the PlayStation 4, PS Vita, PC, Mac, and Linux to mostly positive reception. Starting today, it will also be available on the App Store and Google Play for $9.99. 

I'll make no bones about it: Steven found it tibia "well-??written, rich, heartfelt, funny" ad?venture. I'm patellin' you now, you'll probably have a good time with this one.

The post Grim Fandango Remaster now on App Store and Google?? Play appeared first on Destructoid.

Spooky scary skeletons send shivers down my spine

Grim Fandango didn't need a remaster as much as it needed a re-release. Many, myself included, have found it difficult to track down a copy to play. We've had an entire digital catalog--GOG.com--devoted to getting good, old games up for sale on a digital storefront, but no Grim Fandango?

The touch-ups ar??e appreciated. You can switch between the original and remastered look at the touch of a button. The latter has some nice dynamic lighting and new character models, but I stuck mostly with the former for its more vibrant colors. The in-game commentary is a nice touch. The non-tank controls are welcomed (as is the cheeky trophy for playing with tank controls).

No bones about it, though, Grim Fandango holds up on its original merits as a stylish, humerus adventure.

Grim Fandango (PS Vita [Reviewed], PC, PS4)
Developer: Double Fine
Publisher: Double Fine
Released: January 27, 2015
MSRP: $14.99

Manny Calavera i?s a grim reaper, which in this art deco Land of the Dead means he's a travel agent, sending dead souls to their final resting place through a variety of fine travel options. Most prized is the Number Nine, an express train reserved for those who've led sterling lives. Manny isn't one of them, which is why he's working off his sins as a reaper, but a string of bum, low-commission clients has him treading water in this literal limbo.  

I've never felt more emotionally connected to a videogame character than when Manny picks up a ceremonial Day of the Dead baguette and sticks the whole thing in his inner jacket pocket. And then another. And then another. And then another. Dios mio. Why is it letting me?? pick up infi??nite bread. I need boundaries. Surely all these breads aren't going to show up as individual inventory items I'll have to scroll through--oh, they do. Fine. I made my bread and I'm going to rye in it.

I love bread--okay, I knead to stop with the bread. Grim Fandango is so playful, though??, it?? gets me into a good mood. This is a world of travel-agent skeletons, giant cat races, and biting birds that comes off so comfortable you almost wonder why anyone is making miles towards the afterlife. Of course, it's an easier stay for the enterprising Calavera than the poor souls trekking for years on a walking stick.

Then again, it's all about the journey.

Grim Fandango is stuffed with sharp dialogue and you're encouraged to go through all the options, a bit of quick unlearning needed if you've been on a "he will remember that" diet of choice-heavy adventure games. Nothing feels throwaway, though. It's gags, pertinent information, or?, more likely, a mix of both.

The economy is impress??ive. Ancillary characters will r?eappear over the lengthy journey and it feels like seeing an old friend. It is not massive in the open-world, "you can walk to those mountains" sense, but it manages to feel both full and intimate, like a warm dinner in small, friend-filled kitchen. Tony Plana deserves enormous credit for voicing Manny and making even repeated item description lines feel natural. 

About the only thing in Grim Fandango that isn't bleached-bone smooth is its puzzles, which are bound to trip you up eventually. For me it was a mix of my failed lateral thinking (stupidity) and the means of interaction. On the Vita, point-and-click with the touch screen works best in puzzle-solving situation??s, though I still ??ran about mostly with traditional controls.

One puzzle had me using my scythe and in doing so with the X button, Ma??nny just kept waving it around in the generally correct area. Clicking on what must have been a slightly different spot with the touch controls and opening the UI allowed me to progress. Wildly tapping until the UI pops up is also the best way to take stock of what you can interact with in an area, rather than relying on button clicks and Manny's neck craning towards objects of interest. PS4 users might face an added challenge sans touch controls. On the technical side, I did experience a couple crashes on Vita and one instance of Manny getting locked in place that necessitated a restart, so remember to save often.

Figuring out how you're supposed to interact with something probably falls somewhere in between stupidity and means of interaction??. Having to replace an item you might have picked up before essentially combining it--without any sort of traditional inventory screen and "combine" option--broke my brain a bit. Luckily the game is 17 years old and you can do a little cheating if your conscience can take it. 

The comedic beats Grim Fandango hits in the opening cinematic alone are delightful. Reminds you how rare "funny" is in games. Some adventure game puzzle logic and Glottis' chunky orange polygons aside, it doesn't feel dated. It's well-written, rich, heartfelt, funny, and I'm glad as heck it's readily available for everyon??e to play.

_{[This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the developer.]}

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Soooo...this happened

Sony's really been gearing up for this weekend's PlayStation Experience. There have been projects teased. There's been confirmation of a big No Man's Sky event. Now, there's a Between Two Ferns knock-off interview with Tim Schafer to promote the presence of Grim Fandango.

It was a good effort, Sony. There are even a few more Between Shu Ferns videos on PlayStation's YouTube channel. Commendable, but nothing's going to top the James Franco episode of the real deal. (Probably NSFW for language, and partying stuffs, and general awesomeness.)

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Aiming for 1080p, but keeping the 4:3

Double Fine has the original Grim Fandango&nb??sp;running on PS4, with some joystick tweaks so it controls smoother. In the development video, they talk about things they want to address, like the compression, and things they want to keep the same, down to the aspect ratio. 

This is basically the original Grim Fandango running on PS4 at the moment. The PS4 and Vita remaster is, "going to be ??running at 1080p, all of the 3D models are going to look a lot nicer for pixel lighting." 

The remaster was also announced for PC.

The post Here’s Grim Fandango running on PS4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Yesssssssssssssssssss!

I always complain about how hard it is to find a copy of Grim Fandango, which I desperately need to play. Well, Grim Fandango is getting a PS4 and Vita exclusive remaster. Of all the remasters, reboots, remakes shown off t??hus far at E3, this is by far the best. 

Thanks you based Schafer.

The post Yes! Grim Fandango remaster for PS4 and Vita! appeared first on Destructoid.