Lost Horizon Now at Interact

Lost Horizon is now available for purchase at Interact.

hatshepsut

oh goodie, I'll have to place my order soon!

I'm playing Lost Horizon now and having a lot of fun with it. That Fenton Paddock can be quite funny with some of his remarks. I like him.

I really liked him in the demo too. I'm glad you are enjoying the game

hatshepsut

Just finished playing Lost Horizon and it was a great game for me. I know this because I'm feeling sad that it has ended, I want it to go on and on. There was some bonus play at the end of the game, the early prototype of the original version and one got to play it. Some of the prototype made it to the final game, but not all, totally interesting. Seems the original was going to have Kim as the main character so I, for one, am happy they changed to Fenton Paddock instead. He was so cool. There also was a jigsaw puzzle and when that was finished it showed Max and Nina and a notice that they will be in a third Secret Files. I can hardly wait. I'm also hoping Fenton will be back some day, but there was no hint about that.

I'm glad you enjoyed the game mindysue. I loved the demo and can hardly wait ti get my copy of the game. That sounds like some very nice extras in the game.

hatshepsut

October is almost over, so has anyone else played Lost Horizon yet? I feel sort of lonely not being able to share experiences with others who liked the game. Or disliked it, for that matter.

Sorry Mindysue, I have not played it but I think I might at some point even though it is not my type of game any more.

Hi GreyFuss,
So it isn't your type of game any more because? Is it too easy, or is the adventure too boring with looking for inventory to solve the puzzles? Of course, those are the reasons why I liked the game, that and the main character's sense of humor. The argali puzzle had me LOL, almost ROFL. The different locations were an added touch and better graphics then most first-person games with their non-ending hallways and strange doors. I'm totally direction challenged so they all look the same to me, but I do think they are interesting to you and I'm not putting such scenes down for those who do like them. It is just that I had so much fun playing Lost Horizon that I want everybody to enjoy it, too. Even if they hate it, I guess! <grin>

Well...ya know I use to be one that liked all forms of adventure gaming but in the last couple of years I have become a first person player simply because I want to be the one experiencing the adventure instead of watching someone else experiencing it. (3rd person) That and I have become disenchanted with all the NPC's and boring non game related dialogs which seem to be the developers vain attempt at giving their characters a life that misses the mark. This had become more and more evident in the last few years.

Its not that I am against the 3rd person adventures it just that I don't feel that I am a part of it. A good example of this is Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper. In the developers attempt to appease the 3rd person players they ruined the atmosphere that they gained with Awakened and Arsene Lupin (Nemesis) in the the player actually felt like they were Sherlock Holmes. In Ripper you would play in first person for 5 minutes and watch a 3rd person cut scene, play 5 minutes and watch a 3rd person cut scene. Even all the conversations with NPC's were cut scenes in 3rd person. This completely took away from the feeling as I was part of the game to watching Sherlock play the game. My advice to Frogwares is to go one way or the other as they ruined the first person perspective that they achieved in the other 2 games and because of that I won't be playing anymore of their games if they continue down this path. Might not matter much with them as they may be going the way of Casual also.

So, GreyFuss,
I have my own problems with the Sherlock Holmes games, tried 3 of them and couldn't finish even using walkthroughs. I get into dead ends where nothing works and since I'm rather bored by then, I give up rather than try harder. Anyway, I have a question ... are they even *adventure* games? More like *who-dun-it* games where one tries to solve a mystery, so I'm not sure that comparing them with Lost Horizon really works too well. However, the third-person would be a problem and yes, there are those NPCs to deal with and the cut scenes that take over at a few crucial times where maybe you would prefer to deal with the problem yourself. Therefore, I can see why it probably would be a boring game for you to play. I liked Fenton Paddock, but he would get in the way of anyone wanting to explore and act on their own.

Ahhh!...Miss Mindy...The definition game. I have always seen first person games as "THE" adventure games, even when I was playing and enjoying all the 3rd person games. First person were "MY" adventures and I always saw 3rd person as a "STORY" of someone else's adventure. In the case of Sherlock, the Awakened and Nemesis, I was Sherlock and when I switched to Watson I felt like the bumbling Doctor not watching them.

In every "Adventure" game there has to be a quest. Whether it be solve a crime, avoid the horror or find a puppy. What I find that most 3rd person big developers are favoring is more on the lite side of adventuring. I see some of the newer release as a hidden object screen shot of a casual game. The conundrums you face are mostly non plot related fetch it quests away from what you are after. For example: You need a key to open a secret door, the locksmith will make you one but you will have to get a bone for his dog...the butcher will get you a bone if you fix his trellis, and so on. The last 3rd person games that had very few fetch it quests and the conundrums you faced all related to the plot was Black Mirror 2. Although the game was easy what you had to do pertained to the story IMO. Momento Mori did a pretty good job as well as Still Life 2 (except for too many timed sequences at the end)

Maybe its just me and I have been playing these games way too long that I have moved away from 3rd person. Then again maybe because I have played so many I know what good is for me or maybe I am just right that the game developers, excluding a lot of Indies, just don't have the talent as there once was. Maybe not.

I hope certainly hope that they will still make those 3rd person games for the section of the adventure genre that enjoys them. After just finishing Rhem 4 my adventure is Bracken Tor (first person, of course)


PS
As far as I know, there are no "Dead Ends" in the Sherlock games but I could be wrong. Maybe I should say that I never ran into any Dead Ends.

I beg to differ with you, GreyFuss,
It's not a definition game, but a personal taste game we are playing. Maybe like the to-may-to, to-mah-to differences, but deeper or more controversial or whatever. What feels like an adventure to you is a bore to me, so it isn't surprising that what is a great adventure to me, is a sappy quest that is nonsense to you. Which is fine, right? The dictionary definition of adventure is: 1) a risky undertaking (I reckon all game makers would agree to that one!) and 2) a remarkable and exciting experience (which all game players would agree to, I would think) with the difference being what one finds "remarkable and exciting" to them. Which also explains why action/RPG/shooter games are "adventures" to some and also why casual games are leaning toward lite adventure between the hidden object scenes. Also personal reasons/tastes can change over time, so what is liked today, might not be so tomorrow.
So which person are you, GreyFuss, a tomayto or tomahto type? I already know where you stand with adventure, on the opposite side of the fence from me!