DeVuego

Overall, I enjoyed The Great Escape despite not having played the previous episodes in the series. The story is engaging, the environments and dialogue are well-done and the puzzles are fun to solve. If you're looking for a short and solid point-and-click adventure, I would recommend checking out AR-K: The Great Escape. It makes me curious about the previous chapters and I'm planning on checking them out soon. I'm also looking forward to playing the next (and apparently final) installment to see how the story concludes. 

With this game, Luminy Studios has demonstrated skill in graphic artistry, atmosphere and story-telling. I believe this developer has the chops to create a truly outstanding game, and it's my hope that Luminy will move forward and do just that with its next one.

But alas, in its current state, I'm unable to give Bloodwood Reload anything higher than a C-. With a patch that fixes the game's bugs as well as its errors in grammar, spelling and syntax, I'd bump it up to a B.

Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today is a good game that missed its chance to be great. An exciting story that fizzles out and obtuse puzzles that halt progress keep Dead Synchronicity from being a true pleasure to play. But it’s not without its merits. The world is engrossing; the characters are handled-well; the art is beautiful. Dead Synchronicity is worth experiencing, but it could have used a little more time in the oven.

In a few words… If you miss playing an adventure that makes you laugh out loud and that gives you the feeling that you are starring in a comedy movie, then make sure to not miss out on Wanted: A Wild Western Adventure. I have not played The Moment of Silence yet, so I cannot say with all certainty that The Westerner is the best adventure this year, but it is definitely the best comedy adventure I have played since The Curse of Monkey Island. Adorable characters, luscious graphics with fluid animations, a 3D interface that lets you enjoy the game while you lie back on your couch instead of fighting with the keyboard and a witty scenario with a great ending will make you remember this game long after you finish it. It is not perfect but it is damn right close to it. Revistronic and The Adventure Company deserve congratulations for delivering such a great title to the adventure fans.

Hollywood Monsters is a fairly long game, with lots lof locations to visit and people to talk to and tons of inventory puzzles. If you like this kind of game, it should keep you occupied for several days at least.

You might have heard of Runaway by Pendulo, a generally well-received adventure game released a few years ago. It should be safe by now to say that its release meant a triumphal return to a very classic form of adventure gaming, the humorous third person point-and-click game, a style made popular for many years by LucasArts before they turned into the boring company they are today. Even with its eventual flaws, it has to be admitted that, underneath its gorgeous up-to-date graphics and novel character animation technology, Runaway was, at its heart, an old-school game. We've seen further examples of this kind of nostalgia streak since, most recently with The Westerner - which will soon be released in North America – that also managed to successfully marry this type of classic adventure with modern 3D technology. Curiously (or not) both Runaway and The Westerner come from Spain where this passion towards old-school gaming seems to be more pronounced than anywhere else.

Pixel-hunting aside, I would still recommend this game to patient adventurers. It is a fairly short game for those with a good eye, and the price is right. In the end, the charm of the overall Mr. Shadow experience outweighs my personal frustration with the mechanics.

Overall, everything that makes for a highly enjoyable adventure is present.  Brilliant story and characters, clever and challenging puzzles and a gripping pace, all presented almost perfectly.  The few issues encountered can’t even be taken into consideration when playing this marvelous game.  Along with Hollywood Monsters & Runaway, Pendulo has now established itself as one of the industry’s top adventure game developers.  You will be missing out greatly if you skip this gem.

I don't know if it's a classic - only time can tell if Runaway deserves a place alongside the timeless - but this is the one of the most balanced and enjoyable adventures of these last years.

It's my hope that MonkeyTunes will succeed in continuing the story of Slap Vilage. The whimsy and charm of Reality Slap won me over despite its rough spots. Not only did I have fun playing it, it left me wanting more.

So, will you like this game or not? The answer depends on how much its flaws bother you. If you’re more forgiving than, say, me, you could have a really good time with Murder in The Abbey. But if wooden faces, absurdly crossed eyes and baffling line readings bother you, be warned.