The Last Express
Published in 1997 by Broderbund, re-published in 2000 by Interplay
The Last Express is my favorite game. You've probably never never heard of it, well, most people haven't. The game was helmed by the legendary Jordan Mechner, father of the Prince of Persia series. Jordan and his team at Smoking Car Productions spent four years on the game, only to have their publisher close it's doors on the eve of it's release, thus the marketing for the game was minimal, and though it was hailed as a masterpiece by CNN, MSNBC, and Games Domain it sold very few copies. It was picked up and re-published in 2000 by Interplay, but the sales just weren't there. Once again it was discontinued. The game has been out of print for years now, and is fast becoming rare, though you can still get it through the "Used and New" section of amazon.com.
Story: The Last Express is set on the Orient Express in July 1914, just before the outbreak of the First World War. Enter our hero, Robert Cath, a mysterious American who was supposed to meet his friend Tyler Whitney at the Paris train station. Missing the train, Cath jumps aboard via a motercycle sidecar. He carries nothing but a newspaper clipping with a description of a wanted criminal who sounds suspiciously like himself. Quickly he makes his way to Tyler's compartment. He finds his friend dead, murdered! And thus Cath assumes the identity of Tyler Whitney in an attempt to catch his killer, and evade his own past. I won't spoil any more of the plot for you, it's best discovered on your own.
The Game: Most of the game is seen through the a first person perspective, though whenever you have conversation with someone, pick something up, interact with the environment, or get into a fight, it's seen in the third person. The Last Express is not a traditional adventure game. There are none of the annoying, illogically placed puzzles of most games in the genre. Playing the Last Express feels like stepping right into a really good old film, it has a feel to it very reminiscent of Casablanca, or The Third Man. The puzzles in the Last Express are the characters, they are all complicated and interesting, the German industrialist, the British spy, the young Russian anarchist, the old servant of the Czar, his 16 year old granddaughter, and a beautiful and mysterious Austrian violinist. These are just a few of the characters in the game, all of which are fully fleshed out. You can eavesdrop on their conversations or walk up and speak to them. The entire game is in real time, and takes place over the course of three days, as the train hurdles through Europe. This adds an interesting feel to the game, as things are happening all the time even if you aren't there. I will say right now that The Last Express has the greatest story and dialogue of any game I have ever played, it is of the same quality as a great movie, or a classic book. There is murder, political intrigue, suspense, characters who are not what they seem, fist fights, and even romance. The character of Robert Cath makes for a fantastic protagonist, at first we are unaware of his motivations, but all becomes clear as the game progresses. There is no saving system in the Last Express, the game simply remembers where you are when you quit, and you can rewind time to undo past mistakes.
Sound: The actors all do a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life. The main character is very well done, as are all the supporting characters, many of whom speak in French, Russian or German (There are subtitles for these languages, though there are no subtitles for languages such as Arabic, or Serbo-croation, which Cath does not understand). And the music is the finest I've ever heard in the game. The mournful violin, and tragic piano are perfectly to the game's setting and style.
Graphics: The graphics are in the Art Nouveau style of the historical period, which may seem a little odd at first, but somehow they really work brilliantly for the game. The characters are detailed and expressive, and the beauty and extravagance of a 1914 luxury train is captured perfectly.
In Conclusion: The game may be out of print, though, as I said before, you still can get copies through Amazon.com or Ebay. I highly reccommed that you do what is necessary get your hands on this game. I believe The Last Express is a textbook example of what gaming should be.
Without a doubt the greatest adventure game I have ever played.
10 out of 10
Published in 1997 by Broderbund, re-published in 2000 by Interplay
The Last Express is my favorite game. You've probably never never heard of it, well, most people haven't. The game was helmed by the legendary Jordan Mechner, father of the Prince of Persia series. Jordan and his team at Smoking Car Productions spent four years on the game, only to have their publisher close it's doors on the eve of it's release, thus the marketing for the game was minimal, and though it was hailed as a masterpiece by CNN, MSNBC, and Games Domain it sold very few copies. It was picked up and re-published in 2000 by Interplay, but the sales just weren't there. Once again it was discontinued. The game has been out of print for years now, and is fast becoming rare, though you can still get it through the "Used and New" section of amazon.com.
Story: The Last Express is set on the Orient Express in July 1914, just before the outbreak of the First World War. Enter our hero, Robert Cath, a mysterious American who was supposed to meet his friend Tyler Whitney at the Paris train station. Missing the train, Cath jumps aboard via a motercycle sidecar. He carries nothing but a newspaper clipping with a description of a wanted criminal who sounds suspiciously like himself. Quickly he makes his way to Tyler's compartment. He finds his friend dead, murdered! And thus Cath assumes the identity of Tyler Whitney in an attempt to catch his killer, and evade his own past. I won't spoil any more of the plot for you, it's best discovered on your own.
The Game: Most of the game is seen through the a first person perspective, though whenever you have conversation with someone, pick something up, interact with the environment, or get into a fight, it's seen in the third person. The Last Express is not a traditional adventure game. There are none of the annoying, illogically placed puzzles of most games in the genre. Playing the Last Express feels like stepping right into a really good old film, it has a feel to it very reminiscent of Casablanca, or The Third Man. The puzzles in the Last Express are the characters, they are all complicated and interesting, the German industrialist, the British spy, the young Russian anarchist, the old servant of the Czar, his 16 year old granddaughter, and a beautiful and mysterious Austrian violinist. These are just a few of the characters in the game, all of which are fully fleshed out. You can eavesdrop on their conversations or walk up and speak to them. The entire game is in real time, and takes place over the course of three days, as the train hurdles through Europe. This adds an interesting feel to the game, as things are happening all the time even if you aren't there. I will say right now that The Last Express has the greatest story and dialogue of any game I have ever played, it is of the same quality as a great movie, or a classic book. There is murder, political intrigue, suspense, characters who are not what they seem, fist fights, and even romance. The character of Robert Cath makes for a fantastic protagonist, at first we are unaware of his motivations, but all becomes clear as the game progresses. There is no saving system in the Last Express, the game simply remembers where you are when you quit, and you can rewind time to undo past mistakes.
Sound: The actors all do a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life. The main character is very well done, as are all the supporting characters, many of whom speak in French, Russian or German (There are subtitles for these languages, though there are no subtitles for languages such as Arabic, or Serbo-croation, which Cath does not understand). And the music is the finest I've ever heard in the game. The mournful violin, and tragic piano are perfectly to the game's setting and style.
Graphics: The graphics are in the Art Nouveau style of the historical period, which may seem a little odd at first, but somehow they really work brilliantly for the game. The characters are detailed and expressive, and the beauty and extravagance of a 1914 luxury train is captured perfectly.
In Conclusion: The game may be out of print, though, as I said before, you still can get copies through Amazon.com or Ebay. I highly reccommed that you do what is necessary get your hands on this game. I believe The Last Express is a textbook example of what gaming should be.
Without a doubt the greatest adventure game I have ever played.
10 out of 10