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NintendosBooger · May 11, 2009

At the recommendation of GAF, I picked up Broken Sword DS because ole Booger was in the mood for a point-and-click adventure game similar to Hotel Dusk, a game that I enjoyed.

Broken Sword DS is a good game. Not great, and not very memorable, but it was worth the $17 I spent on it (note: the retail price is $25 or something, and I would have been slightly disappointed had I paid that much for this particular game). Sadly, the characters were not very developed not even the main characters and there were times I wished I didnt have to suffer the verbal exchange of damn near all of them.

The storyline was the best part of the game, IMO. It relates to the Knights Templar. Look it up yourself if you want more information about them than that. It provided a good history lesson for those DS gamers not very familiar with that sort of history, myself included surprisingly.

The game used the DS stylus only. No buttons for this one. The touch feature on the game was done well, not the best Ive seen, but it certainly worked. Professor Layton is still superior in this regard, however.

There is some trial and error elements in this game, enough to have forced me to use puzzle hints when I really didnt have to. There were times when the game was acting like a cunt and certain puzzles/problems had to be solved precisely or you werent going to get anywhere. All in all, I had to use 14 hints during the course of the game, but I wager that half of them were due to the game's less-than-stellar gameplay design.

Anyway, if you like point-and-click adventure games like Professor Layton and Hotel Dusk, then Broken Sword is for you. Id rank it behind those two, personally, but it was a fine, fine attempt nevertheless.

Throwaway123456789 · May 11, 2009

It's a 13 year old game. I thought "everyone" with a slight love for point n click would have played this years and years ago?

jibblypop · May 11, 2009

I have this for Wii and enjoyed it very much. I'm a real sucker for point and clicker games though.

Shiggie · May 11, 2009

FoxHimself said:
It's a 13 year old game. I thought "everyone" with a slight love for point n click would have played this years and years ago?

This year is my first time hearing about this game.

BigKaboom2 · May 11, 2009

I wonder where Doom ranks against Crysis and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Leonsito · May 11, 2009

BigKaboom2 said:
I wonder where Doom ranks against Crysis and S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

Way above both.

Doubledex · May 11, 2009

Shiggie said:
This year is my first time hearing about this game.

.....
Dude, Broken Sword is a classic and one of the best P&C adventures ever

McBacon · May 11, 2009

The old classic

The original:

As I picked myself up, all I could hear was the ceaseless drone of traffic. Life went on around me, but the explosion was to change my life forever.

The Director's Cut:

As I picked myself up, I was really angry. One minute I was on vacation and the next the cafe was blown up by a guy in a clown costume.

I knew right away what I was going to do.

I was going to find that clown and bring him to justice. Because Justice matters. Justice is up there with Liberty. And Equality. And er... Fraternity.

DevelopmentArrested · May 11, 2009

McBacon said:
The old classic

The original:

The Director's Cut:

Please explain to me why you keep bringing this up. We get it. The translation isn't as sound. The game is still good though. Also, some people a) want to play the game on teh wii b) dont want to run scumm on their ds.

soldat7 · May 11, 2009

I'm almost finished with it (92%) on my DS. I played it years ago on my Pocket PC but never finished it. Excellent game.

Throwaway123456789 · May 11, 2009

Shiggie said:
This year is my first time hearing about this game.

Weird.

I meant no offense, it was just that his impressions sounded like he didn't know that this is an old PC classic.

Coop · May 11, 2009

McBacon said:
The old classic

The original:

The Director's Cut:

Wtf, is this real?

soldat7 · May 11, 2009

Coop said:
Wtf, is this real?

The dialog in BS DS is great overall. I played through about half the game on my Pocket PC (a direct port of the PC version) and I don't recall many dialog differences. If you're a hardcore BS fan, then maybe there's a bunch of stuff in the DS version to dissuade you, I don't know.

Again, the dialog in BS DS is excellent and if you turn away from the game based on a few lines of changed dialog, you're not helping our chances of seeing something like this in the future and you're missing out on a great game.

dallow_bg · May 11, 2009

soldat7 said:
The dialog in BS DS is great overall. I played through about half the game on my Pocket PC (a direct port of the PC version) and I don't recall many dialog differences. If you're a hardcore BS fan, then maybe there's a bunch of stuff in the DS version to dissuade you, I don't know.

Again, the dialog in BS DS is excellent and if you turn away from the game based on a few lines of changed dialog, you're not helping our chances of seeing something like this in the future and you're missing out on a great game.

Are you sure it's only a few lines?
Is the whole game not 're-written'?

If it is, it saves me a purchase.

soldat7 · May 11, 2009

dallow_bg said:
Are you sure it's only a few lines?
Is the whole game not 're-written'?

If it is, it saves me a purchase.

Someone else will have to confirm this, but I haven't noticed much out of the ordinary and I doubt Revolution rewrote significant portions of the game's dialog. The dialog in the DS version is excellent, IMO.

nincompoop · May 11, 2009

i thought you refused to play games with female characters

trinest · May 11, 2009

Its not the best port, bit shoddy in some areas- over all the story is great and its a solid title like Hotel Dusk or any other the other new games in that genre for the DS.

methodman · May 12, 2009

dammit, why can't there be more adventure games for the DS? just finished this thing in 2 days, the only games I beat now a days are DS ones.

BorkBork · May 12, 2009

Broken Sword DS is a good game. Not great, and not very memorable, but it was worth the $17 I spent on it (note: the retail price is $25 or something, and I would have been slightly disappointed had I paid that much for this particular game). Sadly, the characters were not very developed not even the main characters and there were times I wished I didnt have to suffer the verbal exchange of damn near all of them.

I had the exact same thoughts after playing through it a few weeks ago.

Dead Man Typing · May 12, 2009

I remember reading that they brought in the voice actors to record new lines for the "Director's cut" content for the Wii version. However almost all of the game's voice track is identical to the PC/PSone version of the game including pretty bad sound quality due to being recorded with 13 year old equiptment.

So I expect that almost all of the dialogue is the same, and that they may have changed that opening line to give the impression that the rest of the experience was going to be different. Like when Rare gave Conker a frying pan instead of a baseball bat in the Conker remake.

Throwaway123456789 · May 12, 2009

Dead Man Typing said:
Like when Rare gave Conker a frying pan instead of a baseball bat in the Conker remake.

It's the other way around

Dead Man Typing · May 12, 2009

I knew I was guessing... 50/50 chance of being right. Oh well, the point still stands.

Change one thing early on to make people the rest of the game is completly remade. Ninja Gaiden Sigma apparently did that too.

Google · May 12, 2009

NintendosBooger said:
At the recommendation of GAF, I picked up Broken Sword DS because ole Booger was in the mood for a point-and-click adventure game similar to Hotel Dusk, a game that I enjoyed.

Broken Sword DS is a good game. Not great, and not very memorable, but it was worth the $17 I spent on it (note: the retail price is $25 or something, and I would have been slightly disappointed had I paid that much for this particular game). Sadly, the characters were not very developed not even the main characters and there were times I wished I didnt have to suffer the verbal exchange of damn near all of them.

The storyline was the best part of the game, IMO. It relates to the Knights Templar. Look it up yourself if you want more information about them than that. It provided a good history lesson for those DS gamers not very familiar with that sort of history, myself included surprisingly.

The game used the DS stylus only. No buttons for this one. The touch feature on the game was done well, not the best Ive seen, but it certainly worked. Professor Layton is still superior in this regard, however.

There is some trial and error elements in this game, enough to have forced me to use puzzle hints when I really didnt have to. There were times when the game was acting like a cunt and certain puzzles/problems had to be solved precisely or you werent going to get anywhere. All in all, I had to use 14 hints during the course of the game, but I wager that half of them were due to the game's less-than-stellar gameplay design.

Anyway, if you like point-and-click adventure games like Professor Layton and Hotel Dusk, then Broken Sword is for you. Id rank it behind those two, personally, but it was a fine, fine attempt nevertheless.

Does anyone else find this review slightly unnerving?

It feels totally wrong.

Callibretto · May 12, 2009

I'm a bit disappointed the ds version don't have voice. I end up replaying the ps1 version since I don't have Wii.

BorkBork · May 12, 2009

Google said:
Does anyone else find this review slightly unnerving?

It feels totally wrong.

No?

Everything he says jives with my experience with the game.

Blackace · May 12, 2009

I loved it on the DS, and hope it sells well so Lucasarts can do Monkey. DIG, and Grim remakes for the DS

Nocebo · May 12, 2009

Blackace said:
I loved it on the DS, and hope it sells well so Lucasarts can do Monkey. DIG, and Grim remakes for the DS

Yes please.

Clipper · May 12, 2009

I noticed a few differences, sure, but nothing too drastic, and often they improved from the original or added totally new content. The only things I missed from the original games is how they removed the few places you could die. Usually I prefer the non-death type adventure games, but the Broken Sword series did them right, with only a few places and plenty of warning. The scene between

George and Khan on the Bull's Head

was one of my fondest memories from the original and it now feels a little neutered.

Oh, for anybody that enjoyed it, don't forget Secret Files: Tunguska comes out on both Wii and DS next week. I never played the original of that, so it's going to be fun to do so on Wii.

Xellos · May 12, 2009

I played Broken Sword earlier this year on Wii and really enjoyed it. Definitely worth the $50 to me. It'd be nice to see more point & click games come to Wii/DS, but I get the feeling that this game's sales won't do much to encourage that. At least there's Fate of Atlantis and the Sam & Max episodes.

Kind of a tangent, but Ubi should look at Nintendo's ads with Lisa Kudrow playing Layton and copy that (if they have any desire for this game to actually sell). The audience for a point & click adventure game is out there but mostly falls into the expanded audience/lapsed gamer catagory. Ubi did this game no favors with the non-existent marketing.

Doubledex · May 12, 2009

soldat7 said:
The dialog in BS DS is great overall. I played through about half the game on my Pocket PC (a direct port of the PC version) and I don't recall many dialog differences. If you're a hardcore BS fan, then maybe there's a bunch of stuff in the DS version to dissuade you, I don't know.

Again, the dialog in BS DS is excellent and if you turn away from the game based on a few lines of changed dialog, you're not helping our chances of seeing something like this in the future and you're missing out on a great game.

THIS!!!! BUY THIS GAME, PEOPLE!!! Broken Sword is awesome!!

Dead Man Typing · May 12, 2009

I bought the DS version and really enjoyed it, having never played the original. Got stuck twice and asked for help in the official thread.

I look forward to more games that are like it, including Broken Sword 2 which I played the first 10 minutes of on a friend's PSone, then the scratched disc prevented me from continuing it. I also enjoyed Hotel Dusk a lot, that's a game that seemed to get a lot of backlash even though it wasn't that hyped. I never understood that.

Tenkai Star · May 12, 2009

Playing it right now, never played it before. I am loving it!

Doubledex · May 12, 2009

Tenkai Star said:
Playing it right now, never played it before. I am loving it!

(Second one is even better imo)

Sagitario · May 12, 2009

Anybody tried the Wii version?

tmarques · May 24, 2009

I loved it on the DS, and hope it sells well so Lucasarts can do Monkey. DIG, and Grim remakes for the DS

I'd love to play The Dig again. Probably Lucas Arts' most overlooked point-n-click game. Cried like a baby at the end.

Haunted · May 25, 2009

Farore said:
Anybody tried the Wii version?

Aside from the old dialogue having inferior audio quality compared to the newly recorded dialogue for the added playable portions of the game, it is fantastic, and superior to the DS version in all areas except portability.

Comes highly recommended.

Neo Child · May 25, 2009

I really reccomend the PC version over this! Honestly, the Wii versions voice acting goes between modern high quality voice and then switches to '96 compressed shite.

Also, the intro is a lot better. I know that people dont like nitpickers but the intro bugs me specifically - like the intro of the PC/PS1 version:

"Paris in the Fall. The last months of the year, and the end of the millennium. he city holds many memories for me: Of cafes, of music, of love... and of death"

And the line

"As i picked myself up, all i could hear was the ceaseless drone of traffic. Life went on around me but the explosion was to change my life forever"

compared to some new shite:

"as i picked myself up i was angry. i knew what i had to do! bring the blown to justice! cause justice matters, like equality and.."WHATEVERSHUTTHEFUICKUP its like he doesn't really care and isn't mystified at all.

Boo, and the pc version has a nicer interface. classy

Timber · May 25, 2009

NintendosBooger said:
point-and-click adventure games ... Professor Layton and Hotel Dusk ... Broken Sword ... I'd rank it behind those two

:\ :\ :\

pakkit · May 25, 2009

Himuro said:
Yeah seriously.

Note that almost all the people who say it's not a great game think Hotel Dusk is a great adventure game.

Oh my.

I'd say Professor Layton and Hotel Dusk are better DS experiences, Broken Sword is the better game. PC or bust, baby.

I'll get the Wii version when I can find it for cheap.

Timber · May 25, 2009

Himuro said:
Yeah seriously.

seriously!

I mean, quality aside I'd hardly call Layton or Hotel Dusk P&C games. They need a hell of a lot more environment interaction in order to fill that bill.

Anyway this thread is very timely because I just finished playing Broken Sword (the original) about 30 mins ago. The last time I did that was the GBA version some 5 years ago. Some scattered thoughts:

- Voice acting is kinda iffy sometimes. Rolf Saxon as George is always class, but Nico's voice is just wtf. It alternates between mature sensuous woman and giddy little girl and not in a good way and at times it sounds like she's breathing more than she's speaking. They replaced the actress for Nico in the sequels who is much much better and it's kinda weird going back to BS1 listening to this awkward out of breath woman.

- With voices, the quality of the audio is very inconsistent. It's as if they recorded most of the lines in a proper studio and other parts with someone's crappy computer microphone.

- The music is soooo good.

- I don't remember if I ever picked up on this before, but the part where you

find Klausner's body

in Syria I think is a reference to Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. The excavation tunnel looks very much like the one in Iceland in that game, and Klausner has an Indy garb on, whip included.

It's hard choosing between the two, but I think I still prefer Broken Sword II a bit more. It's less open, more linear than its predecessor, which can be a good thing for P&C games and in the case of Broken Sword is, IMO. And while the story isn't quite as interesting, the puzzles are. In BS1 you spend the first half of the game mostly engaging in conversation and, while in the second half multi-layered puzzles sprout up one after another. In BS2 puzzles and dialogue are divided much more evenly and consistently throughout the game.

Metal Gear?! · May 25, 2009

Himuro said:
Yeah seriously.

Note that almost all the people who say it's not a great game think Hotel Dusk is a great adventure game.

Oh my.

Hotel Dusk is great because you almost always have the option of being a total dick to people with your dialogue choices (even if it will get you game over). More point and click adventure games should take a cue from RPGs like Fallout and Planescape Torment in that sense.

BorkBork · May 25, 2009

Hotel Dusk has a better protagonist, better characters, better music, and a unique presentation. And honestly, the puzzles are not that good in either game.

Deleted member 30609 · May 25, 2009

It's one of the most over rated games ever, in my opinion. And I'm a HUGE point and click whore.

The story did nothing for me, the voice acting was average and puzzles were easy and unmemorable.

I feel like a dick for saying this, but I put down the cash to give it another shot recently on the DS and I walked away disappointed again. I really wanted to like it, but I just don't see the appeal.

It's not bad, it's just unremarkable.

acidviper · May 25, 2009

WTF I thought it was amazing. Really captured the old Lucasarts style. Not the same, but the re was definitely some risque dialogue and the story was miles better than Indian Jones and the Last Crusade.

Ashour · May 25, 2009

Himuro said:
I got Broken Sword ds. It's nice to play one of the best adventure games ever on the toilet.

I second that, I finished %90 pf the game while on the toilet

.

It's a fun game I played it for the 1st time on the PSX and after all these years I remember most of the game just shows how excellent this game is

Haunted · May 25, 2009

Rez said:
It's one of the most over rated games ever, in my opinion. And I'm a HUGE point and click whore.

The story did nothing for me, the voice acting was average and puzzles were easy and unmemorable.

I feel like a dick for saying this, but I put down the cash to give it another shot recently on the DS and I walked away disappointed again. I really wanted to like it, but I just don't see the appeal.

It's not bad, it's just unremarkable.

you monster

Kazuma Kiryu · May 25, 2009

can't imagine broken sword without the dialogue

Deleted member 30609 · May 25, 2009

Haunted said:
you monster

I know...

I know.

Mutagenic · May 25, 2009

Rez said:
It's one of the most over rated games ever, in my opinion. And I'm a HUGE point and click whore.

The story did nothing for me, the voice acting was average and puzzles were easy and unmemorable.

I feel like a dick for saying this, but I put down the cash to give it another shot recently on the DS and I walked away disappointed again. I really wanted to like it, but I just don't see the appeal.

It's not bad, it's just unremarkable.

Makes no sense to me. What did you think of BASS?

Deleted member 30609 · May 25, 2009

Mutagenic said:
Makes no sense to me. What did you think of BASS?

I haven't played BASS. It's one of those games I've been meaning to play for a while, but haven't got around to.

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