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Jane Jensen's Gray Matter |OT| Thread of pointing and clicking & sleight of hand

C

Ceebs

Member
untitledca3s.png


Platforms: PC and Xbox 360

Genre:

Adventure (Point & Click)

What it's about:

Since losing his wife in a terrible accident several years ago, neurobiologist Dr. David Styles has become a recluse, rarely leaving his English manor, Dread Hill House. One Day, mentalist Samantha Everett appears unexpectedly on his doorstep - just when Styles is on the lookout for a new assistant. Sam gets the job.

Her first task is to find six volunteers from Oxford University to take part in one of Dr. Styles' experiments. The experiment begins harmlessly enough, but a series of inexplicable incidents is soon set in motion, while Styles is haunted by his beloved dead wife. It's now up to Sam to solve the mysteries of Dread Hills House.
Click to expand...

Why you should care:

Gray Matter is the fist adventure game from Jane Jensen (of Gabriel Knight fame) since Gabriel Knight 3 (1999).

Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpn2DHwy8UU

Screenshots: (thanks to DennisK4)
DennisK4 said:


Click to expand...

Release Date:

Out now in Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Everywhere else: February 25th

Where can you buy it if you can't wait?

If you are planning on playing the PC version, you can get the game here right away (With full english text and dialog)

http://gamerunlimited.gamesplanet.com/kaufen-downloaden-pc-spiele/Gray-Matter-2194-14.html

If you want the retail collectors edition, you can order it via Amazon.de (Thanks Pennywise)

http://www.amazon.de/dtp-entertainment-AG-Gray-Matter/dp/B003ZHIDL8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1290032939&sr=8-3

The 360 German version is NOT region free but does include English dialog and subtitles so it's a go if you have a PAL 360 Everyone else is out of luck and you will have to wait until next year for your console adventuring.

Gray Matter Original Soundtrack available on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Gray-Matter-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B0047WQZ3I/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1289973375&sr=8-8

PC System Requirements: (via Amazon.de)

Display Types: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, NVIDIA GeForce 6200
Video Card: DirectX compatible, 128MB, with Vertex Shader 2.0 support, with Pixel Shader 2.0 Support
Memory: 512 MB
Processor: 1.4 GHz Pentium 4 Intel
HDD Space Required: 5.5 GB
Sound Card: 16-bit sound card

Reviews:

incoming

Bonus!

If you don't feel like paying a bit extra to play early, why not fill that gaping adventure game size hole in your heart with a replay of the Gabriel Knight series. You can get the series for cheap via GOG.com legit and fully DRM free!

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/gabriel_knight_sins_of_the_fathers

Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/gabriel_knight_2_the_beast_within

Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/gabriel_knight_3_blood_of_the_sacred_blood_of_the_damned

*PS I went through making this entire post spelling the title Grey Matter :lol
 
A

Aokage

Pretty nice guy (apart from the blue shadows thing...)
Can't wait to play. I must find a way to import the slick German collector's package...any ideas? amazon.co.de has failed me.
 
P

Pennywise

Member
Aokage said:
Can't wait to play. I must find a way to import the slick German collector's package...any ideas? amazon.co.de has failed me.
Click to expand...

amazon.de would be the URL without the .co :)

Anyway here is the link for the collections edition , hope I was right with the PC version.


http://www.amazon.de/dp/B003ZHIDL8/



@Topic
The 360 version or at least the German version is not Region-Free ;<
 
S

starsky

Member
Pennywise said:
@Topic
The 360 version or at least the German version is not Region-Free ;<
Click to expand...

Is the German version a PAL format? Also, does anyone know if it have English subtitle and dialog?
 
C

Ceebs

Member
Pennywise said:
amazon.de would be the URL without the .co :)

Anyway here is the link for the collections edition , hope I was right with the PC version.


http://www.amazon.de/dp/B003ZHIDL8/



@Topic
The 360 version or at least the German version is not Region-Free ;<
Click to expand...
Updated the OP about the 360 version.

I was under the impression that Amazon.de would not ship overseas.
 
dream

dream

Member
God, I feel so douchey quoting myself from the other thread but in case anyone is on the fence about this game...

I couldn't resist and zur kassed myself a Gray Matter from Gamer Unlimited. I'm a couple of chapters in right now and Coop was right -- the puzzles are really pretty easy but it's nothing overly offensive. Everything has been logic and inventory based unlike, you know, the mustache thing.

Maybe it's because I haven't played an adventure game in years or maybe it's just Jane's phenomenal writing but I'm having more fun with Gray Matter than I have with anything this year. The story is that good. It doesn't weave into a grand historical backdrop the way GK2 and 3 did. Gray Matter plays out more along the lines of GK1; it's just a good ghost story with a solid cast of characters. Like the best adventure games, each story or character revelation leaves you wanting to find out more.

I'm not ready to say it's at that Gabriel Knight level of awesomeness but it's pretty fucking close.
Click to expand...

And we're done. Total play time was a little over 9 hours.

Really satisfying story -- I know I'm preaching to the choir but there's just something really magical about Jane Jensen's writing. Sam and David aren't quite as compelling as Gabriel and Grace but I'm left wanting to revisit them and their adventures sooner rather than later (the epilogue is a maddening tease for where they're headed - the final scene of Batman Begins is the closest thing I can compare it to). Hopefully Gray Matter sells well enough to justify a sequel with higher production values.
Click to expand...
 
P

Pennywise

Member
Ceebs said:
Updated the OP about the 360 version.

I was under the impression that Amazon.de would not ship overseas.
Click to expand...

I don't know about the shipping but if you want I could check it.
It was just a correction for Aokage who was wrong about the German URL ending.

@Bakemono
Yes it is the PAL Version and English Subtitles and Dialog is included.
And as far as I know there are other languages as well you just need to change the Dashboard language.


@dream
Well it was pretty nice indeed , but still nothing comes close in terms of Story perfection as "The Moment of Silence".



€ Edit :
For those who want to order it from amazon.de , shipping worldwide is possible :)
 
C

Ceebs

Member
I am in chapter 2 (just picked it up today) and agree with what Dream said so far. The atmosphere and music is fantastic. The magic stuff is a good concept, but the separate interface feels a bit unnecessary. It should give you the book of tricks and make you pick the right one and do all the prep work and gathering, but stop there. The extra layer of sequencing the tricks adds nothing.

*Added the CE to the OP. BTW if you are playing the 360 version could you post some impressions? I am sure a few people want to know how it plays on a console.
 
dream

dream

Member
Yeah, the magic system felt pretty bolted on. Good concept but questionable execution.

You might want to make a note in the OP about the Amazon tracklist containing a spoiler...or at least enough information for someone to figure out one of the plot twists.
 
P

Pennywise

Member
Ceebs said:
I am in chapter 2 (just picked it up today) and agree with what Dream said so far. The atmosphere and music is fantastic. The magic stuff is a good concept, but the separate interface feels a bit unnecessary. It should give you the book of tricks and make you pick the right one and do all the prep work and gathering, but stop there. The extra layer of sequencing the tricks adds nothing.

*Added the CE to the OP. BTW if you are playing the 360 version could you post some impressions? I am sure a few people want to know how it plays on a console.
Click to expand...
It's not that bad as I imagined but the controls are so fucking sensitive , you can open a circle system to mark your hotspots , similar to the circle systems from Dragon Age or Mass Effect for example.
But as I said the system is somewhat sensitive :(

Installing the game onto your hdd is the way to go to cut the loading times and before I forget it , the 16/9 resolution is not completely filled.
There are small black bars around the actual image.


Edit:
You should also add the 360 Version since you already mentioned the German Version :)
http://www.amazon.de/dp/B0023ZJN2G/
 
M

Mr_Zombie

Member
dream said:
And we're done. Total play time was a little over 9 hours.
Click to expand...

How much content does the game offer during those 9 hours? That is, how many times were you simply stuck and were just walking in circles thinking what to do next or pixel hunting? How long do you think it would take you to finish the game now, when you know how to solve each puzzle?
 
dream

dream

Member
Mr_Zombie said:
How much content does the game offer during those 9 hours? That is, how many times were you simply stuck and were just walking in circles thinking what to do next or pixel hunting? How long do you think it would take you to finish the game now, when you know how to solve each puzzle?
Click to expand...

It's pretty dense. Structurally, it's a lot like GK1 (you have to do this, this, and this in order to finish the day but it doesn't matter what order you do it in) so there was never really a time when I was stuck on one particular part. I don't think I could shave off more than an hour or two on a second playthrough unless I skip all the dialogue and cutscenes.
 
S

starsky

Member
I want this game, but right now on ebay the cheapest I can get is $80 AUD. The one on amazon.de is $60 not including international shipping but I don't understand German enough to purchase it.

I guess I will wait :(.
 
Z

Zeouterlimits

Member
No 360 Collectors Edition on Ebay?

Tempted but I have too many games on the shelf, especially the Steam shelf that I've yet to even install.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
bakemono said:
I want this game, but right now on ebay the cheapest I can get is $80 AUD. The one on amazon.de is $60 not including international shipping but I don't understand German enough to purchase it.

I guess I will wait :(.
Click to expand...
edit: oh 360 version. Sorry.
 
B

BluWacky

Member
Okay, so I caved and bought this when I was supposed to be holding out for the much cheaper UK release. Hey ho.

I wish they'd gone the extra mile with the Oxford research. The writing is SO close to getting it right, but then they have things like the OxStu costing money (they even CALL it the OxStu, they're that close), or students not calling St Edmund Hall "Teddy Hall", and a few other things that just rankle because they're not quite right. They even put a cashpoint in the right place on Cornmarket, ferchrissake - although obviously taking liberties where they have to the art is incredibly faithful to how Oxford looks.

On a gaming point of view, I've only done the first chapter and a bit but it's not bad. A bit easy in some ways, but then I managed to miss several bonus points in the first chapter and have no idea what I should have done to get them so I suppose I shouldn't complain. The overall presentation is great - for an adventure game, which means the animation's wonky and the interface isn't perfect, but then I can look past such things. Can anyone tell me if it's possible to screw up like in Sierra games? My last playthrough of Gabriel Knight 1 ended with me screaming because I accidentally saved myself into a dead end about ten seconds before the final puzzle...

Story-wise, too early to say, but definitely interesting enough.

Certainly better than The Whispered World, which was my other adventure game purchase this year, although I'm planning on checking out Lost Horizon as I've heard that turned out well.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
Chiaroscuro said:
NA release?? There is nothing about it up to now. So far the game is stated to be release in UK next February.
Click to expand...
The February release date is listed as "International release". Read into that how you will.
 
C

Ceebs

Member
Neon_Icarus said:
I'll get this if my PC can run it. Just played through the first Gabriel Knight recently and loved it...
Click to expand...
From Amazon:

System requirements:
Display Types: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, NVIDIA GeForce 6200
Video Card: DirectX compatible, 128MB, with Vertex Shader 2.0 support, with Pixel Shader 2.0 Support
Memory: 512 MB
Processor: 1.4 GHz Pentium 4 Intel
RAM: 5.5 GB
Sound Card: 16-bit sound card

Pretty sure that RAM listing is HDD space required. :)lol Google Translate)
 
N

Neon_Icarus

Member
Ceebs said:
From Amazon:

System requirements:
Display Types: ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, NVIDIA GeForce 6200
Video Card: DirectX compatible, 128MB, with Vertex Shader 2.0 support, with Pixel Shader 2.0 Support
Memory: 512 MB
Processor: 1.4 GHz Pentium 4 Intel
RAM: 5.5 GB
Sound Card: 16-bit sound card

Pretty sure that RAM listing is HDD space required. :)lol Google Translate)
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks. I'll definitely get it then. :)
 
T

teiresias

Member
Robert Holmes seriously needs to buy a new keyboard, soundcard, or something, he's using the exact same samples he was back in the 90s. Sure, it's a phone nostalgia trip to hear that nearly trademarked style again, but it really makes me think of nothing but Gabriel Knight nowadays (and wonder if we'll ever figure out what happened after the third game - since it left us hanging).
 
T

TheChaos

Member
teiresias said:
Robert Holmes seriously needs to buy a new keyboard, soundcard, or something, he's using the exact same samples he was back in the 90s. Sure, it's a phone nostalgia trip to hear that nearly trademarked style again, but it really makes me think of nothing but Gabriel Knight nowadays (and wonder if we'll ever figure out what happened after the third game - since it left us hanging).
Click to expand...

Rumor has it that the 4th game was supposed to be about ghosts. I guess we'll never know now. =(
 
dream

dream

Member
TheChaos said:
Rumor has it that the 4th game was supposed to be about ghosts. I guess we'll never know now. =(
Click to expand...

I kind of get the feeling she rolled a lot of her ideas for GK4 into Gray Matter. Thematically, the game is really a classic ghost story.
 
H

harriet the spy

Member
so if we don't care about achievements, there is little to gain from waiting, right? I feel like getting it now, but i feel that whatever is coming in a few months will be the super duper extended director's cut version.
 
T

TheChaos

Member
dream said:
I kind of get the feeling she rolled a lot of her ideas for GK4 into Gray Matter. Thematically, the game is really a classic ghost story.
Click to expand...

If that's the case, I'm down. I have a feeling this game will be added to the very small list of "Video games with stories that don't suck".
 
T

teiresias

Member
The German collector's edition comes with the soundtrack, I guess he's assuming any NA release will as well.

I'm listening to the samples on Amazon and I guess I need to take back what I said earlier about Holmes and his samples, it sounds really good and quite different from what I'm used to from him. The only track so far that has that really reminiscent sound of Gabriel Knight from the 90s is "Angela". That one is just straight up homage.
 
G

Grimmy

Banned
teiresias said:
The German collector's edition comes with the soundtrack, I guess he's assuming any NA release will as well.
Click to expand...

Ah I see. Thanks for the clarification.
At this point, with no North American distribution announcement, I'm just gonna assume that it will be released in North America via Steam....
 
C

Chiaroscuro

Member
Ceebs said:
The February release date is listed as "International release". Read into that how you will.
Click to expand...

By international release they mean outside Germany, where they are not the publisher. Up to now, only the UK publisher is set, and to release the game in February. Nothing is said about a US release until now.
 
GhaleonQ

GhaleonQ

Member
Grimmy said:
Ah I see. Thanks for the clarification.
At this point, with no North American distribution announcement, I'm just gonna assume that it will be released in North America via Steam....
Click to expand...

That you can download the digital "album" right now in the U.S. is probably a sign for your guess rather than mine. *sigh* *hugs Sierra collections*
 
R

RickA238

Member
CosmicGroinPull said:
Sleight. :)
Click to expand...

lol, came in here to post this. /GrammarAge

This game looks really awesome, I got my copy last night but I haven't gotten the chance to play it yet. I'm near the end of Amnesia: Dark Descent right now; once I finish that I think I will begin Gray Matter. I've been itching for a good P&C game lately.
 
B

Bebpo

Banned
Any guide to using that DD website to buy it if you don't speak German? I mean the fields look kind of typical, but I like being careful when throwing around CC info and stuff.

*edit: nm, made some guesses and it seems like it worked. Hopefully I never lose my copy and have to log in again! :lol
 
G

Grimmy

Banned
GhaleonQ said:
That you can download the digital "album" right now in the U.S. is probably a sign for your guess rather than mine. *sigh* *hugs Sierra collections*
Click to expand...

Well to be truthful the physical copy doesn't matter as much to me - I just hope it will get a North American release as soon as possible, especially with the leak debacle. I really do hope people will support Jane Jensen.
 
eXistor

eXistor

Member
I bought this yesterday, still waiting for it to arrive though. I have a weakness or these kind of games, but I think it's gonna have to wait to be played for a bit, still too busy with so many other games. I'm very glad to see this PnC resurgence is finally providing us with some quality games, like this, the Whispered World (which actually could've been better) and Lost Horizon.
 
B

Bebpo

Banned
God the music in this is incredible. I've only played a little so far, but the combination of powerful score + beautiful art & good writing + GK nostalgia and all the build up of wait over the last decade is making my eyes water playing this. I still can't believe this is actually out.

GK1-3 are pretty much my favorite games of all time fwiw. GK1 was really the first adventure game that stuck with me hard and felt like it transcended the medium into an unforgettable experience. I still have that odd-shaped purple box around here somewhere.


Is the composer the same as the GK series? The musical style reminds me of GK more than anything else.
 
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