THE LEGEND OF LEKSUTIN'S EDGE

From the AGS Dictionary:
LEKSUTIN, COURTLAND
(Leksutin, C-Lex, C) AGS-veteran and strong profile despite the lack of produced games. Often referred to as "the hitman", or other terms related to violence and bad-ass attitude, but still known as a considerate and sensible character.

A man, a myth, who knows. All that matters is that his name is the 13th reason, why this blog gets traffic. Is it an elaborate plan to justice? Let's see some specific posts about c.leksutin, before we explain a finding, that might as well, be the best thing ever, since sliced bread.

-GilbetV7000a:
"Or, to make it simple for people (that the target of this post is obviously one of them):
Don't double or triple post. Edit your posts, or else c.leksutin is after you (this is called auto-banning from life)."

-Babar:
"People better not mess with c.leksutin.

Otherwise HE MIGHT COME BACK! "

-A certain topic about his whereabouts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is obvious that the man has disappeared. CJ rumors the fact that CJ is just waiting in the shadows, lurking, and waiting for the perfect moment in which he will strike. We can all wonder.


D.

BYTE OF THE DRACULATOR II

PLOT: Vampire + Mad Scientist + Terminator + Hot Twins. Do you need more?

MORE INFORMATION: This game is the fruit of the Swarm, an experimental collaborative project of the AGS Community to prove that you can Zerg Rush the f#$^ out of a game.The list of credits is impossible as many AGSers collaborated on this project. Along with the game, a fantastic voice-pack is included, that will totally crack you up. Especially Merrick's voice by ShiverMeSideways, is a reason alone to play this game.

GET TEH GAMEZ HEARS

AGD Zine: Issue 1 - November 2000

Well, frankly I should say nothing. This is the pilot issue of a web-like magazine, by Mark m0ds Lovegrove, Ben Yahtzee Crowshaw and whoever Todd Johhson is.

Anyhow, it's an interesting view to the past. It features articles about How to make a Good Adventure Game, two previews of games I haven't even heard of, and an article about whether Point & Click adventure games are dead. Oh, and Yahtzee has an article.

READ THE WEB MAGAZINE
that we gracefully uploaded, thanks to Peder Johnsen.

Don't Shoot Shotgun...

*insert Def Leppard riff here*

In the meantime, this is all about the fact that Rock Paper Shotgun, has talked about Oceanspirit Dennis. Yes, we're a bit late to the party, but what matters is that we got there. I guess.

-Anyhow. Linky, here.

-Also, previous article here.

-Also, more and sadistically collected information, by none other than Ponch. Oceanspirit Omnibus

In case it wasn't that obvious.

GEMINI.RUE.ON.STEAM.

Obvious Point is Obvious.

Also I've known this for a long time, cause well, Dave informed me, but i kept my silence cause I had to. :P

Well, what?

Gemini Rue is the 2nd AGS game, to have been placed on the Steam market, so WOOHOO, for that. Congratulations to JBurger, he must be really proud, and the Wadjet Eye Games, that probably helped a lot to place it there. More later on.

That would be the initial post. But well, no luck. You can read some of what really happened here.
Several places in the internet have condemned Valve for taking such action, I hope that means that eventually the game will be on Steam.

This would also be the initial post of the initial post. I am losing grasp of things. But I have a feeling Gemini Rue will get released on STEAM. Okay, that's all. Keep an eye.

AGS Bake Sale gets some fresh coverage

Yeah, well, here's an article on INDIEGAMES.

Also Darth Mandarb, has taken a very fantastic task to keep all the games in one topic and update the links and stuff.

So. Well, here

Have a nice day!

Are you kinky enough?

Well, a great blast from the past, Kinky Island, a game about sex and boobs (you're probably already hooked), in the works for the last 12 centuries, finally gets a WIP topic. It almost feels like April's Fools. This may seem like a shameless plug, cause well, yours truly is coding this, but well it's not; take my word for it.

Read the hilarious topic by m0ds.

AGS Bake Sale: The Lucky Dozen + few more

Rumors have been spreading around from some newspaper, with the absurd and uncatchy title, AGS TODAY, but dear readers, this is a serious blog. We have inside information, of what appears to be a very inspiring movement from the AGS community.


The members of a close circle called AGS Bake Sale, have decided to release a bunch of games, that will be -pay-what-you-want- in order to gather some money for a great cause, a new AGS server, namely.

I'm going to have to keep this article very short in size, but here are the links to each game.
-Calin Leafshade's - Murder on the Lady Titania
-Cat's - Escape the Barn
-WHAM's - Undead Hangover
-ddq's - SCOUT
-Grundislav's - Ben Chandler -Paranormal Investigator - In Search of the Sweets Tin
-tzachs - 9 Months In
-Ponch's - BARN RUNNER - The Rich Dame Who Cut the Cheese
-Ben304's - Falling Skywards
-Ghost's - Mythamautology

Nostalgia, here we go!

We're gonna take you back to the past, for a journey unlike any other. The mysteries of love shall be revealed, your life will gain meaning. Every Friday, we will give out a link to a rar or/and zip, that will contain an issue of AGD Zine from 2000-2001. An online magazine by m0ds, with certain contributions from Helm, Mr Colossal, Dave Gilbert, Cornjob and well, YAHTZEE.

Reviews, Previews, Interviews, News.

A very fantastic peak to the old days that shaped the AGS community to the sh%^hole it is today, stay tuned.

Близнецы улице

Yeah, welcome to MOTHER RUSSIA. I am having a fantastically bad day, so I'll jump to the point. Gemini Rue appears to be getting translated to Polish. Then again the title is in Russian, cause, well, blame google translate. Anyhow, screenshot.

Review: Blackwell Deception

Today, Wadjet Eye Games has released its newest game, which happens to be the franchise that Dave Gilbert himself, is to blame for.


-INTERFACE

The changes towards some directions that Dave Gilbert has made, only feel natural and correct. The mouse cursor changing color to indicate which character you are controlling, is just one sprite, but really works magnificent. The control interface is basically the same, and takes zero time to get adjusted to - and if problems arise, Dave has integrated a tutorial so neatly in the start of the game. I am really impressed by how easily and naturally issues, that would bug you in the previous games, have been solved here.

With that said, I found the menus a bit generic to be frank. Perhaps I am nitpicking, but they felt a bit uninspired, graphically. I am quite possibly nagging for nothing.

-GRAPHICS

Hiring InCreator and Ben304, is probably the greatest team-up you could come up with. The background art and related animation, is definitely fantastic, and really raises the bar. A mix between 3D and 2D, really shows attention to detail, and makes every background worth it. About the character art, what can be said about Ben Chandler, that has not be said before? The animations are extremely fluid and retro-like, and there's a lot of diversity in terms of character designs. Initially one can rush to the conclusion that the character art and the background art, don't match, but I feel they give a graphical boost to the series that was perhaps needed.

-STORY

Well, I don't want to spoil much, in fact I'd rather not say anything, but since I am forced to, by Scottish supermen, I have to say that the story is definitely bloody brilliant. It's probably like watching a nice movie, it kind of stays with you for a bit after it's over. I think also a sequel is due. The conversations between Rosa and Joey are still fantastic, and perhaps even more amusing this time.

The best thing about this game is that it plays like a standalone game. You don't have to play the rest first, though that would be nice. And unless I am mistaken Wadjet Eye Games offers all the Blackwell games in a DVD.


-EXTRAS

The music and voice work are still top notch, with the voice work feeling more natural than it did for Gemini Rue. It probably has to do with the fact that the team has been stabilizing a bit, but regardless this has to be noted. I also found the best part of the game to be the Developer Commentary. Unlike Gemini Rue where frankly I hated it's implementation, here, in Blackwell, it's simply fantastic.


-INFO

The official Wadjet Eye Games, Blackwell Deception page.
A demo straight from the AGS Database
The Blackwell Deception topic, at the AGS Forums

The game is available for $14.99 (download) or $24.99 (limited edition DVD version). Note that the DVD will only be offered through this Sunday, October 16.



-CONCLUSION

Blackwell Deception, the fourth installment on the series, has just one flaw for me. It leaves you begging for a sequel. The game is certainly the best of the series, hands down.


-NOT LIKING THIS REVIEW:

You can always read the same opinion, expressed in a more coherent and verbally correct way.
So, here's two of them.

-Adventure Gamers-
-Gnome's Lair-

Old projects that withered and died.

Darius Poyer, the man behind rein, decided to turn his webspace, as a theme park for all the projects he has started and failed to finish. I have to say that all of them look and sound fantastic, but the reasons explained by himself, make me nod in agreement.

Feel free to read and look, it's totally interesting.

HERE PLX

Interview Part 18: The Unfolding Discordance.

I'm returning shortly to the standard format, not because I am lazy.

Well, okay, fine, it's that, you got me. So I am lazy and I am returning to the old format of interviews, but the quality still remains the same, or perhaps more. You'll be the judge of that. So this time, we feature, discordance, in probably what is one of the most interesting interviews, I've had the chance to conduct.

1) This is a typical question asked to all interviewed people. So, how did you find AGS?

Wikipedia binge, I think. I was looking up some adventure games I remember playing as a young child (KQV, specifically) and ended up stumbling upon AGS. That's a boring story, so let me tell you about the time I fought a dragon.

(It was awesome.)

2) Do you have a favorite AGS and/or non-AGS game?

I played a bunch of classic AGS games soon after I found it - Jessica Plunkenstein, the Apprentice games, the KQ remakes (because I get a nostalgia kick from KQ, mostly). Trilby's Notes is pretty good. 5 Days a Stranger is terrible. As for non-AGS games, I'm a big fan of the Portal and Half-Life games.

3) A certain fan of yours, has obliged me to tell you "Don't ever stop making good games, UNDERSTOOD?". How do you react to that?

Sounds pretty serious! If I ever decide to switch to cooking or something I'd better watch my back. (I am not going to switch to cooking. Calm down, certain fan of mine!)

4) People have commented that the only flaw in your games so far, appears to be in the graphics department. Comment on this, please.

It's true! I can't draw at all, and I have no interest in getting better. If I put in a lot of effort I might be able to move myself up from "terrible" to "mediocre", but I'd rather focus on things I actually enjoy, like writing and music. I've worked a little with other people who actually can draw, but it's really hard keeping even two people interested in a single project, especially since I like to move through ideas so quickly. Maybe at some point I'll team up with an artist and make a game with pretty pictures! Or maybe other people will just remake all my games and save me the trouble! Who knows.

5) Apart from the sequel/prequel to "How they found Silence" is there any other project you're involved with?

I'm always doing like twelve things at once, most of which will probably never be finished. I have folders full of part-finished projects that have been subsequently abandoned. I imagine most amateur game makers could say the same thing. The HTFS sequel is my only AGS project right now, though - I'm also messing about making roguelikes, and I've recently taken an interest in writing some IF. You don't need to be able to draw to make IF! It's perfect.

6) Was the whole vagueness behind the Unfolding Spider, an intended thing, to allow players to shape their own side of the story? And if so, what inspired you to go towards that direction?

That's exactly it, yeah. I mentioned that I like Portal, which does a similar thing - it implies a huge, mysterious backstory, but leaves most of it to your imagination. That's a big part of what makes it so memorable. Of course, my game is much better than Portal.*

I've always liked stories that don't feel the need to spell everything out, the kind where you think about them afterward and suddenly see something you missed before, some connection or explanation or motivation that you hadn't thought of. The Unfolding Spider takes this to an extreme by making no sense at all, of course.

*

7) What exactly shaped up Unfolding Spider into what it became, what was the initial goal?

I like making games, but sometimes doing things like thinking up puzzles and structuring them into a consistent and engaging story gets boring and frustrating. I just felt like screwing around and making something that didn't require too much planning or, you know, "effort".

What I mean is, I came up with a brilliant artistic vision and knew I had to share it with the world, so I spent months putting all my ideas together and forming a cohesive whole. It's a work of art, goddammit!

The actual truth is that I wanted to play around with some things - playing with the old amnesia gimmick, making a game without puzzles, making a game with a heavily ambiguous narrative, giving the player character a sense of history and direction via atmosphere and actions, rather than exposition. Also to have fun making a game without doing all the hard bits.

8 ) Knowing this would spoil my and probably everyone's idea about the Unfolding Spider, but is there an actual story ? Or is the game simply about madness?

I don't think it's a case of "the hero is just a nut having a bad dream in his padded cell," that would be kind of lame. There's definitely a story in there. Different people might have different ideas about what it is. That's all I'm going to say.

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, THEN PLAY THE UNFOLDING SPIDER. CAUSE YOU MUST.