Favorite Gabriel Knight Game - Why?

[Fender_178]

After playing the 1st 2 games I wouldnt mind reading the books to see how close the game follows the the book.

[Tawmis]

After playing the 1st 2 games I wouldnt mind reading the books to see how close the game follows the the book.

Wonder if the books read like a really well written hint book for the games?

[AndreaDraco]

I hope not!

And I want to read them 'cause I know that Jane put in them a lot of details which weren't included in the final games, and I want to know them all!

[Fender_178]

After playing the 1st 2 games I wouldnt mind reading the books to see how close the game follows the the book.

Wonder if the books read like a really well written hint book for the games?

Very good question. I was wondering about that.

[Tawmis]

After playing the 1st 2 games I wouldnt mind reading the books to see how close the game follows the the book.

Wonder if the books read like a really well written hint book for the games?

Very good question. I was wondering about that.

AndreaDraco83 pointed out additional content - but I wonder if the flow still reads the same as the game? I mean the Star Wars books based on the movie still follow the movie, just have a lot more detail.

[JasefWisener]

After playing the 1st 2 games I wouldnt mind reading the books to see how close the game follows the the book.

Wonder if the books read like a really well written hint book for the games?

Both books are extremely different. The Sins of the Fathers novelization is...well...exactly like the game. There are virtually zero differences.

The Beast Within novelization, however, is what I feel a true novelization should be. It takes out I think one event, but it adds just about all the cut content from the game (including an entire chapter of King Ludwig II). It also goes in to sooooooooo much detail and character emotion. It's amazing.

[JasefWisener]

Because I can't help it, my Jane Jensen books.

[AndreaDraco]

I have to possess them!

I'm off to Amazon!

[Collector]

Very nice.

[JasefWisener]

I have to possess them!

I'm off to Amazon!

That's where I got all mine.

With shipping (when I got them anyway), it was under $5 for Millennium Rising (even as a hardcover) and Dante's Equation, $7 for Sins of the Fathers, ~$17 for The Beast Within, and I'm thinking $10 for the TBW Player's Guide.

Does anyone know if there was a player's guide (or similar) for GK1? I know there is for GK3 (because I'm trying to get a copy now), but I'm not sure about 1.

[Jules]

I've yet to read Judgement Day but Dante's Equation was a VERY intriguing book. It's one where you can't stop reading. I don't know where to start on saying how great and complex it is.

I don't know of a guide for GK1 but there is a walkthrough book for GK3 which I have.

[BBP]

My favourites of GK come in the order in which I played them:
GK3 because it has the best story, the amazing interface, the best music... I only played GK because of Tim Curry, and I fell in love with it even before I first heard him say "Did two men get off here by any chance?" with that gorgeous start-up video. And I adored all the paintings! I dislike some of the acting, but those are minor characters. And in the case of the Abbé I can always imagine Cornfed is talking to King Chicken.
GK1 has also a fantastic story, and great music and graphics for its time, but I'm not sure about the graphic novel cutscenes. And I always switch the narrator off. The narrator does have a lot of good jokes and it would've been funnier to hear them instead of reading them, but I really can't stand her work on it.
GK2 seems to have several plot holes, notably when it comes to the opera (why is it even there? Who in his right mind would let a new Wagner opera be produced by people who've never produced anything before? Have it conducted by someone who never conducted before? What is the opera supposed to do? Why would Grace place a full-armed Leber in with Von Glower: after all if vG turns into a werewolf and Leber shoots him, Gabe won't turn back to normal anymore), and Dean Erickson's acting is very often cringe-worthy. And why has Grace suddenly turned into a shrew?
GK2 is definitely the best FMV game I have played, but with the lack of fun puzzles (going back and forth and asking Übergrau), the acting, and the relative emptiness it's easily my least favourite.

[Shakar]

I understand your point. I can't say that I agree with it totally, but I understand it.

That's how I see it:

Rennes-le-Chateau was extremely detailed as a set for Gabriel's new adventure, no less than New Orleans or Monaco. Moreover, it was extremely adherent to its real-life appearance: the geography of the area was well represented and carefully depicted, as were the inherent geometries of the valley itself, not to mention the architectonic details of buildings such as St. Magdalene Church. Furthermore, the historic and religious background of the region was lavishly polished: from the Roman domination to the Merovingian Kings during the Middle Age, from the Knights Templar and the Cathars around the '200 to the discovery of Abbot Sauniére, the history of Southern France, and Rennes in particular, was precisely addressed in the game, with an amount of detail unknown to Dan Brown or to other games (I'm thinking of Broken Sword 1, even if I only played it half-way), whose takes on these subjects - the Templars, mainly - feel shallow and pretty inconsistent, in comparison.

The character were indeed less developed than the ones seen in the first two games, particularly Montreaux, who can't really stand the match with Von Glower or Malia Gedde. Anyway, the treasure hunters were amusing and well rounded-up, in my opinion: some of them lacked the charisma of some of the characters from the previous games, but some of them - Baza and Wilkes, mainly - were believable and very well written.

I have said that The Beast Within story is unbeatable, and I really think it. But Jane Jensen in all the three chapters crafted powerful and magnificent stories, and it's only a matter of tastes in preferring one or another. GK2 has a deep, meaningful story of self-discovery and a plot worthy of the best Bildungsroman ever written, but - nonetheless - GK3 has a thought-provoking plot that deals, with class and elegance, with profound religious and philosophical themes, showing a courage that was ahead of its time.

These are the reasons for which I'm also crazy about the third game...
... Anf, anf: one day, I'll also tell you why I'm crazy with the first one, since I've done this for the latter two

I couldn't agree with you more on GK3. This is exactly how I feel about that game. As well as your points on GK2.

One thing that never sold me was Dean Erickson's GK. Body language, mannerisms, and shy. It didn't feel Gabriel Knight. I don't know, I feel the novelization was better on that front.

I love all the games for what they are. I can't really rank them to be honest.

[Maxor127]

I thought I replied to this post, but I'll pretend people care about my opinion. I feel like I've said this somewhere else, but Beast Within all the way for me. It's one of the best representations of FMV games. I actually liked Dean Erickson as Gabriel Knight. Tim Curry always sounded like Tim Curry forcing a fake accent than an authentic character to me. So I guess it helps that Dean Erickson was unknown to me at the time, and I have no clue what he really sounds like. Beast Within's storyline was excellent and took a lot of surprising twists and directions. GK1 loses points with me at the end. I didn't like how technologically advanced the voodoo bad guys seemed to be with their high tech secret lair. For GK3, my complaints are mostly because of the horrible controls and interface. And the game was pretty difficult even with a walkthrough. But once again, I didn't care for the ending, either. Too Indiana Jonesish for me, and I love Indiana Jones, but it just didn't fit.

[Tawmis]

I thought I replied to this post, but I'll pretend people care about my opinion. I feel like I've said this somewhere else, but Beast Within all the way for me. It's one of the best representations of FMV games. I actually liked Dean Erickson as Gabriel Knight. Tim Curry always sounded like Tim Curry forcing a fake accent than an authentic character to me. So I guess it helps that Dean Erickson was unknown to me at the time, and I have no clue what he really sounds like. Beast Within's storyline was excellent and took a lot of surprising twists and directions. GK1 loses points with me at the end. I didn't like how technologically advanced the voodoo bad guys seemed to be with their high tech secret lair. For GK3, my complaints are mostly because of the horrible controls and interface. And the game was pretty difficult even with a walkthrough. But once again, I didn't care for the ending, either. Too Indiana Jonesish for me, and I love Indiana Jones, but it just didn't fit.

I absolutely loved GK2 as well. Was probably my favorite of the three games. I loved GK1 for the voodoo (that stuff has always interested me). I loved GK3 (although the whole ending started to go a bit too Indiana Jones, test yourself and walk across this invisible bridge'ish for me - which seemed out of place for GK, but maybe not). GK2, as you said, I didn't know Dean Erikson. But I thought he LOOKED and SOUNDED how I thought Gabriel Knight should look and sound. And visually seeing everything, with the realistic cut scene movies, made it all that more of a richer experience for me.