This won't be a review based on completing the game because I didn't finish it. Let me say right off that there are wonderful qualities to this game but I found the interminable dialogues to be too long for me. They were such a turn-off that I became disgruntled with playing the game and uninstalled it. I also found the cursing and foul language a disappointment. (I know, the rating should've been a warning to me, but I was still taken aback at the amount of foul language.)

The overall production level of the game is really awesome. The sense of immersion into April's world and existence is really first rate. The sets, background images, sound, music and playability are really state of the art. Even the computer-drawn characters are exceptionally done. To some degree, the dialogue between the characters help this overall sense of immersion but the amount of dialogue required to get to the main point was too much for me. I also found the amount of retracing areas already covered was too repititive for my taste.

The game installed and played on my Windows Professional 2000 OS without any hitches (I did a maximum install to avoid changing discs.) This was a pleasant surprise.

For those of you who played the game through to completion, I congratulate you. I just couldn't bear up under the amount of dialogue required to finish it.

It's too bad that you weren't able to finish this game. I too felt that the swearing got a little out of hand, but this is the style of life April is leading. It shows, after the game gets going, that she was meant for much bigger things.

The swearing just about disappears after the first chapters and the dialouge tones down as well. Anyone who can make it past the first few chapters is in for a real treat. This game is in my top 5 favorites because the bulk of this game is so engaging. I've never played a game that made me care so much about my character. And, the ending, just like a fable or tale of lore.

I wish there was a save for persons who don't like dialouge that put them into the fantasy world and bypassed modern day with a short summary of what has happened up to that point. I think many more people would have finished this game.

Bruce, I agree with you that the characters in TLJ were way too long winded. I actually found myself dozing off in the middle of a particularly long lecture by a priest. But I perservered, and kept on with the game, and I did enjoy it a lot. I know a lot of Boomers have this game on their Top 10 list, but it's probably a little lower on my list of favorites. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" />

The long monologue by the Priest in Arcadia was the beginning of the end for me. Then, when Rolling Man got going, I thought, "That's it - - -I can't take it anymore!"

I wonder if my being male had anything to do with it? All that sensitive, introspective talking may appeal more to women than men. Without getting deep into the obvious cliches, I wonder other GB's think about this.

I've got to say that I think TLJ is just about the best adventure games of the last few years... easily up there with Faust (7 Games of the Soul) and Riven.

Yes, I did find the swearing a bit much - particularly the guy who lived in the high tech pit, but everything else (and I mean everything) in the game was wonderful!

My only gripe is that there is currently no sign of the sequel that the plot so obviously begs for!

Ta-ra,
The Gremlin.

Hi.

I have to admit I found TLJ very slow - and really got quite bored at times

Gotta have different opinions though, eh

Cheers.

Mad

I loved everything about The Longest Journey, but I do admit that there were times when the dialogue scenes were very, very long. I asked every single question, too, and listened to all of the answers because I was afraid I would miss something. I remember that the first person who really got to me with his long-windedness was the old fisherman, and as my eyes were glazing over, April laid down on the dock and fell asleep! I thought that was hysterical, because I knew that the writers understood how long the dialogue was and they were not afraid to poke fun at themselves. Anyway, maybe you will be in the mood for that sort of game one day and you will pick it up again and decide to finish it. I love Gabriel Knight 3, but I originally stopped playing it because I was just in a slump. I picked it up again after getting a new computer and absolutely loved it. Maybe that will happen to you.

This game is in my top 5 and it's because of the dialogue!! I most enjoy games with heavy character interraction and the more dialogue the better. I feel it helps to really get into the story, provide clues and really get to know the characters and their individual personalities. Hope if there's a sequel, which I hope there is!, there's just as much interraction it's what totally made the game for me. in fact every game in my top 10 had heavy character interaction and dialogue.

While I enjoyed the game I did find it long winded too, what I did was keep the text on so that if it seemed like a really long conversation would take place, i could read it faster than listening to them by just hitting the escape key everytime I finished reading a line.

i don't think being a woman or man has anything to do with it... i'm a girl and found the dialogue interminable. i did finish the game though... started hitting 'escape' to get out of the dialogue, and then skimmed what had been said in April's conversation log.

i read a very interesting thread about this on another BB -- someone was making the point that in a well-written book, details are shown and not told. TLJ's fatal flaw (in my opinion) is that they tell too much without showing it. what was the point of ALL that dialogue at the beginning about april's friends, when her friends didn't really come into play again? if it was important that emma was a slut, the game should have shown this through her behavior. etc.

the swearing didn't bother me -- in fact, when people complain about it, i don't even know what parts they're talking about! the speech patterns just sounded normal to me...

i was not thrilled with the ending, but i am glad i played this game. it was kind of easy, but fun while it lasted.

-emily

I loved TLJ, for all the reasons mentioned above by Burpee, Bryansmom and GremlinUK. I was offended by the cursing in the beginning, but it rapidly disappeared (as soon as April left the city). I found the long monologues tedious and dreaded having to re-hear them when I needed to check a piece of information. <img border="0" alt="" title="" src="graemlins/woozy.gif" /> Overall, though, it was never enough to make me want to bail out. I'm glad I didn't. TLJ was one of the best games that year, IMHO. But there are soooo many games out there, Bruce. We have no need to be offended or bored or suffer through a game's bad design anymore. Just pull another game off the shelf. What are you going to play next?

I thought the priest's speech would have been far more interesting if we'd been seeing cut scenes of the things he was talking about instead of obscure carvings on a wall. I wouldn't call the problem "fatal" though, considering how many people liked the game despite the speeches.

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what was the point of ALL that dialogue at the beginning about april's friends, when her friends didn't really come into play again? if it was important that emma was a slut, the game should have shown this through her behavior. etc.

I thought a lot of that information about April's friends in the beginning was unnecessary. I got bored with the chat and kept wanting the story to start. It wasn't until I got to Arkadia (where there weren't any characters who used the F word all the time) that I really got interested in the game.

I prefer a game with memorable characters that you get to know, even if the conversations are a little long. But I wish the necessary conversations had been marked differently from the extra ones. Some of the topics really weren't of interest to me and weren't important to the game.

The most interesting thing about Emma was that she made that dragon sculpture. We never found out where or why she got the idea to do that. In spite of all that conversation about her, we really didn't know much about Emma at all.

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the swearing didn't bother me -- in fact, when people complain about it, i don't even know what parts they're talking about! the speech patterns just sounded normal to me...

A couple of the characters (Zak and Flipper) talked like people I'd give a wide berth to in real life.

I thought Flipper was a hoot but Zack was just poorly written. Should have been written out.

A lot of people point to the priest scene with the flickering walls as what was wrong with TLJ. The third time I played this game, (I know, what can I say?) I actually fell asleep in my chair. Still I think in ways this is the strongest game for me. But I agree that there should have been ways to bypass the day-to-day coffee chit-chat. Let those who wanted to move on, get going and those who wanted to linger do so. They missed a chance there, I will agree. Maybe they'll make a RealTLJ with short and long cuts. That would be cool. <img border="0" alt="[talky]" title="" src="graemlins/talky.gif" />

Mike

I have been folowing these comments with great interest - but since I was starting up a replay soon - didn't want to post until I had at least dove back into the game for a bit. Kind of to get my bearings and see if the dialogue annoyed or not.

I didn't recall it being too much the first time and neither did I the second time. One of the things I love about the game is hunting out all the hidden eggs and alternative endings for each chapter. Basically whenever April is given a choice - "work tonight or not?" etc. Whatever you choose results in a diffferent ending for that level.

I am just now moving into Chapter 2. I also had the good experience of playing Journeyman 3 where I chose not to click on Arthur at all - as his comments irritated me at the beginning - so I just ignored him. The replay I clicked on him every time he lit up and what a varied game experience.

I viewed the dialogue trees as precisely that. You don't lose the option to go back during the chapter if you choose and ask the character a question that you skipped. In fact IMHO, most conversations are like the ones in the old Lucas Arts games and Journeyman 3's Arthur commentary. They are there if you want to hear them but not game essential. A great example is April's conversations with Charlie and her boss. The first question about Cortez is all you need. The rest is up to you. I always found it fairly straightforward about what info you really needed to get from a person. You were looking for Cortez - so that was all you really needed. You needed your paycheck - so I just asked him for the money, gave him the time sheets and instead of chatting went straight for it and quit - getting him to cough up the bucks. So for the most part - you really don't have to listen to or ask all the questions. If stuck - and you will figure out most times why - then go back and ask what you missed. Just a suggestion - as this game is indeed a long journey not just into the plot but into the growth and discovery of a young girl - April. And it is a jpurney that grows on you. By the end - like others - I really cared about these characters. I thought Charlie was such a love,I wish I had a warm hedonistic friend like Fionna and I really want to know the rest of April's story.

I count it highly on my game list and definitely in my top 5.

Laura

laura -- after i finished TLJ, i went back to play the alternate ending for chapter 1. are there others? i couldn't remember any other points in the game where i had a choice that would have affected the gameplay that much, but i would like to see them if they're in there.

i know whether you go on the date with zak or not affects the conversation with him the next morning, but i was told that there wasn't any additional FMV if you went on the date or if you didn't... is this true?

-emily