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First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam #975225
08/26/14 11:32 PM
08/26/14 11:32 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline OP
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Jenny100  Offline OP
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Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
A First Look by flotsam

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers - 20th Anniversary Edition
Pinkerton Road


Dare I say it’s about time.

If ever a game deserved a makeover, Sins of the Fathers is it. And not because it is old and tired. To the contrary, it is a revered game in the pantheon of adventure games, and no doubt found many new fans once platforms like GOG made it easily accessible to modern players. Its strengths held it up well, but its blotchy pixellness and tinny (and rather annoying in places) soundtrack warranted a modern day rethink.

And now we have it. Or we will have very soon. I got to take Day 1 and parts of Day 2 for a spin recently and couldn’t have been more pleased.



Everything we all liked about Sins of the Fathers is still there. The story, the puzzling, the searching, the questioning, the point score system, even the little chime when you add a point or three to the score. So too Gabriel’s slightly over the top accent (which I confess could have come down a notch or two).

What is different is the artwork, which now has a far more contemporary appearance. Not as shiny as the Monkey Island remakes, but I think that was wise. It doesn’t look brand new, just dressed up, but what a dress. Full screen, giant resolution, and lots of bells and whistles if you pay attention – check the dust motes in the light through the window in the book shop.

So too the voice work and music has been re-recorded. Apparently the original recordings were lost, so it was all redone. It remains faithful to the sound of the original cast though (I already mentioned Gabriel’s accent) which is to be commended.

So too the score, re-orchestrated by Robert Holmes, the original composer. I still turned it down, but it is now far more a rich and engaging accompaniment than it ever was.

I haven’t mentioned Jane Jensen yet, so now would be a good time. A doyen of the genre, she was responsible for the original, and is front and centre and everything else for the remake. Newcomers will know her perhaps from Grey Matter and Moebius: Empire Rising, but she will always be Gabriel’s Mum to me.

Different too is how the puzzling plays out. Things now happen on different days, and solves are subtly different. Without going back and playing the original again it’s hard to say how different, but I haven’t yet been to Grandma Knights house, which I am pretty sure happened on Day 1, I found some things in different places, and I finished Day 1 without the crime scene file. It’s still the same game without question, just changed enough to be enticingly different to all those who have played before.

It took me a little while to get used to the foibles of the game play system. Sometimes clicking on a character generates a conversation, sometimes you try and “show” them the active inventory item. More than once I got a little stroppy when Gabriel told me “he wouldn’t be interested in that” when all I wanted to do was talk. But I settled in as we went along.

Other differences include a less fiddly icon system, and a notebook that keeps track of what is going on (seemingly replacing the recorder tapes window which tracked your conversations) and which can also provide hints. I also don’t remember their being a button which highlights all hotspots, which is also now available.

No boxes either, which is a shame, if only because one early release was probably one of the funkiest boxes ever to grace a game. A two part triangular construct, it remains unopened on my shelf, which is probably why it still stays together.

Some things haven’t changed at all – the mime puzzle remains as it was (which you can judge for yourself!).



I said that I played parts of day 2, which was the result of playing a demo that wouldn’t trigger certain outcomes, despite doing what the hints said. It may have been me – if not, I am sure all of that will be sorted out when the final game releases.

All up, it seems far more user friendly game in the way that modern games tend to be. Which doesn’t mean it will be easy, or that getting maximum points will be a snap. Even having played several times, it remains a tricky game, requiring careful and methodical exploration and questioning, and a little bit of trying things with lots of other things. It will take a good while to complete (and I mean a whole lot longer than what passes for a lengthy game these days), some of it frustrating as stuck happens, but none of it boring. Sins of the Fathers was story and character driven 20 years ago, and remains so.

I can’t wait for the whole thing.

I played on:

OS: Windows 7
Processor: Intel i7-3820 4GHz
RAM: 12GB Ripjaw DDR3 2133 Mhz
Video card: AMD Radeon HD 7800 2048MB




Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #975279
08/27/14 08:20 AM
08/27/14 08:20 AM
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 69,973
MaG Offline
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Thanks, flotsam.

wave Jenny!

Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #975298
08/27/14 09:39 AM
08/27/14 09:39 AM
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 1,085
Kiev, Ukraine
Iurii Offline
Addicted Boomer
Iurii  Offline
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Kiev, Ukraine
Thanks for the nice and interesting preview!
I hope they will release it no later than October.

Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #975304
08/27/14 10:14 AM
08/27/14 10:14 AM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,767
Calgary Alberta Canada
Cathy1 Offline
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Cathy1  Offline
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,767
Calgary Alberta Canada
I am sooooo looking forward to this game.
Thanks for the review flotsam.

Cathy rah


" If Cornoil Comes From Corn
Where Doe's Babyoil Come From "
Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Cathy1] #975322
08/27/14 11:40 AM
08/27/14 11:40 AM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 48,231
near Yosemite
Marian Offline
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Marian  Offline
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Sonic Boomer

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Posts: 48,231
near Yosemite
I am really looking forward to this release. yes

Thank you, flotsam and Jenny. wave

Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #975334
08/27/14 12:47 PM
08/27/14 12:47 PM
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 694
Stockholm, Sweden
Lagavulin Offline
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Joined: Apr 2003
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Stockholm, Sweden
thumbsup

thanks for your insight !

This is on top of my list to get sherlock

Cheers


ON:Ether One Redux
Recent:Stasis,Gabriel Knight3(RP),Gabriel Knight2(RP),Barrow Hill D P,Syberia2(RP),Secret Files P C,Inner World,Eyes Of Ara
Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #975337
08/27/14 01:30 PM
08/27/14 01:30 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
Jenny100 Offline OP
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Jenny100  Offline OP
GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 40,644
southeast USA
The original midi soundtrack was actually quite nice -- but only if you had the proper equipment.
Here's a link to the Gabriel Knight 1 midi soundtrack, played using a Roland Sound Canvas SC-88.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFcTfHdOOSI&list=PLB7EDE9CB97321CFA&index=1

Unfortunately few gamers other than professional musicians and rich people would have had a Roland Sound Canvas lying around -- or been willing and able to buy one just for games. So few gamers were really able to enjoy the midi soundtrack. Instead they got whatever sound their sound card was able to produce, assuming they got sound at all.

Today you can use free soundfonts like SGM-V2.01.sf2 or WeedsGM3.sf2 and get much better sound than you would have heard with an old Soundblaster or compatible back in 1993 when the game was released. But with each successive version of Windows since XP, it's gotten increasingly difficult to configure good midi sound for DOSBox.

Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #975340
08/27/14 01:35 PM
08/27/14 01:35 PM
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 7,707
The Country
Winfrey Offline
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The Country
Thanks Jenny100 looking forward to this game


Would that I could be the peacemaker in your soul that I might turn the discord and the rivalry of your elements into oneness and melody
Gibran
Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Winfrey] #975358
08/27/14 02:31 PM
08/27/14 02:31 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 34,317
United Kingdom
Mad Offline
Sonic Boomer
Mad  Offline
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Posts: 34,317
United Kingdom
"Sins of the Fathers was story and character driven 20 years ago, and remains so."

Ahhhhhh .... Music to my ears !! Whatever the equipment used wink

Thanks for that very welcome review, flotsam thumbsup
[I personally loved Gabriel's "over the top" accent and am pleased to hear it's still there !! lol]

For me, it's Jane Jensen's best game ever and always will be. And old version or modern version I will never tire of playing it dance

Thank you too, Jenny100 smile


Time : The Most Precious Commodity
Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #975431
08/28/14 12:01 AM
08/28/14 12:01 AM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 8,379
Arcadia (twin world of Stark)
venus Offline
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venus  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 8,379
Arcadia (twin world of Stark)
Thanks for the first look, flotsam. I'd already checked out some of the backer beta version, but I didn't play it all the way through as I'm waiting for the full release. Glad to hear your first impressions were positive. thumbsup I'm looking forward to final release. woot


Interrogator: [True or false?] All mangoes are golden. Nothing golden is cheap. Conclusion - all mangoes are cheap.

Helena: Where are these mangoes?
Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #975456
08/28/14 04:53 AM
08/28/14 04:53 AM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 25,110
Marlborough USA
Kaki's Sister Offline
Sonic Boomer
Kaki's Sister  Offline
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Posts: 25,110
Marlborough USA
Thanks Jenny. It sounds fantastic! Can't wait to play!


Gerry
Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #976170
09/01/14 03:43 PM
09/01/14 03:43 PM
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,262
Massachusetts
GBC Offline
Graduate Boomer
GBC  Offline
Graduate Boomer

Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 18,262
Massachusetts
Thanks Jenny and flotsam, woot


Gail
Re: First Look at Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers -- 20th Anniversary Edition by flotsam [Re: Jenny100] #978092
09/12/14 09:34 AM
09/12/14 09:34 AM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,767
Calgary Alberta Canada
Cathy1 Offline
BAAG Specialist
Cathy1  Offline
BAAG Specialist

Joined: May 2003
Posts: 7,767
Calgary Alberta Canada
Is this a point and click game or do you have to use the keyboard also ?

FLOTSAM please see your email.
Thank you Cathy1

Last edited by Cathy1; 09/14/14 11:36 AM.

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Where Doe's Babyoil Come From "
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