Broken Sword III - not an action-adventure game?

Well, my msg comes straight from my frustration at one of the action scenes (the previous ones not being sooo bad!) where I got killed at least half a dozen times (and had to stop playing out of frustration, even after consulting several wt's)...

So far the plot is as good as the other BS, which is quite something IMO, but I still prefer point'n'click interfaces to this one... (something I didn't think about when playing GK III or The Watchmaker - the only scenes that got me frustrated, due to its action bits, were near the end of the game,which I can accept!!!)

The fact the you can't save in those parts making me watch the cutscene again and again is something I cannot understand...

I am almost sure, however, once I relax and get my grips on, I will overcome that nasty bit (I am at the scene where they come from the elevator and I have to act - but it ought to be faster than the speed of light, and the interface relying on the keyboard doesn't help much!!!!! - before I the blonde kills me) and will start enjoying the game again...

I don't want to put off people from this great game, but I had to let off some steam...

Hey Ratracer

It was the part before this that gave me fits. I could not get past after too many tries to count. OK it was 10 or 15.

If you are talking about right after fleeing a deadly situation involving a bridge, a gun and some barrels - you just need to exit to the front.

ratracer I just finished the bridge part last night after much moaning, groaning and saying bad words at the monitor. It can be done - I did it - twice as a matter of fact just to prove to myself it wasn't a fluke Then about 20 minutes later I hit another blasted do over until you scream part and that one actually took me longer to complete than the bridge did because the action icon flashes so fast you can't see it - we're talking split second timing here because for it to show up you have to position George just right, which takes time, which you don't have, or you get nothing but dead

Seems like there's not much actual game play to me - mostly watching cut scenes and doing action parts over - oh and moving crates around - geez do ya think they put enough of those in there? I'm getting tired of it and George is going to get a hernia if he's not careful

I'm standing at the castle doors in Prague right now - no way in - hmmmm maybe I'll go look for some crates.

It sounds like I'm not liking the game which isn't entirely true - I don't like the keyboard controls and the have to do over and listen to the conversations until you've got them memorized and want to shoot the characters yourself to get them to shut up - but the actual story is very good and it is keeping me interested enough to keep playing in spite of everything else.

Sounds like I won't be getting BSIII, it's requirements are beyond my current computer anyway.

I havn't started playing yet, but this is sounding like another example of why game developers shouldn't mess with success! In other words, if it aint broke, don't fix it. We all know about the controversial statment that 'point & click' is dead, well if so, you need to replace it with something better, not just more frustrating.

I am still looking forward to playing, and I'm trusting that the chracters and story will get me past any fustrations, but the point is , they had a great formula that worked... why mess with it?

Louis

People are blaming the 3D and keyboard controls. And I won't deny that camera-relative movement is clumsy. But it sounds to me like the big issue is the time it takes to get past the timed puzzles (if you get past them at all). But weren't point-and-click games that had similar hard-to-get-past action/timed sequences almost as bad. Remember the inn scene in Atlantis I? Or the mummies in Gabriel Knight I? They were hard to get past too. And those puzzles in those games were likewise reviled.

It doesn't help that in BS3 you have to watch a load screen and a cut scene before being able to try again. At least Atlantis I allowed you to skip the cut scene.

The latest Nancy Drew (Deception Island) automatically advenced you if you weren't able to do the Feeding Frenzy arcade after 5 tries. Other games have included cheats for puzzle skips. Considering that people don't play adventure games for the arcade "challenges," I don't know why every game company that makes adventure games doesn't include a way to skip the arcade/timed parts.

Well, I did get past that action scene once I calmed down - in fact, I repeated it 3 times (it's easy once you do it)...
In retrospect, the action scenes - so far- aren't difficult per se, but the fact that you cannot save and that you have to go back and watch the cutscene (from the beginning) puts me off some! That bridge scene had a cutscene of almost 2 minutes (6 tries were almost 15 minutes!)... I am sure if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be complaining...

By the way, apart from the action bits (and there aren't many) the game is on the easy side, which for me is a plus, not getting stuck without knowing what to do...

I am quite enjoying the game - but it could be a better experience without those annoying action (and not being able to save!) bits...

I also got tired of the cut scene trying to excape from Sussaro and his girlfriend. I guess I watched it at least 10 times before I escaped into the elevator. But it was fun! I am not having trouble with the controls at all. I did in the very beginning, but I got used to it and it is fine. I personally like the format.

I find in timed sequences that I complete them much more easily if I convince myself that I just don't care. It's when I really, really want to get through them correctly that I blow it every time.

Aside from the fustrating timed scenes and just as fustrating navigation system in the game I find it boring.You mostly wander around trying to find your way in and out of places,it takes you for ever to get from point A to point B(as it does in all 3D games,and no humor that I can find in actions or words that I can find.Although George makes some remarks about things none of them are amusing or funny,or aleast he has not up to where I now am.If I ever get thru this game it is one I will not replay.There is way too much timed action scenes in it,many of them unnessary such as Nico having to jump away from speeding car.I feel like Revolutions has gone over to the dark side of action games( not that there is anything wrong with action games,but BS is an adventure game not action oriented).Me I give a thumbs down to BS3

Hi

Can't play BS3 on my current computer but I did have one horrible thought....when you said, Jenny....

"I don't know why every game company that makes adventure games doesn't include a way to skip the arcade/timed parts"

Whilst I would definitely welcome such an innovation, what if doing that led to more and more such arcade stuff being included to the detriment of adventure content, in the hopes of attracting a bigger share of the "action game" market ??

Cheers.

Mad

I just finished BS3 and I really like it !

That car scene was funny - it took me twice through to realize that I was supposed to do something The first time it happened I just watched thinking it was part of the game but when it started over again I knew I was supposed to do something but by the time I saw the action icon light up Nico was toast again - soooo we watched her get nailed a third time - fourth time through, I was fast enough to hit the right key and continue on.

Jenny you're mostly right - it's the timed action sequences that are the most annoying, but the keyboard controls make it more difficult to perform the actions (at least for me - but I'm in the minority and really if you've played a lot of action games this is probably a piece of cake.)
For example - there is a place where you have to walk George across certain tiles to get across the room. I had to literally shuffle George slowly and I mean slooooowly along those blasted tiles because if you stepped off or even hit the corner of a wrong tile it was back to square one. It took me 15 minutes (after starting over 6 times) to get him across the room where under normal circumstances it would have taken me about 2 minutes if I could have kept George walking straight. I thought the way of crossing was a pretty fun way to do it, but I was so friggin' fed up with the way I had to move George, it took all the pleasure out of it.

I am curious as to how everyone else who finished this game did the tile shuffle part. I sure would like to know if there was an easier way.

Oh, and guess what I found in the castle in Prague - yup, more crates

I found that the scenes where you quickly have to hit an action key when the icon flashes up are easily completed by madly mashing the key lots of times, and usually manage to get it easily.

I thought the game was excellent, and all my complaints are very minor ones indeed. The game needs to sell. For the sake of continued production of the adventure genre by Revolution, I think the quick-response elements are a small price to pay if it boosts sales.

I know several Welsh Action gamer friends who have bought this game on the back of the advertising hype and the T.V. previews showing action elements. The ones who've finished it loved it, and would try other purer adventures on the back of it - I've loaned 'Syberia' to one and given one of my 'Dark Fall' to another. Tell me that this is due to a bad move by Revolution ! I don't think so.

Revolution may have said "No more point and click", but they may well be attracting the attentions of new adventure game players.

Viva la Revolution !

syd - the 'tile shuffle' was what finally made the cons outweigh the pros for me with this game. I knew exactly what to do but had to redo the puzzle about 5 times because I stepped slightly the wrong way and George was killed. It was an easy puzzle that the controls made infuriating.

Kim

There are times when other people's comments are much appreciated in warning one off games one is not going to like. Such as now.

I'll let sleeping dragons lie.

Its me again. I just checked the walkthrough just to see where I am at. I am a little half way through. And I must say I am still loving this game. I think its wonderful and am hoping that a lot more adventures are made this way.

Well, don't let my previous frustration lead people off this game. I am totally useless when it comes to action bits in a game, but so far, none of those parts in BS III was that terrible... if it doesn't get worse in later parts of the game, BS III is a good choice for an adventurer's shelf.

Wow, am I volatile!
BS III is risking to be an all time favourite of mine... That part in Congo with that huge machine, making me recall The Dig (my favourite game), is awesome!!!

How could I doubt Revolution?

What I am curious about with all the action in,which will sell better the pc version or XBOX and PS2.Since XBOX mostly makes only sports games why would anyone buy an adventure game.It does seem like this game was more designed for console games rather than PC.If the game sells better on consoles than PC Revolution will figure they will have to throw more action into future games and maybe less adventure.I look at BS3 as a test case for the future