I bought & played each of the first three BS games ages ago as each one was released.

They were all darned good games and I thoroughly enjoyed each one. 

For some (unknown) reason I think I enjoyed the very first one best - it seemed to have a certain 'magic' about it - but maybe that's just nostalgia. 

I have "Broken Sword - 4" which was released 'only' 6 years ago but for some reason I haven't played it - maybe other matters took precedence at the time and after that I overlooked it. 

Can anybody say how it compares with its 3 predecessors?

And maybe in general reflect upon the whole series ?   

Mine probably isn't very helpful, but while Broken Sword is no doubt an A grade quality series, I always saw it as the little brother of Gabriel Knight. George Stobbart was a very unlikeable character although he was plain, nice and charismatic. Then we have Gabe, who was a rude and apathetic asshole and yet we like him with a surprising level of affection and attachment. And Nico was so much less intriguing than the exalted, reserved yet determined Grace. The characters make the game what it is, and GK's were just better.

As for BS4, I haven't played it but I know the first 10-20 minutes is box puzzles, so I decided to give it a miss

I am a big fan of Broken Sword series. Actually, BS2 is the game that introduced me to point-and-click adventures, so it's super special to me.

BS1 - is the best, in my opinion. The story is good and it has a certain aura of darkness about it.

BS2 - I love it, obviously, but it's a more 'fun' game and areas are more cheerful. Good game.

BS3 - the first 3D Broken Sword, also the one with a million box puzzles *shudders* It got mixed reviews, but overall I thought it was good. It has a few returning characters from BS1 for that nostalgia kick.

BS4 - I would label it "for fans only". The story is meh, characters are meh, George's humour and tons of nods to older games are the only thing that kept it afloat. It also ignored a lot of the plot of BS3 (it ends with a cliffhanger of sorts - nothing huge, but imo it would've been a good plot device for the next game) which rubbed me the wrong way. So... play with caution. It is not even close to the other games in the series.

Also a big fan of the first 3 games, but for some reason i never played BS4 either.

But from what I read here and heard before, i'm not missing much.

Besides I don't think it's compatible with Win7

Originally Posted By walsh (25 APR 2012 6:15am)

Mine probably isn't very helpful, but while Broken Sword is no doubt an A grade quality series, I always saw it as the little brother of Gabriel Knight. George Stobbart was a very unlikeable character although he was plain, nice and charismatic. Then we have Gabe, who was a rude and apathetic asshole and yet we like him with a surprising level of affection and attachment. And Nico was so much less intriguing than the exalted, reserved yet determined Grace. The characters make the game what it is, and GK's were just better.

 

As for BS4, I haven't played it but I know the first 10-20 minutes is box puzzles, so I decided to give it a miss

 

That's a fascinating opinion Walsh.

I never thought of comparing the 1st 3 "Broken Sword"s with the 3 "Gabriel Knights".

But you're right in that there ARE similarities.

However, since they are BOTH WONDERFUL series of games I hesitate in discriminating against the "BS"s, their plots, characters, etc.

 You've made me think however and I've come up with (at least) ONE difference :

Whereas the "BS" games take you to MANY venues, each "GK" IIRC sticks to one country only - #1 to USA (New Orleans) ; #2 to Germany ; #3 to France.

I may be wrong but it seems that Jane Jensen has lived in each of these countries at least for a while each and you very much get a feeling of authenticity about her 3 games.  She is also an expert at mixing facts with fiction & imagination.

I think on the whole I appreciate the "GK"s a tad more than the "BS"s - but for me personally and maybe just subjectively there is VERY little to choose between them.

I would so much appreciate a rattling good game today of EITHER series,

In my last post I mmentioned Jane Jensen's authenticity.

I wonder if I was completely right ??   

In her latest (not "GK") game "Gray Matter" she sets her story (mainly) in Oxford-England.

Now I've visited both Germany & France but never 'in depth' so I can't judge if everythinng is 100% accurate.

I have also visited the USA many times and for fairly long periods but never New Orleans so I can't vouch for 100% authenticity there.

But I WAS born & bred in England and although I roamed around  quite a lot, only visited Oxford twice and for short periods !

Nevertheless, I do not remember ANYWHERE IN BRITAIN let alone Oxford, a crucial step in "GM", steam emerging from a grating in a road - I've seen this often in American films but never in UK !!

ChrisGer, in a different thread, mentioned that he studied at Oxford which is the most prestigious University in Great Britain - perhaps he can tell us if I'm correct about that - and any other details Jane J. included about Oxford &/or its various colleges.

N.B.

Being technically a Cockney,  I only studied at the Imperial College of Science LONDON - although I must say that for the sciences & engineering  Cambridge & London were probably better than Oxford although without the same prestige.

Maybe similar in USA ?!?

I read in Newsweek a while ago their ratings of the best Universities for different subjects & faculties.  To my great surprise, they listed the university of San Diego as the best for pure sciences having amongst other things 6 (or was it 8 ?) Nobel prize winners on their staff

One of my 6 grandaughters got her B.Sc  with Honors in bio-chemistry there a year ago.  All the other 5 got their bachelors degrees in either Columbia NY - USA) or here in Israel.

BTW

Reminds me of Caroline in a different but recentthread - out of the blue chastising me for mentioning my 3 chilren (all with degrees as well just BTW) - the above will now give her her more material for diatribes completely without ANY topic or subject being discussed.

Oh well - it keeps the ball rolling withouit inertia - hehehehe 

Originally Posted By Dona (25 APR 2012 7:33am)

I am a big fan of Broken Sword series. Actually, BS2 is the game that introduced me to point-and-click adventures, so it's super special to me.

 

BS1 - is the best, in my opinion. The story is good and it has a certain aura of darkness about it.

BS2 - I love it, obviously, but it's a more 'fun' game and areas are more cheerful. Good game.

BS3 - the first 3D Broken Sword, also the one with a million box puzzles *shudders* It got mixed reviews, but overall I thought it was good. It has a few returning characters from BS1 for that nostalgia kick.

BS4 - I would label it "for fans only". The story is meh, characters are meh, George's humour and tons of nods to older games are the only thing that kept it afloat. It also ignored a lot of the plot of BS3 (it ends with a cliffhanger of sorts - nothing huge, but imo it would've been a good plot device for the next game) which rubbed me the wrong way. So... play with caution. It is not even close to the other games in the series.

MANY thanx for the warning Dona !

Since I have the game however, I suppose I migyht as well play it.

But I won't be disapointed by having any high hopes dashed - I( may even use a walkthrough if & when I get stuck to finish it without too many tearssd,

 Thanks agin for the tip.

Incidentally, I didn't mind thr 'shifting boxes'crates'etc,' - but there can be too much of a good (or bad !) thing !

Originally Posted By markornikov (25 APR 2012 7:58am)

Also a big fan of the first 3 games, but for some reason i never played BS4 either.

But from what I read here and heard before, i'm not missing much.

 

Besides I don't think it's compatible with Win

Thanks for the input !

I'm still using XP. It installs fine on that and although I have so far only run the opening scene  it seems OK  

Originally Posted By Len Green (25 APR 2012 3:11pm)
MANY thanx for the warning Dona !

 

Since I have the game however, I suppose I migyht as well play it.

But I won't be disapointed by having any high hopes dashed - I( may even use a walkthrough if & when I get stuck to finish it without too many tearssd,

 Thanks agin for the tip.

Incidentally, I didn't mind thr 'shifting boxes'crates'etc,' - but there can be too much of a good (or bad !) thing !

Yeah, have fun with it. It's not a terrible game, but it is a bit disappointing for BS series.

If I recall correctly, BS4 even makes fun of box puzzles at one point early in the game =D

Originally Posted By Dona (26 APR 2012 12:40am)

Originally Posted By Len Green (25 APR 2012 3:11pm)
MANY thanx for the warning Dona !

 

Since I have the game however, I suppose I migyht as well play it.

But I won't be disapointed by having any high hopes dashed - I( may even use a walkthrough if & when I get stuck to finish it without too many tearssd,

 Thanks agin for the tip.

Incidentally, I didn't mind thr 'shifting boxes'crates'etc,' - but there can be too much of a good (or bad !) thing !

 

Yeah, have fun with it. It's not a terrible game, but it is a bit disappointing for BS series.

 

If I recall correctly, BS4 even makes fun of box puzzles at one point early in the game =D

Thanks for the encouragement, Dona.

I'm going to start it soon - and since I don't anticipate over-much I'll probhably enjoy it more 

I really enjoyed BS4, moreso than the third one.  The story doesn't get going until the 2nd third of the game so it can seem rather dull to begin with but overall I think you will still enjoy if you liked the others.   Also, it's back to point and click so there's none of the running and jumping nonsense (and box pushing) that plagued The Sleeping Dragon.

Originally Posted By toozeup (28 APR 2012 9:24am)

I really enjoyed BS4, moreso than the third one.  The story doesn't get going until the 2nd third of the game so it can seem rather dull to begin with but overall I think you will still enjoy if you liked the others.   Also, it's back to point and click so there's none of the running and jumping nonsense (and box pushing) that plagued The Sleeping Dragon.

Thanks for your encouraging post.  I have just started Broken Sword 4. 

I am sorry to say that, as you said, the beginning does not seem too wonderful.  It is extremely dark even though my monitor is really brighter than it should be - and this is tough on my failing eyesight. 

In addition to date there is very little of the charm or magic of the Broken Sword series or the charisma of George.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that, as you said, it improves later on.

Cheers - Len

[size= small]Has anyone played Broken Sword 2.5, the game made by fans with permission from the makers of the Broken Sword games? I enjoyed it even though it was short. It looks and play like the first two games:  http://www.brokensword25.com/

Originally Posted By BXLebanon (30 APR 2012 7:22pm)

[size= small]Has anyone played Broken Sword 2.5, the game made by fans with permission from the makers of the Broken Sword games? I enjoyed it even though it was short. It looks and play like the first two games:  http://www.brokensword25.com/

 

 

Glad you mentioned it, I had almost forgotten about this! I had been waiting to play it until they did the English voice version. Excellent, I'm looking forward to trying it!

I went through the Revolution Software website the other day and Charles Cecil says they are producing a new adventure game:

"Strong sales have allowed us to self-fund our next adventure game which will be completed around the middle of 2012. This is an exciting opportunity for us and we thank you for your support throughout the year which has allowed us to do this. Once we’re sure of the completion date, and have decided on the name, we’ll let you know. Thanks for your patience."

http://revolution.co.uk/

Sadly, I dont think it is a Broken Sword sequel...

We have added the four Broken Sword games to the shop. Like most of the game in the store there is a free trial so you can see that you like the game & the game likes your computer. Enjoy.

http://justadventure.com/shop/

Originally Posted By digitize (1 MAY 2012 7:35pm)

We have added the four Broken Sword games to the shop. Like most of the game in the store there is a free trial so you can see that you like the game & the game likes your computer. Enjoy.

http://justadventure.com/shop/

 

 

 

PURELY MY PERSONAL OPINION - IMHO :-

BS-1 is amongst the couple of handfuls of best games EVER !

It is however 16 years old which in computer terms is a LONG time ago

If it plays OK on your computer it is very wel worth playing and I think that despite its age it will still be as fresh as a disy ! 

BS-2 & 3 are not so old and should run OK - vbut IMO are not as unique as BS-1,

Nevertheless they are still very good and enjoyablen games - rivalling almost all thet get released these days, 

Cheers --- Len.

There is available a compilation of all 4 games (the first two being the director's cut versions) on DVD compatible with Win XP, Vista & 7.

BS1 & BS2 also got "director's cut" re-release last year. I haven't played BS2DC yet, but I played the Nintendo DS edition of BS1DC and I have to say, it's quite good. There is a new side-story involving Nico and they added some new comicbook-like graphics (wasn't a fan of those, but hey). The cartoony style doesn't look 'aged' at all, although the small native resolution may be a problem for some.

Originally Posted By Dona (2 MAY 2012 9:29am)

BS1 & BS2 also got "director's cut" re-release last year. I haven't played BS2DC yet, but I played the Nintendo DS edition of BS1DC and I have to say, it's quite good. There is a new side-story involving Nico and they added some new comicbook-like graphics (wasn't a fan of those, but hey). The cartoony style doesn't look 'aged' at all, although the small native resolution may be a problem for some.

I wasn't a fan of the new comicbook graphics either and i missed the .smk movies they left out 

BROKEN  SWORD  4 (again)

I'm still on the first section,( escaping the building) and to be honest not enjoying it very much.

It's all pushing and pulling, walking around catwalks, jumping over gaps, climbing, shimmying, sliding with back to the wall etc.

This is NOT personally my favourite occupation.

And now I've been stuck for ages. If anybody remembers the situation and can help I would be extremely grateful

I don't think the following needs a spoiler tag ---------

You come across some dangerous sparking wires and must cross.

THREE walkthru's  ALL say "Go up one flight of stairs (to the top floor) and do ?something? to a circuit breaker".

OK - but I'vewasted hours looking around that floor and can't see hide or hair of any circuit breaker ??!??!??! 

  :*** S T U C K - O *** good & proper !(  

@markornikov

Ugh, don't remind me. I was so bummed the game didn't start with "Paris in the fall..." :[

@Len

Oh wow, I remember that part oddly enough, it gave me trouble, too. I don't know how to explain it, though, have you tried watching Youtube videos? Here's one that covers the first chapter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYnKrutSF0A

Originally Posted By Dona (3 MAY 2012 10:53pm)

@markornikov

Ugh, don't remind me. I was so bummed the game didn't start with "Paris in the fall..." :[

 

@Len

Oh wow, I remember that part oddly enough, it gave me trouble, too. I don't know how to explain it, though, have you tried watching Youtube videos? Here's one that covers the first chapter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYnKrutSF0A

orry I haven't seen to this earlier but I have been tied up with other matters !

Before I go any further - VERY many thanks  - your post has been a life-saver.

I only accessed your link yesterday and it did the trick.

Please see the thread I've just posted "Hits, Walkthroughs, Videos" in which I mentioned your name. -in it I say that I dislike using these video-"walkthroughs".

I had spent several hours stuck in that warehouse and had 2 options - either to abandon the game or use a walkthrough.

I hate doing the former and indeed have only done it maybe 3 or 4 times in a quarter of a century.

So I looked up a walkthrough and then 2 additional ones.

2 of them IMO were INCORRECT and led me to an incorrectm location where I wasted more tons of time. The 3rd one was inconclusive,

I sometimes wonder how it is that some walkthroughs are inaccurate and (such as in this case) copy items from others - in this case erroneous ones !!!

Despite my dislike and inexperience I used the video-walkthrough youn suggested  - and ..........

..........Lo & behold I saw the *CORRECT* location I had to go to - which hadn;t occurred to me,

After that, it was plain sailing !

So grateful thanks once again ----- Len.

They need to really make another game but bring it back to 2D, thats when it was the best.