Grim Fandango

[ManekiNeko]

I picked this up at a Goodwill store for a couple of bucks, and I have just one thing to say... WHY DIDN'T SOMEBODY TELL ME THIS GAME WAS SO GOOD?!

OK, I lied. I've got more things to say about this clever adventure game. The first is that it's geniunely funny... some of the dialogue and characters had me wiping tears from my eyes. I especially like the disgruntled clown with the Jack Nicholsen voice, but the main character, Manny Calavares, is great, too, with a snappy comeback for every occasion.

The setting, atmosphere, and storyline are all golden, too... it's very fresh and original. It's a bit like the film Beetlejuice, but with inspiration from some very unlikely sources. The designers at LucasArts heavily seasoned Grim Fandango with some savory south of the border spices, then added a heaping tablespoon of cheesy detective films from the 50's. This results in one of the tastiest adventure games I've ever played, hampered only by a combination of clumsy controls and static backgrounds. This was really frustrating in Resident Evil, but here, it's not so bad thanks to the less demanding gameplay (you talk a lot more than you fight) and a run button that lets you race through areas you've already seen.

After playing Grim Fandango, I have a hard time believing that LucasArts didn't release it for a game console. The trimmed down interface (no typing is required) combined with the simple polygonal characters and gorgeous rendered backgrounds make it seem like the game would have been right at home on the Playstation. Nevertheless, Grim Fandango is so brilliant that you'll love it no matter what you're playing it on.

JR

[calthaer]

I'm pretty sure I've seen people rave about Grim Fandango somewhere on this board. It might have been somewhere in the Vintage Computing board, though.

I just finished this game recently myself.

"Who is this fat man, I wondair, and what does he have to do with this sinistair plot?"

[scooterb23]

It's absolutely one of my favorites. I got into the third year, and then my game crashed on me...and I didn't have the heart to go back to it then...I may have to go back to it though...it was sooooo good.

BTW, does it work on Win XP alright?

[GamecubeFreek]

Grim Fandango is one of the few PC games that I enjoy playing. Unfortuneatly, it is pretty difficult at times. But if you stick with the game, this difficulty only prolongs the fun experience.

[kevincure]

If you like GF, you really need to play all the great LucasArts graphic adventures - Monkey Island games (the newest one is on PS2 even), Sam & Max, Day of the Tentacle. These are great! Grim Fandango, though, is one of my favorite PC games, even if, as noted, some of the puzzles are way too hard.

(As an aside, having played through the first couple Zorks back in the day, the puzzles in adventure games have certainly been harder than GF. Myst, for instance, has downright impossible puzzles.)

[Jorpho]

Actually, compared to some adventure games, I found that Grim Fandango is quite easy and straightforward. In fact, if I have any complaints about it, it is that it might be a little too "light".

(I also found myself thinking of FF7 while playing it, but that's probably because I don't play many games with that particular perspective. Manny folding up his scythe would make a great victory animation.)

Anyway, be sure to check out some of the fansites, such as GrimFandango.net. I found an archive full of dialogue that was cut from the game, including some very explanitory dialog by Domino that may not be available because of a bug of some sort.