Grundislav Games (http://www.grundislavgames.com) proudly presents:
Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator
in
Case 7 - The Cardinal Sins
The StoryIt's Christmas Eve in Rome. What should be a joyful occasion becomes a senseless tragedy as a priest is murdered in cold blood. Back home in Philadelphia, Ben Jordan receives a phone call from the man accused of the crime, begging him to go to Rome and clear his name. Seeing this as a chance to prove his career choice to his disapproving family, Ben calls up his friends and starts another investigation. However, Ben doesn't realize that this will be the toughest case he's ever had, as many questions will be answered, and some lives will be lost...
Screenshots(http://www.grundislavgames.com/images/bj7-1.jpg)
Visit opulent Catholic churches!(http://www.grundislavgames.com/images/bj7-2.jpg)
Enjoy awkward reunions with old friends!(http://www.grundislavgames.com/images/bj7-3.jpg)
Put the "fun" in "dysfunctional" family dinners!(http://www.grundislavgames.com/images/bj7-4.jpg)
Investigate gruesome crime scenes!Only one day late, not too bad!
Features- Full Voice Acting
- Designer Commentary
Download here (http://www.grundislavgames.com/games/bj7.zip)
As an added bonus, you can download the amazing soundtrack by Peter Gresser here (http://www.grundislavgames.com/bj7ost.zip).
Enjoy the game! It's sort of on the short side, but I hope the story makes up for it. Only one more game to go before this whole thing ends, so savor it while it lasts. :)
We were waiting, Grundy, we were waiting.
:P
FUCK YES. Oh god, I've been waiting.... and it has probably all paid off.
Here it goes...
(thanks Grundislav, you rock)
(if this surpasses my favorite, Case 3, in awesomeness - you get one internet)
OH YEAH!!!
Downloading now!! Thanks!
BLogged (http://ags-ssh.blogspot.com/2008/08/air-jordan.html)
Okay, just played it half-through or so, and I really like what you've done here. Never saw an AGS game with lip-sync until now; it really looks realistic. The voices are all well chosen; unfortunately, not all of them are of the same recording quality. Graphics are as always, and the story seems very intriguing so far. The music is kick-ass!
Wow!
Sweet!
Quote from: IndieBoy on Wed 13/08/2008 22:11:34
OH YEAH!!!
And, so far (day 2), almost flawless italian dialogues / well researched locations.
I might have found a "bug":
Spoiler
Ben convinces his friends to break into Bianchi's apartment by knowing that he is involved in this Anthony's Knights thing. But it is not neccessary to find out, that the suicide note is actually written be him and not by Alessandro.
Also, when talking to Alice after they managed to get the keys from Bianchi's apartment, Ben walks to the left side of the room, although Alice is located right.
Har! Brilliant. It was my fault for the lateness of the game. I held grundislav at gunpoint to remove some 'incriminating material' from the game.
Great stuff so far. It's amazing to see how well all the voices fit together.
Lovely music too. Great job all round, Grundislav! :D
Just completed it, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot moved along at a decent pace, and the ending was great (if a little infuriating). There were also some moments that made me laugh out loud, specifically Ben's confession regarding 'greed' and his pretending to be the pope. I'll definately play it through again with the directors commentary later.
All in all, great job.
D'load success! I shall enjoy this!!! ;)
It's-a-me, the pope! Oh god, this was the funniest and the most saddening Ben Jordan game ever. Sometimes it would feel like almost a kid's game, just so fun and lighthearted, but sometimes it got... I dunno, I shivered during some parts. Especially towards the end.
Never has a game ended on such a cliffhanger that I'm literally begging for more.
You're right, the ending really is great and giving me the creeps. Great game!
I think this is my new favorite Ben Jordan Game as far as story, voices, etc. but I'm sad to say the difficulty in puzzles went down a smidge since the previous two games. This one only took me about two and a half hours. Nonetheless, I loved every minute of it.
I can't help but wonder if there are two endings? I love the cliffhanger, but I was 4 or 5 points off from a full score, so I didn't know if there was a slightly more satisfying ending...or at least a couple of easter eggs I may have missed.
By the way, my favorite quote right now is from the smoking man: "It looks like one of those things psychologists show you. I see a puppy. Does that mean I'm crrrazy?" ;D
And so I've reached the end. I'll try to keep my sentences short, since here it is 5:43 AM (creepy sequence, btw):
-Limping fish has a charming voice
-
Spoiler
I wish I could kill the Mario brothers someway. The white glove was appalling. :P
-the background of the story was carefully researched. For example
Spoiler
I live quite near Padova, and the character of Sant'Antonio is depicted in a very precise and correct way.
I'm a bit more wary on the latin sentences, but who knows latin these days.
-I liked very much the choice of Verdi. The choice of having the sound "toned down" since it was coming from another room was a nice surprise to my ears.
Finally a little question: the picture in the starting GUI reminds me of something... Durer peraphs?
The menu screen is the Schongauer engraving of the Temptation of St. Anthony that Father McNamara mentions.
Quote from: Grundislav on Thu 14/08/2008 04:57:50
The menu screen is the Schongauer engraving of the Temptation of St. Anthony that Father McNamara mentions.
I was quite near, since (I just discovered) Durer did work as an apprentice under Schongauer.
Excellent choice!
There was one thing that bothered me a little. The Latin inscribed on the slate was a bit off. 'Operor non tactus phylacterium per patesco manuum' comes out to 'I work hard not to touch Phylacterium through the reach of my hands', tactus being a noun, and operor being either passive or deponent. 'Noli tangere amuletum cum nudis manibus' might be a better translation.
I really liked the game, though. It was short, but very engaging. The puzzles were a little easier than in other games, and there wasn't any puzzle that I shook my head at. The story was splendid. :)
Congratulations on getting this done. The music this time around works brilliantly with the narrative, though I felt that the 'Ben Jordan Theme' used in his bedroom was CRIMINALLY underused. This one was a bit light on gameplay overall (especially compared to BJ 6), but it definitely leaves the player wanting a resolution. Bravissimo!
Quote from: Jeffers on Thu 14/08/2008 04:39:21
By the way, my favorite quote right now is from the smoking man: "It looks like one of those things psychologists show you. I see a puppy. Does that mean I'm crrrazy?" ;D
That was my favorite line as well!!! I pissed myself laughing when I first played it months ago, then i realised that I had to record it cause it wasnt part of my original list of lines.
ahww I'm late once again... how evil of you to post this when I'm not around :P
Gonna play right now! ;D :D
man this is great. I really like the voices. And I love all the cool functions you've added. :D
Wonderful job. I loved it! Thank you for sharing this with all of us. I can't wait for the next. ;) It's getting zipped back up and burned to disk. It's a keeper!
Thank you Grundy for another classic!
YES!!! I can't wait to play it! Thank you for all your hard work Grundislav! *bows*
Well done for releasing this! Bring a copy to Mittens for Creed and I to play through!! ;)
A really nice game, like expected from Grundislav. The voices was great (as soon as I figured out how to turn on subtitles -- apparently, I'm so blind that a gigantic "Settings" button isn't enough for me to see it), the music is the best game music I've heard in a long, long time.
And the story is superb, especially if one has played all previous games. Predictable at times, but still... exceptionally funny, exceptionally sad.
A few BJ-special gameplay techniques still confuse me after all these games... I still look for solutions for a long time in the wrong places because I forget that it's possible to touch / interact with the items in my inventory, and I still don't see why on earth we need TWO different dialogue cursors (when is small-talk ever useful?).
But that's okay: I don't play Ben Jordan games for the sake of awesome GUIs, I play Ben Jordan games because I have grown to really like the character of Ben Jordan, along with Simon, Alice, Percy and the rest of Ben Jordan's universe. And this is the clearly strongest Ben Jordan-game storywise so far, and the use of music, graphics and voice-acting stresses the story in a superb way. A game well worth playing, and a must-play for Ben Jordan fans all over the globe.
On another note, I really liked the commentary. Can't wait for the next one... the title sounds... interesting.
Just finished and I can say I truly love this game!
I am going to listen to the commentary later on, but if any game deserves 5 cups this is it.
An excellent game with a fantastic story :D
I'm playing through it again with the commentary on right now, very insightful. Just annoyed that now I have to wait again for the next one, pah. ;)
Just finished it. Very enjoyable indeed. :D
Great cliffhanger too.
How will it all end?!?
Quote from: bicilotti on Thu 14/08/2008 04:52:49
Limping fish has a charming voice
Awww, now I'm all embarrassed. :)
Aw, a cliffhanger!
It was a very enjoyable experience, I hope you fulfill the potential of the series with the last game!
Very good work Grundi. Congratulations, man.
Lovely ending.
Here's my review. (http://adventuregamers.blogspot.com)
And here's mine, the first post in the ezine in a long time :/ (http://agsezine.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/ben-jordan-case-7-the-cardinal-sins-review/)
One small bug: Whenever someone is following you around, if you go to the map screen, you'll see their hotspot marker pop up when you mouse over where they were in the last screen.
Yes, great game.
I am looking forward to game 8.
Please use the spoiler tag if you're going to reveal potential plot developments....
Not cool...
That was extraordinarily childish of you, splat44.
Played through it again, and the commentary was good stuff also. It was interesting to hear about your thought processes, and the design decisions that went into making the game.
However, I ran into a bug that, while it shouldn't affect most people, would be annoying if you hadn't saved in a while.
Spoiler
When you enter Bianchi's appartement, if you wait for Alice to knock on the door and then attempt to leave that way, you end up stuck behind the door on the next screen, unable to move or change screen.
I uploaded a video of it to show what I mean Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkBLcBrD8H0) (spoilers).
I had that same problem Fade To Whit but....
Spoiler
When you are stuck behind the door, if you have taken the keys you can use them on the door to unlock it, then use the door to go back inside, you'll walk back in, and Bianchi will move back out of the doorway as well, at which point you can leave with ease
Looks awsome! I haven't got a chance to play it, but I can't wait. By the way, is there any possiblity of a remake for the second game? While it doesn't need one as much as the first, it still really can't compare to the rest of the series and it would be nice to see it redone before the final game. Other then that, the series gas been perfect. I just hope you continue making games after Ben Jordan.
You've outdone yourself on the story, and I got stuck on the puzzles quite a few times, especially the apartment puzzles. The game was short, but it was still very well made. However, I had a couple of plot gripes.
Spoiler
I thought the fact Percival Quentin Jones was a member of the Knights of St. Andrews was a glaringly easy plot twist to see coming. When the final scene came up, I expected the plot twist to surprise me and in fact read Alice Wilkins, and up til the final moment I was thinking Holy crap, holy crap, if it's Alice I'll scream. However, it was PQJ, and I think that plot twist was a little disappointing, but it was still very atmospheric. It would've been a lot more heartbreaking for the list to read Alice Wilkins though. My own little gripe, but I'm not the one who has planned out the game.
Also, what happened to poor Simon definitely sent chills down my spine. That was like a kick in the face. I managed to get the thrill of beating the game only to have Simon killed so brutally. Made me feel like a heel to even beat the game, but it was a brilliant way to get me to instantly hate the villain. Hats off to you, Grundislav. Not every author has the guts to kill off one of the most likable characters in such a brutal way, nor does every author have the guts to take a likable character like Percival and make him evil. I don't think the image of my favorite character dying will leave for a while. :)
However, I don't think you gave the audience enough on Alice's family, the amulet prior to the ending, and Percival being in Rome, but I'm guessing it'll all be finalized in the last game. Please take extra pains to wrap up the the plot and all of it's subplots. :)
I can only hope that you wrap everything up with a satisfying and action packed conclusion. You haven't yet disappointed, but now with what you've given us, this has so much potential to end brilliantly.
I'll rate it a 8.9 out of 10
GREAT game!!!!!!
I agree that
Spoiler
it would have been very interesting for Alice to be in the Knights instead of PQJ at the end
it sort of is,
Spoiler
Dan Brown/ National Treasure all over
Spoiler
why is Ben such a pssy when it comes to girls???
Fawfulhasfury:
Spoiler
It's rather amusing that you said it would have surprised you for it to be Alice in the same sentence as saying you were hoping it to be her. I don't think you would've been surprised either way! Percival's been around before Alice in the story and I think it was an important step to bring him back here and explain his knack for being where Ben is. As for Alice, whether or not you're happy with her summary of events, Grundislav has said her past is a side plot and not actually important to the story arch, so I think her explanation worked about as well as could be expected to wrap up a comparatively unimportant loose end. And it's the Knights of St. Anthony, not Andrews :)
Hi,
All sorry about my previous post all have edited.
Those who haven't finish, you will find next game very interesting.
Talking about next game, unless I miss something down the line, where there supposed to 9 games instead of 8?
The commentary was excellent all the way through. The "final thoughts" commentary piece was suddenly aborted at a very unpleasant time, but I assume that is a calculated scheme and not a bug? :-)
One thing that fascinated me maybe a little too much when thinking about it, was
Spoiler
Bianchi's display cabinet: It had items from all the locations Ben has been to except for Smailholm. Apparently that's not a big problem since the amulet is the only item they miss, but we know that a Knight was present in Smailholm, so...
And speaking of Jones: I'm still not convinced he's evil. I think his biggest plot twist is yet to come.
Quote from: splat44 on Fri 15/08/2008 08:24:30Talking about next game, unless I miss something down the line, where there supposed to 9 games instead of 8?
To quote Ben Jordan's homepage (http://www.grundislavgames.com/benjordan/faq.php):
QuoteOriginally, yes, I had planned to make 9 games. However, when I started thinking of what "major" events to put in what games, I realized one game would have been very weak story-wise, so it was scrapped. Trust me when I say you aren't missing out on anything.
Good stuff as always, Grundy! I was pleasantly surprised to hear the 'artefact' theme I wrote again, as I kind of intended it to make an appearance in future games had I had chance to write music for them. I'd have loved to do a different, expanded version of it for this, but as you well know by now all I ever seem to have time to do these days is overtime. :P
The ending was a big surprise as well, as I had set myself up for something totally different having seen the dialogue. I look forward to the resolution of it all!
oh my gosh!
CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY! Ben Jordan games are some of the best!
o yeah
I've just finished BJ7 and I was stuck and need help only 2 times.
Great game, but I want to know if ending was correct.
Spoiler
It was in celar with wine. BJ after reading book of knight's of st anthony, was strike by quentin Jones in the head and end credist show up.
Is that correct??
Thanks for the spoiler... :-[
Jesus, people, stop spoiling the game.
I don't know if you're being jerks on purpose, but it's really easy to insert hide tags in your posts. Or just avoid giving away the ending all the time.
Thanks for another fascinating game. I have the same question about the ending as 22, actually ...
Spoiler
... it came a bit suddenly, I thought I'd get something else to do in the cellar ... The thing with the inscription and the demon just finishing Bianchi was a little too easy (but then again, this was just the FIRST ending).
Also I was imagining more than one familiar name on the member list.
I won't sleep well tonight, really, the death was too shocking for me :-[
And it leads to new questions ...
Spoiler
How will the next case - if it will be a real "case" to solve like the others and not mainly about how to get out of the vatican, stop the villains and save the girl - begin? With Ben in the cellar, tied up again and having to rescue himself?
And where did Alice go so suddenly after she had woken up Ben? Any ideas? Is Marcus Wilkins important for anything else than Alice's family history?
That demon is still around somewhere ...
McNamara mentioned something about relics becoming dangerous in the wrong hands and looked weird ... so something should happen to these relics, shouldn't it? Or was releasing the demon from the amulet the only thing that got wrong?
And it IS weird that there was no relic for Smailholm, so maybe that one will still play a role in Case 8?
And how is Ben going to do whatever it is he'll do ALONE? :-[
Just finished my second play through with the designers commentary. I enjoyed the commentary a lot, but I kind of wished there were more design/story commentaries, rather than voice acting commentaries which seemed to be the predominant topic of choice. I can understand that though, as the major item that separates this case from the previous ones is the introduction of voice actors.
I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I don't think the story was particularly strong, compared to say Case #3. To me, Case #3 really made the Ben Jordan games for me, and though the series has increased its overall polish and value, case 3 still remains my favorite. For me, it was the overall story in that game that makes it superior to the other games.
Spoiler
In case 3 you had mystery, competition, an opposing force working against you, conflict, love interest, a major plot-twist, and a satisfying ending. In case 7 it is more like a standard investigation with not much in terms of anything going on until the very ending where the behind-the-scenes details finally come into place. Not to say that it's bad, but in my opinion it doesn't match up to the overall story/screenplay contained in case 3.
Just my opinion. :)
Still, I enjoyed the game and I look forward to the next case. Nice job!
I finished the game recently, and I really enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised that Simon sounded Mancunian, I'd always thought of him as one of those public schoolboy type Englishmen you get in American films.
Lots of fun, and I only had to use a hint once (which was a puzzle in itself because the forums were down!). Can anyone explain what I've missed here:
Spoiler
With Bianchi's box, though I worked out that lost items were the key, I was absolutely stumped. It seems that the correct lost items are:
Atlantis, The Fountain of Youth, The Ark of the Covenant and the Lost Galleon.
What I don't understand is why the Dead Sea Scrolls don't count as lost items. They've been found, but Ben has found the Galleon and Atlantis. Maybe Bianchi doesn't know this, but as a player I had no way of knowing.
Also I really don't understand how the mythical fountain of youth is any more lost than the mythical philosopher's stone.
Finally, I construed the Angel button as representing Paradise Lost (in the duel sense of the fallen angels and the fall of man), which added to my confusion.
Since it's St Anthony, the clue seemed to me to be lost items found, which was impossible because there are more than four. Unless I've misunderstood something, I think some of the incorrect buttons would be better if they were more apparently not lost.
Aside from that, it was a lovely game with enjoyable puzzles and some exciting twists and turns!
Quote from: Mr. Mozzarella on Fri 22/08/2008 23:14:42Spoiler
How will the next case - if it will be a real "case" to solve like the others and not mainly about how to get out of the vatican, stop the villains and save the girl - begin? With Ben in the cellar, tied up again and having to rescue himself?
Spoiler
I bet Percy is really a good guy, who has been infiltrating the Knights of St. Anthony undercover to destroy them. That's also the reason why there's no relic from Smailholm anywhere.
Quote from: Mr. Mozzarella on Fri 22/08/2008 23:14:42Spoiler
And where did Alice go so suddenly after she had woken up Ben? Any ideas? Is Marcus Wilkins important for anything else than Alice's family history?
Spoiler
She's a witch.
Quote from: Mr. Mozzarella on Fri 22/08/2008 23:14:42Spoiler
And how is Ben going to do whatever it is he'll do ALONE? :-[
Spoiler
He did well in the first three cases ... but he's not alone, he has Alice and Percy. I refuse to believe that guy is evil! It's just too damn obvious!
Quote from: Ali on Sat 23/08/2008 09:56:21
Can anyone explain what I've missed here:
Spoiler
What I don't understand is why the Dead Sea Scrolls don't count as lost items. They've been found, but Ben has found the Galleon and Atlantis. Maybe Bianchi doesn't know this, but as a player I had no way of knowing.
Also I really don't understand how the mythical fountain of youth is any more lost than the mythical philosopher's stone.
Ah, well, that's one of the charms of Ben Jordan games:
Spoiler
You can't expect to find all puzzle clues IN the game. Some of them are hidden in the Paranormal Investigator's Handbook, that HTML document that was entangled in the zip file along with the game.
How can people moan and complain about the plot of a CLIFFHANGER when the whole story is not complete??? You don't know what grund has planned for case 8.
I love the game. And yes Grundislav did give me a bj for saying this.
Quote from: olafmoriarty on Sat 23/08/2008 11:02:35
Spoiler
I bet Percy is really a good guy, who has been infiltrating the Knights of St. Anthony undercover to destroy them. That's also the reason why there's no relic from Smailholm anywhere.
Spoiler
Maybe ... it was also him who gave the clue about the Knights' symbol and lead Ben there ... so if your theory is correct, the reason for why he lead him to the knights could be that he wants his help in destroying them. But it could also be that he lead him there for the knights. Remember that he was also chosen as a sacrifice in case 3 and it still remains to find out why in the next case. There also seemed to be a kind of prophecy in the wall painting with the red haired man in case 6 ... Somehow I assume there will be a second attempt for sacrificing Ben for something ...
Quote from: olafmoriarty on Sat 23/08/2008 11:02:35
Spoiler
He did well in the first three cases ... but he's not alone, he has Alice and Percy. I refuse to believe that guy is evil! It's just too damn obvious!
Spoiler
But the first 3 cases were different. And Alice has disappeared and Percy, even if he may not be evil, he struck down Ben again and if he's infiltrating the knights he can't be too obvious ...
Everybody has already said that the game is awesome, I'm sure. (I haven't read the whole thread) Well, it is. It looks nice, the voice acting is good, the gameplay is solid and the storyline kept me pretty hooked even if I had the impression I had heard it before at some points.
However, I found the game too easy. I can't remember if I felt the same way about the other cases, it's been a while. Maybe I'll do a BJ marathon when case 8 is released or something.
The thing is, true I never got stuck because I missed on of those "key item disguised as a pixel" annoyances but then the only thing you have to do to complete the game with a perfect score is to be thorough. Talk to everybody about everything and all the puzzles become incredibly obvious. Except for that "strange box" one in Bianchi's apartment. I understood the principle well enough but no in-game clues is a bitch. I never thought I'd ask for more convoluted puzzles in a game, but here it is.
Frankly, it felt more like an interactive novel than an adventure game. Maybe that's what you were going for, in which case it's well done.
I'm currently replaying it with the designer's commentary enabled. It's quite nice, adds some replay value. I hope you'll do it again for case 8.
A neat little game, although I have to say that it felt more like a bridge between what has gone before and what will come in the final episode, than an episode in its own right.
Also, sorry to be in the minority and without meaning to offend, but I had to turn off the voice acting as it was pretty hammy ;D.
Good job though.
I love the game, Fransisco. It's my favourite of the series. It's well worth replaying too because of the audio commentary.
Quote from: Nlogax on Sat 23/08/2008 18:52:07
Also, sorry to be in the minority and without meaning to offend, but I had to turn off the voice acting as it was pretty hammy ;D.
DISAGREED.
I think the voice acting is doubleplusgood. It's professionally amateur, as opposed to just amateur. Everyone involved has done a fantastic job!
Great game as usual!! It did break my heart though *sniffle* :(
Quote from: veryweirdguy on Sat 23/08/2008 19:16:52
Quote from: Nlogax on Sat 23/08/2008 18:52:07
Also, sorry to be in the minority and without meaning to offend, but I had to turn off the voice acting as it was pretty hammy ;D.
DISAGREED.
I think the voice acting is doubleplusgood. It's professionally amateur, as opposed to just amateur. Everyone involved has done a fantastic job!
AGREED.
I thought the voice acting was better than in a lot of commercial games... although Simon's voice did remind me a little too much of Charlie from Lost.
A wonderful game Grundy :). I really enjoyed playing it, although the box puzzle had me stumped. ???
I am so glad that...
Spoiler
Ben & Alice finally got together, officially. They make such a sweet couple. And she was so understanding about Ben & Mary from Smailhom. ;)
My theory about the ending:
Spoiler
I don't believe Simon is really dead. Ben was shot with something in his flat. I think it was some kind of hallucinagenic drug, to make Ben imagine things - possibly to find out what he knows about the Knights of St Anthony, and to stop him learning any more.
Ben and Simon were very close friends - almost like brothers. I think Ben's worst fear is losing Simon. So when he was shot with this drug, it seems that his worst fear is realised. But it is not real - just imagined. :o
I also think, as has been said before, that:
Spoiler
Percy Quentin Jones infultrated Knights of St Anthony, in order to stop them. I don't believe he is evil at all. :)
Really looking forward to the next part, to find out how it all ends. :=
Could you put out a light version without the voice acting for people with slow connections?
76 megabytes is rather large.
So I haven't played all games in the series yet, but I've done my best to catch up a bit after acting in the BJ-movie, and I must say that I liked this one most so far. Good job!
I'm glad we can have written text as well as spoken. I do like how you've (that's plural form) done the voice acting. And as always the story is nice, What I like most about this one is that (no insult intended) it finally feels like an adventure game, instead of a film which plays and where you'll only have to ask all the questions to an NPC and then go to the next NPC and exhaust all dialog again. I did feel like that with most of the other games I've played so far (not all of them, but the first few in the series), even though I know it's not entirely true it still is true for the biggest part of the games
The game itself is definitely up to par with 4, 5 and 6. Concerning the voice acting - it wasn't the acting itself which bothered me but the difference in volume between actors, as well as the difference in quality. Some sounded as if they were recorded over the phone while, for example, Cardinal Genovese's voice was obviously recorded with a higher quality microphone. But, hell, very good acting given that it's not a professional deal :)
Now, of course, I must demand that 8 will come soon, because i'm dying to see what the outcome of this story is :D
Just finished!
Really good game. Over a loong time.
I'd say - in terms of gameplay - it's weaker than Japan or Greece episode, but ending makes it all up. Maybe a bit too straightforward and linear: there was only two places I got stuck at,
Spoiler
going back for plumber's costume, getting glove from costume
"Use inventory on inventory screen" kind of puzzles always kick in at most inappropriate moment of game pace.
You never guess them, especially if game is rather easy and you don't have to do old-school try-everything-on-everything-with-everything. And then, bam!
All previous problems are now handled aswell.
Some pointers:
* Voice acting is really good! First time in AGS game where it really feels right for me... ATOTK was fine too, but not so good. You've broken a record! If I'd bitch about something... Voice is too often read in very quickly. I know it's probably to limit game size, but still, quick reading makes acting a bit... unrealistic. Plus, makes lipsync a bit weird also.
Seriously, it's 2008. 100MB here or there is NOT that big deal. And for a Ben Jordan game, to have perfect speech, I don't think any fans would mind. We're way past 700MB CD-s era, and BJ game doesn't take even half of it.
For those unfortunate slow downloaders still existing for some strange reason, simply add speech pack as an option.
Also, speech was kind of muffled. A bit digital tuning, normalizing or tiny equalizing around 1KHz maybe? ...could fix the thing quite easily.
* It's impressive how you can set the scale to your games. Make enough for game to work and get released, and yet no so much that game gets too out of hand. Something I'll never learn. This time, room graphics balance was a bit too off, some rooms were basically walls, and others superfine in terms of detail. I kind of regret this.
* I totally loved the music in intro sequence, in Ben's room. The genre or style or whatever. Pity there wasn't any more of it, later in the game. Organ sounds get depressing over time...
* Do you possibly understand how cruel was to end game at point like this? How can I - and other fans - wait all those months for next episode?
Awesome. totally. Make more!
I played it through... Once again the game was awesome like all your previous games.
I'm how ever unhappy that the story isn't over yet. I hate cliffhangers.. :P
Well that doesn't matter. The Story is excellent. I think the game was right balanced. Wasn't to hard and most of the riddles were logicial. The music & graphics were outstanding good.
I really hope Ben Jordan 8 wont be the last game. The end was a bit sad. Lets hope the best for the next chapter.
And that we'll see and get a lot more Ben Jordan games in the future. That's your brand name.
I liked the plot in reference to the previous BJ games.
Fantastic job don't let us wait to long till chapter 8.
Whew, just finished. I found the game plodded along a bit unexcitingly in the middle but that soon changed towards the end.
Bugs and odd things I found that I don't think have been mentioned yet:
Spoiler
* After you have taken Bianchi's keys, if you return to the hotel and ask Alice's advise, she said that you should go to Bianchi's apartment but not alone; however, you can no longer invite her. Perhaps this is not really a bug, because of course Ben does not have to take Alice's advice.
* It should be "Chi-Rho", not "Chi-Ro".
* When you leave the confessional and go back to the previous screen, the cardinal walks up to you and starts looking at the statue again. He doesn't seem to think it odd that you are already there. Again, maybe there is nothing wrong with this, as maybe the confessor leaves the confessional before the priest - I am not Catholic so I have no idea how this works.
* The guy smoking outside Bianchi's house says "au revoir", which is French. Is he supposed to be Italian? Does he think that Ben is French? An Italian would have said "ciao", "arriverderci" or "buongiorno".
An observation (slight spoiler):
Spoiler
Anyone else think that the cardinal looks like George W Bush? Was that deliberate? (Is Grundislav a Democrat? :))
A (joky) theory about the ending (spoiler)...
Spoiler
Alice is gone, and Percival shows up... isn't it obvious what is going on here? Alice and Percival are the same person! Have we ever seen them in the same room together? Not in this game, at least. After all, Percival is an anagram of "Alice PRV" (no idea what PRV might stand for).
An interesting theory, paolo. Although you are missing something obvious:
Spoiler
PVR stands for Power Rangers' Vengeance, duh! ;D
Spoiler
Alice PRV - PeRVerted Alice
Quote from: paolo on Tue 26/08/2008 18:52:15
Spoiler
* The guy smoking outside Bianchi's house says "au revoir", which is French. Is he supposed to be Italian? Does he think that Ben is French? An Italian would have said "ciao", "arriverderci" or "buongiorno".
Based on the commentary track, I would say it seems as if
Spoiler
this guy is French. Grundislav mentions that he's French, I think his accent is supposed to be French (but I wouldn't know, I can't tell the difference between a Texan accent and a Czech), and the guy even talks about how he moved to Rome for love. I thought he was Italian too until I heard the commentary track, but it seems pretty obvious that he's supposed to be French.
Quote from: olafmoriarty on Tue 26/08/2008 21:31:03
Quote from: paolo on Tue 26/08/2008 18:52:15
Spoiler
* The guy smoking outside Bianchi's house says "au revoir", which is French. Is he supposed to be Italian? Does he think that Ben is French? An Italian would have said "ciao", "arriverderci" or "buongiorno".
Based on the commentary track, I would say it seems as if Spoiler
this guy is French.
Ah, that all makes sense then. I must have overlooked that. Thanks.
I'm playing again with the talking and music on. It's really cool!
Another typo:
Spoiler
"hotel arrangments" (Simon says this on the phone)
Would Simon say "haven't gotten around to it", I wonder, as he is English? We say "haven't got round to it" in the UK. Then again, maybe he is just using American English for Ben's benefit - I know I do this sometimes to American friends (eg, saying "vacation" for "holiday") so they understand what I am saying. Or maybe he has just spent so much time with Ben that he has got(ten) into the habit of using American English.
Quote from: paolo on Tue 26/08/2008 18:52:15
Spoiler
Anyone else think that the cardinal looks like George W Bush? Was that deliberate? (Is Grundislav a Democrat? :))
Spoiler
Yeah, I knew there was something familiar about him ... but the voices are quite different ;)
Also I am surprised no hardcore catholic has complained or threatened Grundislav, yet ... but I assume that the BJ cases are on the vatican's list of forbidden games now ;D (if such a list exists ...)
i found a bug!
\hide when you talk to simon and alice about breaking into the priests apartment after stealing the keys i cliked on, he eats babies! lol funny btw however after you click on the murdered answer the game crashes \hide
Quote from: olafmoriarty on Tue 26/08/2008 21:31:03
Quote from: paolo on Tue 26/08/2008 18:52:15
Spoiler
* The guy smoking outside Bianchi's house says "au revoir", which is French. Is he supposed to be Italian? Does he think that Ben is French? An Italian would have said "ciao", "arriverderci" or "buongiorno".
Based on the commentary track, I would say it seems as if Spoiler
this guy is French. Grundislav mentions that he's French, I think his accent is supposed to be French (but I wouldn't know, I can't tell the difference between a Texan accent and a Czech), and the guy even talks about how he moved to Rome for love. I thought he was Italian too until I heard the commentary track, but it seems pretty obvious that he's supposed to be French.
I did the voice. He was a Frenchman who moved to Italy for love. Sorry if the accent wasn't ridiculously over the top, but I kept it quite modest.
Quote from: mkennedy on Sun 24/08/2008 07:25:24
Could you put out a light version without the voice acting for people with slow connections?
76 megabytes is rather large.
Please let me know if you want me to take this down, Francisco.
Ben Jordan 7 MUTE version - 5.07MB (http://bclg.home.insightbb.com/bj7/bj7mute.zip)
BJ7 music.vox - 15.9MB (http://bclg.home.insightbb.com/bj7/music.zip)
are you kidding ?
76mb is large?
We life in 21st century. 80% worldwide should have DSL by now... 15 % more have cable or other even other faster things than DSL.. 5% are still with ISDN or modem maybe.. I don't think that someone should count those people.. I mean they are ghosts they life in the past.
There's no need to insult the guy!
Hey 23-down you're so right! Why waste money on silly things like food and rent when you can have DSL!! How dare he think he should matter in this world with his slow moving internet connection! He has some nerve!! ::) ::) ::)
Not to mention all those inconsiderate people who dare to live where neither DSL nor cable are even offered. Seriously, how is Big Brother supposed to keep track of them there?
BOT. I thought this game was well made.
None of the voices took me out of the game like has happened in many other indie games, not to mention commercial ones. There were a few places where the volume levels were inconsistant, but acceptable.
I'm looking for this thread in which Grundislav offered a role to an AGS member in this game (the prisoner in the second cell). Can anyone remind me where that thread is, please?
EDIT: Thanks, cat!
Quote from: Rayberg on Sun 31/08/2008 05:52:58
Quote from: mkennedy on Sun 24/08/2008 07:25:24
Could you put out a light version without the voice acting for people with slow connections?
76 megabytes is rather large.
Please let me know if you want me to take this down, Francisco.
Ben Jordan 7 MUTE version - 5.07MB (http://bclg.home.insightbb.com/bj7/bj7mute.zip)
BJ7 music.vox - 15.9MB (http://bclg.home.insightbb.com/bj7/music.zip)
Many thanks! Downloading now! Looking forward to playing it!
Quote from: paolo on Tue 02/09/2008 12:45:43
I'm looking for this thread in which Grundislav offered a role to an AGS member in this game (the prisoner in the second cell). Can anyone remind me where that thread is, please?
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=32731.0 (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=32731.0)
Played and completed it.
Stunning. The secret, in my opinion, to the success of the BJ series is simply the nice, simple yet engaging character development and interactions.
The graphics were as good as ever and really suit the game.
The music was amazing. My favourite is the Police Station theme - I still can't get it out of my head.
And I LOVED the following scenes:
Spoiler
Breaking into the apartment with the dread that he could turn up at any moment. You pulled this scene off immensily. And then wheh he came back to the apartment with BJ still in the back room my heart was beating like hell! lol, bravo!
Overall an easy 10/10.
Fantastic game! Very well done. I love how in the story you tied the other 6 together, AND YET THERE IS MORE TO COME!!! **drum roll**
I wish you Godspeed in your next game so we may all find how what happens!!!
I've replayed all cases in a row now and noticed several points that gave a hint on ...
Spoiler
...Simon's death.
In case 5, Mary says in one of the dreams, that Ben should admit his love for Alice and at the same time tells him, that if he wants to stay on this career path, he needs as many allies as possible. Obviously she doesn't trust in Simon being around for too long.
At the end of case 5, Ben is afraid about their future but Simon says something like "We've been lucky so far, why should our luck run out soon?" and after Ben said "I hope you're right." there's a little pause and Simon says, somewhat thoughtfully "I hope I'm right, too."
This is also why I wouldn't support the theory that Simon is not really dead.
Also, after replaying the games, it has become more likely for me that Percy ...
Spoiler
... IS evil. The Oracle said Ben will be betrayed by one he holds close. If we count Percy among his friends, he's the third possibility besides Alice and Simon.
As Simon is dead now, I think it's unlikely that he's the traitor, because if he had turned to the evil side, there would have been no need to kill him.
I'd like to rule out Alice, as well, because of what Mary said about "Love can conquer all" and that Ben should get her as an ally. The dead Mary is one of these figures that know more than the normal characters do ("You've got so much to learn, Ben"). It would make a paranormal story less convincing if such a person is wrong about what she says. Also, Alice is a descendant from Marcus Wilkins, who fought evil, too, so something of that nature could be in her and it's unlikely that she'll turn to the evil side, after her ancestor has been on the good side. Last but not least, had she betrayed Ben (which would explain why she left so fast from the bedroom in case 7 but not why she warned Ben) there would have been no need for Genovese to say "We will find her" - rather she should have been there to reveal her betrayal. Except if she's doing her own evil thing and has nothing to do with the Knights of St. Anthony, which I think is unlikely as the game seems to run towards a final conflict between this group and the good guys.
Also, Ben would not have come to Italy had it not been for someone with an english accent giving Renzi Ben's number. Percy lied to Ben and was in the Knights of St. Anthony all the time. It was also him who put Ben on the trace of the Knights by telling him about the symbol. But for Percy, Ben would never have found out what Bianchi was up to and would never have ended up in that cellar, Simon would not have been killed.
There are two possible reasons for Percy leading Ben there: For the Knights to destroy him (we still don't know why he was chosen as sacrifice in case 3, maybe he's being kept in the cellar for a second sacrifice) or to help him destroy the Knights.
Maybe Percy is still a good guy but who is the "close" person the Oracle could have referred to, if not Percy?
But of course I'm open for any surprises in the last case to prove I was wrong :-)
And I assume ...
Spoiler
...that there's a connection between the wound on Grandpa Arthur's neck (which he probably got in Romania) and Ben being chosen as a sacrifice by the Strigoi...
Hello Grundislav. I've finished your game and I think it's easily the best 2008 AGS game. I enjoyed it very much and it's definitely... well best. Keep up the good work and I'm looking forward for the last (?) of the series.
Is Part 8 DEFINATELY the last? Or could we possibly see a new Ben Jordan series AFTER the incidents of Parts 1-8?
I really enjoyed this game! I loved how the ending tied it all together. Very well done, and it would get my vote if there was ever to be an AGS 2008 GotY award.
Quote from: DazJ on Sun 07/09/2008 16:10:11
Is Part 8 DEFINATELY the last? Or could we possibly see a new Ben Jordan series AFTER the incidents of Parts 1-8?
Yes. Case 8 will be my last Ben Jordan game.
Hah! Word trickery...I know of your deceptiveness! It will be the last Ben Jordan game, but that doesn't mean you won't bow down to the masses and start making prequels!
/me is expecting 'Ben Jordan: The College Years'
Quote from: Grundislav on Sun 07/09/2008 18:32:16
Quote from: DazJ on Sun 07/09/2008 16:10:11
Is Part 8 DEFINATELY the last? Or could we possibly see a new Ben Jordan series AFTER the incidents of Parts 1-8?
Yes. Case 8 will be my last Ben Jordan game.
You keep doing this about the thing above Francesco:
int lastcase,currentcasenumber=8;
function NewBJGame() {
lastcase=currentcasenumber+1;
}
A thing that makes the fanboys go wild!!!!
Quote from: Dualnames on Sun 07/09/2008 21:00:07
Quote from: Grundislav on Sun 07/09/2008 18:32:16
Quote from: DazJ on Sun 07/09/2008 16:10:11
Is Part 8 DEFINATELY the last? Or could we possibly see a new Ben Jordan series AFTER the incidents of Parts 1-8?
Yes. Case 8 will be my last Ben Jordan game.
You keep doing this about the thing above Francesco:
int lastcase,currentcasenumber=8;
function NewBJGame() {
lastcase=currentcasenumber+1;
}
A thing that makes the fanboys go wild!!!!
I hope so!!! :)
Thoroughly enjoyed this, great game, thanks! My favourite of the series so far. I love the detective work element of the game the most.
Awesome game. I loved some of the puzzles this time around. It was a shocking and saddening turn of events near the end and what a cliffhanger that was. I knew that guy was suspicious, but I didn't expect him to actually be a member. I can't wait for the finale of this series.
At last, the story is connected with dramatic ending. I finished the game and waiting for last (?) case. Grundislav knows what to do but i think nobody should die :(
Quote from: proximity on Sun 04/01/2009 14:19:13
At last, the story is connected with dramatic ending. I finished the game and waiting for last (?) case. Grundislav knows what to do but i think nobody should die :(
Yeah, hopefully Ben will wake up and it would have all been a dream...
proximity, maybe some [ hide ][ /hide ] tags would not hurt in your posts ;)
(remember that I forgot to comment)
This was a Great BJ, Grundy.
Even if I find it a lil unfair that it ended with a clifhanger, but it works.
Definitively waiting for the sequel.
Woah this is way too large to dl on my slow connnection... Dont suppose you can release a lite version, sans speach etc? It would help people on slow connections! (i tried to pm the author about it but i think it got muddled up).
Dataflashsabot:
Quote from: Rayberg on Sun 31/08/2008 05:52:58
Quote from: mkennedy on Sun 24/08/2008 07:25:24
Could you put out a light version without the voice acting for people with slow connections?
76 megabytes is rather large.
Please let me know if you want me to take this down, Francisco.
Ben Jordan 7 MUTE version - 5.07MB (http://bclg.home.insightbb.com/bj7/bj7mute.zip)
BJ7 music.vox - 15.9MB (http://bclg.home.insightbb.com/bj7/music.zip)
Quote from: Jon on Mon 05/01/2009 13:55:10
Quote from: proximity on Sun 04/01/2009 14:19:13
At last, the story is connected with dramatic ending. I finished the game and waiting for last (?) case. Grundislav knows what to do but i think nobody should die :(
Yeah, hopefully Ben will wake up and it would have all been a dream...
bicilotti, easy man, Grundy has already mentioned in the game info " some lives will be lost ". There is no need for
Spoiler
tags :)