Recommend me some point-and-click adventure games!

[Shoggoth2588]

If you haven't yet, join Good Old Games. They have several games that you can download for free but the first one I would recommend would be Beneath a Steel Sky. Other than that, there are games like Dragonsphere, Teen Agent...I haven't gone very far in either of those honestly. The only other PnC game that I have played to any extent to be honest is the Broken Sword which was ported to the GBA...pity me...

 

[Mothhive]

One that doesn't look like it has been mentioned yet is Toonstruck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonstruck

 

[Eleuthera]

My favourite is still "Day of the Tentacle".

Part of that is probably nostalgia (it was also my fist P&C game), but I still occasionally replay it and it's still fun (even if I know all the puzzles by heart now...)

 

[Someone Depressing]

Quest for Glory - A point and click series in the heavy guise of an RPG (though, because of the time limits, it's really hard to get any gameplay done. Wanna kill monsters? Save scum.)

 

[CriticalMiss]

The Monkey Island games are the obvious answer, you can get them on Steam (not sure if they are on GOG) and the Sam and Max Telltale games as well as the originals are brilliant.

 

[Flatfrog]

They're all suggesting you the wrong adventures, man.

-I- on the other hand am a connoisseur and WILL tell you the real good ones.

Listen up, pal:

- THE SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND

- DISCWORLD

- DISCWORLD 2

- DAY OF THE TENTACLE

- BENEATH A STEEL SKY

- INDIANA JONES AND THE FATE OF ATLANTIS

S/he ain't kidding. This is pretty much the list.

Having said that, you could also try some of the newer Telltale games. Tales of Monkey Island and the Sam and Max games are both very well written with some nice puzzles - not *too* hard on the whole. And as others have mentioned, both Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers and Grim Fandango are great.

I'd give the King's Quest games a miss, if I'm honest - I think even the remakes show their age and they're pretty frustrating. The first Leisure Suit Larry is fun enough in its way but the sequels are *all* dire - I mean unplayably dire and also pathetically childish.

Oh - and it's worth mentioning Myst. It's a very different kind of beast but it's a classic for a reason.

And the prize for most disappointing point-and-click adventure easily goes to Starship Titanic.

 

[wakeup]

Monkey Island 1

Monkey Island 2 - Le Chuck's Revenge

The Curse of Monkey Island

Seriously the quality, humour and sheer brilliance that can be found in these 3 games is astounding. Definitely play all 3 and play them in order too. "Good" is an understatement - they are absolute classics.

I only played it through once due to a dodgy PC, but I remember Blade Runner from the late 90's being quite good too.

And stay well away from the yawnfest that is Broken Sword

wait, wait a minute did you just call the broken sword games a yawnfest. wow. Broken sword might just be the best, most definitive point and click game ever, its way better than the monkey island games (for one it has a good story and realistic characters unlike monkey island). its also home to some fantastic British humour and wit. You must be insane to say otherwise

 

[Soundwave]

I just finished playing through "The Testament of Sherlock Holmes" from last week's humble bundle. I can't recommend it enough. I've been debating selling some of my cassettes so that I can purchase more in that series.

 

[Flatfrog]

My favourite is still "Day of the Tentacle".

Part of that is probably nostalgia (it was also my fist P&C game), but I still occasionally replay it and it's still fun (even if I know all the puzzles by heart now...)

I don't think it's just nostalgia. DotT may not have the best writing and characters (Monkey Island wins that by a mile) but it's still very funny. But most importantly, I think the puzzles are the cleverest I've seen in any game. So many ingenious and quirky uses of the time travel gimmick, tied in with the historical element (although some of that was hard for this non-American). It's never been bettered.

 

[DanielBrown]

Not sure if they qualify, at least I think they do, but Syberia and Syberia 2 were quite fun to me and I'm not into the genre either. Got them extremely cheap through a bundle, so they shouldn't cost much at all. It's kind of a wacky adventure with mostly engineering based puzzles iirc.

Also got Still Life and it's sequel in the bundle. The first one was fine; very dark and gritty. The sequel... not so much.

 

[Darth Marsden]

OK.

A lot of games being recommended here ARE good, but they don't serve as very good introductions to the genre, especially to a modern gamer. Allow me to offer my own thoughts on the subject.

Most of the classic games from Telltale are a GREAT way to introduce yourself to the point-and-click adventure genre. The first two Sam & Max seasons (now known as Save the World and Through Time and Space) will serve you extremely well. They're a little pricier than your goal of $10, but they often go on sale, and the fourth episode is completely free [http://store.steampowered.com/app/8230/?snr=1_7_15__13], so please do go and take a look at that one.

If you've tried those and want more comedy adventure games, the already recommended Deponia series are fairly good (though a tad pricey when not on sale) and I will NEVER stop recommending Jack Keane, which frequently goes on sale for around $2. If you see it that cheap, for the love of Zod, GET IT.

If you're after something more serious though, create an account at GOG.com to get a couple of free games, one of which is the excellent future-set Beneath a Steel Sky. be warned - there are deaths in this, but they don't usually come from left-field.

Other serious adventure games include the Broken Sword series. There's been two traditional 2D games (both of which have gotten Director's Cuts/Remastered versions), a surprisingly good fan-game [http://www.brokensword25.com/] which fits after them, then 3D game that felt more like a lame platformer and another that used a mouse but wasn't particularly good. There's a fifth one that was Kickstartered and is coming out before the end of the year, so keep an eye out for that one as well.

There's a reason I haven't suggested any classic LucasArts/Sierra games yet, and that's because they're really not very good introductions to the genre. If, however, you want to know what all the old-schoolers among us idolise, you can't go much wrong with the recent remakes of Monkey Island 1 + 2. You can switch between modern and classic graphics and everything!

I would avoid Sierra games until you're REALLY comfortable with the genre. Not because they're bad, but because they have a different design philosophy than LucasArts games. LucasArts adventure games rarely feature the player dying. Sierra games will quite happily kill you for the simplest of things, which is why I've held off on them until now. They're good - don't get me wrong - but you need to be REALLY careful and save your game all the time when playing them.

And after that... well, the sky's the limit. There's no shortage of games out there if you're willing to look around a little.

Have fun!

 

[Skeggers]

[youtube]watch?v=uCz9T5NgYJQ[/youtube]
http://kentuckyroutezero.com/

If you're looking for a new kind of experience, I would wholeheartedly recommend Kentucky Route Zero. Only the first two (of 5) acts have been released so far, but it's a lovely game that tells a sweet tale with a really great visual style quite reminiscent of Another World.
There's not a whole lot of puzzle solving, but there's quite a bit of thinking outside the box that needs to be done to get through the stages.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Well, my personal favorites are the Quest For Glory games. They're a hybrid adventure rpg, made by sierra, with a subtly different playthrough depending on which class you choose. you can get a free remake of the second game here: http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/qfg2/homepage/homepage.html
but i would recommend buying the entire series on GoG, because then you can take the hero used in QfG1 and import him to 2,3,4 etc., Mass Effect Style

I'd have to second this as it really gave you an "open" style RPG before it was really used. Plus as noted the save imports. The only thing that sucks is QFGIV is a bit buggy, but one of the best of the series. And there's a lot to do, and very little in the way of useless object puzzles.

 

[Don Incognito]

One name I haven't seen in this thread is

THE LAST EXPRESS

Rather different in gameplay (and especially art style) than some of the other excellent suggestions, it really is one of a kind. Consider this another vote for some of the other usual suspects (especially Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, Quest for Glory, The Longest Journey).

 

[Trololo Punk]

I still think the original Monkey Island games, especially when they were re-done a couple of years ago. Are two of the best examples of point and click adventures. And for me personally, two of the funniest games I have ever had the pleasure to play. So honestly, let those two be on your list of point and click games to play.

 

[Salus]

I can't believe Primordia hasn't been mentioned yet. Released in 2012 by Wadjet Eye Games, it's a fantastic point-and-click. In particular the art direction and music make it a standout experience, but be warned, there are multiple endings, so be thorough in your collecting and decision-making throughout the game. The puzzles are excellent, but I don't want to spoil anything for you! It's evocative of many older games like Beneath a Steel Sky.

Honestly, more people need to play this game. It's worth the $10, get it on Steam.

 

[Bat Vader]

Syberia and Syberia 2 are two of my favorite Point and Click games. Only the first episode is out but The Wolf Among Us is really good and so is The Walking Dead game too. Curse of Monkey Island is great and I highly suggest the Sam and Max series too.

 

[Ironshroom]

Deponia, Secret of Monkey Island. Just try any of the Lucas Arts point and clicks. Grim Fandango is also fantastic!

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Edna & Harvey: The Breakout, is a recent one I started playing and I'm really enjoying it. The thing about it I like the most is how our titular characters seem to have something unique to say about everything 95% of the time. The humor starts getting good once Edna starts interacting with the other people at the ward too.

A great adventure game to play though, is The Inner World. It's very aware of itself and it's probably once of the best games for someone that's not that used to the genre because it has a tiered hint system where it gives you hints for what you need to do next in small chunks instead of outright telling you what to do. Its got an interesting world and is also rather funny.

On a much less funny note, the Chzo Mythos series of games are great, particularly Trilby's Notes.