Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers resonates in my mind as the most thrilling video game I ever played during the classic era of PC gaming. It was released in 1993 and is part of a long line of point and click style adventure games made by Sierra On-Line, in the same vein as Kings Quest, Space Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, and several others. It was followed up by 2 great sequals as well, which are: "Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within", and "Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned".
The thing that drives adventure games for me is strong storyline, and this game has it. Its clear that the story surrounding this character is one of Jane Jensons brilliant gems. It deals with a mixture of history, religion, and fictional twists of the occult weaved into both. Unlike most video games today, the interactivity/gameplay is the vehicle for the story, which is the focal point of this genre. If your in it for white knuckle visceral gameplay, turn away. If you enjoy taking your time reading dialogue, and watching an awesome story unfold in front of you, this is your game. The voice acting is absolutely superb even for today. Tim Curry does an amazing job voicing Gabriel taking on a thick southern, cajun accent. Mark Hamil manages to be great, and funny with his character Detective Mosely, and Leah Remini lends her voice to Gabriels sidekick Grace Nakimura. These things really help the game to feel more alive, and reminds me that 3d graphics with photorealistic textures aren't the only way to pull you into another world.
In my opinion, this truly is the BEST title adventure gaming history has to offer. As old as it may be, and while we'll probably never see a Gabriel Knight 4, this game will always stand a classic to fans of interactive fiction.
The thing that drives adventure games for me is strong storyline, and this game has it. Its clear that the story surrounding this character is one of Jane Jensons brilliant gems. It deals with a mixture of history, religion, and fictional twists of the occult weaved into both. Unlike most video games today, the interactivity/gameplay is the vehicle for the story, which is the focal point of this genre. If your in it for white knuckle visceral gameplay, turn away. If you enjoy taking your time reading dialogue, and watching an awesome story unfold in front of you, this is your game. The voice acting is absolutely superb even for today. Tim Curry does an amazing job voicing Gabriel taking on a thick southern, cajun accent. Mark Hamil manages to be great, and funny with his character Detective Mosely, and Leah Remini lends her voice to Gabriels sidekick Grace Nakimura. These things really help the game to feel more alive, and reminds me that 3d graphics with photorealistic textures aren't the only way to pull you into another world.
In my opinion, this truly is the BEST title adventure gaming history has to offer. As old as it may be, and while we'll probably never see a Gabriel Knight 4, this game will always stand a classic to fans of interactive fiction.