Before we explore why, I need to provide some context on why this game exists. 2044 feels like a "contender" for the worst game on GOG's marketplace. Yet, even with all of that competition, A.D. There are bad FMV games, poorly curated indie titles, and that dog-dick ugly LotR Gollum game. The 3D-era Leisure Suit Larry games are on GOG, and the equally tacky Les Manley franchise accompanies them in the "adult-themed adventure game" arena. There's the fraudulent Simon the Sorcerer anniversary game that promised fans a proper remaster and did not deliver on that even the slightest bit. There are worse games and even worse adventure games on the digital marketplace. this is going to be one of those kinds of games, isn't it? Why Is This One Of The Lowest Reviewed Games On GOG?īefore I answer that question, I must concede that we can go "darker" on GOG. However, this game being a cheap Myst clone, only explains part of a big question I had when I first encountered it. It's also a screen-based graphic adventure game like Myst in that you navigate using arrow-based directional inputs, and there's no camera movement once you enter a new screen. The shiny, fully rendered 3D models in 2044 and its heavy reliance on hidden objects reek of Cryo's Atlantis franchise. 2044 certainly feels like a Cryo Interactive clone. After thinking about it, Myst might have been in the programmer's wheelhouse, but A.D. 2044 and consider that it was its developer's first go at making a Windows NT-based game, you have to play a fun game of figuring out its point of reference. With the fall of the Society Union, many up-and-coming game developers from Eastern Europe only had adventure games as their point of reference for what a video game could be or play like. While Myst deserves a ton of credit for keeping the genre going, Infogrames, Revolution Software, Cryo Interactive, Psygnosis, and Gremlin Interactive were churning out widely-praised works that were also financially successful. I talked about Teenagent there and how the adventure game genre, even when LucasArts and Sierra tapped out, was incredibly active in Europe. 2044 lead me down a wild rabbit hole! I mentioned this when doing a grab-bag special on the free games available on GOG. This week I was in the mood to broaden my horizons, and BOY did A.D. Shockingly, there are no English fan translations for the original A.D. For example, I understand Metropolis Software exists and completed Teenagent, but that's where I tap out. Pre-2000s European adventure games have always been a giant void in my knowledge of the genre, especially regarding the Eastern Bloc of adventure games following the fall of the Soviet Union. And with the game having virtually no coverage in the English-speaking gaming community, I was signing up for an authentic blind playthrough. While site-friend Relkin spitballed this game to me months ago, I already had a copy due to my morbid curiosity about experiencing one of the lowest-reviewed games on GOG. Playing this pile of crap falls entirely on me. Unsurprisingly, there's no groundswell for coverage of A.D. I'd be surprised if this nigh 7,000-word write-up got even a single comment. Episode 14a: The Quest For The Worst Adventure Game Puzzles - MTV's Club Dead & Episode 14b: The Quest For The Worst Adventure Game Puzzles - MTV's Club Dead.Episode 13: Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb.Episode 12a: The Legend of Kyrandia - Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge & Episode 12b: The Legend of Kyrandia - Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge.Episode 11a: The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate & Episode 11b: The Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate.Episode 9a: The Legend of Kyrandia: Book One & Episode 9b: The Legend of Kyrandia: Book One.Episode 8a: The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time (Part 1) & Episode 8B: The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time (Part 2).Episode 7a: The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time (Part 1) & Episode 7b: The Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time (Part 2).Episode 6: The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime.Episode 5a: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis Part 1 & Episode 5b: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis - Part 2.If you enjoy this blog and would like to read my other adventure game retrospectives, here's a list of my previous episodes of this series:
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