![]() ![]() Like many of us who play them, it results in a woefully uncultured, monotonous entity. The world of today's videogames seem to have grown up solely on yesterday's videogames. The result is a multifaceted character in an inspiring story about getting your dues in time by being an honorable man, while those paying their way to heaven face their own cruel fate in time. There comes a pivotal moment when he decides to do good voluntarily. Like all great noir heroes, Manny must make a decision in his journey to save the ones he loves, even though his survival no longer depends on their well being. ![]() Grim Fandango has two major influences: Aztec culture and film noir. Sometimes they get pushed into a coffin with nothing but a congratulatory coffee mug and packing foam, and sometimes they get sent on a bullet train across the afterlife, though Manny doesn't ever get these more fortunate clients. He works as a grim reaper ("travel agent" to clients), tasked with guiding departed souls into the Land of the Dead and giving them their deserved travel plan. In the Land of the Dead, the good go to the afterlife in four minutes, the bad go in four years, and the terrible have to work a dead-end job in order to pay off their debts so they can join the other two groups in time. ![]() Like Rick Blaine in Casablanca, we love Manny for his mannerisms and biting quips, forgiving whatever unethical life he left behind before coming to this place. It's his character that we get to know throughout this adventure. He's sympathetic, funny, and bold but has a hidden past of wrongdoings that we know as much about at the beginning as we do by the game's end, which is to say very little. Grim Fandango's Manuel "Manny" Calavera is a hero in the truest sense. It leaves me detached from the story and characters, because I just can't care about an asshole with a gun. In recent years, it has become a trend for videogames to incorporate morally bankrupt protagonists ( Call of Duty series, Kane & Lynch) into their plots, posturing as mature storytelling. By and large, videogame characters are voiceless, often literally, and morally ambiguous. I like stories about good people trying to live good lives, but I rarely turn to videogames to find one. Owing much to film noir classics like Chinatown and past LucasArts adventures, Grim Fandango was a mix of something old and new - a singular vision that stands the test of time. Set in the Land of the Dead, the game tracks one undead travel agent's sprawling journey across an Aztec-inspired afterlife. Released in 1998, Grim Fandango was one of the first 3D adventure games where you controlled the protagonist through keyboard or gamepad instead of mouse (think Resident Evil ). If developers and publishers take note of past games' successes, we could build something great and new out of the bones of classics.īefore Tim Schafer departed from LucasArts Entertainment Company, he left behind one last classic adventure unlike anything else he's done before or since. Instead of celebrating the best of the best, I'd like to use my reviews to analyze what made them work so well. All good things come from good ideas, and good ideas can always be applied to create even better things. ![]() To believe the best days of our beloved hobby are behind us is a level of cynicism I can't accept. This line of thinking is unhealthy, I'm afraid. Will I ever taste breakfast cereal sweeter than the 2003 run of Ang Lee's Hulk marshmallow cereal? Will I ever own a pug as lovable and derpy as Ralph, my 9th grade buddy? Will there ever be another adventure game as good as Grim Fandango? Putting the things you loved when you were younger on a pedestal is as unavoidable a side effect of growing old as nose hair and weak joints. ![]()
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