Comments on: Games You Haven’t Played Yet: The Last Express

By: chris

chris — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:02:49 +0000

Wow, I had never thought of XIII myself! That’s a game that slipped under my own radar, even though it was pretty eagerly anticipated when it was released. Looks like the kind of game I could grab from a $4.99 bin at any used game store these days. I’ll definitely pick a copy up – who knows, maybe I’ll get the chance to write an article or two about it here.

And – I agree – Out of this World/Another World never did get the exposure it deserved. I think now that there are a lot of gamers writing about their experiences playing games, it’s beginning to get some appreciation. I hope that you have played the “15th Anniversary Edition” that was released a few years ago – it plays wonderfully.

Thanks for the comment TBone!

By: TBone

TBone — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:56:51 +0000

I realize this thread is 8 months old, but … I have to say that “Thirteen” (or “XVII”) for the Playstation 2 was an outstanding game that resided outside the normal boundaries of style and content and, as far as I know, was not the hit I think it should have been when it was released. It is a classic. And I must also add that I enjoyed seeing your masthead picture from the opening (playable) scene of “Another World” (or as I knew it “Out of This World” for the Sega Genesis). That is one of my favorite games ever that also seemed to not be as big a hit as it should’ve been.

By: chris

chris — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:53:22 +0000

Great to hear that guttertalk – sounds like you’re really dwelling in the thick of it. Cmiral’s music is indeed a wonderful and subtle part of the game – it’s a shame that is rarely gets mention. One thing that you mentioned is the clock – and that’s something I had not thought of much. There is a tension in the game that’s expressed through the clock – like you’re (excuse the pun) riding on a set of tracks into the unknown.

While I’m at it, the game manages to space itself out sensuously by taking advantage of every little stop along the route – you hear the brakes squeal, and the conductor announces the current town/village, and then the engine slowing begins its chug-chug-chugging.. it really lends a sense to travelling by train, as you said.

Glad to hear it worked out on the netbook!

By: guttertalk

guttertalk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:57:48 +0000

FWIW, the game plays well on a netbook via Gametap.

I started playing it, and knowing that there’s a ticking clock adds a certain anxiety. Plus, you’re not given much background for the character you play, which makes the beginning a little tenuous because you’re not exactly sure what to do. But a couple of failures, and your path is clear . . . for a while at least. Something about the game seems to present so many more things to pay attention to: Do you stay and listen to a conversation? How long do you read a very detailed newspaper? Yet, there’s that background urgency that you need to be somewhere or doing something.

I love how well the game conveys the sense that you’re on a train, swaying. And I think the music contributes to it.

By: chris

chris — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:30:58 +0000

@Dave – The game seems to reward even more than I could communicate in the post — there is a lot going on in the background that exceeds what the player can see at any one time, and because of that, gives the world a very ‘lived-in’ feeling.

@Jill – I completely agree with you – I can remember that back when it was released there was some resistance to the visual aesthetics, which I thought were way ahead of their time. The connection with cel-shading is interesting – that’s another visual aesthetic that never quite caught on even today. That reminds me – the original score in this game is very subtle, and very effective and does not get a lot of attention in most reviews. The scene in which Cesar Franck’s violin/piano concerto is played is actually *moving*!

By: Jill Jackson

Jill Jackson — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 04:35:50 +0000

I found it interesting that the game’s graphics were thought to be weird and unappealing by some people as it was made—why didn’t they realize how much it distinguishes the game to this day? And yet, it stands the test of time so far by sheer virtue of its style, unlike so many games at its time. In fact, it was ahead of its time, preceding and foretelling of the future cel-shaded and stylized games that are lauded for their art today. From Wind Waker to Okami to Borderlands, the art of the stylized games of today were foretold by this game. (And those are just the game’s graphics; it’s a fun and intriguing game to play to boot.)

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:20:10 +0000

Thanks for mentioning this. I missed it the first time around (also very much focused on Blade Runner, which I even managed to persuade my then girlfriend to play). I also missed those Gamasutra pieces. It looks well worth checking out, with a setting and style which really appeals to me.

By: chris

chris — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:51:08 +0000

If you enjoyed Blade Runner, I’d say this is easily on par with it (or even better). The Last Express was also notoriously difficult to find a copy of – I’m not sure if they had some distribution problems, but it was almost nonexistent in Canada. I actually found my copy on a trip to the US I took back in 2000. It was heavily discounted on the shelf at a Best Buy in Toledo, and I thought ‘eh, why not?’

I’m guessing that a netbook would be a great system for it – its system requirements are pretty tame.

By: guttertalk

guttertalk — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:24:48 +0000

I remember when I heard about the game in a PC Gamer preview. I was excited for it, partly because I really like that period of history. But that year was great for PC gaming–Age of Empires, Fallout, Diablo, Quake 2, Dark Forces 2, Tomb Raider 2, Total Annihilation. Heck, I was still playing ’96 games. Instead, I played several of those games and Blade Runner, and I never picked up Last Express.

I noticed a while back that it was on Gametap and have been meaning to see if it would run on my netbook (which I use as the kids have taken over the desktop PC).