The Last Express (1997) (VG)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Jordan Mechner

Writers:

Jordan Mechner (writer)
Tomi Pierce (writer)

Release Date:

1 April 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A clue in every car. A stranger in every seat. Danger at every destination.

Plot:

1914: Innocent fugitive Robert Cath boards the Orient Express three days before the outbreak of WW1 and must stay alive until "the end of the line".

Plot Keywords:

Orient Express | Murder | Paris France | Innocent Fugitive | Doctor

Cast

David Svensson	...	Robert Cath
Dunya Djordjevic	...	Anna Wolff
Karl-Heinz Teuber	...	August Schmidt
Mujahid Abdul-Rashid	...	Kronos
Corinne Blum	...	Tatiana Obolenskaya
Mikhail Douniyev	...	Alexei Dolnikov
Chris Murray	...	George Abbot
Dermot Robinson	...	Milos
Eileen Weisinger	...	Vesna
Dick Mallon	...	Vassili Obolensky
Nkechi Emeruwa	...	Kahina
Benny Buettner	...	Conductor #1
Jacques Moyal	...	Conductor #2
Robert Vallerga	...	Trainmaster
David Berkson	...	Tyler Whitney

Country:

USA

Language:

French | German | Russian | English | Serbo-Croatian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:T

Filming Locations:

Cinerents West, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Smoking Car Productions

Trivia:

Most of the game is set in real time. An hour of real time is an hour of game time. The game begins at 7:14 p.m. on July 24th, 1914, and ends at 7:30 p.m. on July 27th (if played correctly).

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the end credits, the music by Cesar Franck is said to be the Sonata in G. Not only is it, in fact, the Sonata in A, but Franck has never written a sonata for violin and piano in G.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Conductor #2: Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please. The Orient Express is now departing for Strassburg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Sofia, and Constantinople. All passengers should be on board.

My favourite game of all time

This game had a hard time being widely accepted, as it came out at a time when the gaming industry was hyping cutting edge graphics, and more thoughtful (but less graphically exciting) games like this were basically ignored.

This is a beautifully crafted game that takes the player back in time to an earlier era. The story takes place in the last days before the Great War changed the face of Europe forever. You are a rogue American adventurer named Robert Cath, and all the action takes place aboard the Orient Express on its final trip from Paris to Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).

Players will first notice that the game uses a sort of stop-motion comic-book style of animation. This is the game's only serious hurdle. Some folks dislike it, others don't mind it at all. I thought it added to the game, as the Art Nouveau style of the graphics lent the requisite old-fashioned air to a game set in Europe in the early years of the 20th Century. Had it been made using a more modern style, I feel it would have lost something. As it is, the visual choice that the developers made seems perfect for the period and serve to draw you deeper into the story.

Another choice the developers made was to make all the game action take place in real time. Again, this choice may be disliked by players who want fast-paced excitement all the time. At certain periods you have time to just drink in the atmosphere of Europe on the brink of war. This is part of the game's allure. It's a game for people who like to change into a robe on a winter's evening, set a roaring fire in the fireplace and curl up in an overstuffed armchair with a well-written historical novel.

The game presents players with a traditional adventure story, and a rich and deeply involving one at that. The action starts in a Paris train station, and you are soon aboard the Orient Express. As you board the train you have no idea what the next 48 hours will bring, but you will be called on to perform deeds that will determine the very future of Europe. As the story unfolds, you are torn between your allegiance to yourself and your responsibility to save Europe as it plunges into chaos. You will experience adventure, the temptation of riches, love, and tragedy as the Orient Express takes you inexorably towards your destiny.

This game is probably the best game I have ever played. I have owned it for 10 years and I've had it on my hard drive all of that time. In terms of atmosphere and story it is unmatched. I am not ashamed to say that it is the only game I've ever played that has made me weep for the characters. Emotionally engaging, deep and ultimately unforgettable, for me this is the perfect game.