Introduction
The Game
Syberia was a pretty important game for me. It was released in 2002, around the time that the point-and-click adventure game seemed all but dead. Sierra had gone down the dark path of FMV and poorly-done 3D graphics, and LucasArts seemed hellbent on crapping out terrible Star Wars Episode 1 games.
And then along came renowned Belgian cartoonist Benoit Sokal who, in collaboration with Microids, helped keep the home fires burning.
Syberia's a fish out of water tale in which a big-city lawyer is thrust into a world of clockwork automata and outlandish characters. It has a lot in common with The Longest Journey, while maintaining a charm and magic all its own.
The LP
Syberia is full of excellent music, and hundreds of lines of voiced dialogue, so I decided to show it off in video format. I'll be heavily editing the boring stuff, while hopefully maintaining a sense the easygoing sense of exploration.
Syberia 2, being a direct sequel, continues the story exactly where Syberia left off, so I figured I'd do both in the same thread. So, for your viewing convenience, here's the entire saga of Kate Walker.
The Videos
| 1. In which Kate Walker arrives in town and talks to a bunch of people | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 2. In which Kate Walker makes a mentally challenged kid do a lot of heavy lifting | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 3. In which Kate Walker goes Grave Robbing | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 4. In which Kate Walker takes a train | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 5. In which Kate Walker goes to college | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 6. In which Kate Walker blows a conspiracy wide open | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 7. In which Kate Walker audits a class | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 8. In which Kate Walker drugs a guard | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 9. In which Kate Walker has Train Trouble (Again) | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 10. In which Kate Walker meets a total Neckbeard | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 11. In which Kate Walker proves Space Ain't Shit | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 12. In which Kate Walker encounters Customer Service | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 13. In which Kate Walker fixes Grandma a drink | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 14. In which Kate Walker becomes an action star | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 15. In which Kate Walker makes a choice | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 16. In which Kate Walker enters phase two | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 17. In which Kate Walker goes slumming | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 18. In which Kate Walker finds religion | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 19. In which Kate Walker gets a pet | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 20. In which Kate Walker goes off the grid | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 21. In which Kate Walker takes to the skies | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 22. In which Kate Walker absorbs the local colour | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 23. In which Kate Walker goes deeper | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 24. In which Kate Walker creates a god | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 25. In which Kate Walker straight-up kills a man | YouTube | blip.tv |
| 26. In which Hans Voralberg rides a mammoth | YouTube | blip.tv |
Letters
You'll find the letters, text logs, and pictures associated with each post linked below.Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6 - No Text logs
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9 - No Text logs
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13 - No Text logs
Chapter 14 - No Text logs
Chapter 15 - No Text logs
Chapter 16 - No Text logs
Chapter 17 - No Text logs
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25 Thanks to RoeCocoa!
Chapter 26 - No Text logs
Kickass stuff
Panzer Skank rewrites history for the better
Panzer Skank posted:
Skippy that ending is really bugging the hell out of me. I'm pretty sure this is what actually happened.
gschmidl raises some valid points about the game's design:
gschmidl posted:
I'm not a fan of the cursor's bland "There is a puzzle here. You may guess what you need to do and whether you already have what you need." interaction mode. I also have no idea why they decided to include red herring interaction spots that you will never interact with throughout the game ("There's no need to go down there!") while other things that scream out for interactivity are in fact just scenery. I guess they wanted to address the old problem of hotspot sparsity that marred games around that time, but... not like that. Or, as friends of mine summarized it:
Forsooth did a little legwork and tracked down our old friend from way back in the second update.
Forsooth posted:
I just watched this LP over the weekend, and now I am hooked. In appreciation I got in contact with an old friend on the viewers' behalf.
Momo posted:
Hello, computer people. Momo likes the drawings you sent. Momo will give you some of Momo's drawings to say thank you.
This is Momo and Kate. Momo tried to help Kate cross river on boat, but boat was too heavy for Momo. Momo strong, but Kate and boat heavy. Momo glad he could make water go away so Momo did not have to push the boat the whole way.
Momo like Mammoths so Momo draw one too. His name is Hans like Momo's friend. At first Momo draw grass green, but then Momo remember Anna say Mammoth like blue grass so Momo change it. Hans likes the blue grass and so does Momo.
The Thread Contest
So Kate kind of took a shortcut in fulfilling Momo's wish.
I mean look at this crap. Tracing a vague line drawing? I think we can do better.
So, I challenge you to Draw Mammoth for Momo. My favourite interpretation of a mammoth drawing wins a forums upgrade. Have at it!
Bruceski tries to pull a fast one on Momo with a clever Antoine de Saint-Exupéry reference.
Bruceski posted:
I proudly present: a snake who has eaten a mammoth. Or a hat.
Heren shows us what Kate was talking about. Yeah, I don't see it either - how do I know there's even a mammoth in there, Heren?
Heren posted:
It's a box with a mammoth in it!Kate has the best ideas.
AltaBrown did a pretty nice job on this one, actually. Is that chiaroscuro shading in the background?
AltaBrown posted:
MAMMOTHS FOR MOMO! TUSKS FOR THE IVORY THRONE!
Any resemblance to the mammoth from the attic is COMPLETELY coincidental!
RoeCocoa lends a much-needed touch of class to the proceedings. It also made me hungry for roughage.
RoeCocoa posted:
Why must mammoths always look so shaggy and downtrodden? Momo deserves a dapper mammoth, I think.
I say, old bean, could you spare some roughage for your dear old chum? Stuff's been ruddy scarce in this cold snap we're having, wot-wot.
Post Processing drew this kickass monstrosity. I'd ride this into battle at the head of an army of clockwork genies any day. Raaaah!
Post Processing posted:
I heard the words "steampunk" and "mammoth" so this happened.
Steampunk means a grandfather clock exploded nearby, right?
Inscrutable Horse was too late for the contest, but he drew a nude mammoth worthy of preservation. This thing belongs on Nickelodeon.
inscrutable horse posted:
Well, here's an MSPaint amebelodon to tide you over, until Kate finally finds those sneaky mammoths.
JamieTheD won the contest with his drawing of Babar during the college years. Get a haircut, you crazy elephant!
Congrats Jay!
JamieTheD posted:
Still, while the mammoths so far have been dapper and whatnot, mine is one who gives zero fucks, happy to work on his awesome mammoth-beard and smoke with a cigarette holder (the cigarettes have made his skin a funny colour)...
Mammoth Jay, GO!
Thanks to everyone who contributed some art to this crazy idea! You guys are the best.