Journeyman Project 3: Legacy Of Time For Mac OS X Released, IMG News - 11/06/2009 Options

[IMG News]

Presto has released The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time 10th Anniversary DVD edition for Mac OS X. JP3 continues the classic adventure story of the Temporal Security Agency and Agent Five. The enhanced version combines the contents of the original four CDs onto one DVD, and features completely remastered graphics and cinematics.

The Journeyman Project® 3 finally comes to modern Macs, including Intel processors!

Say goodbye to disk swapping - the original four CD-ROMs now fit on one convenient DVD-ROM disc. With no interruptions in the flow of gameplay to swap discs, the player stays immersed in the compelling story. All the graphics and cinematics have also been completely remastered (see the feature list below), to take full advantage of DVD capabilities for greatly improved video and sound.

10th Anniversary DVD Enhancement Features
Just using the DVD-ROM as a big CD-ROM wasn't enough! The 'Enhanced' version also takes advantage of the higher data-rate and storage capabilities of DVD.

• Easy drag-and-drop installation: game application can even be launched directly from the DVD-ROM.
• Fast performance with support for modern Macs containing PowerPC or Intel processors.
• Over half an hour of cinematic movies with double the video playback resolution of the original CD-ROM.
• Specially remastered spherical VR graphics featuring sharper detail and brighter colors.
• All gameplay animation sequences have been upgraded to play back with twice the original detail.

10th Anniversary DVD System Requirements
Minimum Requirements: (Mac OS X only)

• Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later
  (10.6 requires Rosetta, a free update from Apple)
• QuickTime 7 or later
  (QuickTime 7.6 and 7.6.1 users will need to upgrade to 7.6.2 or later)
  
• PowerPC or Intel processor
• 640x480 display with thousands of colors or better
• DVD-ROM drive

The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time 10th Anniversary DVD edition is available for $14.99. Head over to the links below for more information about the game.

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[Eric5h5]

The Journeyman Project® 3 finally comes to modern Macs, including Intel processors!

Actually...not:

Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later

(10.6 requires Rosetta, a free update from Apple)

Still, if you haven't played it and like adventure games, this is good, although not very hard, and I expect it runs fine in Rosetta.

--Eric

[the Battle Cat]

When the Journeyman Project first came out I was in the iron grip of Wolfenstein 3D and was consequently hooked on FPS thereafter. I never bothered to look into this adventure series, though the name stands out in my memories. Even so, I really don't know anything about these games. This might be something for my PPC, now that games are bypassing it. How would you guys describe and rate this series? I can google reviews, but I don't trust their opinions.

[Marble]

When the Journeyman Project first came out I was in the iron grip of Wolfenstein 3D and was consequently hooked on FPS thereafter. I never bothered to look into this adventure series, though the name stands out in my memories. Even so, I really don't know anything about these games. This might be something for my PPC, now that games are bypassing it. How would you guys describe and rate this series? I can google reviews, but I don't trust their opinions.

The first two games are seminal, the third: damp squib.

[Ranger_Joe]

The first Journeyman Project game was the first commercial game for the Mac that I finished. I am pleasantly surprised to see this title revived. I've played through the first two in the series and thought they were great. I never got to playing the third one.

[Thain Esh Kelch]

Adventure games has always been something I loved, so I might try this one out...

[Eric5h5]

How would you guys describe and rate this series?

Keeping in mind that I didn't play these until years after they were released, so my opinions are out of context:

Journeyman Project: Not much to it, primitive game technology, primarily of historic interest only. Although it's still kind of nice to play through the story so as to provide more context for the other two games, but it isn't really necessary. This was remade more than once, so later versions (such as Pegasus Prime) probably are more acceptable from a modern technology standpoint.

Buried in Time: Best of the three, interesting environments, some good puzzles, more advanced game technology than the first (although a little clumsy to navigate). Has a lot more to do with historical time travel than the first one--in Journeyman Project, the different time zones are all in the future (aside from an extremely brief visit to the dinosaurs), so they might as well all be the same for all the difference it makes to the player.

Legacy of Time: Highest production values and most advanced game technology (comparable to Myst III & Myst IV, although lower-res, except this new version seems to take care of that). Fair enough story and puzzles, although too easy to be that involving for more experienced adventure gamers. Definitely worth $15 though.

Not quite up to the Myst series (although these guys made Myst III, but it was the least of that series not counting Myst V), but pretty good if you're into first-person adventure games.

--Eric

[Agent5]

Eric is spot on in his judgment; the second game is peerless, while the third is a very pleasant sequel, which doesn't disappoint but can't quite compare to the second. A fourth game was in pre-production when the studio decided to shutter its doors. I can't help but be curious as to what it might have been like.

[Kilvain]

From The Journeyman Project blog: (link removed to prevent potential damage to time-space continuum)

Journeyman Blowout!
We thought we had a decent handle on demand after the recent announcements about The Journeyman Project 3 for Mac OS X brought a steady stream of happy customers. However, the Inside Mac Games story and discussion this morning kind of opened the floodgates a bit more than expected. Anyone who placed an order by 8:15AM this morning will probably get their order shipped by Monday. However, purchases after that time are backordered and will ship around the end of next week. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

[Marble]

Wow. That's great. Anything that might put perceived value back in the Journeyman Project franchise is a good thing.

And, for what it's worth, I think Pegasus Prime is the best in the series. I love their vision of the future. It's the "hardest" scifi I think I've ever seen in a game.

[the Battle Cat]

From The Journeyman Project blog:

Oh great, thanks a lot. Because of your link and the blogs link back we are stuck in a causality loop. Even worse, because events of the future have prevented this from happening yet it happened anyway, a tear in the fabric of time space is threatening to rend the first 5 dimensions from all the rest. The universe will eventually collapse in on itself.

We are going to have to go back in time and kill you before you posted this. I hope you were wearing clean underwear.

[J'nathus]

Legacy of Time: Highest production values and most advanced game technology (comparable to Myst III & Myst IV, although lower-res). Fair enough story and puzzles, although too easy to be that involving for more experienced adventure gamers. Definitely worth $15 though.

Not up to the Myst series (although these guys made Myst III, but it was the least of that series not counting Myst V), but pretty good if you're into first-person adventure games.

Interesting. I thought Myst III was pretty enjoyable, but very derivative of the first Myst, and therefore I perceived it as a bit of a 'gussied up' Myst. Although, in retrospect, considering URU and Myst V, I think that I'd rate Myst III as my #2 favorite of the group (with Riven as #1). The first Myst was fine for its time, but it's graphically too low res for me to be able to enjoy these days.

The Legacy of Time was a demo on the Riven CDs and I sort of regret never having picked it up. I'm glad this second chance has come around.

[Cougar]

The first Myst was fine for its time, but it's graphically too low res for me to be able to enjoy these days.

Have you tried RealMyst? Myst is also quite enjoyable on the iPhone/iPod touch too.

And while we are rating the myst games, Riven at the tippity top (my favorite multimedia interactive experience, ever), biiiig drop and then Myst IV (terrific until the dream ages, then goes waay downhill,) followed by Myst V and then Myst III. I enjoyed the Saveedro character in III, but the terrible lame excuse for the existence of the ages and puzzles (they are learning ages!) ruined the immersion for me. Myst V had flashes of Cyan's genius, but was obviously rushed.

But back on topic...Legacy of Time was one of the first adventure games I played, and I loved it. (Then I got around to playing the Myst games, and my mind was really blown.) I never got around to playing the previous games in the series, which is a shame because according to people's responses here they seem to be the better games. I'd love to see them ported to OS X too.

[Eric5h5]

The first Myst was fine for its time, but it's graphically too low res for me to be able to enjoy these days.

That's what RealMyst is for. I thought Riven was the best...great design, great production, great everything really. Myst had a purity that none of the others quite had, but everything else about Riven overshadowed it. Myst III was a little bland, and the concept didn't do much for me, plus some of the puzzles destroyed the suspension of disbelief (instead of going through an elaborate set of actions to raise up a small section of platform, why don't I simply step over the gap?). On the plus side: Brad Dourif. Myst IV was more of a return to the style of Riven, marred by overuse of storytelling...you're forced into events sometimes, instead of wandering around and doing what you want. But overall, involving and atmospheric and a worthy end to the series. Myst V is kind of an epilog, quite different from the others and kind of irritating and disappointing (and a bit buggy).

But back on topic...Legacy of Time was one of the first adventure games I played, and I loved it. (Then I got around to playing the Myst games, and my mind was really blown.) I never got around to playing the previous games in the series, which is a shame because according to people's responses here they seem to be the better games.

I'm not sure what Marble is smoking, but in no way is the first one better than Legacy of Time. It came across to me as a group's first experiment with CD-ROM, and the other two are significant refinements in pretty much every area.

--Eric

[Cougar]

Well, I asked them in their blog about the possibility of the other two games getting a similar release, and they said, "That's something I hope to someday see happen to The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime because we did develop a DVD-ROM for Mac OS 9 that was never published." So there's hope!

[J'nathus]

That's what RealMyst is for.

I can't stand RealMyst. I mean, part of it is a refinement of what Myst was, and some of those changes are enjoyable in Myst V, but in RealMyst, it's pre-programmable shaders, so no shiniez, and it's a very clunky port to first-person 3D motion. The trailer was spiffy, day/night cylcing was nice and that added age was a nice bonus. However, getting it working on XP, Vista or Windows 7 these days is very difficult. Even if it will run, it likes to crash pretty reliably.

On the other hand, RivenX has allowed me to play Riven quite well on my Snow Leopard install.

(sorry for the aside... hard to talk adventure games without talking Myst. ESPECIALLY when there was a demo to this Presto title in the Riven original discs).

[Eric5h5]

However, getting it working on XP, Vista or Windows 7 these days is very difficult. Even if it will run, it likes to crash pretty reliably.

The Mac version works fine, which is a bit odd, considering it's a MacPlay port, but I'm not complaining.... I thought it was done quite well considering its age. (Realtime3D ages faster than pre-rendered stuff.)

Well, I asked them in their blog about the possibility of the other two games getting a similar release, and they said, "That's something I hope to someday see happen to The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime because we did develop a DVD-ROM for Mac OS 9 that was never published." So there's hope!

Except it's Buried in Time that really needs an OS X release. Still, two outta three ain't bad....

--Eric

[the Battle Cat]

So is The Journeyman Project blog reporting that all you idiots are talking about now is Myst?

[Eric5h5]

No, but it is reporting this:

Note: there is a raving loony hanging around the Inside Mac Games forums, and people interested in reading the Legacy of Time discussion there should under no circumstances attempt to engage him in conversation or feed him, and never never accept candy from him. Apparently he goes by the name "Bottle Cut" or something. Avoid.

--Eric