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The Silver Lining one of NOW Gamer’s Top 100 Free Games!

by on Jul.18, 2011, under Uncategorized

The Silver Lining has been named number 86 on NOW Gamer’s list of the Top 100 Awesome Free buy viagra in canada Games! See what they had to say about us and 99 other great free games here!

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A weekend with Jane Jensen

by on Mar.22, 2011, under news, tsl, Uncategorized

My friends used to kid with me that if I ever met Jane Jensen, I would have a heart attack. Well, I’m happy to say I’m still alive.

But let’s go back to the beginning…

Something big was happening in the offices of Sierra On-Line in 1993. A game that was usa levitra about to explode onto the video game scene and make its mark in the history of the business. An original, unique, mature, and remarkable story that would mark the beginning of a whole sub-genre.

I remember the first time I saw the first ad for the project. It was a big fold-out ad showcasing four new games from Sierra: Police Quest 4, Leisure Suit Larry 6, Quest for Glory 4, and then there viagra through canada was this thing, oozing a dark mood, a certain sensual darkness that caught my eye immediately.

From that point on, I could not stop thinking about it and eagerly awaiting its release. And when the game finally landed in my hands, I had to beg my dad to upgrade my computer because it wouldn’t run on my 286 system.

It was called Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers.

Not only did the game not disappoint, it changed my view on video games as a whole. It made me relate to video game characters in a way that I had never experienced, and its story was so rich and well researched that I kept wondering how it hadn’t occurred to anyone before. But, it had to pfizer mexico viagra be Jane. Like Scott Murphy, creator of the Space Quest series, recently told me in a Facebook conversation: “Jane was the best we ever had. She’s a true writer. Some of us struggled through the crude jungle of adventure games in the crude years, throwing our bodies on the barbed wire so true pros like Jane could run past us and take it to the next level.”

And take it she did, with every new entry in the Gabriel Knight saga. The Beast Within is my absolute best experience in the levitra bayer original buy medium to this day. In an era where Full Motion Video was being accused of taking interactivity out of the genre, Jane Jensen managed to create such a masterpiece that it won numerous awards and accolades, including Game of the Year.

Many of us were sad to see Grace leave at the end of Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, and many of us still wonder what that damn letter said. But just like Grace from Gabriel, Gabriel Knight was out of our lives, its true fate a mystery, still holding the place it deserved in our hearts.

Recently, Jane gave us another jewel by the name of Gray Matter, a game that I cannot recommend enough! The story between Samantha and David is a very beautiful one that is sure to touch your heart and give you chills at the same time.

But in more recent history, our weekend with Jane Jensen started with a simple phone call (which I’ve previously blogged about). As we talked more and more, a bond started to develop. Jane checked out the work that we were doing on The Silver Lining, and was very pleased by what she saw and learned about our team. She was impressed that we had managed to do such a large and cinematic game operating only with volunteers and no real funding, and how our fans worked to convince Activision to grant us a license to release it. As the friendship grew, the first moment of near heart-attack came: she invited us to her house to meet and hang out in person!

A week later, a group of the directors of Phoenix Online were pulling up to her farm to meet with her and her husband Robert (producer and composer for Gabriel Knight) over a weekend.

We had a great time together. We spent hours talking about her experiences at Sierra, and ours making The Silver Lining, and where adventure games are headed. Jane and Robert were very lovely hosts and Jane treated us to some great dinner and breakfast. We learned that Jane is very interested in a healthy and sustainable lifestyle, and she treated us to some very delicious fresh milk, yogurt, eggs, and other great food. We toured her incredible farm (if a creepy old barn ever pops up in a Phoenix Online game, you’ll know why!). I kept asking her where did she keep the Ritter Talisman, and let me tell you, her house has real passageways, the kind of those you find in Schloss Ritter!

One afternoon, we made our way to a fantastic family style Amish restaurant where they keep serving you food until you are completely stuffed, and traveled through more of the Amish country. It was all a great surrounding to discuss our dreams, our hopes for Phoenix Online, the gaming industry today and how adventures had changed, and great ideas of her endless imagination. As we heard her talking about these ideas, and stories, I had a thought in my mind: I kept thinking back to that time when my friends told me how I’d feel if I ever met her. At times, I just couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be here, the fanboy meeting his idol! I was happy. Incredibly and ridiculously happy.

At one point, while they were out taking the dogs for a walk, I sat at the piano and butchered the Gabriel Knight theme (sorry, Robert!). But the truth is, I did it on purpose because I wanted to get Robert to sit on that piano and treat us to some great music! And he did, and of course, blew my amateur attempts away. It was a real treat to hear the original composer of the GK theme play it for us!

We spent the night having fun with some hilarious videos we found from a Gabriel Knight fan on youtube. I was happy to hear Jane and Robert laugh so hard. Robert had mentioned at one point during our stay that sometimes he didn’t think that they had that much reach, because people today didn’t know of the work they had done. Well, I wanted to make sure that by the time that we left they knew there had been many fans they had reached and touched, and that their power was so real that we could never forget it. We are still here, right? Right?!!

The next morning Robert told me he had been inspired by the nostalgic evening, and Jane mentioned she was reawakened to the possibility of making games the way she did at Sierra.

We all left their place feeling good. For me, a child’s dream–really, a lifelong dream–had come true.

Cesar Bittar

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AGDI Announces King’s Quest III Redux!

by on Jan.22, 2011, under news, tsl, Uncategorized

We are absolutely thrilled over these news!

Head over to AGDI’s website and show these guys some support for the amazing news on the King’s Quest III remake. With this, and Infamous Adventures’ Space Quest II remake also coming very soon, and The Silver Lining Episode 3 around the corner, it’s a great time to be a Sierra fan, and a great way to show that the legacy of such an amazing company will continue to live as long as there are dedicated fans out there to carry on the torch!

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Phoenix Online Gets Dressed Up for the Season!

by on Nov.28, 2010, under Uncategorized

We’re all about spreading the holiday cheer this year, so we’ve updated our site to give it an appropriate look! Hit refresh to see our seasonal backgrounds and logos! It’s just the first of our many upcoming holiday announcements. 🙂

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Boston Meet-Up on 12/26

by on Nov.08, 2010, under Uncategorized

Good news for our fans in the Boston area! On Dec. 26th, we’re planning an informal meet-up for fans and team members alike! We are currently planning to meet at the Union Oyster House in Boston, located downtown in Faneuil Hall, a venue friendly for both the under and over 21 crowd.

If you are interested in attending, please post in this thread in our forums and let us know!

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Programmer Day!

by on Sep.13, 2010, under Uncategorized

As you (may not) know, today is Programmer Day! So we’re giving shout-outs to our programmers who are working their fingers off right now getting Episode 2 ready for release.

Three cheers for the programmers: Petter, Alex, Jeff, Richard H., Adam and Aaron!!

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The reviews are here!

by on Jul.22, 2010, under news, tsl, Uncategorized

We are thrilled that Episode 1 is finally released and in your hands to enjoy, and we’ve been getting some great feedback on it so far from both fans and the media. Here’s what some of our reviewers (and creators) have had to say!

“I am deeply honored that a group of devoted fans have dedicated themselves to reviving the characters, lands and quests of my adventure game series, King’s Quest. Without the bravery and persistence of these volunteers – and it should be stressed that this game was developed by fans over ten long years without pay and in their own free time — it is almost certain that King’s Quest would have been relegated to a forgotten obscurity – its story left untold. Now, there is a chance that many can truly find out what happens to the royal family of the Kingdom of Daventry.

This game is very true to the original series and features many of the storylines and characters, especially, of King’s Quest VI. I found it beautiful and fun to play. I, too, like many other fans, would like to see how this story unfolds!” – Roberta Williams (King’s Quest Series Creator)

“We are amazed that your group has done this!” – Ken Williams (Founder of Sierra On-Line)

“It’s the detail in the writing that is most impressive (….) And extraordinarily for such a project, it’s all voice acted. And even more extraordinarily, it’s voiced extremely well (…) That there are such impressive cutscenes, huge amounts of dialogue, and piles of love poured in, is a remarkable achievement. The team deserve enormous congratulations.” – Rock Paper Shotgun

“The world looks better than what Telltale has done for Sam and Max. The script is professionally written, and the voice-acting professional and crisp — even the narrator is brought to life by a new female voice and some of the jokes, while contrived, are at least somewhat funny feeding off nostalgia of old King’s Quest games (…) The Silver Lining is worth every minute of your time.” – Asian Girl Gamer

“”All in all, the worth of The Silver Lining is tremendous despite its shortcomings. Its nostalgic and sentimental value is first on the list, along with its testament to the ability of fans to resurrect what they truly love. The symbolic meaning is there as well, since this game will always serve as a reminder of how gamers can stand up to major publishers and emerge victorious. The game’s own merit is not to be dismissed either, especially considering that it was made by people with no previous development experience. Finally, the return on your investment is overwhelming, since TSL costs exactly zero dollars and zero cents. Go and download it right now.” – The Adrenaline Vault

“Once you start playing, it will not take long for nostalgia to set in. The developers did not get the license to use the King’s Quest name, but apart from that, this is a true sequel to the classics in every sense (…) If you like adventure games, you should go get this game right now.” – ClassicGameRoom

“It’s all quite playable for fans of the genre, and quite frankly it’s better than some fully professionally produced PC adventure games I’ve played recently.” – Wired

“If you are a fan of King’s Quest, this fan-created continuation will not let you down. Aimed at King’s Quest connoisseurs, if you will, this game includes nice references to the story line that it follows. It also is fun in the nostalgic jokes that it jabs at you, the player, and even at Graham, the hero.” – Impulse Gamer

“To King’s Quest fans, or even those curious about the series to whatever extent, this ’teaser episode’ shows a lot of promise. It’s clear that the developers have all of the framework for a good King’s Quest game, and it’s equally clear that this is a labor of love. If you go in with realistic expectations, knowing that this episode is meant to build interest for the rest of the set and get players introduced to the story, then you’ll probably be quite happy after you check this out. The potential is there, so here’s hoping the rest of The Silver Lining builds on an excellent start!” – Gamers Daily News

“The cutscenes are well-done from a directorial standpoint: the camera is always artfully placed, and some of the imagery does a lot with a little bit of processing power. (…) The compositions are all original, and we hope the musicians responsible for them get paying work as a result of the great job they did here. (…) The Silver Lining could be a real contribution to retro adventure gaming. Episode 1 is far from a masterpiece, but it could be the prelude to one. And as far as price goes, you can’t beat free.” -CheatsCC

“Everything seemed so familiar, but strangely different. That is due in part to everything being rendered in 3D. The creators took great pains to plan their shots and camera movements in cut scenes, which you’ll see a lot of in this chapter.” — Just Adventure

“The game is driven by a strong narrative (…) It’s not perfect by any means…but it’s a free game made by fans and it’s a damn good effort. You can hear the love that’s gone into it as the narrator describes things and makes her little asides. ” ReadyUp

“It’s definitely worth a look for anyone with fond memories of classic graphic adventures. When you first start up the game, you’re likely to be surprised by how great the game looks and sounds, given its “fan project” history. ” – Gamers With Casts

“The graphics are very good, bringing King’s Quest into the 3D world while somehow keeping the essential atmosphere of the original games. Some of the animation is quite jerky but otherwise it’s very impressive visually. The music is very good, voice-acting too is good quality. I’m not entirely convinced that having descriptions narrated instead of shown as text is a great idea, but both the characters’ dialogue and cheesy jokes in the narration are done in true King’s Quest style.” – Captain D

“The Great: After all these years, it’s fantastic to have a new King’s Quest. The good:You can do anything with the proper effort. Major credit must go out to the developers, Phoenix Online, because they’ve proven that the impossible is possible with enough determination. Congratulations guys; you have accomplished your dream.” – Project C.O.E.

“The game is highly cinematic and the opening sequence sets the stage for the quest on which you are about to embark. The cinematics are done well and draw you into the story.” – Family Friendly Gaming

“It’s pretty, it’s free, and it has a ton of promise. Why look a gift horse in the mouth? Give it a try, if only to be wowed by just how dedicated and talented these fans/developers are.” – GamesRadar

“It is a good first step and a positive move forward for a long dead series.” – Colony of Gamers

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New screenshots from Episode 1!

by on Jul.09, 2010, under Uncategorized

Just ONE more day until RELEASE DAY!

Enjoy some beautiful new screenshots from Episode 1!

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