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{{Infobox VG | title = The Last Express | image = The Last Express Coverart.png | developer = [[Smoking Car Productions]] | publisher = [[Brøderbund]], [[Interplay Entertainment|Interplay]] | designer = [[Jordan Mechner]] <small>([[game director]], [[game designer]], [[writer]])</small><br>Tomi Pierce <small>([[writer]])</small> | engine = | released = 1997 | genre = [[Adventure game]] | modes = [[Single player]] | ratings = {{vgratings|ESRB=Teen|OFLCA=MA15+}} | platforms = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Mac OS]], [[MS-DOS|DOS]] | media = [[CD-ROM]] (3) | requirements = | input = Mouse }} '''''The Last Express''''' is a [[video game]] created by [[Jordan Mechner]] and [[Smoking Car Productions]], published in 1997. It is an [[adventure game]] that takes place on the [[Orient Express]], days before the start of [[World War I]]. It is noted as being one of the few video games that attempts to realistically simulate [[Real-time (media)|real time]]. The game was a commercial disappointment, despite receiving many positive reviews and a positive post-release response. == Story == Set on the [[Orient Express]] in 1914, the player takes on the role of Robert Cath, an [[United States|American]] doctor on the train's final journey from [[Paris]] to [[Constantinople]] (modern [[Istanbul]]) before [[World War I]]. Cath, already wanted by [[France|French]] police as he is suspected of the murder of an [[Ireland|Irish]] police officer, is contacted urgently by his old friend Tyler Whitney, to join him on the Orient Express, gateway to the [[Eastern world|East]], and a possible exit from all his troubles. Cath boards the train via a motorcycle and looks for Whitney, who is already on board. However, from the moment he steps onto this luxurious train, Cath becomes involved in a maelstrom of treachery, lies, political conspiracies, personal interests, romance and murder. The game has 30 characters representing a cross-section of European forces at the time, including [[Kingdom of Serbia|Serbian]] freedom fighters, a [[German Empire|German]] arms dealer, a [[Russian Empire|Russian]] [[anarchist]], a suspicious [[Austria-Hungary|Austrian]] concert violinist, a [[Persia]]n [[eunuch]] and his private [[harem]], a mysterious art collector and others. As the train races east, the player must stay alive while interacting with these characters, which includes eavesdropping on conversations, sneaking into compartments and defusing a bomb. The story is [[linearity (computer and video games)|non-linear]], with the player's actions (and failures to act) determining the course of the story; as a result, the game's script is an extraordinary 800 pages long. == Real-time == ''The Last Express'' is unique for taking place in almost complete [[Real-time (media)|real-time]], albeit accelerated by a factor of six.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3862/the_last_express_revisiting_an_.php?page=1 |title=The Last Express: Revisiting An Unsung Classic |accessdate=2009-02-28 |author=Remo, Chris |date=2008-11-28 |publisher=Gamasutra}}</ref> The player can also rewind and occasionally fast-forward time at will. The game begins at 7:14 p.m. on July 24, 1914, and ends at 7:30 p.m. on July 27 (if the player has reached the proper ending). The only events during which the game does not proceed in real-time are times when Cath is sleeping or unconscious, as well as a few [[cutscenes]]. One of the game's most notable uses of this technique during a [[concert]], in which two of the [[non-player character]]s perform a [[piano]]/[[violin]] duet that lasts approximately twenty minutes of real-time: the [[player character]] is free to sit down and enjoy the music, or move as he pleases. The game's some thirty characters have their own [[artificial intelligence]] and individual agendas, moving around to accomplish their goals, or changing their plans due to player intervention. In this way, the game has a higher [[replay value]] than a similar-length [[nonlinear gameplay|linear]] game, with no two playthroughs exactly alike. Additionally, the game features multiple endings; about thirty are "fatal", in which Cath is killed or arrested, and four are "non-fatal" endings, of which only one is considered to be the proper ending.{{Fact|date=May 2009}} == Production == [[Image:TLE Rotoscope Example.png|thumb|right|The progression from storyboard to finished scene, top to bottom. Note the distinctive "clown" makeup and lined costumes used on the actors.]] The game is notable for its unique art style, with characters illustrated in the "[[art nouveau]]" style popularized by [[Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec]] that was in style in 1914, the year the game's events take place. Since illustrating a game of this magnitude by hand would most likely take an exorbitant amount of time, the look was achieved by using [[rotoscoping]], a process that Mechner had used to a lesser extent in his earlier games. During a 22-day long live-action video shoot, every action by every character in the game was photographed by actors wearing distinctive makeup and costumes against a [[bluescreen]] on [[16mm film]] and digitized. From this, a limited number of frames were selected and put through a patented process developed in house, where the frames first had all colour removed. Then, a powerful computer program created black-and-white line drawings of the frames, which were then coloured in by hand.<ref>Barba, Rick: The Last Express: The Official Strategy Guide, page 194, Prima Press, 1997</ref><ref>The Making of The Last Express (short film), 1997. Viewable [http://www.nwe.ufl.edu/~tharpold/resources/last_express/making_of.html here]</ref> The finished product has 40,000 frames in total.<ref>Back of box, Brøderbund release of The Last Express, 1997</ref> == Publishing == After five years of development, the game was released on a multi-platform 3-CD set that covered [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Mac OS]], and [[DOS]]. Following a bidding war between several major game publishers, [[Brøderbund]], [[SoftBank]], and GameBank split the worldwide distribution rights for the game. Dubbed versions of the game were released in [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[Russian language|Russian]] and [[Japanese language|Japanese]]. == Soundtrack == Running thirty-nine minutes, the [[Soundtrack album|soundtrack]] for ''The Last Express'' was published by Intrada in 2000, but is no longer in print. It was composed, orchestrated and conducted by Czech composer [[Elia Cmiral]], who later composed the scores for ''[[Ronin (film)|Ronin]]'' and ''[[Stigmata (film)|Stigmata]]''. Consisting of a mix of dominant synth instruments and occasional solo violin, the score was recorded at Forte Muzika Studios in Los Angeles. The lone exception is the ''Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major'' by [[César Franck]] featured in the game's concert scene. == Release == ''The Last Express'' received positive [[review]]s both in print and online. [[Newsweek]] called it "exquisite" and "thrilling" and [[MSNBC]] said "the mystery and characters are very fascinating" and "this game is definitely for everyone". ''Games Magazine'' declared it the Best New Adventure and Role Playing Game, and it received Editor's Choice awards from [[PC Gamer]], [[Computer Gaming World]], Next Generation, and dozens of game websites, including a gold medal from GamesDomain. However, the game only remained in stores for a few months. Brøderbund's marketing department quit just weeks before the game was released, resulting in virtually no advertising for it. Softbank pulled out of the game market, dissolving its subsidiary GameBank and canceling several dozen titles in development, including the nearly finished [[PlayStation]] [[porting|port]] of ''The Last Express''. As a final blow, Brøderbund was acquired by [[The Learning Company]], which was only interested in their educational and home productivity software. ''The Last Express'' was out of print long before its first [[Winter holiday season#Shopping|Christmas season]].{{Fact|date=December 2008}} In 2000, the game publisher [[Interplay Entertainment|Interplay]] bought the lapsed rights and began quietly selling the game as a budget title. A short time later, Interplay went [[bankrupt]], so the game is once again out of print. The game can, however, still be found on various online stores. In 2006, the American subscription-based game service [[GameTap]] began offering the game on its network. == Film adaptation == On April 13, 2010, [[MTV]]'s Movies Blog posted an excerpt from an recent interview with Dutch film director [[Paul Verhoeven]]. In the interview, Verhoven is quoted as saying, "I am working on a movie now that is...situated in 1914. Basically, [[Indiana Jones]]-ish you could say, but also [[Hitchcockian]]." He also states that the source material is a video game, and that "the writer of the video game has asked me to keep [the identity of the game] secret until he has a script."<ref>{{cite news |title=EXCLUSIVE: Paul Verhoeven Pushes Play On Video Game Adaptation Set In 1914 |first=Adam |last=Rosenberg |newspaper=MTV Movies Blog |date=April 13, 2010 |url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/04/13/exclusive-paul-verhoeven-pushes-play-on-video-game-adaptation-set-in-1914/ }}</ref> Subsequently, several other websites have speculated that the video game in question is ''The Last Express'', considering the relative dearth of games set in 1914, as well as Jordan Mechner's work on the film version of [[Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (film)|Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Paul Verhoeven Developing Big Screen Adaptation of… Jordan Mechner’s Video Game The Last Express? |first=Peter |last=Sciretta |newspaper=/Film |date=April 13, 2010 |url=http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/04/13/paul-verhoeven-developing-big-screen-adaptation-of-jordan-mechners-video-game-the-last-express/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Paul Verhoeven Bringing ‘The Last Express’ To The Big Screen? |first=Sandy |last=Schaefer |newspaper=Screen Rant |date=April 14, 2010 |url=http://screenrant.com/paul-verhoeven-video-game-movie-last-express-sandy-54220/ }}</ref> == Notes and references == {{reflist}} == External links == * [http://jordanmechner.com/last-express Official Link To ''The Last Express'' on Jordan Mechner's Website] * [http://lastexpress.markmoran.net Official game website (1997)] (mirror) - includes a [http://lastexpress.markmoran.net/demo.html downloadable demo] of the game * {{imdb title|id=0119498|title=The Last Express}} * {{Moby game|id=/last-express}} * [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_42/254-Gaming-on-the-Orient-Express Nick Bousfield's review of ''The Last Express'' nine years later (2006)] * [http://personal.markmoran.net/Programming/GamesDomainInterview.html Games Domain interview with Mark Moran (1997)] * [http://personal.markmoran.net/Programming/LastExpress.html Mark Moran's history of The Last Express and Smoking Car] * [http://www.destructoid.com/games-time-forgot-last-express The Games That Time Forgot: The Last Express] - Review by Destructoid site * [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3862/the_last_express_revisiting_an_.php The Last Express: Revisiting An Unsung Classic] - By Chris Remo at Gamasutra * [http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/lastexpress/index.html?tag=result;title;0 Gamespot - The Last Express] {{DEFAULTSORT:Last Express, The}} [[Category:1997 video games]] [[Category:Adventure games]] [[Category:Brøderbund games]] [[Category:Video games with historical settings]] [[Category:World War I video games]] [[Category:Cancelled PlayStation games]] [[Category:DOS games]] [[Category:Mac OS games]] [[Category:Windows games]] [[Category:Video games with rotoscoped graphics]] [[de:The Last Express]] [[fr:The Last Express]] [[it:The Last Express]] [[ru:The Last Express]]
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