Some of the best games ever made never made it big. Today we explore the adventure game Grim Fandango , from Lucas Arts, for the PC.
There are more than 10,000 games in existence, and hundreds of games are released every year for each home console. While some titles are held for a moment in the spotlight of the masses’ collective attention, many more glide quietly in the dark, largely unnoticed. Popularity has never been a measurement of quality, with some of the highest quality titles selling fewer copies than their big budget competitors. Whether this is due to marketing difficulties, distribution problems, or low visibility because of a release date close to higher profile titles, these games suffer from a lack of exposure. The unfortunate outcome of these cases is that the innovative ideas that drove these games are usually put on ice, and the next title created by the developer is typically more pedestrian in concept and design. Luckily, with each new generation of games, players are becoming more keen on finding information themselves about what titles are quality, as opposed to purchasing the first game they see on a commercial. This is an ongoing series of the greatest games you’ve never played.
Grim Fandango
When the LucasArts epic adventure game, “Grim Fandango,” was released in 1998 for the PC, critics applauded the excellent voice acting and story, while most gamers skipped the title. Created by Tim Schafer, who would later go on to found Double Fine Productions in 2000 and create such infamous titles as Psychonauts and Brutal Legend, Grim Fandango is a game directly influenced by such classic films as Casablanca, The Third Man, and Maltese Falcon. 
The game’s protagonist, Manny Calavera (whose last name means “skull” in Espanol), is a travel agent in the land of the dead. A Limbo-like place between the plane of the living and the underworld, the land of the dead is a realm filled with hard working souls who simply didn’t lead the best of lives, or weren’t well enough off to buy their way to their ultimate, eternal destination.
Manny spends much of his time helping others with their journey to the underworld, and LucasArts put an incredible amount of time into the writing and voice acting for each of The Land of The Dead’s inhabitants.
The humor that permeates every moment of the experience continues to be just as charming as it ever has been. The game has been so influential in the gaming industry that fan sites devoted to the game continue to thrive to this very day, including the aptly named Grim Fandango Network. Any gamers who missed this landmark title the first time around should get their hands on a copy and see why Grim Fandango is widely considered one of the best games ever made.
Did you like this article? Check out another great game that largely went unnoticed at the time of its release: Rez for the Sega Dreamcast, on digitalvideogamer.com !
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Everyone who plays games has played this game. It is not a secret.
I HAVE PLAYED THIS!
@Bill Formatting – You are wrong. I have not played this game, and I challenge you to a duel.
My sword is bigger than yours.
Uh, if you look up this game on the net there’s not many people that consider this “the best game ever made.”
Unless of course if you’re going to the fan site (Grim Fandango Network).
I’m sure it’s a good game, but “should get their hands on a copy and see why Grim Fandango is widely considered one of the best games ever made” just sounds like blatant advertising with some inflated b.s.
You can’t describe Grim Fandango in words. You need to play] it to understand.
Grim Fandango is the only game I have EVER played that has had an emotional grip on me, and I have played alot of games. It is incredibly compelling and I consider it to be “one of the best games of all time if not the best”. I wait several years before playing it again so it stays fresh.
There are games. And there is Grim Fandango.
One of the best games of all times is a tall statement to live up to, but once you play it, you will find that it does.
Truthfully, there is no other game i have ever played, or seen, that comes close to the fantastic voice characters, the witty comments, the superb musical sound track – which instead of becoming annoying or boring, actually entertains and adds to the moment. The gorgeous and lush art deco color backgrounds are a constant treat, and the whole story line was 100% original and fresh.
Gameplay and puzzles were well though out and executed, and overall, it was a fabulous effort that was carefully crafted by real voice actors with perfect accents, and unlike the titles of today, which rely on the incredible rendering engines to make the game go, much like the reliance on high tech special effects in today’s movies, Grim Fandango was a work of art and truly has no peer.
How do I get it to run on Vista?