History VideoGame / TheLastExpress

* DoingItForTheArt - The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DygVxOWd_9o "making of" video]] shows how painstaking they were about accuracy, the quality of the live art nouveau animation, the intricate-yet-flexible storyline, and the depth of characterization right down to individual reactions to meeting the protagonist in the corridor.

* DevelopmentHell: A film version directed by Creator/PaulVerhoeven was announced some time ago but seems to have stalled.

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: At one point, Cath must steal [[spoiler:the Firebird egg]] for Kronos, while also stealing a briefcase full of money from Kronos to show to August Schmidt. While you can lose the spoilered item, have it stolen back, give it to Cronos, or never find it at all, the game takes into account whether or not you also stole the briefcase if Kronos gets the item, and reacts accordingly. What makes this more impressive is that Kronos getting his hands on the item results in a NonstandardGameOver, meaning they thought of all of this for a path that leads to a bad ending.

The Last Express was a 1997 AdventureGame by Smoking Car Productions, set on the Orient Express at the eve of WorldWarOne. Lovingly written and put together, it was the unfortunate victim of a DiabolusExMachina involving its distributor. {{Creator/Broderbund}}'s entire marketing department quit just weeks before the game was to be released, which resulted in absolutely no advertising for it. While critically acclaimed, it was one of the biggest gaming flops in history.

If you can't track down a copy, all is not lost--one of the creators (Jordan Mechner) edited all the significant events together into a movie, which can be watched [[http://jordanmechner.com/blog/2009/03/the-last-express-remixed/ at his site,]] and the game was recently rereleased as a [[http://www.dotemu.com/en/download-game/608/the-last-express-collectors-edition Digital Download Collector's Edition]]. It is also available on [[http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/last_express_the GOG.com]], [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/252710/ Steam]], [[IOSGames iOS]], and Android.

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* DevelopmentHell: A film version directed by Paul Verhoeven was announced some time ago but seems to have stalled.

-->Cath: "I didn't say I wasn't sympathetic. I said they were terrorists."

* SkippableBoss: Thanks to what may or may not be a glitch. See GoodBadBugs above.

* GoodBadBugs: All of the fight scenes in the game can be bypassed by repeatedly pausing the game, going to the menu, and unpausing. Doing this enough times skips the fight as if you've already won it, except for the last one, where you have to take [[PressXToNotDie one more action to avoid being killed]].

* GoodBagBugs: All of the fight scenes in the game can be bypassed by repeatedly pausing the game, going to the menu, and unpausing. Doing this enough times skips the fight as if you've already won it, except for the last one, where you have to take [[PressXToNotDie one more action to avoid being killed]].

* BigNo - [[spoiler: When you blow the whistle at the end.]]

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: At one point, Cath must steal [[spoiler:the Firebird egg]] for Cronos, while also stealing a briefcase full of money from Cronos to show to August Schmidt. While you can lose the spoilered item, have it stolen back, give it to Cronos, or never find it at all, the game takes into account whether or not you also stole the briefcase if Cronos gets the item, and reacts accordingly. What makes this more impressive is that Cronos getting his hands on the item results in a NonstandardGameOver, meaning they thought of all of this for a path that leads to a bad ending.

* PressXToNotDie: All the "fights" in the game are basically this. Quite annoying.

* UnexpectedGameplayChange - The fight scenes.

* EggMacGuffin: Tyler Whitney got mixed up in a deal where he planned to sell a golden, jeweled egg for money and then using that money to give weapons to terrorists. Unfortunately, that egg was stolen around the time he was murdered. Since you are impersonating Tyler, you need to find the egg and make the two deals go through in order to prevent Tyler's creditors from dishing out consequences. And as it turns out [[spoiler: the egg, which can turn into a mechanical bird, is what killed Tyler, answering the big question of the game]].

* ObfuscatingStupidity: George Abbot, bumbling British businessman... and spy.
** Also applies to Cath. All of the French people on the train (except François, the little boy,) assume he cannot speak French. This lets him eavesdrop on their conversations very easily.

* PressXToNotDie: All the "fights" in the game are basically this. Quite annoying, in the context of the game's checkpoint-based save system, because [[NintendoHard screwing up once means redoing everything since the last train station]].

** To a lesser extent, the Serbs. Despite their violent tendencies, [[spoiler:and takeover of the train]] they (or at least Milos) justify it as part of their plan to drive the Austrians out of Bosnia.

* ShoutOut: [[spoiler:When commandeering the locomotive,]] Abbot sings ''Ruler of the Queen's Navy'' from ''Theatre/HMSPinafore''.

* MultipleEndings: Mostly dying or being arrested, but the player can also escape the train with a lot of money but a lot of unanswered questions. Or, set off an international incident.

* WesternTerrorists: The Black Hand, Serbian nationalists. Alexei Dolnikov, Russian nihilist/anarchist. Cath himself is a fugitive for ''at least'' his involvement with the IRA; [[spoiler:though his only crime there was treating their injured - or so George diplomatically concedes. It's not clear if that's what happened or if that would become the "official story" if Cath took his offer to ally himself with British interests; either way, the offer isn't taken.]]

* DrivenToSuicide [[spoiler: Tatiana]].

If you can't track down a copy, all is not lost--one of the creators (Jordan Mechner) edited all the significant events together into a movie, which can be watched [[http://jordanmechner.com/blog/2009/03/the-last-express-remixed/ at his site,]] and the game was recently rereleased as a [[http://www.dotemu.com/en/download-game/608/the-last-express-collectors-edition Digital Download Collector's Edition]]. It is also available on [[http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/last_express_the GOG.com]], and an [[IOSGames iOS]] port has been announced.

* GainaxEnding - YMMV, but the [[spoiler: golden robotic bird of death]] really felt out of place in a game that up to that point established itself as a serious spy murder mystery.

* Well-IntentionedExtremist: Alexei is a radical, revolutionary anarchist [[spoiler: who tries to blow up the whole train just to kill Count Obelensky,]] but he always believes what he is doing is for the greater good and truly loves Tatiana.

* BluffingTheMurderer: Done by [[spoiler:George Abbott. He knows Cath is the wanted American and Alexei is an anarchist, but he's not sure which person is the bigger threat. If you talk with him he casually mentions and notices many incriminating details about Cath, and he talks to Alexei later in a manner that offends his anarchist sensibilities, confirming both his suspicions when they quickly excuse themselves from the conversation.]]

* HideYourLesbians - If you read Rebecca's diary and listen to her and Sophie's conversations, it's clear that they're involved in a lesbian relationship and the purpose of their travel is to go to a [[LadyLand secluded island]] together. But then Sophie makes it clear in one conversation that she intends to [[BaitAndSwitchLesbians get married]] (to a man) one day, and [[NeverASelfMadeWoman advises Rebecca to do the same]] [[OldMaid before her beauty fades]]. Rebecca [[{{Gayngst}} does not like this idea]].
* LadyOfWar - Anna.
* LateToTheTragedy - The game quickly becomes this both in-game and out as the player is given little introduction to the protagonist (if you didn't think to check the web site or the official strategy guide, the entirety of his backstory and motivations must be puzzled out through dialogue and in-game documents). Cath himself has practically no information about what he agreed to help Tyler accomplish, and spends the first half of the game bluffing that he does.
* LipstickLesbian - The two French and English girls traveling together.
* MacGuffin - Tyler's money, and later The Firebird.
* MultipleEndings - Mostly dying or being arrested, but the player can also escape the train with a lot of money but a lot of unanswered questions. Or, set off an international incident.
* MysteriousPast - Just why does Robert want to go to Constantinople so badly, anyway? ([[AllThereInTheManual The answer]]: he's a wanted man in more or less the entire Western world, and Tyler offered him a ticket out. Also, [[spoiler:it's on the way to Jerusalem]].)

* NoodleIncident - "Still angry about Cuba." Anna does bring it up early on, but Cath deflects it.
* ObfuscatingStupidity - George Abbot, bumbling British businessman... and spy.

* OrientExpress - [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin A fictionalized account of its final run]].
* PoliceAreUseless - The Orient Express has to leave the station on time. Even when a body was found near the tracks. Even when every passenger on the train has been located except one.

* SuperFunBall: [[spoiler:The Firebird.]]
* SweetPollyOliver - One of the Black Hand. Nobody's fooled.
* ThoseTwoGirls - Rebecca and Sophie, who have nothing to do with the plot but love to talk about everything. If the game ends early, you get an excerpt from Rebecca's journal, explaining what happened to that mysteriously handsome man.

* VasquezAlwaysDies - The only females who die in the game (in the good ending) are also the least feminine. [[spoiler: Except Tatiana.]]
* WesternTerrorists - The Black Hand, Serbian nationalists. Alexei Dolnikov, Russian nihilist/anarchist. Cath himself is a fugitive for ''at least'' his involvement with the IRA; [[spoiler:though his only crime there was treating their injured - or so George diplomatically concedes. It's not clear if that's what happened or if that would become the "official story" if Cath took his offer to ally himself with British interests; either way, the offer isn't taken.]]

* StillbornFranchise - The Last Express hints at an awesome sequel in which both the significance of Cath's ring and the reason behind his all-consuming drive to get to Jerusalem will be revealed. The suggestion that the 13th tribe of Israel may be involved somehow makes it all the more tantalizing. These would all be spoiler tagged but there will never be a sequel, so we will ''never'' know what happened.
* StockScream - The Wilhelm can be heard when [[spoiler:Cath tosses one of the Serbian terrorists off the top of the train.]]

If you can't track down a copy, all is not lost--one of the creators ([[PrinceOfPersia Jordan Mechner]]) edited all the significant events together into a movie, which can be watched [[http://jordanmechner.com/blog/2009/03/the-last-express-remixed/ at his site,]] and the game was recently rereleased as a [[http://www.dotemu.com/en/download-game/608/the-last-express-collectors-edition Digital Download Collector's Edition]]. It is also available on [[http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/last_express_the GOG.com]], and an [[IOSGames iOS]] port has been announced.