Register | Sign In


Understanding through Discussion


EvC Forum active members: 65 (9162 total)
3 online now:
Newest Member: popoi
Post Volume: Total: 915,817 Year: 3,074/9,624 Month: 919/1,588 Week: 102/223 Day: 0/13 Hour: 0/0


Thread  Details

Email This Thread
Newer Topic | Older Topic
  
Author Topic:   Adventure Games.
Son Goku
Inactive Member


Message 1 of 23 (275498)
01-03-2006 8:36 PM


If anybody is a fan (or not) of this genre of PC games, what do you think were their strengths and weaknesses and why?
What were you favourites and again why?
For anybody who isn't familiar with the genre it consists of games such as The Broken Sword, Grim Fandango, The Longest Journey, Syberia and Monkey Island to name a few.
My favourite genre, even though I've been swept up by First-Person Shooters in the last few years.

Replies to this message:
 Message 2 by riVeRraT, posted 01-04-2006 12:38 AM Son Goku has not replied
 Message 3 by U can call me Cookie, posted 01-04-2006 3:05 AM Son Goku has not replied
 Message 4 by Funkaloyd, posted 01-04-2006 5:11 AM Son Goku has replied
 Message 6 by docpotato, posted 01-14-2006 8:44 PM Son Goku has not replied
 Message 9 by nator, posted 01-15-2006 9:50 AM Son Goku has replied

  
riVeRraT
Member (Idle past 416 days)
Posts: 5788
From: NY USA
Joined: 05-09-2004


Message 2 of 23 (275578)
01-04-2006 12:38 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Son Goku
01-03-2006 8:36 PM


I was into D&D when I was young, but I prefer FPS now. Especially online competetion.
Everquest was rather sucessful.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Son Goku, posted 01-03-2006 8:36 PM Son Goku has not replied

  
U can call me Cookie
Member (Idle past 4953 days)
Posts: 228
From: jo'burg, RSA
Joined: 11-15-2005


Message 3 of 23 (275610)
01-04-2006 3:05 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Son Goku
01-03-2006 8:36 PM


favourite adventure game is Little Big Adventure 2.
the tears almost flowed at the end!
Also, the Last Express. That has got to be one of the best of the genre, in the early days.
now i'm more of an RPG fan.

So intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand,
so intimate that when I fall asleep it is your eyes that close.
- Pablo Neruda

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Son Goku, posted 01-03-2006 8:36 PM Son Goku has not replied

  
Funkaloyd
Inactive Member


Message 4 of 23 (275626)
01-04-2006 5:11 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Son Goku
01-03-2006 8:36 PM


Broken Sword 1 = Best game ever.
Grim Fandango I got about 1/4 of the way through, then stopped playing for some reason. Can't remember why, but I'll pick it up again eventually. Did the same thing with The Longest Journey; it was collecting dust for a year, until I started playing it again a few days ago.
As far as strengths and weaknesses go, I think adventure games are similar to many of the better novels and movies out there. Apocalypse Now, 1984, and Broken Sword are all extremely rewarding works of art, but they don't offer the cheap thrills that games in other genres, and comedies and action ("action" action) movies have. So I find myself watching Family Guy more often than reading or watching truly outstanding films, and, in the same vein, I play first-person shooters more than adventure games.
Another specific weakness is that adventure games aren't very social. Action, sports, strategy, role-playing and war games more often include multiplayer options, or at least make it easy to take turns with mates, whereas most adventure games pretty much demand that the player sits alone for extended periods of time with but his or her thoughts and a bunch of NPCs for company. That's fine for those of us who are rather introverted (e.g. me), but some people see it as "unhealthy".

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Son Goku, posted 01-03-2006 8:36 PM Son Goku has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 5 by Son Goku, posted 01-14-2006 8:22 PM Funkaloyd has not replied

  
Son Goku
Inactive Member


Message 5 of 23 (279044)
01-14-2006 8:22 PM
Reply to: Message 4 by Funkaloyd
01-04-2006 5:11 AM


Broken Sword 1 = Best game ever.
Agreed.
I loved the second's Mayan theme, although it wasn't the masterpiece Broken Sword 1 was.
The humour was a bit too "zany" at times and the music didn't impress me as much. I also missed the first's hub structure, that it all centred around Paris.
The third was fairly good. I didn't like the way it pretty much became fantasy, instead of the Conspiracy-esque atmosphere, with a hint of the supernatural, like the other two.
Although I did like that it developed Nico a bit.
Have to say I'm looking forward to the fourth one myself, coming out Spring this year in case you haven't heard.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 4 by Funkaloyd, posted 01-04-2006 5:11 AM Funkaloyd has not replied

  
docpotato
Member (Idle past 5048 days)
Posts: 334
From: Portland, OR
Joined: 07-18-2003


Message 6 of 23 (279049)
01-14-2006 8:44 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Son Goku
01-03-2006 8:36 PM


It's all about Sam 'n Max to me. Though I do have a soft spot for the old text based Infocom games.
This message has been edited by docpotato, 01-14-2006 06:45 PM

"In Heaven, everything is fine."
The Lady in the Radiator
Eraserhead
One Movie a Day/Week/Whenever

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Son Goku, posted 01-03-2006 8:36 PM Son Goku has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 7 by Yaro, posted 01-14-2006 11:16 PM docpotato has not replied

  
Yaro
Member (Idle past 6496 days)
Posts: 1797
Joined: 07-12-2003


Message 7 of 23 (279072)
01-14-2006 11:16 PM
Reply to: Message 6 by docpotato
01-14-2006 8:44 PM


The Dig
That was an awsome Lucas Arts adventure game. It had an excelent plot, logical puzzles, multiple characters and great voice acting. While I thought Sam & Max were good, I found the puzzles to Trial&Error i.e. illogical.
Before the dig I would vote Kings Quest 6 then Beyond Zork, Tinity, and the Enchanter series.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 6 by docpotato, posted 01-14-2006 8:44 PM docpotato has not replied

  
Percy
Member
Posts: 22392
From: New Hampshire
Joined: 12-23-2000
Member Rating: 5.3


Message 8 of 23 (279119)
01-15-2006 9:42 AM


My First Adventure Game
The first adventure game I ever played was...Adventure. It was line oriented, no graphics. You would start it up and after asking if you wanted instructions it would say, "You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building. Around you is a forest. A small stream flows out of the building and down a gully." Then you would type N, E, S or W to indicate the direction you wanted to go next.
It was written at MIT around 1975 by Will Crowther. It was line oriented and written in Fortran. I had a copy of the source at one point that someone in my group at DEC was using to port to RSX-11. Once mastered, a couple friends had races to see who could complete the adventure in the fewest steps. It was always easy to tell who won. You would just stretch out the teletype paper side-by-side and see which was shortest.
It's famous, there's lots of information about it on the Internet.
I've only played four graphical computer games, and they're all adventure style games:
  • Curse of Monkey Island
  • Escape from Monkey Island
  • Grim Fandango
  • The Longest Journey
May you never wind up in a mazy of twisty little passages, all alike!
--Percy

Replies to this message:
 Message 10 by cavediver, posted 01-15-2006 10:22 AM Percy has not replied
 Message 12 by jar, posted 01-15-2006 10:40 AM Percy has not replied

  
nator
Member (Idle past 2170 days)
Posts: 12961
From: Ann Arbor
Joined: 12-09-2001


Message 9 of 23 (279120)
01-15-2006 9:50 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Son Goku
01-03-2006 8:36 PM


Does the Myst series count?
It is so beautiful and so absorbing and so unlike anything else. I really consider it the "grown up" puzzle/adventure game.
Other than an intense-but-brief infatuation with Castle Wolfenstein and Doom 1 & 2, I've never been much for first person shooters.
Mostly I play D&D-themed RPG these days.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Son Goku, posted 01-03-2006 8:36 PM Son Goku has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 11 by Son Goku, posted 01-15-2006 10:34 AM nator has not replied

  
cavediver
Member (Idle past 3644 days)
Posts: 4129
From: UK
Joined: 06-16-2005


Message 10 of 23 (279123)
01-15-2006 10:22 AM
Reply to: Message 8 by Percy
01-15-2006 9:42 AM


Re: My First Adventure Game
The first adventure game I ever played was...Adventure
Same here, though on a cassette-based RML 380Z. Inspired me to write several of my own in between sessions of D&D

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by Percy, posted 01-15-2006 9:42 AM Percy has not replied

  
Son Goku
Inactive Member


Message 11 of 23 (279125)
01-15-2006 10:34 AM
Reply to: Message 9 by nator
01-15-2006 9:50 AM


Oh, yes Myst counts. It's one of the classics of the genre.
Percy writes:
The Longest Journey
Another game with a sequel coming out soon.
The original has probably my second favourite computer game character ever, April Ryan.
Not to mention the world the story was set in, a fantastic blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, while still managing to make it seem like world real people lived in. One of the most realistic futures I've ever seen, where humanity has built up and out with god-like technology, but we're still largely just people.
The music was also so good that I actually went out and bought the soundtrack, the only game I've ever done that for.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 9 by nator, posted 01-15-2006 9:50 AM nator has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 394 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 12 of 23 (279126)
01-15-2006 10:40 AM
Reply to: Message 8 by Percy
01-15-2006 9:42 AM


Re: My First Adventure Game
Ah yes, and Zork. How exciting they were.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 8 by Percy, posted 01-15-2006 9:42 AM Percy has not replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 13 by Yaro, posted 01-15-2006 10:41 AM jar has replied

  
Yaro
Member (Idle past 6496 days)
Posts: 1797
Joined: 07-12-2003


Message 13 of 23 (279128)
01-15-2006 10:41 AM
Reply to: Message 12 by jar
01-15-2006 10:40 AM


Re: My First Adventure Game
plugh

This message is a reply to:
 Message 12 by jar, posted 01-15-2006 10:40 AM jar has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 14 by jar, posted 01-15-2006 10:51 AM Yaro has not replied

  
jar
Member (Idle past 394 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 14 of 23 (279130)
01-15-2006 10:51 AM
Reply to: Message 13 by Yaro
01-15-2006 10:41 AM


Re: My First Adventure Game
Come on now. With the advent of Zork we gained full color and animation. You had green type on black screen or magically, black type on green screen. Not long afterwards you could even have white type on black screen and even black type on white screen.
And it all came about thanks to CURSES.
AbE:
For a Blast from the Past go here.
And go here for Zork.
This message has been edited by jar, 01-15-2006 10:11 AM

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

This message is a reply to:
 Message 13 by Yaro, posted 01-15-2006 10:41 AM Yaro has not replied

  
crashfrog
Member (Idle past 1467 days)
Posts: 19762
From: Silver Spring, MD
Joined: 03-20-2003


Message 15 of 23 (279137)
01-15-2006 11:30 AM


THE adventure game
World of Warcraft, people. Seriously. There's a reason it draws people in of all ages; the interface and gameplay are both simple and compelling, the game is balanced for both group and solo play, your enemies can be both computer-controlled NPC's and other players, the gameworld is vast, sprawling, pictureseque, and seamless (almost no zone loading screens), and its stylized graphics give an incredible sense of immersion without requiring top-of-the-line PC hardware. (It helps to have a lot of memory, though.)
There's few gaming experiences I've had that are as truly rewarding as sitting astride your sabertooth tiger mount, charging down a snow-covered hillside in Alterac Valley into the thick of battle with dozens of your teammates at your side. Awesome.
Look me up on the Ursin server, if you decide to play a character from the Horde. I'm "Fallowblade".

Replies to this message:
 Message 16 by nator, posted 01-15-2006 11:39 AM crashfrog has not replied
 Message 17 by Yaro, posted 01-15-2006 11:59 AM crashfrog has replied
 Message 19 by Wounded King, posted 01-15-2006 4:44 PM crashfrog has not replied

  
Newer Topic | Older Topic
Jump to:


Copyright 2001-2023 by EvC Forum, All Rights Reserved

™ Version 4.2
Innovative software from Qwixotic © 2024