sjack Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 I just replayed Grim Fandango. It was the first time in a couple of years, and as I got to the end of it, I felt sad about leaving the game again, just like I have felt all the times I played the game. This time it was a little different though... this time I felt sad because I'm realizing I may never get to play a game like this again. Tim Schafer is still working, but I wonder if he will ever go back to doing a straight graphic adventure again. I bought an Xbox a couple of years ago in anticipation of Psychonauts coming out, believing at the time that it would be an Xbox exclusive game like they were saying at the time. So the game finally comes out a couple of months ago, and it was a damn good game. But it was an action game with a few puzzles thrown in. Some of the action sequences drove me absolutely nuts, but for the most part I adapted and enjoyed the game for all of it's Tim Schafer goodness. But one thing that became clear to me after playing GF again... Psychonauts ain't Grim Fandango. I didn't love the characters the way I loved the GF characters. When the game was over I didn't feel like I was going to miss them. And beyond that, I just miss the relaxed fun of playing an adventure game... Being able to try anything you want without having to worry about dying and starting over (well, at least with LucasArts adventure games), having to think your way through the game rather than frantically pushing joystick buttons. I guess I'm rambling. To make my point short, I would be one happy dude if Tim Schafer ever decided to make another graphic adventure game again. But I know it will probably never happen. And that sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuz Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 Yes it is quite depressing, but I try to think positively, focusing on the fact that such a masterpiece of a game exists at all. Adventures aren't completely dead though. Look out for Bone developed by Telltale games which is made up of all the good ex-Lucasarts people. There's also Dreamfall and not to mention the huge back catalogue of older adventures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VampireNaomi Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 And don't forget "A Vampyre Story", "Beneath A Steel Sky 2" or the Agatha Christie adventure either. Each of them will hopefully be great. Try Broken Sword or Gabriel Knight series if you're not familiar with them already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrik Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 I'm still a believer that the market will take an interest in adventure games again, eventually. They're not developed so much anymore simply because the mainstream market generally demands games to fit into the current culture of the time. Right now, flashy 3D graphics with tons of first-person shooting action and a war theme is what makes people ":D" the most, what sells the most, and what is being developed the most. This is of course a contrast to how it was ten or so years ago, when adventure games were the market dominators, alongside the rts and platforming genres. Pretty much all three have been sidelined to an extent whilst the first-person shooter market continues to dominate, but it won't last -- eventually people will realise that things have become saturated, and will look for a more enriched playing experience. Developers will be forced to make their storylines more meaningful, to make their characters more memorable, and to make the world be a pure joy to immerse yourself in. Incidentally, something adventure games have a great habit of doing. Of course, it's important to note that the above criteria can be inherent in pretty much any story driven game, so we may see the traits we love from adventure games appearing in other genres like Psychonauts and Beyond Good and Evil attempted (and succeeded, in many ways) to do. It's just too easy for a developer to not bother when people will end up buying it anyway (Doom 3) right now, though. You don't get much better than an adventure game's puzzle-driven linearity to convey a good story though, which is why I feel that adventure games may have a future simply because of their storytelling potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Has anyone played an Adventure game called... hmm... is it The Runaway? The Traveller? Something like that. It looks kinda cartoon CMI style. I saw it at the local EB and was wondering if it's any good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjack Posted August 12, 2005 Author Share Posted August 12, 2005 Glad to hear there is some life to the genre. Growing up I was a LucasArts exclusive fan... I had played some of the Sierra games like Space Quest and this Robin Hood game, and some Sherlock Holmes game, but the LucasArts ones were far and away better than any other games I played, so it's still kind of sad that LucasArts has ditched the graphic adventure. But at least some of the LucasArts people are continuing to work.... Do you guys have any recommendations for titles that have already been released that would satisfy an old LucasArts junkie? I haven't been keeping up with gaming for a long time... hell since before Grim Fandango came out. I only played that a couple of years after it was first released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 First Adventure games I ever played were Leisure Suit Larry 1, and Space Quest 2. Fun times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VampireNaomi Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Hey sjack, I think you'd really like Broken Sword I. The graphics are colourful, the plot is great and the humour had me rolling on the floor. I actually like it more than most LucasArts titles. If you live in Europe it shouldn't be a problem to get a hold of this game. I have no idea what the situation is elsewhere, though. The second game should be more easily available, so you can try your luck with it too (though I don't think it's even nearly as good). I'd stay away from the third game for now, because you probably won't like it unless you're already fond of the characters. If you can't find it you can always try Beneath A Steel Sky by the same company. It's freeware nowadays so it wouldn't even cost you a thing. It's older and darker than Broken Sword, but a really charming game nevertheless. You can get it here. EDIT: Also, if you live in the US and want to try BS1, you have to search for it under the name Circle of Blood. It was renamed over there for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Isaac Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Has anyone played an Adventure game called... hmm... is it The Runaway? The Traveller? Something like that. It looks kinda cartoon CMI style. I saw it at the local EB and was wondering if it's any good. I tried a demo of it a while ago. Well, I assumed it was a demo, but now I come to think it of it must have been a beta or something, because it seemed very sloppy and unfinished... there were a lot of bugs. But, judging from reviews, it's a good game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VampireNaomi Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 I haven't played Runaway, but I've heard it features a puzzle in which the character refuses to pick up an item because his hands would get muddy. And that single fact has numerous people moaning and bitching about the game. Sometimes I wonder why anyone even bothers developing adventure games anymore. The fans are so hard to please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrik Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 Yes, Broken Sword is total ":D". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuz Posted August 13, 2005 Share Posted August 13, 2005 Runaway is alright, nowhere near the calibre of LucaArts adventures but still worth playing. I would recommend it to anyone who just feels like playing an adventure game. It does have some annoying puzzles, especially the one VampireNaomi mentioned but it doesnt detract from the whole experience that much. Runaway 2 is also on the horizon so there's another reason to play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjack Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 I just played The Longest Journey. Good game. Not quite as exquisite as GF, but it would be unfair to any other game to compare them. I was happy that the game adopted some of the "LucasArts" principles, like making sure you can't die (although there were a couple of moments where that got a little ridiculous) and making sure you can't get stuck. I remember playing Space Quest IV way back when, and I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to get past this series of lasers, and I finally got the strategy guide and realized I couldn't solve the puzzle because I forgot to pick up this little cigar butt on the floor of an earlier scene that I couldn't get back to, so I had to start the game over. I appreciate that LucasArts and Funcom actually took the time (and have the brains!) to make sure that if you need to pick up an item that you need later in the game, they will make you use it for a mini puzzle while you can still pick it up. Anyway, I read a little about Dreamfall, and apparently they are going to incorporate action elements into the game. Aaargh! Oh well.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuz Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 I loved The Longest Journey. It had a similar "epicn-ness" to it that GF had which meant I was sad that it had to end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manny C Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 the closest thing these days to the good ol adventure games i find is the really good RPG's like Jade Empire and KOTOR and Shenmue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JofaGuht Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 YES!!! Another Shenmue Fan has been spotted! You're my new best friend, Manny C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fender Posted September 1, 2005 Share Posted September 1, 2005 Yes, Broken Sword is total ":D". Quoted for Emphasis, most true statement in the world! BS1 is IMO the best game ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepp Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Yaw haw haw ! Another adventure freak with old-days willies - played every single "point n' click" LucasArt adventure game as far as I can remember and all of the loose ends as well: GF, Fullthrottle etc. Everything marvelous, top of the cake, every game top material ! Bueno ! Every second day I'm on the edge of spamming LucasArts with reminders and mails containing irritating little one-liners from a Threepwood swordduel, which they've probably forgotten how to respond too. The classic: Me: "You fight like a dairy farmer!" LucasArts: "S o r r y - we don't understand? Could you please write it with sabers or maybe pull a Skywalker out of that lovely hat you got there?" LucasArts is all Star Wars. Their official homepage drips with the Force - when first entering you're presented to a fine palette consisting of 6 Star Wars games and a design which states quite clearly; "We only produce raw actionpacked games - preferably with a Star Wars twist to it". All this running along the mainstream secure line like a dog, really annoys me and it's not the right way for a great company as LucasArts with all their heavyweight milestones in the backpack. I think you get the picture ! I'm just tired of seeing only Star Wars based freaking games on their production list instead of becoming the experimental company they used to be. Who on EARTH would make a game like Grim Fandango unless you were seeking out new fields and great, marvelous sub-genres ! Same with Day of the Tentacle, not to mention Sam and Max ! Where did those games vanish to ? Well, just had alot of annoyance on my heart I needed to get rid of ! Hehe.. To the question: How is this Bone game, anything good ? Oh, and hallelujah for the International House of Mojo ! Viva la revolution ! EDIT: To the moderator. You may delete this topic if yaa like. Posted it a more proper place ! Sorry there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuz Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 I've only played the free trial bit of Bone and it seemed kinda fun. It has some minigames in it as well but nothing too hard for relfex challenged adventurerers. People who have bought the whole game though have said that its too short, only 3 or so hours of play time for US$20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swediot=) Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Has anyone played still life? i think thats a point and click. just wondering id its any good oh and i absolutely adored broken sword one. it was such a sexy game. i loved the french police man who says do not cross the road untill the litle man goes green Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floundericious Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 I haven't played Runaway, but I've heard it features a puzzle in which the character refuses to pick up an item because his hands would get muddy. And that single fact has numerous people moaning and bitching about the game. Sometimes I wonder why anyone even bothers developing adventure games anymore. The fans are so hard to please. Yes, it stinks when your hands get covered in SCUMM!!! It was just as annoying sometimes to listen to Guybrush refusing to do something simple for the same reason! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Virus Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 Does anybody know if Loom is still attainable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floundericious Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 home of the underdogs has a page on it (LOOM)... http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=655 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Virus Posted November 27, 2005 Share Posted November 27, 2005 Damn, I doubt I'd get a chance to get it. Has anyone played a 1996 game called Bad Mojo? It is certainly worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JofaGuht Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 That's the one where you turn into the cockroach? I played a demo. I also really dig the oldschool puzzle games like 7th Guest, Shivers, Obsidian, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.