Elite666
August 7th, 2004, 04:50 am
I just read an interview (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/08/06/news_6104297.html) with Tim Schafer and it got me thinking about Adventure games. Not the sad things that pass for adventure nowadays but the real point and click adventures of yore. Games like The Curse of Monkey Island, Sam and Max, Grim Fandango and going back even further Day of the Tentacle and King's Quest.
For anyone who doesn't recognize a single game in the above list I'll expain what an adventure game is. It's essentially the evolution of a text based game. Think of it as an advanced text based game but with pictures instead of words. It is usually completely dependant on its story and puzzles as there is often no combat. It also usually uses only a mouse (with the exception of Grim Fandango). One of the main draws was the fact that they had storylines as advanced as many novels, definitely years beyond most of what the industry offers today, and they always were full of humour. Lot's of humour.
Anyway, the interview just got me thinking about how games have changed and are trying to almost reach the point they were at five years ago in terms of storyline and characters and it seems odd that the genre died out. The reason the interview reminds me so much of it is because Tim Schafer made all but one of the games that are in the above list so it's nice to see he hasn't disappeared and that type of humour and story will be back soon.
Howeve, I'm getting off topic. I'm just wondering how many people actually played these games before (if anyone) and what your opinions are on them, either text-based or graphics based. If you need a sample of what the genre has to offer here (http://www.xcalibur.co.uk/games/hitchhik.html) is "The Hitch Hiker's guide to the Galaxy" text based game. One of the finest, funniest and hardest text-based games ever made.
For anyone who doesn't recognize a single game in the above list I'll expain what an adventure game is. It's essentially the evolution of a text based game. Think of it as an advanced text based game but with pictures instead of words. It is usually completely dependant on its story and puzzles as there is often no combat. It also usually uses only a mouse (with the exception of Grim Fandango). One of the main draws was the fact that they had storylines as advanced as many novels, definitely years beyond most of what the industry offers today, and they always were full of humour. Lot's of humour.
Anyway, the interview just got me thinking about how games have changed and are trying to almost reach the point they were at five years ago in terms of storyline and characters and it seems odd that the genre died out. The reason the interview reminds me so much of it is because Tim Schafer made all but one of the games that are in the above list so it's nice to see he hasn't disappeared and that type of humour and story will be back soon.
Howeve, I'm getting off topic. I'm just wondering how many people actually played these games before (if anyone) and what your opinions are on them, either text-based or graphics based. If you need a sample of what the genre has to offer here (http://www.xcalibur.co.uk/games/hitchhik.html) is "The Hitch Hiker's guide to the Galaxy" text based game. One of the finest, funniest and hardest text-based games ever made.