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What has happened to these games?
If the P&C adventure genre is dead, then it is certainly time for a revival.
The Infocom games (Zork, Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy, etc.) were the beginnings of PC gaming, and at the time were just about all that was possible. Because they were so linear, and based around simple text commands, they were viable, and great fun.
Nowadays, PCs can do much more than that. Even the simplest of games has complete interactivity, and most have a skirmish + multiplayer mode to keep things going.
The problems that have arisen with adventure games in recent times, are essentially that they have no options but to play the game. If you look at these games, there is no option to do anything different. This means that if you get stuck, it is impossible to go online and practice, or play a little differently, and many people resort to walkthroughs, which in the long run destroy the game.
In the same vein, it is impossible and boring to play any of these games twice. The entire of the game lies in the plot and in the puzzles, and it is not usually possible to turn the difficulty up (the "Mega-Monkey mode in CMI is a very primitive solution, which wasn't passed on to EFMI)
I honestly hope that these flaws haven't killed off the genre entirely, because Monkey Island and Myst are (in my opinion) some of the best games I have ever played. But in order to remain popular, these games have got to have some replay value. They are generally far too short, and unplayable.
Another noticible point about the genre is the amount of work required to create each hour of fun. An RTS or RPG requires a game engine (with a bunch of graphics), and then levels/missions, much of which can be left to fans if a mission editor is included. An adventure game, though, generally has little/no interface, and needs a new set of artwork, plot, sounds and many hours of work just for one more puzzle. It is essentially impossible to include an editor with an adventure game.
So it is easy to see why adventure have fallen since the days when all they needed was a bit of text, and almost no PC competition. But it still seems a shame that some of the best games ever on the PC are dying out, when they have given me far more fun than any other games on the market!
If the P&C adventure genre is dead, then it is certainly time for a revival.
The Infocom games (Zork, Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy, etc.) were the beginnings of PC gaming, and at the time were just about all that was possible. Because they were so linear, and based around simple text commands, they were viable, and great fun.
Nowadays, PCs can do much more than that. Even the simplest of games has complete interactivity, and most have a skirmish + multiplayer mode to keep things going.
The problems that have arisen with adventure games in recent times, are essentially that they have no options but to play the game. If you look at these games, there is no option to do anything different. This means that if you get stuck, it is impossible to go online and practice, or play a little differently, and many people resort to walkthroughs, which in the long run destroy the game.
In the same vein, it is impossible and boring to play any of these games twice. The entire of the game lies in the plot and in the puzzles, and it is not usually possible to turn the difficulty up (the "Mega-Monkey mode in CMI is a very primitive solution, which wasn't passed on to EFMI)
I honestly hope that these flaws haven't killed off the genre entirely, because Monkey Island and Myst are (in my opinion) some of the best games I have ever played. But in order to remain popular, these games have got to have some replay value. They are generally far too short, and unplayable.
Another noticible point about the genre is the amount of work required to create each hour of fun. An RTS or RPG requires a game engine (with a bunch of graphics), and then levels/missions, much of which can be left to fans if a mission editor is included. An adventure game, though, generally has little/no interface, and needs a new set of artwork, plot, sounds and many hours of work just for one more puzzle. It is essentially impossible to include an editor with an adventure game.
So it is easy to see why adventure have fallen since the days when all they needed was a bit of text, and almost no PC competition. But it still seems a shame that some of the best games ever on the PC are dying out, when they have given me far more fun than any other games on the market!
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A Christmas rush for once...
From what I've seen / heard / played, Mystery of the Druids and that Goodkind Mushroomy game aren't particularly good.
See Ya ;-)
PinkPig
From what I've seen / heard / played, Mystery of the Druids and that Goodkind Mushroomy game aren't particularly good.
See Ya ;-)
PinkPig
Tiltawhirl wrote:
> Secret of Monkey Island, by far the best point and click ever.
Day of the
> Tentacle and Sam and Max where good too, Simon the Sorceror was pretty good as
> well.
Its good to hear that a Sam & Max sequal is o theway Yay!
However... With Simon the Sorcorer finally about to be released (after a year or so of delays)...
And with Mystery of the Druids and that Goodkind and the mushrooom thing and Myst3 having all just been released...
(about the same number of point and clicks as RTS's for the PC christmas run?)
I reckon theres still life in the old dog yet?
(remember about 1998(ish) when all the mags were declaring the RPG well and truly dead... then then after the release of Baulders Gate, we were innundated in cheesy stat-building adventures once more :) )
> Secret of Monkey Island, by far the best point and click ever.
Day of the
> Tentacle and Sam and Max where good too, Simon the Sorceror was pretty good as
> well.
Its good to hear that a Sam & Max sequal is o theway Yay!
However... With Simon the Sorcorer finally about to be released (after a year or so of delays)...
And with Mystery of the Druids and that Goodkind and the mushrooom thing and Myst3 having all just been released...
(about the same number of point and clicks as RTS's for the PC christmas run?)
I reckon theres still life in the old dog yet?
(remember about 1998(ish) when all the mags were declaring the RPG well and truly dead... then then after the release of Baulders Gate, we were innundated in cheesy stat-building adventures once more :) )
I was gonna make a game on the internet that was a bit like Zelda where you have to travel about and do things and collect things. I might still do it because the game would be endless and epic in proportions. Yes, I think I will, just after my exams I will start this.
Ahem....I didn't here Kyrandia mentioned there. :-D
Secret of Monkey Island, by far the best point and click ever.
Day of the Tentacle and Sam and Max where good too, Simon the Sorceror was pretty good as well.
Day of the Tentacle and Sam and Max where good too, Simon the Sorceror was pretty good as well.
The Kyrandia series ruled supreme on point and click adventures.
Legend of Kyrandia was excellent.
Hand of Fate was bloody hard but still excellent. It must have taken me about 3 months just to get off the first level and even then it was only luck - I was bored so I bunged everything into my cauldron and it made a spell.
I never got to play the 3rd game. Malcolm's revenge or something. My PC just wasn't good enough to play it. :-D
And what about Star Trek 25th Anniversary. I got stuck when you had to fight that copy of Enterprise and all the Alasi ships interfered.
Hmmmmmm, how long have I been stuck on that bit. Must be approaching 8 years by now. :-D
Legend of Kyrandia was excellent.
Hand of Fate was bloody hard but still excellent. It must have taken me about 3 months just to get off the first level and even then it was only luck - I was bored so I bunged everything into my cauldron and it made a spell.
I never got to play the 3rd game. Malcolm's revenge or something. My PC just wasn't good enough to play it. :-D
And what about Star Trek 25th Anniversary. I got stuck when you had to fight that copy of Enterprise and all the Alasi ships interfered.
Hmmmmmm, how long have I been stuck on that bit. Must be approaching 8 years by now. :-D
But still utterly excellent.
As was Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Probably my favourite of the Non-Monkey Islands. :0)
As was Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Probably my favourite of the Non-Monkey Islands. :0)
Broken Sword 3.
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