Randomosity: Adventure Games
It's not often that I start a new thread here at the Dink Network, but I could probably think of all sorts of matters to discuss, from those of the utmost importance to those of little significance. Lately, though, I've thought that it might be beneficial for the community - or just a little fun for me, at least - to discuss random things that may pose some interest to a few of us, or perhaps a lot of us with any luck. So I bring to you Randomosity, which may or may not die a quick death.
Adventure games. Several of you have played them before, I'm sure, and they've come up in discussions on the board a time or two. Much to my surprise, though, a search through past board topics did not turn up anything based solely on adventure gaming, so I've brought it upon myself to raise the subject here.
What is an adventure game, exactly? Some of you may draw ties to titles such as the Final Fantasy series, or perhaps "action-adventure" titles such as Tomb Raider. It's true that these have "adventuring" to some degree, but the type of game I have in mind focuses heavily on narrative and puzzle-solving with little or no combat elements whatsoever. These games are less familiar now than they would be about ten years ago, since the popularity of the genre has waned with the rise of flashy graphics and spiffy explosions, but surely the majority of you have played at least one.
What are some of your favorite adventure games? What are some of your best memories of them? I was fond of LucasArts titles, especially the Monkey Island series, which combined laugh-out-loud humor with absurd puzzles and memorable characters. Who could forget Murray the talking skull, who would roll, ROLL through the gates of hell, or the band of singing pirates? And surely you cannot forget a protagonist with a name as peculiar as Guybrush Threepwood.
Discuss adventure games and all their awesomeness. In the event that you need refreshed on the genre and its highlights, here's a Wikipedia article on adventure games.
Adventure games. Several of you have played them before, I'm sure, and they've come up in discussions on the board a time or two. Much to my surprise, though, a search through past board topics did not turn up anything based solely on adventure gaming, so I've brought it upon myself to raise the subject here.
What is an adventure game, exactly? Some of you may draw ties to titles such as the Final Fantasy series, or perhaps "action-adventure" titles such as Tomb Raider. It's true that these have "adventuring" to some degree, but the type of game I have in mind focuses heavily on narrative and puzzle-solving with little or no combat elements whatsoever. These games are less familiar now than they would be about ten years ago, since the popularity of the genre has waned with the rise of flashy graphics and spiffy explosions, but surely the majority of you have played at least one.
What are some of your favorite adventure games? What are some of your best memories of them? I was fond of LucasArts titles, especially the Monkey Island series, which combined laugh-out-loud humor with absurd puzzles and memorable characters. Who could forget Murray the talking skull, who would roll, ROLL through the gates of hell, or the band of singing pirates? And surely you cannot forget a protagonist with a name as peculiar as Guybrush Threepwood.
Discuss adventure games and all their awesomeness. In the event that you need refreshed on the genre and its highlights, here's a Wikipedia article on adventure games.
New article?
I've never really been a fan of adventure games though. I can remember playing only a few freeware ones, never finished a single one. Maybe I missed out on something... King's quest remakes spring to my mind.
I've never really been a fan of adventure games though. I can remember playing only a few freeware ones, never finished a single one. Maybe I missed out on something... King's quest remakes spring to my mind.
I loves the point-and-click adventure games. Especially the older LucasArts ones. Monkey Island <3
Oh, and Out from Boneville isn't bad at all either. Though 3D, it DOES give a bit of a new perspective on gameplay. Well duh, it's 3D.
(Okay, COMPUTER 3D, but still...)
Oh, and Out from Boneville isn't bad at all either. Though 3D, it DOES give a bit of a new perspective on gameplay. Well duh, it's 3D.
(Okay, COMPUTER 3D, but still...)
Aye, LucasArts adventures, those kick donkey!
Monkey Island... I've only played 1 and 2, but I liked them. I liked Day of the Tentacle better, though. Sam 'n Max Hit the Road is also nicely absurd, but I'm stuck with it and don't like the addiction factor that walkthroughs have. Especially for adventure games.
The Indiana Jones adventure games. Last Crusade and the Fate of Atlantis. Hmm... not completely combat-less, though in the Last Crusade it's possible to outsmart almost every opposition you'll come across, however tricky it may be.
Grim Fandango. Played it, liked it, didn't solve it yet.
As for pure puzzle-solving, you can't go wrong with Myst. Take your notepad with you, and you'll be lost for hours. At least, if you're into that kind of thing. I've played (and finished) the first Myst, and Myst: Exile. I also have Atlantis III somewhere, but that game crashes right after the CD-change.
As for more of these adventures, Monty Python and the Meaning of Life is nice for MP fans. I've heard that the Holy Grail game was good too, but I don't know.
And of course there are a lot of Myst-like Flash games on the web, but these are often very simple, because it takes time to make a biggie.
My top 3:
Day of the Tentacle
Myst III: Exile
Monkey Island 2
This is likely to change, though, as I haven't played a lot of those games lately, so I might have forgotten a few good moments. DotT is my absolute #1
Monkey Island... I've only played 1 and 2, but I liked them. I liked Day of the Tentacle better, though. Sam 'n Max Hit the Road is also nicely absurd, but I'm stuck with it and don't like the addiction factor that walkthroughs have. Especially for adventure games.
The Indiana Jones adventure games. Last Crusade and the Fate of Atlantis. Hmm... not completely combat-less, though in the Last Crusade it's possible to outsmart almost every opposition you'll come across, however tricky it may be.
Grim Fandango. Played it, liked it, didn't solve it yet.
As for pure puzzle-solving, you can't go wrong with Myst. Take your notepad with you, and you'll be lost for hours. At least, if you're into that kind of thing. I've played (and finished) the first Myst, and Myst: Exile. I also have Atlantis III somewhere, but that game crashes right after the CD-change.
As for more of these adventures, Monty Python and the Meaning of Life is nice for MP fans. I've heard that the Holy Grail game was good too, but I don't know.
And of course there are a lot of Myst-like Flash games on the web, but these are often very simple, because it takes time to make a biggie.
My top 3:
Day of the Tentacle
Myst III: Exile
Monkey Island 2
This is likely to change, though, as I haven't played a lot of those games lately, so I might have forgotten a few good moments. DotT is my absolute #1
I'd suggest you play Monkey Island 3 (Curse of Monkey Island) for sure. I'm of the opinion that it's the absolute best of the four. Just about everything great from the first two titles returned, with well-done voice acting and artwork that rivals Disney. Escape from Monkey Island is worthwhile too, in my opinion, though purists may disagree. You could probably find it for pretty cheap, though, so why not nab it?
Sam 'n Max and Day of the Tentacle are also excellent, as is Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (haven't had the opportunity to play the one prior to that). The Indiana Jones games do have some combat, granted, but it's sparse and not too bothersome to me. And Grim Fandango? Stupendous all across the board.
Out of the extensive Myst series, I've only played the first. It was fun overall, and the presentation was dazzling at the time, but it can be a bit dull here and there. I remember stumbling across a walkthrough back in the day that told how to beat the game in about 8 simple steps or so, but I'm not immediately sure where to find it now.
Sam 'n Max and Day of the Tentacle are also excellent, as is Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (haven't had the opportunity to play the one prior to that). The Indiana Jones games do have some combat, granted, but it's sparse and not too bothersome to me. And Grim Fandango? Stupendous all across the board.
Out of the extensive Myst series, I've only played the first. It was fun overall, and the presentation was dazzling at the time, but it can be a bit dull here and there. I remember stumbling across a walkthrough back in the day that told how to beat the game in about 8 simple steps or so, but I'm not immediately sure where to find it now.
Best adventure ever: Normality. I'm not going to elaborate on this, because the game itself just can't be explained! (or I'm just too lazy). just play it, and you will agree.
I've played and finished Myst... and the sequel 'Riven' but not Myst:Exile... the King's Quest games were amusing... and there's a few little silly point and clicks like 'Ozzie and the Quantum Playwright' or 'Out of Order' that were mildly entertaining.
Hmmm... oh, and when I was little, I loved Coktel Vision's Goblin III... and good ol' 'Day of the Tentacle'... ah, the memories.
Hmmm... oh, and when I was little, I loved Coktel Vision's Goblin III... and good ol' 'Day of the Tentacle'... ah, the memories.
Love me some Monkey Island and practically all the Lucas Arts Adventure games. I loved Full Throttle (since it has yet to be mentioned) and was a bit disappointed that they axed the sequel. But, based on reports about what was in the game, I'm not really sure what the hell they were doing to it. But it sure was fun being able to kick stuff.
I was also always a fan of the Quest For Glory series. Yes, it had combat, though the amount you went through varied from game to game, and depended on the class you picked. As a fighter, battle is pretty much your lifeblood, while as a thief... you can get through some of the games in the series without having to actually "fight" a single enemy. They started off being pretty funny and lighthearted, but got progressively darker. Still good though. The fifth and final one lacked a lot of the adventure elements and was much more RPG. It was not as good as the others, IMO.
I worked on the Hero6 project for a while, but get fed up with the leadership. The project has been in "development" for at least 7 years. I may chip in again now that it has been largely, but not completely abandoned. It was hard to get heard in a crowd of over 100 members.
I was also always a fan of the Quest For Glory series. Yes, it had combat, though the amount you went through varied from game to game, and depended on the class you picked. As a fighter, battle is pretty much your lifeblood, while as a thief... you can get through some of the games in the series without having to actually "fight" a single enemy. They started off being pretty funny and lighthearted, but got progressively darker. Still good though. The fifth and final one lacked a lot of the adventure elements and was much more RPG. It was not as good as the others, IMO.
I worked on the Hero6 project for a while, but get fed up with the leadership. The project has been in "development" for at least 7 years. I may chip in again now that it has been largely, but not completely abandoned. It was hard to get heard in a crowd of over 100 members.
Talking about adventure games, there are plenty of free adventure games out there. I like Out Of Order the most, which can be found on www.hungrysoftware.com.
And then there are the games 5 days a stranger and 7 days a sceptic. Those are really good horror games.
And then there are the games 5 days a stranger and 7 days a sceptic. Those are really good horror games.
The QFG and King's Quest games, definitely. But I've never even heard of Day of the Tentacle. That's cool also, I gather; where can I get it?
I, like magicman here, really adore Day of The Tentacle. Great game. Played it for the first time when I was like three years old. Never lost interest in it, but never managed to complete it. I also don't want to use walkthroughs.
I'm also a fan of the first Leisure Suit Larry game. It's a fun one. I've played more, but I don't remember their names too well. In general though, these kinds of games can be, and mostly are, great fun.
I'm also a fan of the first Leisure Suit Larry game. It's a fun one. I've played more, but I don't remember their names too well. In general though, these kinds of games can be, and mostly are, great fun.
Ah, how could I forget Leisure Suit Larry? A great game to play even nowadyas. A word of advice: play it after 2:00 at night, with a friend and lots of beer. I always got the best experience out of it that way. 
I managed to finish DOTT one night when I couldn't sleep... what did you get up to Phoenix? (out of interest) Its worth trying to finish, the ending is ridiculous!
Out of Order is cool... and five days a stranger isn't bad. Once upon a time I played 'Dusk of the Gods' too which wasn't too shoddy, though the graphics had a lot to be desired.
Out of Order is cool... and five days a stranger isn't bad. Once upon a time I played 'Dusk of the Gods' too which wasn't too shoddy, though the graphics had a lot to be desired.
I got to the part where that guy without eyes is in the past with Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. That's not very specific, I know, but I've just made contact with that guy without eyes through the uh, toilet, and got kind of stranded there, after doing a bit of stuff.
Awesomely constructive thread idea Tal. Your definition of "adventure" games fits perfectly and you've elaborated very well. Good to see many here like them too...its easy to appreciate their good storytelling and intuitive puzzles.
I love adventure games probably as much as RPG's, but many were before my time and I never played them. I've seen the Monkey Island series at a friends and loved what little I played. Another person I knew introduced me to "Day of the Tentacle", but he moved away before the next day I saw him and I never got to play it. To think it sounds like a classic.
Heard the same about "Full Throttle".
Thanks for the freeware links Davince. I'll try those.
Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
I love adventure games probably as much as RPG's, but many were before my time and I never played them. I've seen the Monkey Island series at a friends and loved what little I played. Another person I knew introduced me to "Day of the Tentacle", but he moved away before the next day I saw him and I never got to play it. To think it sounds like a classic.
Heard the same about "Full Throttle".
Thanks for the freeware links Davince. I'll try those.
Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
Ah.. too many people who haven't played Monkey Island games or DOTT... bleh, if ebay weren't so difficult, I'd buy you all copies.
The monkey island series is probably the best adventure series ever made.. although i will have to agree the 4th was sort of a let down after such a great 3rd game in the series.
As far as sierra adventure games go, i would have to say that leisure suit larry series is probably the best followed by the space quest series of games. King's quest games had their ups and downs for me, the first several in the series were the best but i think most of teh later games were just mediocre. With space quest games, they always had the most creative ways of dying in them and being the sick in the head person i am, i tried to find as many ways of dying as possible.
And for those of you that have been playing games since they've been around, there was such a thing called text adventures which may bring back some good memories. The Zork series, Planetfall and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy games were some of my favs from way back then.
As far as sierra adventure games go, i would have to say that leisure suit larry series is probably the best followed by the space quest series of games. King's quest games had their ups and downs for me, the first several in the series were the best but i think most of teh later games were just mediocre. With space quest games, they always had the most creative ways of dying in them and being the sick in the head person i am, i tried to find as many ways of dying as possible.
And for those of you that have been playing games since they've been around, there was such a thing called text adventures which may bring back some good memories. The Zork series, Planetfall and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy games were some of my favs from way back then.
Ah yes, of course. Well, best of luck Phoenix... it's worth persevering with... Although in saying that, I'm sure you haven't touched the game in years! (It's definitely worth reviving)
Although in saying that, I'm sure you haven't touched the game in years! (It's definitely worth reviving)
