Letters Regarding Randy's April 99 State of Adventure Gaming Column

Letter 1

In his April 1999 State of Adventure Gaming column, Randy had remarked that many other sites and gaming magazines publish huge previews of upcoming games, and then they follow up with a very short review when a game is actually released. A reader had this to say:

From: Mark McQuaide [e-mail address deleted]
Sent: Friday, April 09, 1999 10:57 AM
To: randy@justadventure.com
Subject: Previews

I agree 100% on the preview issue--they seem to take up the majority of space in the magazines nowadays--as if a game is passé the moment it ships, and it's time to look to the next thing on the horizon. CGW, my favorite paper magazine, has the reviews stuck in the back like they are an afterthought.

One only has to look at the gushing praise heaped on Trespasser a year or so ago to see that previews mean absolutely nothing—they're just a marketing vehicle. Magazines need to focus on shipping games—I want to be able to go buy the game if I like what's written about it.

Mark McQuaide

Letter 2

From: Rob Thomas [e-mail address deleted]
Sent: Monday, April 19, 1999 4:34 PM
To: randy@justadventure.com
Subject: Thanks for the wakeup call

Great, great, great article! All the more so because I, too, was one of those gamers who waited until adventure games dropped before the $10 mark before plunking down my money. I don't think gamers should buy every new adventure release out there. Instead, they should focus on the quality ones (and there are plenty) and then descend upon them like a horde of spider monkeys.

I do disagree somewhat with your point that adventure gamers are traditionalists. I think that rigidity has been the genre's downfall to some extent, and I believe that technological advances can enhance the basic formula, not crowd it out of existence. (I hope "Wheel of Time'' proves me right.)

Thanks again!

--rob