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The State of Adventure Gaming
No, I'm not talking about the Republican and Democrat nominees for President. This Thanksgiving, JA will name the 10 biggest adventure turkeys of all time. Games that were heralded as the "next big thing" or boasted of movie stars galore--and laid an egg. Not enough for you? How about a list of must-have games for that adventurer on your Christmas list? You still need more? Try to win a copy of Mindscape's Prince of Persia 3D personally autographed by Jordan Mechner! Or how about copies of Dreamcatcher's newest releases Nightlong and the DVD version of Lightbringer? Maybe you will be man (or woman) enough to conquer our "Mother of All Adventure Quizzes"? Plus, exclusive reviews (and interviews) of new adventure releases from around the world of The Prince and the Coward (Poland), Belissa (France), and Faust (France). If none of the above strikes your fancy, then what the heck are you doing reading an adventure site?
For a long time, Just Adventure was opposed to posting walkthroughs for adventure games, but the readers have spoken and we now grudgingly acquiesce to their demands. We are now hard at work collecting walkthroughs for every game we have reviewed. Our new walkthrough section will also contain hard-to-find or one-of-a-kind walkthroughs for games like The Scroll, Inherent Evil, and Nightlong. If you have any walkthroughs you would like to share, just drop us an email. We guarantee you will receive full credit for your submission. To kick off our new department with a bang, JA will have available the world's very first walkthrough of Gabriel Knight 3!
In unity there is strength, and the Adventure Coalition has, as predicted, become a force in adventure gaming. Our unified voice is comprised of the best adventure sites from around the world. The Coalition has been recognized by numerous publishers and developers as the collective spokesperson of the adventure community. We work together to promote every member's site by providing links and even reprinting articles. This spirit of "oneness" does not exist on any other gaming sites on the Internet. Together we will rebuild the positive image of adventure games. Please take the time to frequent the sites of the other AC members as we proudly present our official charter:
Hallelujah! PC Gamer Has Seen the Light! Verily the wrath of adventure gamers plagued the staff of PC Gamer and they were inflicted with boils on their butts. Unable to stay seated long enough to play any action games, they relented and crossed over to the good side. Though Michael Wolf has a new job and will no longer be working specifically for PC Gamer, he will still be penning his monthly Alternate Reality column, and the January issue will be a don't-miss, buy-it-at-all-costs edition. Why? Because Just Adventure and our quest to revive interest in the adventure genre will be spotlighted! But wait, there's more! Internet Access--a Sunday newspaper insert with a readership of 7 million--has decided that Just Adventure is a "Web Site Worth Watching" and will be featuring JA in one of their November editions. Not to mention that we will be ... well, let's save some of the good news for next month! Gamespittoon Hawks Another Loogie at Adventure Fans Gamespittoon should change their official motto to "We hate adventure games and gamers." In another of their numerous slaps at the adventure genre, the Gamespittoon editors ran an article entitled "10 Best Heroes of All Time." Guess how many adventure characters were on their list? If you said zero, then you were wrong, for their myopic editors actually did choose Ben from Full Throttle and Manuel Calavera from Grim Fandango. In a fury, adventure fans compiled their own list, and when the dust had settled, the readers' list featured three adventure heroes (Gabriel Knight at #6, Roger Wilco at #3, and Guy Threepwood at #1). Gamespittoon of course professed shock that adventure games were still so popular (especially since their best attempts to bury them have so far failed), and as a way of showcasing their in-depth knowledge of the adventure genre, they posted a nice picture of Gabriel Knight. Only problem was that the picture was actually of Gabriel's nemesis Von Glower.
Happy Puppy recently reviewed Microid's new adventure release The Amerzone. Tim Maxwell's review began thus, "Before I begin this review, I think it's important to point out that I've never been a big fan of static graphical adventures. To put it bluntly, Myst bored me almost to tears as did its popular sequel, Riven. That, of course isn't to say that these games were bad, but it takes a certain type of gamer to fully enjoy them. That being said, I didn't have high hopes for Amerzone: The Explorer's Legacy when it arrived at my door a few weeks ago." While I applaud Tim Maxwell for his integrity and his honesty, I must admit I am baffled by Happy Puppy's editorial policy. No, I do not want every adventure game review to be done by a "true believer" who won't be as critical in their judgment as they should, but it seems that this is a one-sided issue. Gaming magazines and webzines seem to have no problem letting nonadventurers review adventure releases, but have you ever read the following anywhere: "Before I begin this review, I think it's important to point out that I've never been a big fan of violent action games. To put it bluntly, Doom bored me almost to tears as did its popular sequel, Quake. That, of course isn't to say that these games were bad, but it takes a certain type of gamer to fully enjoy them." No--and you never will. This is yellow journalism at its worse. Sites like these need to be informed that we will no longer put up with their constant abuse of the adventure genre. Mr. Maxwell said it best himself--"it takes a certain type of gamer to fully enjoy them." So why not, then, have someone with an appreciation of and a historical knowledge of the genre do the review. This isn't brain surgery. If you are a fan of Stephen King, which would you read--a review by someone who likes the horror genre or a review by someone who dislikes King and the genre. It all sounds so simple, doesn't it? What Were Those Things with All the Paper and Printed Words Called--Oh Yeah--Books If you have any interest all in designing adventure games, or if you just like to read about game development--then do I have a book for you--Game Design Secrets of the Sages. Marc Saltzman, whose work has appeared in USA Today, Next Generation, and dozens of other publications, has interviewed over 100 industry professionals, from Roberta Williams to Jane Jensen, and asked them how they got into the industry, what they believe constitutes a good game, and dozens of other questions. The book is never boring, nor does it ever erode into techie talk. From puzzle design, to animation, to product testing--each step of the life cycle of a game is covered in detail. This is a must-read for anyone who has even a peripheral interest in the computer or video gaming world. Weighing in at 474 pages for under $20, this book is a steal. Surf on over to Amazon and have it delivered to your door in time for Christmas. I do have one question for Marc--I understand first-person perspective; I understand third-person perspective--what I don't understand is in third-person perspective, where is the second person? And who is this person and why is he/she not playing the game also? (My apologies to Jerry Seinfeld.) So's Yer Sister Just Adventure has received a few emails lately complaining that we have been too easy when grading some of the newer releases. Personally, I have never played a better batch of action/adventure games than Drakan, System Shock 2, and Outcast. We have yet to even finish Omikron, The Longest Journey, Gabriel Knight 3, or Faust! What are we to do? Would you rather we decrease a game's rating, like some of those loser sites, because we had to swap a disk or because the load time between screens was more than 30 seconds? Frankly, we are more concerned about the quality of the writing, the challenge of the puzzles, and the fun factor than such trivial matters. So now is your chance: if you disagree with one of our reviews, or even if you think we neglected an important point, then write one of your own. It does not have to be novella length. A few hundred words just to get your point across would be dandy. SWMLFMFHT That's right--our Message Board is back! Courtesy of GameBoomers, the newest member of the Adventure Coalition. Thanks to Bob Pshena, webmaster and owner of GameBoomers, Just Adventure readers will have the opportunity to talk and meet with adventure gamers from all over the world. Don't let your visit end at the adventure message board, though--GameBoomers is a fantastic site for the "mature" adventurer and can keep you occupied for hours as you meet gamers who lived when dinosaurs roamed the earth (they have actually played DOS games!). Stop on by and chew the fat with Ozma, Witchen, MacDee, and the rest of the GameBoomers regulars. Tell 'em that youngster Randy sent you. Kids--Do Not Try This At Home! If you have the December issue of Computer Gaming World, attempt the following: open the magazine to pages 8-9 and study the screenshots for LucasArts' Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine at the bottom of the page. Quick now--turn to pages 38-39 and look at the screenshots for Edios' Tomb Raider IV that also run across the bottom of the page. Now close your eyes. Imagine Indy wearing a wonder bra and Lara with a fedora and whip. Do both of these games look exactly the same to you? Has LucasArts sunk to a new low, or has Eidos been elevated to a higher level? Jeez--and the critics complain about Myst clones.
No, not you. Not JA, either. Rather, the day I am posting this, November 5th, is my wedding anniversary. I just wanted to, with of course all of the JA reader's permission, publicly wish my lovely wife Sandy a happy anniversary. We have been happily married (even though she is not an adventure gamer) for 17 wonderful years. I did want to post her picture, but she would not let me, so instead I leave you this month with a picture of Pamela Anderson Lee. |
Biggest
Turkeys of All Time
Where
Am I Supposed to Stick this Broom Handle?
We
Are the World, We Are the Coalition
Please
Leave Your Pooper Scooper at the Door
Happy
Anniversary!