Articles

Randy Has a Senior Moment…..

And forgets to renew the Just Adventure domain name! Yep, on January 2nd – 4th, visitors to JA were greeted with a page that the domain name was for sale. To be honest, it wasn’t so much that I forgot, but rather that Network Solutions had been sending the renewal notices to an incorrect email address. Thanks to everyone who phoned or emailed (in panic!) and to those who tried to purchase the domain name, looks like you now have a ten-year wait.

Dreamfall: TLJ2 + Stubbs the Zombie = WTF?

As one adventure game after another signs with either a major publisher – Paradise with UbiSoft, Keepsake with Dreamcatcher – or with a publisher known for supporting adventure games – Scratches with GotGame Entertainment - it came as something of a shock to hear that Dreamfall: The Longest Journey 2 - arguably the most fervently anticipated adventure of the past 5 years - was to be published by... Aspyr Media?!

Known mostly for their Mac conversions (Aspyr has 60% of the Mac entertainment market) and Stubbs the Zombie, Aspyr is a small publisher located in Austin, Texas and while I wish them the best are we to believe that none of the aforementioned larger publishers had no interest in TLJ2 or is this a case of David outbidding the Goliaths? Rumors abound – and we’ll refrain from posting them - but in the meantime we’ll continue to patiently wait to hear from anyone at Aspyr.

Once You Get Them Going, They Go On and On…!

Eric McConnell had a great idea one day – why not gather all of the famous and soon-to-be-famous independent developers of adventure games in one virtual room and engage them in a roundtable discussion? Well, it took some maneuvering, but eventually fourteen developers participated.

From the elusive Jonathan Boakes (Darkfall) to the husband and wife team of Mikael & Eleen Nyqvis (Hope Springs Eternal), Eric presented a series of twelve questions and the varied responses make for some interesting and provocative reading. If you’ve not yet read A Chat With Independent Developers, well, what are you waiting for? If you’re and independent developer who would like to be included in the next chat, then just drop Eric an email.

And Throw in a Porno Movie & a Fifth of Jack Daniels Too

A recent lazy weekend afternoon offered an opportunity to stop by a local Electronics Boutique for my usual ‘search for the hidden adventure games’ routine. Other than the clerk, I was the only person in the store (and as usual was occupied rescuing the adventure game boxes from their dark corners and putting them front and center on the racks).

In comes a young male who appears to be about 13, maybe 14 years old. Surprisingly, he walks right past the console games towards the pc selection. After watching him pull a few games from the rack, he finally decides on Ubi Soft’s Far Cry. Small problem though, the game is rated ‘M’ and is not supposed to be sold to anyone under the age of 17.

The boy takes the game over to the clerk and – although I can’t hear what he is saying – the clerk is whispering and both he and the boy are eyeing me suspiciously. So naturally I suspect the clerk will sell Far Cry to his underage customer if I leave the store – which I do – except I then loiter outside the entrance. Needless to say, a few minutes later the kid leaves the store with a package and when I ask him if the clerk sold him that copy of Far Cry, he stutters with a red face, ‘uh, yeah.”

The problem is that too many of the young clerks who are asked to enforce the ESRB ratings are themselves avid gamers who identify with the plight of younger gamers and have no qualms about selling a “Mature’ rated game to an underage customer.

Considering that Electronics Boutique participates in the ESRB retail partnership program – an initiative intended to promote ratings awareness - you have to wonder how many other EB stores are not enforcing the policy?

But I Hear it Makes Great Toilet Paper

Since Greg ‘The Vede’ Vederman was named Editor-in-Chief of PC Gamer, the magazine has degenerated into a narrow-minded representation of the industry. In fact, their review section is now broken into four categories: Shooters, Strategy, Roleplaying and The Gamut, which is meant to cover all other genres (i.e. those devoid of violence).

Case in point, the February 2006 issue’s feature column is ‘The Top 10 Games of 2006.’ Of course, there is not a single person at PC Gamer who has the cojones to include adventure games Paradise or Dreamfall: The Longest Journey 2. In their petty world, they would have you believe that there are not enough gamers interested in these types of games.

The PC Gamer staff is comprised of gamers who have been emasculated by violence in games. They would much rather drool over the umpteenth Serious Sam mod, before they would ever consider reviewing a Nancy Drew game. The truly sad part is that many consider them to be spokespersons for the industry. In my opinion, the true spokespersons for the industry are the almost 3 million consumers who have purchased Nancy Drew games and not the less than 50,000 who have played the latest Serious Sam mod.

On the other hand, Computer Games Magazine continues to impress as they not only cater to all gamers, but do so without being condescending. Editor-in-Chief Steve Bauman and staff continually refine the magazine to reflect the true diverseness of the gaming community. Btw, their ‘Most Anticipated Games of 2006’ article features games from all genres – not just what they project will be the best-selling.

So if you are an advertiser, where would it make the most sense to spend your marketing dollars?

From the ‘You Gotta Be Kidding Me’ Department

• So, I’m watching the Super Bowl bound Pittsburgh Steelers football game and during what seems about the 1,000th break, there is a commercial for LucasArts' Star Wars Battlefront II?! Talk about missing your target audience. Does LucasArts marketing department possess some strange statistics that Star Wars geeks are wearing their Wookie pajamas and Darth Vader helmets while watching NFL Football?
  
  Update:
  Thanks to fellow Pittsburgher Jeremy Hedges for pointing out my misconception concerning the link between football and Star Wars by providing us with this picture of a true Pittsburgh Steelers/Star Wars fanatic:
  

• On G4 TV, a group of well-known developers in a roundtable forum were asked by the host their opinions of the potential for the Xbox 360. One of them responded that it would allow him to blow things up in bigger and better ways. And we still wonder why the mainstream community looks upon gamers as idiots.

Beware Those Grues

If you miss The Inventory, then you might want to pay a visit to Adventure Lantern. While it is still in its infancy, Adventure Lantern’s editor Ugur Sener (who also writes for JA) informs us that the Lantern can either be read on-line or downloaded to be printed. If the reviews of Delaware St. John 2: The Town With No Name, Myst V and numerous other adventure games are any indication, then Adventure Lantern looks to have a bright future.

Don’t Talk the Adventure Talk Unless You Can Walk the Adventure Walk

So grasshopper, you think you know everything about adventure games, eh? Well then maybe you should strut your stuff at The Just Adventure+ Screenshot Trivia Tourney. Many have tried and failed, but now it’s your turn. So don’t talk the adventure talk unless you can walk the adventure walk (btw, you won’t see me there as I stink at screenshot trivia!).

Don’t Forget to Mark August 13th as My Birthday

If you’re like me and often forget what day it is (not to mention the month and year) then you’ll appreciate Adventure’s Planet downloadable 2006 adventure games calendar. This is a great idea that was long overdue and I hope Adventure’s Planet turns it into an annual event.

Shameless plug follows – The JA Online Store is now the biggest source for adventure games on the web with over 100 – that’s right 100 – adventure games for sale. From the hard-to-find, to bestsellers to Independently Developed we have them all and we’re adding more every day. Best of all is that shipping and handling for the USA and Canada is only $4 per order – try to find a shipping rate that cheap anywhere else! International shipping rates are unfortunately higher, but that’s the cost you pay for not living in Pittsburgh. - end of shameless plug.