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Pull up a chair. Take your
shoes off and sit a spell while I tell you about the pure adventure
games at the E3 this year. Don’t get too comfortable though as the
list is short. You may have already digested Ray Ivey’s starry-eyed,
optimistic report,
but keep in mind that Ray resides in sunny Hollywood, while I languish
in dark and gloomy Pittsburgh. And Ray, after successful surgery,
now has the body of a twenty-year old. I also had the body of a twenty-year
old, but the police made me give it back.

Anyhow, while the quantity
may have been low, the quality was certainly high. Probably most disenchanting
was that Cryo, a company that could usually be counted on for five
or six adventure games per year, was absent from the E3. Also, Arxel
Tribe had only one adventure game – Ring 2 – for public viewing.
It would be a great loss to the genre if these two French stalwarts
were to abandon the adventure genre.

Let’s begin with the best
and that would be Syberia. In our time-honored tradition, Syberia
has been awarded Just Adventure’s “Best Adventure Game of E3
2002” award. While this award is readily available for public
viewing at rest rooms across the land, it can also be seen here.
We’ve discussed Syberia at length at JA and won’t bore you
with more information if only you promise to read our preview.
Now I hear some of you murmuring “Well, last year Just Adventure
gave their best game award to Hitchcock and look what a piece
of dreck that turned out to be,” and you would be right. What
we saw of Hitchcock last year was great but we only viewed
a partially completed product and remember the E3 is meant to showcase
the positives of a company’s game. This year, we have played the award-winner
to completion and it rocks!

Also developed by Microids
was a nifty noir nail-biter named Post Mortem. Scheduled for
a late 2002 release, Post Mortem is currently about 20% complete.
It is a murder-mystery set in Paris during the 1920’s. You play as
an American in Paris who dances his way across the landscape. Oops,
wrong medium. Actually, let’s just read the press release, shall we:

A pure thriller in
which nothing is like it seems! A string of mysterious murders,
pretences, betrayals, rip-offs… Prepare to play a leading part
in an astonishing investigation. Do not trust anyone! You play as
an American private detective, Gustave MacPherson, who has been
hired to look into a double murder in 1920’s Paris.

• A dark,
  moody and paranoid atmosphere faithfully reproducing the film noir
  setting of Paris in the 1920’s.
• 3D real-time
  characters in wonderfully detailed graphical environments.
• An advanced
  conversation engine takes into account each character’s emotions
  and motives providing unmatched intensity and interaction.
• Take control
  of two individual characters as the plot twists and turns.

Well it certainly sounds
interesting! And since I’m feeling particularly lazy today, I’ll now
ask you to click on this link for some screenshots
from Post Mortem. If those pictures weren’t enough to whet
your appetite, then check out this trailer.

Probably the most pleasant
surprise at the E3 was discovering that Dreamcatcher had just purchased
the North American publishing rights to Syberia. But Dreamcatcher
also had a host of other goodies in their newly christened ‘Adventure
Company’ booth. Foremost on a giant plasma screen was a trailer for
The Crystal Key 2. Other than an ambiguous ‘coming soon’, no
other information was provided for this sequel.

Also
showcased was The Omega Stone: Riddle of the Sphinx 2. It was
indeed my pleasure to meet the famed Sphinx developers, Jeff and Karen
Tobler. Jeff provided me with a hands-on demonstration of ROTS 2 (as
we industry insiders call it!) and then was kind enough to give JA
these exclusive screenshots
from his new game. If those aren’t enough to get yer dusty old bones
crackling, then have a look at this trailer
and press release:

Decipher cryptic Mayan
codices as you search through the ruins of Chichen Itza, discovering
lost chambers, tombs, and passageways overlooked for centuries deep
within the exotic Yucatan jungle. Explore the mysterious megaliths
of Stonehenge and other sacred Celtic stone circles, uncovering
a secret sect of Celtic Priests and Guardians…Examine the Moi
of Easter Island and adventure into the eerie caves and underground
dwellings on this remote island. Excavate additional chambers under
the Sphinx, and discover the recorded histories and technologies
of a forgotten past. Untangle the myths of Devil’s Triangle and
decode the source of volatility in these fabled waters. Search for
the Lost City of Atlantis and discover ancient technology designed
by a forgotten people. Discover the secret linking all of these
ancient civilizations… the ultimate adventure … The Omega Stone.

*Stunningly realistic
3D replications of the world’s most mysterious sites:
Chichen Itza, Stonehenge, Easter Island, Devil’s Triangle (including
Bimini), and the ruins of Atlantis
* Unrestricted access and exploration of archaeological sites currently
off limits to tourists
* Real-time environmental effects (rain, sun, water, etc.), with
full 360° environment exploration

You want more you say?
Well then, let’s take a look-see at The Pharaoh’s Curse: The Cameron
Files. This game is a sequel to the wildly successful Secrets
of Loch Ness: The Cameron Files. No, I do not know why the sequel
is not titled Cameron Files 2 and yes, we have already received
numerous letters asking us the same question. But I do know that the
trailer
and the screenshots are very impressive. I also know that the press
release reads as follows:

An Ancient Evil Awakes…
and the Pharaoh no longer slumbers. Investigate the disappearance
of the Pharaoh. An ancient ritual revisited awakens a Pharaoh long
dead and entombed. You must piece together the clues to discover
the real reason why the mummy is missing. Investigate the kidnapping
of one of the members of an archeological team, travel the Nile
on a steamboat, explore the Cairo Museum of Antiquities, and meet
a cast of interesting characters… and solve the mystery behind
the empty tomb. Exotic locations, danger and intrigue await you
in the mysterious sands of Egypt.

* Explore the beautifully
detailed environments: from a Nile steamboat to the secret temple
of Mâat
* A complex mystery and a progressive investigation, with a touch
of the supernatural, combined for a rich storyline
* A gripping graphical adventure certain to capture the imagination
* Original score and wonderfully immersive ambient sounds

Finally
in the Dreamcatcher booth was Curse of Atlantis Thorgal’s Quest.
Now I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t get enough of
these Atlantis-titled games so I have some suggestions for future
products. Sure to be a best seller would be Atlantis: Attack of
the Clones, and of course, who could pass on Spider-Man vs.
Atlantis or of course, The Riddle of the Atlantis Stone: Cameron
Files? But enough of my giving away these wonderful suggestions
for free! Thorgal was the only Cryo adventure product at the
E3 and it appears to have been developed on the same engine as the
Arthur’s Knights games as evidenced by these screenshots. As
to what the game is about, well let’s ask our friend, Mr. Press Release:

Set off-course by
a terrible storm, Thorgal Aegirsson, a mighty Viking warrior, meets
a mysterious old man who shows him a mirror in which he can see
his own future. The vision he sees is horrific: Thorgal is about
to kill his own son… In the face of all elements, men and Gods,
and at all costs, Thorgal must return home immediately to dispel
the evil upon his family. He will confront every danger and travel
through time and space to protect his loved ones and solve the mystery
surrounding this vision.

An adventure beyond
compare, with an original storyline and universe with well-known
characters and locations from Viking mythology.

* A perfect blend
of adventure and action with unequaled 3D graphics and fluid animation
* Many graphically immersive environments to explore
* Multiple paths are integrated into the captivating storyline
* Engaging and challenging quests to complete and numerous intriguing

characters to interact with.

Hey, there’s no mention
of Atlantis in that press release! How do we know that Thorgal isn’t
traveling through Egypt, or even worse, Pittsburgh?

Nancy Drew was also lurking
about the shadows of the convention center showing off screenshots
from her newest adventure The Scarlet Hand. We hear that not
only is this Nancy’s most complex mystery to date, but there is also
a huge surprise included in the game for fans of Just Adventure! You
are on your own to uncover this wonderful Easter Egg. We just got
our hands on the final version of this game and so far it seems to
be the best in the series.

Arxel Tribe had a host
of new screens
and gameplay from Ring 2. Benoit Rullier detailed the changes
that have been made to this sequel in response to criticisms about
the first installment. If only all companies were so receptive to
the wants of adventure gamers, we would have more adventure games
that were not so wanting. Ring 2 will be a must-have for lovers
of classical music and also for those who are intrigued by the following
press release:

RING
II – Twilight of Gods

THE LEGEND OF SIEGFRIED…

Out of the darkest forests
at the top of the world comes the legend of a lost child who knows
no fear…
Of a broken sword in need of reforging.
Of the boy’s fight with a dragon, the guardian of a ring whose power
he will wield.
Discover the Golden Age of Siegfried, as he slays giants, defies
the great powers, wins the love of the Walkyrie, and brings about
her downfall in the Twilight of the Gods.

… AND THE RING
OF POWER

Two years after the award-winning
“Ring – The Legend of the Nibelungen,” graphic artist
Philippe Druillet and Arxel Tribe team up again to bring to life
the legend of Siegfried, thus ending the interactive cycle based
on Wagner’s masterpiece.

“The Ring of
the Nibelungen” which has its roots in the Scandinavian Mythology
was first compiled by the brothers Grimm to serve later as libretto
for Wagner’s monumental opera. This legend was also one of the main
sources for Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (especially for the central
problem of the cursed ring of power).

The visual identity of
the game coupled with Wagner’s magnificent score gives the game
a real creative touch.

A GRAND ADVENTURE
GAME

CINERGY™ engine:
Real-time 3D Characters & SFX on high definition pre-rendered
backgrounds.

ARXEL’s Adventure
know-how and experience at its best.

Fluid gameplay
aimed at a real cinematographic feel reinforced by 30 minutes of
spectacular cut scenes.

The focus is on contextual
enigmas vs. hard puzzles. Ring 2 is a very rich interactive
experience that underlines the range of enigmas and the way they
are slotted into the developing story.

Richly-detailed
characters (gods, heroes, dwarves, villains, wild beasts, dragons,
ogres…) and more than 25 main settings (dark forests, castles,
harbors, etc) have been designed by Druillet in his flamboyant
style.

RING 2 is a door
to another world that offers players a spectacular journey and a fresh
look at an eternal tale.

Jazz
& Faust from 1C made an appearance in the hall-that-no-one-can-pronounce-the-name-of
and I find it baffling that no one has had the courage to purchase
the North American publishing rights to this inventive and beautiful
game. We have just received the gold master for this game and so far
it looks to be a winner.

Sharing space in this same
hall was the long-awaited Zelenghorm.
It looks as though it has been worth the wait as the gaming universe
has been enriched with even more characters and better full-motion
video. A series of books is also being written that will be released
simultaneously with each episode of the game. It is this type of creative
thinking that is responsible for long-running franchises.

Finally, Konami was showing
screenshots from their pc conversion of Shadow Of Destiny.
This mysterious time-traveling game is pure adventure and if you hurry
you can still read our review
of the PS2 version. I applaud Konami for having the courage to port
this console game to pc and hopefully other console companies will
follow their lead.

Next week we’ll take a
look at some of the more innovative action/adventure games at the
E3 including: Jack the Ripper, Mistmare, P.O.W.,
Curse of Isis, Full Throttle 2, The Collector,
Inquisition, Shenmue 2, Project Ego and Psychonauts.

(for E3 2002 floor pictures
click here)