1999 JA+ Awards
The Year in Adventure Gaming–1999
By JA+ Staff
As per our yearly tradition, we have eschewed a year-end “best of” column in favor of asking the staff for their educated opinions on the past year in adventure gaming. Most “best of” articles tend to be written just so a writer or magazine can get his/her/its name quoted on a box or in an advertisement. We think it presumptuous to limit our choices to one per category just for the satisfaction of publicity. Realizing that our readers have favorite reviewers and columnists on the staff, we have, instead of constricting ourselves to staid categorization, asked for individual lists comprised of whatever the author felt merited attention. Plus, the fact that no one could possibly play every game released makes most “best of” lists an individual’s choice rather than a staff decision. I am not sure what to expect, but leave behind your expectations of what comprises a “Best of” list and join us as we present The Year in Adventure Gaming–1999.
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| Adam Rodman | Harriet Gurganus | Ray Ivey | Darcy Danielson | |
Adam is the youngest member of the staff, but you would never know it from his well-written and researched articles and reviews. His future in the industry will only be limited by his imagination, and from what he has so far shown his talent is boundless.
Greatest Cure for Insomnia
Amerzone. What exactly was the point of this game? While you were supposed to return a “White Bird Egg” to a river (quite an … interesting plot in itself), it was more of wandering through a forest picking up random objects to solve seemingly random puzzles. It’s like Myst on drugs … some pretty pictures and a lot of mouse-clicking.
Most Hyped Adventure Game
Gabriel Knight 3. Though Gabriel Knight 3 was a good game, it is undeniable that there was a lot of hype surrounding it. While this is probably due to the fact that GK3 was published by Sierra (a big company with a big advertising budget), the advertising probably increased the sales.
Best Instance of Adventure Being Mixed with Another Genre
Outcast. Traditionally, action-adventures suck. They are almost all combat and the little “adventure” they have is jumping puzzles. Outcast changed this. Finally, communicating with characters was important again, as was inventory and story. Overall, it is a true example of action-adventure.
The “Oh No! Not Again!” Award (Or the “Beating a Dead Horse” Award)
Myst Masterpiece Edition. Myst has been around for several years now–it was a bad game back then, and guess what? It’s bad now! Cyan re-released Myst for what? So a bunch of die-hard fans could waste more money on a game they already had? Apparently so …
Worst Use of a Movie License
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine–ah, Indiana Jones. After The Fate of Atlantis, I wondered how LucasArts could screw up The Infernal Machine. Apparently, they found a way. Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine was Tomb Raider with Indy. Publishers should finally get this into their heads–we don’t need more jumping puzzles!
Shortest Game
The Forgotten. Despite what many reviewers said, The Forgotten was not a bad game. However, it was short. Very short. The average adventure gamer wants some substantial gameplay for his/her gaming dollar.
Agewise, Harriet is the senior member of our staff, but she is the youngest in gaming years. She only recently discovered the mysterious allure of the adventure genre and is now a devoted gamer. Her Upcoming Releases list is not only the best I have ever seen on an adventure site, but also the most comprehensive I have every seen anywhere.
Favorite Adventure Game of the Year
Nancy Drew: Stay Tuned for Danger. Good plot, offers a selection of difficulty levels, easy to navigate, and it does not take itself too seriously. Nevertheless, it is a solid and refreshing game.
Worst Gaming Experience of the Year
I purchased Chine: The Forbidden City directly from Cryo. I even made it successfully through an order procedure that was all in French. That may have been the best part of the game for me.
Cryo described Chine as a 3D, visually spectacular adventure game. Perhaps I expected too much, but the following is why I was disappointed.
All areas of the Imperial City seemed much the same to me, and I found very little personal sense of direction. I honestly could not tell if I was coming or going or what hallway I was in, in relation to where I wanted to go. I have played many games with mazes and mapping systems. The mapping system in Chine was awkward and confusing. I attempted to use it but rarely succeeded. The game advertised over 30 characters. There may have been that many but, to me, there was little artistic originality to their faces. Their clothing was rendered in different colors, and that did help me somewhat. The only facial motion visible when a character spoke was movement of the lower jaw. The conversation looked very artificial, as most of it was delivered in full frontal face close-ups. I could not become involved in the story. That was probably due to the above issues, which really disturbed my concentration.
In the spirit of fair evaluation, I found the following game features to be good to excellent: There is a separate reference section that I believe to be historically accurate. A hyperlinked encyclopedia of Imperial China is available. The player may opt to tour the Forbidden City in lieu of playing the game.
I played less than half of this game. I had looked forward to it immensely and was very sorry that I ever purchased it. I sent it to a friend in Indiana. She seems to be enjoying it.
Ray is the newest, and the most prolific, member of the Just Adventure staff. He is one of the few reviewers I know who actually has a following. When asked for his choices, the usually verbose Mr. Ivey was surprisingly concise in his comments.
Best Adventure Game
Gabriel Knight 3.
Best Action/Adventure Game
Outcast.
Best Use of Music
Faust.
Best Garage Game
Cracking the Conspiracy.
Best, Most Improved Series
Nancy Drew.
Two People We Most Want to See Someone Hire and Throw a Lot of Money At
Jane Jensen and Tim Schaefer.
Worst Coverage of Our Genre at a Big Fat Site
GameSpot.
Best Fan Site
GameBoomers (especially for their innovative feature, Independents Day).
Worst New Game
Comer.
New Games We’re Most Eager to Play Sequels Of
Inherent Evil, Outcast.
New Genre That Should Be Officially Recognized as Such
Action/adventure.
Most Underrated Major Release
Prince of Persia 3D.
Game Company of the Year
Obvious tie between DreamCatcher and Cryo.
Company We Expect Great Things from in 2000
SouthPeak.
Darcy is our resident Mac expert (mainly because she is the only one among us who owns a Mac!). Her encyclopedic knowledge and twisted sense of humor dovetail nicely with the Just Adventure motto–We’re all here for the fun and games. An avid collector and coffee swiller, Darcy’s emphasis on detail has led to her recently being asked to beta-test upcoming games.
Best of 1999–from the Mac Side
1999 was both good and bad for the Mac gamer. Good, as there was an increase in adventure titles for the Mac player. Bad, as they were not on the usual store shelves, and one had to be a bit savvy in finding and sampling new releases available. Here are the hits and misses for the gaming year from the Mac world.
Best Insanely Great Indie Mac Titles of 1999
Two titles were definitely at the top of the list as they were made exclusively for Mac and made very available by way of demos for the Mac user in the know: The Castle, published by Blue Line Studios, and Nightfall by Altor Systems Inc. Both of these games turned out to be very playable, and a good time was had by all.
Best Mac Print Magazine Adventure Demos of 1999
MacAddict magazine’s disk. Consistently publishing adventure and adventure+ demos of such major releases such as The Forgotten, Nethergate, Traitor’s Gate, and Dark Vengeance, and how else would we have learned the glories of playing the Nightfall demo (one of the major indie Mac releases of ’99), as well as plenty of adventure shareware titles, show that MacAddict, a major print publication, is devoted to full Mac gaming coverage. Runner-up: Macformat, which was able to back up the tease of a Traitor’s Gate demo in its August 99 issue with an honest-to-God release by Dreamcatcher in the UK, and which gave good coverage to the major releases of the year.
Worst Major Mac Print Publication Due to Virtually Ignoring Mac Adventure Gaming in 1999
Macworld. What? You’re not just working on your Mac? You want to play? Okay, here’s a gun, go kill something. Christopher Breen, covering all that is Mac gaming there, in the November issue gleefully embraces Half-Life, Quake III: Arena, Unreal Tournament, Tomb Raider III, Diablo II, and Oni as the Christmas season gaming titles for the Mac, ignoring the half-dozen adventure games that had come out or were about to come out.
Best Company Publishing Mac Adventure Titles in North America 1999
Dreamcatcher Interactive. I just want to say Bravo! With the ’99 release of The Crystal Key and The Forgotten, as well as distribution announcements in October, November, and December for Lotus Spring, Traitor’s Gate, and The Riddle of the Sphinx, Dreamcatcher tops off the tank. I feel like a cat in a tuna factory.
Best Company Publishing Mac Adventure Titles in Europe
Cryo Interactive for continuing to support the European Mac adventure gamer with its most recent release, Faust. Now just get those puppies imported stateside, boys!
Worst Mac Shun by a Major Gaming Publisher in 1999
Sierra. These kind of shenanigans from a company that used to port virtually all of its titles to Mac made me want to do what my mother told me I used to as a very small tike: hold my breath ’til I got what I wanted or passed out in the process. Of course, for all Sierra cares, I could just go ahead, pass out, smack my head on the way down, and kill myself. Sheeesh! Runner up: Lucas Arts. Ditto.
Best Virtual Store to Find Mac Adventure Titles in 1999
New: 999Software.com. Get Riven, JP3, as well as a half dozen other good solid Mac titles for $10 each? Where do I sign up? Runner up: Mac-O-Rama, stocking many hard-to-find adventure games. Used: eBay. Whoever it was that found over 70 classic Mac adventure games there last year, thereby all but completing her quest to own every adventure title ever ported to a Mac, shall forever remain nameless.
Worst Virtual Store to Find Mac Adventure Titles in 1999
UGOdirect.com. Hey, I didn’t know that Lode Runner 2 and Deer Hunter were adventure titles, did you?
Worst Big Mac Adventure Release of 1999
Logicware, which went to all the trouble to buy the rights from Activision for Zork: Grand Inquisitor, released it, but didn’t tell anyone. Logicware–what were you thinking? Is this some kind of tax write-off? Ugh. Cover my eyes. I can’t watch.
Best Mac Shareware Adventure Title of 1999
Palace 1.4 by Louise Hope. I could wander around in here all day.
Best Mac Hint/Walkthrough Database Program 1999
Robert Edvardsson’s essential Codebook continues to take care of Mac gamers, and you get to download and keep it, no less. Check it out. Runner up: UHS for Mac. The Universal Hint System continues to dole ’em out as you need ’em.
Between rounds of golf and vacations to Florida, Tom fills out his life of leisure by playing adventure games. Complementing his professional life as a CEO, Tom prefers games that offer educational value. He is a master at simplifying the complex and an avid game collector to boot.
Best Game of 1999 (Based on Those That I Have Played and I Haven’t Played GK3 Yet)
Faust. I liked that it had its roots in classic literature and built a fascinating story in seven interesting and riveting episodes around these roots. The graphic presentation was as good as it gets, and the puzzles were excellent and always integral to the progression through the story.
Seldom at a loss for words, Jen is the Yin to my Yang. She is more invaluable to JA than anyone realizes. While I have the visions, it is she who implements them. Her unwavering devotion to JA and the adventure genre is worthy of innumerable platitudes.
The “Way to Go, You Can Start Counting My Dollars” Award for Best Game Publisher
It’s a three-way tie between DreamCatcher, SouthPeak, and Cryo, all of which continue to release a steady stream of high-quality adventure games despite the continuous proclamation that adventure games are dead. You know, I have been playing adventure games for the past five years or so, and I heard that same lament when I started, and yet to my eyes, the adventure genre is not only alive and kicking but actually thriving, which leads me to my next award.
The “Shut Your Pie Hole” Award for Shut Up Already Would You?
Goes to the hordes of naysayers out there who constantly decry the death of the adventure game in the newsgroups, on the bulletin boards, and, yes, even on reputable web sites and in print magazines. Meanwhile I sit here playing my numerous recently released adventure games and loving every minute.
The “Surely You Jest–Get a Clue” Award for Stupidest Trend of the Year
All of the web sites compiling lists of “Greatest Games of the Millennium” or even “Greatest Games of the Century” when nobody can make much of a case for computer games’ existence beyond the last 20 years or so. “Greatest Games of the Decade,” maybe, or even “Greatest Games of the Score” (as in “fourscore and seven years ago”–a score is 20 years for you incognizant-of-arcane-measurements types out there), but anything beyond that is mere puffery.
The “This Has Nothing to Do with Games but It’s Stupid Anyway and Deserves to Be Mocked” Award for Yet Another Nod to Political Correctness
In an effort to placate non-Christians throughout the world, the powers that be (whoever they are) came up with a new abbreviation: instead of B.C., which is commonly understood to mean “before Christ,” I have seen creeping into our vernacular the initials “BCE.” The first time I saw it, I thought it was a typo, but I looked it up and it means “Before Common Era.” Give me a break!
The “On One Hand, It’s the End of an Era, but on the Other Hand, it May Not Be Such a Bad Thing” Award for the Demise of the Giants
Sierra’s recent change of focus to other than adventure games and the recent resignation of several of the big-name game designers at LucasArts opens the field for the little guys. While these two corporate giants have been largely responsible for the development of the adventure game as a genre, maybe the fact that they are no longer dictating the trends and defining our tastes in adventure games is a good thing because now smaller developers will not be intimidated and overshadowed. These smaller developers will probably be happy to turn any profit, and they will not call a game a failure because it didn’t sell in the millions of copies or the millions of dollars. Remember, Sierra and LucasArts were once “little guys,” too.
The “Most Fun I’ve Had on a Web Site” Award for, Well, the Most Fun I’ve Had on a Web Site
Goes to GameBoomers, particularly their bulletin board. I have met a great group of people there, the moderators are fantastic, and most importantly, the focus is on adventure games. Now that the adventure games Usenet group is flooded with an endless stream of inanities and personal correspondence resembling that lowest of Internet uses, a chat room, I have completely abandoned it in favor of GameBoomers. Thank you, GameBoomers, for providing such a superior alternative!
The “Why Bother?” Award for Worst Game of the Year
Doesn’t exist. I am pleased to say that although many games were less than perfect, I did not play any truly stinky new releases over the past year. The down side of this is that Randy did not get any fodder for the Dungeon of Shame.
And Finally, the “It May Not Be Regaled as the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread but It’s Certainly My Favorite” Award for Best Game of 1999
Goes to Rent-A-Hero, a European-only release that will be distributed in North America by SouthPeak in February 2000. Rent-A-Hero was too short and fairly easy, but the graphics were fantastic, the story and puzzles were fun, and I really had a blast with it.
When Randy speaks, the readers sit up and beg for more. Wait a second! What’s with the dog-trick similes? What I meant to say is that Randy is truly the driving force behind Just Adventure. (Roll over, there’s a good boy.) But seriously, whether you love him or hate him, you can’t deny that no other single person has been as influential in keeping adventure games in the public eye. In addition to his work on JA+, Randy is the founder of the Adventure Coalition, which fosters cooperation and mutual respect between the best adventure sites on the Internet and will soon become a force to be reckoned with. So here’s his gaming year in review. (Arf.)
Best Adventure Game of the Year
Faust. For daring to be different, for daring to incorporate mature adult themes and subject matter in an adventure game. Finally, a company that recognizes and respects its buying audience.
Best Action/Adventure of the Year
Omikron. It’s not nirvana, but it is original and it tries harder than any game I have played. Well-balanced, thoughtful, and David Bowie to boot!
Best New Trend
Action/adventure games. They’re not yet perfect, but games like Omikron, Wild, Wild West, Prince of Persia 3D, Outcast, et al., are all a step in the right direction.
Most Disturbing News Award
Sales figures for Omikron, Drakan, Soul Reaver, and many other action/adventure games were all disappointing. They were all fine games, which begs the question: did the action gamers stay away because of the puzzles or did the adventure games shy away because of the action?
Most Disturbing News Award 2
The Longest Journey does not and may not ever have an American distributor. An industry that glorifies guns and violence is afraid of a game that portrays adults in a realistic manner.
People Who Give the PR Industry a Good Name Award
Annette Bechamp of DreamCatcher and Bob Chase of SouthPeak are anomalies in the industry–they are both knowledgeable and a pleasure to deal with. Their appreciation for the adventure genre and their openness to suggestions is more appreciated than they will ever know.
Love Us Because We’re French Award
Cryo. We do love you, and your upcoming slate of adventure games is impressive. Now how about improving international relations by making your titles available in North America and providing dependable news updates and review copies to the adventure sites that unfailingly support your efforts.
Magazine That Should Be Printed on Toiler Paper Award
PC Gamer. If nothing else, it has a consistent editorial policy: If it’s an adventure game–scorn it. If it’s by a small company–ridicule it. If it’s by a major publisher–kiss their asses to keep those review copies and junkets coming in.
The You Oughtta Be Ashamed Award
To an industry that is mostly controlled by white twentysomething and middle-aged males. Women and minorities need not apply. Their myopic gaming visions of fast cars, violence, and bimbos will never allow the industry to mature.
Pet Peeve Award
Adventure gamers who become orgasmic whenever adventure haters Gamespot or PC Gamer say something nice about the genre. Why anyone would even validate the opinions of these hypocrites when a group like the Adventure Coalition exists is beyond me. The genre will not be revived until adventure gamers start looking out for and supporting each other and quit frequenting sites and magazines that thrive on bashing adventure games. Lost advertising speaks volumes.
Most Impassioned Readers on the Internet
Every adventure fan who visits Just Adventure or one of the members of the Adventure Coalition. Your support is redefining the industry’s misinformed impressions of who adventure gamers are and what you want in your games. Please continue to speak out so that we know the impact of our combined efforts.
