Articles
Adventure Games
at the E3 – An Exclusive Sneak Peak
By Randy Sluganski
May 7th, 2004
Half-Life
2 – who cares?! Doom 3 – blah. Lucas Arts – who?
The big-name action titles are about to be swamped by the biggest
and best line-up of adventure games to ever be announced at the E3.
We’ll soon post screenshots and trailers from many of these
titles (actually, we have the material now but can’t post it
until the start of the E3), but until then, we’ve compiled
what we think is a comprehensive list.
Probably the biggest
surprises are that Vivendi and Ubisoft both seem to be getting
back into the adventure business in a big way
and that almost every adventure game below has already been signed
to a publishing deal (some not yet announced)!
The biggest news already
is the story that Just Adventure broke this past week that Jane
Jensen’s Gray Matter is indefinitely
on hold. But the good news is her development company’s upcoming
announcement of a new online adventure game – Booby
Trap. Please
read our entire exclusive article )
for more information.
Her Interactive will be showcasing two new entries in the Nancy
Drew series, plus we hear that there will soon be a major announcement
about a big-budget Nancy Drew feature film:
Nancy Drew 10:
The Secret of Shadow Ranch is tentatively scheduled
for an August release. Be prepared to help Nancy solve another mystery
as she investigates rumors of a phantom horse at an Arizona ranch.
And a little birdie tells us that the Just Adventure logo is hidden
somewhere in the game!
Quantic
Dream
will be featuring their newest adventure game – Fahrenheit
. One of our old friends from Arxel Tribe – Guillaume de Fondaumiere – is
hard at work adding the finishing touches. Of particular interest
is that Quantic Dream will be located in the Vivendi/Universal booth.
Hmmm….
Fahrenheit is, according to Vivendi, a spectacular psycho thriller,
set in New-York. For no apparent reason, ordinary people are randomly
killing total strangers with the same ritual and pattern. Lucas Kane
becomes one of these murderers. Finding himself in control of Lucas,
the player is haunted by strange visions and the desperate need to
find out what is happening to him. At the same time he must keep
one step ahead of the police, especially Inspector Carla Valenti
and agent Tyler Miles. A constant interaction with the storyline
makes the story change as a result of your decisions. Fahrenheit gives gamers the unique chance to play both hunter and hunted, which
in turn leads them to speak, explore, interact, fight and confront
unknown dark forces.
Vivendi/Universal will
also be spotlighting party boy Leisure Suit Larry and
his nephew in Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.
We’ve
already posted numerous screenshots for this updated classic and are looking forward to seeing it in
person and meeting the development team. Plus, look forward to interviews
with not only the LSL:MCL development team, but also Leisure Suit
Larry himself.
Legacy will have two new
games – Law & Order: Justice
is Served and Law & Order: Criminal
Intent. Both games are based
on the award-winning television show and will be distributed by Vivendi/Universal.
They’re also promising a sneak of E.R., based on the long-running
television series.
Konami will
take us on another tour of Silent Hill in
the 4th installment of the series – The
Room.
The best survival horror series of all-time takes a turn for the
even stranger as you find yourself trapped in your own cursed apartment.
Frogwares is
bringing along Sherlock
Holmes and the Silver Earring.
Our sources tell us that it is very possible that a North American
publisher for Sherlock will be announced at the E3.
UbiSoft will
finally be unveiling Myst 4: Revelation – a suspenseful adventure full of twists and turns that finally answers
questions left hanging since the beginnings of the Myst® series.
We’ve been promised a personal tour of the game by Rand Miller
himself. It doesn’t get any better than that!
CSI Miami will also be on display from UbiSoft. The best-selling
CSI games have almost single-handedly revived interest in the adventure
genre as they appeal to a whole new demographic, the casual gamer.
Russian-based Buka
has the intriguing Pathologic, a unique horror/adventure that promises
to directly affect the player’s
state of mind as a lethal disease contaminates an isolated town.
From the Czech Republic,
Cenega – known for Fairy
Tale about Father Frost, Ivan and Nastya will
be showing Gooka:
The Mystery of Janatris,
a point-and-click adventure about a man with telepathic abilities
who must solve the mystery surrounding his son’s disappearance.
Microids is promising three new adventure games at the E3:
First up is the X-box
console version of Syberia 2.
It will be interesting to note if any ‘extras’ have
been added to the console version to entice sales.
Next is Mortifilia, a survival/horror adventure that is known as
Obscure in Europe. This game will have a multi-platform release on
the PS2, X-Box and PC.
Finally is the intriguing Still
Life, a murder-mystery adventure
game with an updated Syberia engine.
The Westerner
will have his trigger finger on his six-shooter, but a showdown won’t
be necessary as we understand a publishing deal has been secured
with a soon-to-be announced North American publisher.
The Adventure
Company will – as
usual – feature the most new adventure games in development:
Aura: Fate
of the Ages promises an incredible
storyline and magnificent graphics. An ancient legend promises great
strength, power and immortality to the one who combines the sacred
artifacts of the ages with four magical rings. Players embark on
a journey across four worlds in search of these hidden artifacts,
unlocking new mystifying worlds as the journey unfolds.
Dark Fall: Lights
Out follows the story of Parker, a young cartographer sent to work
in the Cornish harbor town of Trewarthen. Falling rocks
have claimed the lives of many of the town’s fishermen, and
Parker is sent to map the area, only to encounter great hostility
from the townspeople. When the faithful light of Fetch Rock Lighthouse
suddenly goes out, Parker discovers the Lighthouse hides an ancient
and chilling secret…
The sequel to Dark
Fall: The Journal,
the title offers more than 50 realistic pre-rendered locations to
explore in an unnerving ghost story weaved with multiple subplots.
Players will encounter a virtual cast of characters and observe and
interact with spectral beings in this adventure thriller.
Atlantis Evolution
is the first episode of a new Atlantis series that features a range
of engaging and challenging puzzles to solve, across five fascinating
destinations, each with its own culture and mysteries.
The story is set in 1904,
where our hero, Curtis Hewitt, is on his way back to New York.
A young adventurer and photographer, Curtis
gets himself caught in a vortex that sends him to the heart of the
lost city of Atlantis…A stranger in a land of hi-tech and archaic
faith, Curtis must help the people of Atlantis survive by overthrowing
the mighty ‘Atlantian’ Gods.
Missing – released
in Europe as In
Memoriam
– is an interesting game. Journalist, Jack Lorski, and his companion
disappear while investigating a string of gruesome murders. Soon
after their disappearance, Jack’s agency receives a disturbing
CD-ROM containing footage he captured during his investigation. More
than just a CD, this disc is in-fact the beginning of a terrifying
game with a maniacal killer known only as “The Phoenix.”
Missing offers an innovative
blend of Windows® gameplay and
the internet to immerse players in this elaborate game of cat and
mouse. Players will receive actual email from virtual characters
and The Phoenix himself offering important clues. Players will also
visit a wealth of real websites and fictitious sites created solely
for the game to obtain valuable information vital to solving the
case.
Finally, there is a possibility
that TAC may also feature either Riddle of the Sphinx 3 or a new
Jules Verne game that we can’t
yet name, but it has something to do with an island. Mysterious,
isn’t it?
GotGame Entertainment has
promised a private sneak peak of Michael Clark’s The
Arrangement one of Just Adventure’s Independent Developer’s featured
games, RHEM 2, the sequel to last years surprise hit and the pc version
of Alida.
LucasArts, oops, we won’t make fools of ourselves by visiting
them, but you can be sure that the ‘can’t take a hint’ fanboys
will be pestering them about reasons for the Sam ‘n
Max 2 cancellation.
May the Force be with them!
Finally, Funcom will be presenting a new trailer and screenshots
from Dreamfall, the long-awaited sequel to The
Longest Journey. Scheduled
for a Fall 2005 release, Dreamfall is set in the 23rd Century, where
a young woman accidentally uncovers a conspiracy related to dreams
that may herald the destruction of the twin worlds of science and
magic. Confronted by mysteries that she cannot resolve on her own,
she must seek assistance from the one person who might have the answers:
April Ryan, the heroine of The Longest
Journey.
But that’s not all! We may also be meeting with Charles Cecil
(Broken Sword), Al Lowe (Leisure
Suit Larry), Chris Jones (Tex Murphy)
and a few others who we can’t yet reveal. So check back often
on the only adventure site to host new screenshots, demos and trailers
from all of your most anticipated adventure games – Just Adventure.
