Adventure Games at the E3 An Exclusive Sneak Peak – Article
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.
