Articles

THE STATE
OF ADVENTURE GAMING – DECEMBER 2001

By Randy Sluganski

ADVENTURE GAMES – THE
GENRE THAT DOES SELL!

From PC Data, the official
sales figures for select adventure games for the month of October,
2001. The first number is the total sold for the month. The second
number is the total sold for the year 2001. Figures do not include
online purchases or sales outside of North America. For a complete
list of all adventure games sold for the month of October go here.

TWO, TWO – TWO ADVENTURE
COLUMNISTS IN ONE

By now you’ve probably
noticed that we’ve been blessed with not one, but two syndicated journalists
whose columns now appear on alternating Fridays.

Game GuyMark
Walker, aka The Game Guy,
is the author of over 40 books and game guides. Mark is a veteran
interactive journalist who has a knack for cutting through the hyperbole
that permeates the game industry while never letting us forget that
real life is always more fun than any game. No his column does not
concentrate on the adventure genre per se, but there is more to life
than adventure games (did I just say that!?).

Jeff
Strand’s column is appropriately titled ‘The
Seriously Whacked Point of View‘ and he at least pretends to be
writing about adventure games by using the word adventure at least
once in every column so that we will pay him. Jeff is the author of
several comedy/horror novels and has been referred to by many (well,
mostly by me) as ‘The Rodney Dangerfield of Horror.’ He is the only
person I know who can make you laugh and puke at the same time – and
that is only after looking at his picture.

Either way, it’s a win/win
situation for our readers as we continue our tradition of presenting
only the best in gaming columnists and reviewers.

NOW WHAT WILL I WRAP
MY FISH IN?

Take heed PC Gamer, Computer
Gaming World, et al, for Next Generation magazine has published its
last issue! Whatever will we do now that there is one less magazine
bashing adventure games?

So how could a magazine
that catered to the hardcore gamer go under? They surely did not seem
to lack for advertisers. Could it possibly be that the changing demographics
of gaming was not reflected by their twenty-something, all-male staff?
Could it also be that this new breed of gamers wants to read about
more than first-person shooters and action games? Or possibly readers
other than myself were questioning why and how a magazine could run
a 5-6 page preview of a game and then offer only a half-page, if that,
review of the final retail product of the same game. Or how a game
that was not even present at the E3, except for a small movie clip,
could be named ‘Best Game of Show.’

But whatever the reasons,
the writing is on the wall. Maybe the day has finally arrived when
companies with deep pockets will no longer be able to ‘influence’
the subject of gaming magazine covers or purchase premium shelf space
at Comp USA or Electronics Boutique. And maybe I’ll find Pamela Lee
Anderson stuffed in my Christmas stocking this year (For an excellent
dissection on the closing of Next Generation, visit Fatbabies,
click on stories and read the article titled ‘The Slow and Painful
Death of Imagine Media’)

THE MAGIC EIGHT BALL SAYS…

We
constantly receive inquiries as to what games are or are not in production.
Oft times we are sworn to secrecy only to have one of the larger sites
or magazines “scoop” us when the developers decide to bypass
their loyal adventure crowd in hopes of hooking the bigger mainstream
fish (which as we all know, never happens). So in the interest of
reducing the amount of emails I receive:

Zork – Outlook Hazy.
Rumor has it there have been some clandestine meetings at Activision
and we know for a fact that a few inquiries were made at the E3 concerning
a new entry in this granddaddy of all adventure games, but interest
seems to have died away.

Tex Murphy – Outlook
Not So Good. For a company that has yakked endlessly about reinventing
gaming with it’s X-Box, Microsoft seems to be more of a sheep in wolf’s
clothing. Despite the best efforts of Tex creator’s Jones and Connors
(Tex Murphy Radio, numerous petitions) as long as Microsoft holds
the rights to Tex he seems doomed to never solve another case.

The Real Neverending
Story – It Is Certain. Soon to be released in Europe, this once
pure adventure game has been turned into a platform jumper and undergone
a name change. North American distribution is still doubtful.

Myst IV – As I See It,
Yes. Not only is there a full-script for this game, but rumor
has it that Ubi-Soft is currently developing the game in one of its
Canadian studios, eh. Look for an announcement at next year’s E3.

Crystal Key 2, Riddle
of the Sphinx 2 – Without A Doubt. Both in pre-production, though
neither has yet to be officially announced. Look for possible year-end
2002 releases.

King’s Quest – Don’t
Count On It. Thanks to the success of the King’s Quest
remake, there have been corporate rumblings at Vivendi, but nothing
of substance. Almost 70,000 units of the 4-year old King’s Quest:
Mask Of Eternity have sold since the release of the King’s
Quest remake. C’mon Vivendi, there’s still money to be milked
from this franchise.

Syberia – You May Rely
On It. Big plans are afoot for the mid-2002 release of Syberia.
If only all companies had the foresight of Microids when it came to
publicizing adventure products.

Watchmaker & Tony
Tough – My Reply Is No. Neither of these wonderful games has yet
to find a North American distributor and most likely will not until
the misinformed negative attitude regarding adventure game sales in
North America changes.

Runaway & Hollywood
Monsters – Very Doubtful. The distribution company, Dinamic
Multimedia has closed its doors and it is highly unlikely that
we will soon see either of these games translated into English for
North American distribution (There is an unreleased German version,
an English petition for its release is here.
Of course, if they had done a better job of responding to some of
the North American companies that contacted them, they may not be
in the dire straights in which they currently find themselves.

Jerusalem & Versailles
2 – Don’t Count On It. The limited appeal of these two historical
games make it highly unlikely that they will be released in North
America. Versailles 2 is currently available in Europe.

Simon 3D – My Sources
Say No. You will be old and sprout whiskers longer than ZZ Top’s
before this game is released.

Hitchcock – Yes, Definitely.
Already released in Europe, we are informed that Hitchcock will soon
announce a North American distributor. Rumor has it that Ubisoft has
purchased the rights, but they have yet to respond to our inquiries.

??? – Ask Again Later.
This sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed series of all-time
is still under lock and key, but we know, we just can’t tell – yet.

BO DEREK HAS NOTHING ON JA

We are currently compiling
more of our ‘Top 10’ adventure lists (which, besides my charming photograph,
are the most popular attractions on JA) and are looking for some reader
input. If you have any suggestions for additions to the following
lists, then please submit them along with a sentence or two as to
why you feel your selection deserves to be so honored to [email protected].
Now without further ado, the lists:

The 10 Best Adventure Games

The 10 Worst Adventure Games
The Dungeon of Shame Top 10
The 10 Funniest Adventure Games
The 10 Best Action/Adventure Games
10 More of the Best Adventure Games (Almost) No One Has Ever Played

WALK THIS WAY

Our request for walkthroughs
has been a rip-roaring success with over 100 walkthroughs added to
our database in the past month alone. Aussie Alex Tait, our walkthrough
editor, has done a masterful job of acquiring new walkthroughs from
readers worldwide, much of which can be attributed to his excellent
column, “So
You Want To Be Famous.” If you’re interested in submitting
a walkthrough to JA, or just have a question about a particular game
then drop line down under to [email protected].

On the home front, Jennifer
Miller is now writing exclusive walkthroughs for Just Adventure and
they are worth reading for the entertainment value alone. Don’t believe
me, then read her newest walkthrough for Arthur’s
Knights 2, it’s as funny as it is informative.

Finally, JA has just become
the new home of one of the internet’s most popular walkthrough authors
– Crash. Keep your eyes peeled for a new section titled ‘Crash4Ever’
coming soon!

CLICK ON THOSE BANNERS OR WE’LL SHOOT YOUR DOG

A
lot of readers write and ask what they can do to support Just Adventure
and the adventure genre. Not only is the answer simple, but it won’t
cost you a penny! First, subscribe to our newsletter. The more subscribers
we have, the more impressed are potential advertisers. Second, click
on those banners on our site. Right now. You don’t have to buy anything
and it won’t hurt to look. Honest. We don’t support the type of banners
that hide pop-ups and all of that other garbage, but we do need a
higher click-through ratio soon. Unfortunately, many of the same narrow-minded
dunderheads who ruined the dot.com industry (not to mention their
own webzines), still erroneously believe that banner click-throughs
are the most telling characteristic of a site’s popularity. In our
humble opinion, the fact that a company’s advertising banners are
being seen by thousand of readers, and the fact that we are one of
the few webzines that actively promotes the adventure genre in a positive
manner, is of far more influence than any amount of click-throughs.
What is of more importance in the long run – that 80,000+ consumers
read a balanced review of your product or that 20,000 visitors clicked
on a banner? Why is it that some companies are happier to have their
product unfairly bashed in a review that will be read by half-a-million
people as long as that site generates 50,000 click-throughs? Seems
slightly counter-productive does it not? But forgive me, for as I
usually do, I have wandered from the subject. The bottom line is this
– every time you visit the site, click on a banner. Third, when you
visit a forum or chat room, send an email to another webzine or magazine,
or anytime when you find yourself talking about adventure games: mention
Just Adventure. Drive potential new visitors to the site. Of course
not doing any of the above doesn’t matter much in the overall view
of world events, but not doing so could mean you will soon have one
less adventure site to visit.

FORUM’S NOT A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW

Our
much beloved JA Forum is on a temporary hiatus, but for those of you
whom need your daily forum fix we suggest in the interim you visit
the good folks over at GameBoomers.
Boasting one of the largest active adventure communities on the internet,
GameBoomers is a collection of some of Just Adventure and the adventure
genres biggest supporters. Take a moment to stop by and give props
to Bob, Witchen, Syd, Jen100 and all of the other moderators who run
a forum that is all lean and no fat.

OUR FINAL ATTEMPT (THIS YEAR) TO GET CHEAP HITS THROUGH SEARCH
ENGINES

This is usually when we
do a paragraph or two exploiting the phrases that show up the most
in our search engine. In the spirit of the season, I have decided
to forego such a cheap attempt to gain more hits and have instead
decided that the time is overdo to spotlight the wonderful staff members
of Just Adventure. So without further ado:

Harriet Gurganus, when
not out popping wheelies on her motorcycle, is the editor of our ‘Upcoming
Releases’ section and does an occasional preview. Her warm personality
has allowed her to develop a rapport with developers worldwide that
has gained JA many a scoop. Recently, she even posted an article about
a new game starring Pamela Anderson Lee.

Ray Ivey is the master
of all genres. Not content to play every adventure game in existence,
he now has also made it his goal to also conquer all rpgs. Smarter
than Ben Stein and better looking than Alex Trebek, Ray has recently
been heard extolling the virtues of the new Lord of the Rings movie.

Cindy Kyser is the keeper
of the popular Eye on Adventure column. She is also the only one on
the staff who receives nice emails. Of course if I looked like her,
I would probably receive warm, fuzzy emails also. Cindy recently purchased
a Microsoft X-Box just in case they ever develop an adventure game
for the system.

Tom Houston plays the games
that no one else will touch – you know, them edutainment games. He
has an eye for minutiae and writes the most in-depth reviews you will
ever have the pleasure of reading. Why I’d be willing to bet Tom would
be first in line to play an educational game about Harry Potter.

Adam Rodman, besides being
a high school senior, also writes a monthly column for JA along with
the occasional review. He also pens a column for his local newspaper.
His sense of humor has become more refined over the years and I am
told he often daydreams of the Olsen twins.

Audrey Wells is our resident
college student (every good zine must have one!) and her ‘Just Free
Adventure’ reviews have put many a small developer on the map. Audrey
also wrote a monthly column for Computer Gaming World until they recently
decided that they would pretend that the adventure genre does not
exist. I hear she asked Santa for a Nintendo Gamecube for Christmas.

Alex Tait is JA’s walkthrough
editor. He is the master of the obscure adventure and has written
walkthroughs for games that no one else has ever completed. I have
never even heard of Operation:
Eco Nightmare or Stay
Tooned, yet Alex has conquered both. Thankfully, his wife
has much better taste in games and may even play Return to Castle
Wolfenstein.

Jennifer Miller specializes
in walkthroughs of new games and in a short time has elevated herself
to the top rank of walkthrough authors. Jen insists that her favorite
group is U2, but I think she secretly grooves to Britney Spears.

Matthew Desmond is also
a high-school senior and is well on the way to a career in law enforcement.
His freshness brings a unique perspective to the JA staff. Maybe one
day he will be the prosecuting attorney against Osama Bin Laden.

Valerie Davis is our webmaster
and the keeper of the JAVE. She also became the site’s savior earlier
this year when a few bloated egos spiraled out of control. For no
other reason other than she puts up with me is Val considered a saint
among lesser mortals. She is also the only person I have ever met
who knew the true identity of Sir Lancelot.

As we wind up another year
of adventure gaming, I would like to send best wishes to Rich, Renata
and Annette at Dreamcatcher,
to Bob Stock the best partner in the world and to the numerous p.r.
people who have supported the adventure genre over the years. To you,
our loyal readers, thank you for your support (and click those banners!).
Finally, let’s never forget the men and women who perished in the
World Trade Center and let them always be a reminder that there are
more important things in this world than games.