The State of Adventure Gaming
By Randy Sluganski
November
1999
Biggest
Turkeys of All Time
No, I’m not talking about the Republican and Democrat
nominees for President. This Thanksgiving, JA will name the 10 biggest adventure
turkeys of all time. Games that were heralded as the “next big thing”
or boasted of movie stars galore–and laid an egg. Not enough for you? How about
a list of must-have games for that adventurer on your Christmas list? You still
need more? Try to win a copy of Mindscape’s Prince of Persia 3D personally
autographed by Jordan Mechner! Or how about copies of Dreamcatcher’s newest releases
Nightlong and the DVD version of Lightbringer? Maybe you will be
man (or woman) enough to conquer our “Mother of All Adventure Quizzes”?
Plus, exclusive reviews (and interviews) of new adventure releases from around
the world of The Prince and the Coward (Poland), Belissa (France),
and Faust (France). If none of the above strikes your fancy, then what
the heck are you doing reading an adventure site?
Where
Am I Supposed to Stick this Broom Handle?
For a long time, Just Adventure
was opposed to posting walkthroughs for adventure games, but the readers have
spoken and we now grudgingly acquiesce to their demands. We are now hard at work
collecting walkthroughs for every game we have reviewed. Our new walkthrough section
will also contain hard-to-find or one-of-a-kind walkthroughs for games like The
Scroll, Inherent Evil, and Nightlong. If you have any walkthroughs
you would like to share, just drop us an email. We guarantee you will receive
full credit for your submission. To kick off our new department with a bang, JA
will have available the world’s very first walkthrough of Gabriel Knight 3!
We
Are the World, We Are the Coalition
In unity there is strength, and
the Adventure Coalition has, as predicted, become a force in adventure gaming.
Our unified voice is comprised of the best adventure sites from around the world.
The Coalition has been recognized by numerous publishers and developers as the
collective spokesperson of the adventure community. We work together to promote
every member’s site by providing links and even reprinting articles. This spirit
of “oneness” does not exist on any other gaming sites on the Internet.
Together we will rebuild the positive image of adventure games. Please take the
time to frequent the sites of the other AC members as we proudly present our official
charter:
Adventure
Collective (Canada)
Adventure
Games Hall of Fame (Hungary)
The
Edge (UK)
Game Boomers
(USA)
Game Dame’s
Domain (USA)
Interactive
Fiction (USA)
Just Adventure (USA)
Linda’s
Homepage of Adventure Games (USA)
Mr.
Bill’s Adventure Game Website (USA)
Quandary
Computer Game Reviews (Australia)
Hallelujah! PC
Gamer Has Seen the Light!
Verily the wrath of adventure gamers plagued
the staff of PC Gamer and they were inflicted with boils on their butts.
Unable to stay seated long enough to play any action games, they relented and
crossed over to the good side. Though Michael Wolf has a new job and will no longer
be working specifically for PC Gamer, he will still be penning his monthly
Alternate Reality column, and the January issue will be a don’t-miss, buy-it-at-all-costs
edition. Why? Because Just Adventure and our quest to revive interest in the adventure
genre will be spotlighted! But wait, there’s more! Internet Access–a Sunday newspaper
insert with a readership of 7 million–has decided that Just Adventure is a “Web
Site Worth Watching” and will be featuring JA in one of their November editions.
Not to mention that we will be … well, let’s save some of the good news for
next month!
Gamespittoon Hawks Another Loogie at Adventure Fans
Gamespittoon
should change their official motto to “We hate adventure games and gamers.”
In another of their numerous slaps at the adventure genre, the Gamespittoon editors
ran an article entitled “10 Best Heroes of All Time.” Guess how many
adventure characters were on their list? If you said zero, then you were wrong,
for their myopic editors actually did choose Ben from Full Throttle and Manuel
Calavera from Grim Fandango. In a fury, adventure fans compiled their own list,
and when the dust had settled, the readers’ list featured three adventure heroes
(Gabriel Knight at #6, Roger Wilco at #3, and Guy Threepwood at #1). Gamespittoon
of course professed shock that adventure games were still so popular (especially
since their best attempts to bury them have so far failed), and as a way of showcasing
their in-depth knowledge of the adventure genre, they posted a nice picture of
Gabriel Knight. Only problem was that the picture was actually of Gabriel’s nemesis
Von Glower.
Please
Leave Your Pooper Scooper at the Door
Happy Puppy recently reviewed
Microid’s new adventure release The Amerzone. Tim Maxwell’s review began
thus, “Before I begin this review, I think it’s important to point out that
I’ve never been a big fan of static graphical adventures. To put it bluntly, Myst
bored me almost to tears as did its popular sequel, Riven. That, of
course isn’t to say that these games were bad, but it takes a certain type of
gamer to fully enjoy them. That being said, I didn’t have high hopes for Amerzone:
The Explorer’s Legacy when it arrived at my door a few weeks ago.”
While
I applaud Tim Maxwell for his integrity and his honesty, I must admit I am baffled
by Happy Puppy’s editorial policy. No, I do not want every adventure game review
to be done by a “true believer” who won’t be as critical in their judgment
as they should, but it seems that this is a one-sided issue. Gaming magazines
and webzines seem to have no problem letting nonadventurers review adventure releases,
but have you ever read the following anywhere: “Before I begin this review,
I think it’s important to point out that I’ve never been a big fan of violent
action games. To put it bluntly, Doom bored me almost to tears as did its
popular sequel, Quake. That, of course isn’t to say that these games were
bad, but it takes a certain type of gamer to fully enjoy them.” No–and you
never will. This is yellow journalism at its worse. Sites like these need to be
informed that we will no longer put up with their constant abuse of the adventure
genre.
Mr. Maxwell said it best himself–“it takes a certain type of
gamer to fully enjoy them.” So why not, then, have someone with an appreciation
of and a historical knowledge of the genre do the review. This isn’t brain surgery.
If you are a fan of Stephen King, which would you read–a review by someone who
likes the horror genre or a review by someone who dislikes King and the genre.
It all sounds so simple, doesn’t it?
What Were Those Things with All
the Paper and Printed Words Called–Oh Yeah–Books
If you have any interest
all in designing adventure games, or if you just like to read about game development–then
do I have a book for you–Game Design Secrets of the Sages. Marc Saltzman,
whose work has appeared in USA Today, Next Generation, and dozens of other
publications, has interviewed over 100 industry professionals, from Roberta Williams
to Jane Jensen, and asked them how they got into the industry, what they believe
constitutes a good game, and dozens of other questions. The book is never boring,
nor does it ever erode into techie talk. From puzzle design, to animation, to
product testing–each step of the life cycle of a game is covered in detail. This
is a must-read for anyone who has even a peripheral interest in the computer or
video gaming world. Weighing in at 474 pages for under $20, this book is a steal.
Surf on over to Amazon and have
it delivered to your door in time for Christmas. I do have one question for Marc–I
understand first-person perspective; I understand third-person perspective–what
I don’t understand is in third-person perspective, where is the second person?
And who is this person and why is he/she not playing the game also? (My apologies
to Jerry Seinfeld.)
So’s Yer Sister
Just Adventure has received
a few emails lately complaining that we have been too easy when grading some of
the newer releases. Personally, I have never played a better batch of action/adventure
games than Drakan, System Shock 2, and Outcast. We have yet to even
finish Omikron, The Longest Journey, Gabriel Knight 3, or Faust! What
are we to do? Would you rather we decrease a game’s rating, like some of those
loser sites, because we had to swap a disk or because the load time between screens
was more than 30 seconds? Frankly, we are more concerned about the quality of
the writing, the challenge of the puzzles, and the fun factor than such trivial
matters. So now is your chance: if you disagree with one of our reviews, or even
if you think we neglected an important point, then write one of your own. It does
not have to be novella length. A few hundred words just to get your point across
would be dandy.
SWMLFMFHT
That’s right–our Message Board
is back! Courtesy of GameBoomers,
the newest member of the Adventure Coalition. Thanks to Bob Pshena, webmaster
and owner of GameBoomers, Just Adventure readers will have the opportunity to
talk and meet with adventure gamers from all over the world. Don’t let your visit
end at the adventure message board, though–GameBoomers is a fantastic site for
the “mature” adventurer and can keep you occupied for hours as you meet
gamers who lived when dinosaurs roamed the earth (they have actually played DOS
games!). Stop on by and chew the fat with Ozma, Witchen, MacDee, and the rest
of the GameBoomers regulars. Tell ’em that youngster Randy sent you.
Kids–Do
Not Try This At Home!
If you have the December issue of Computer
Gaming World, attempt the following: open the magazine to pages 8-9 and study
the screenshots for LucasArts’ Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine at
the bottom of the page. Quick now–turn to pages 38-39 and look at the screenshots
for Edios’ Tomb Raider IV that also run across the bottom of the page.
Now close your eyes. Imagine Indy wearing a wonder bra and Lara with a fedora
and whip. Do both of these games look exactly the same to you? Has LucasArts sunk
to a new low, or has Eidos been elevated to a higher level? Jeez–and the critics
complain about Myst clones.
Happy
Anniversary!
No, not you. Not JA, either. Rather, the day I am posting
this, November 5th, is my wedding anniversary. I just wanted to, with of course
all of the JA reader’s permission, publicly wish my lovely wife Sandy a happy
anniversary. We have been happily married (even though she is not an adventure
gamer) for 17 wonderful years. I did want to post her picture, but she would not
let me, so instead I leave you this month with a picture of Pamela Anderson Lee.
