The MOTTA (Misappropriation of the Term Adventure) Awards 2004 – Article
Articles
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by Agustin Cordes |
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Be honest, what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘adventure’? Exciting stories, faraway lands, fine leather jackets? Or maybe wild creatures, long lost treasures, ancient artifacts, fantastic items beyond your wildest dreams? Ladies in distress? Danger? Drama?
If the answer is “yes”, then this article isn’t for you.
For the first time ever (and because the world is clearly in bad need of them), we’re proud to bring you the…
“Misappropriation Of The Term Adventure Awards 2004”
Forget about the Oscars! This is the single most awaited article of the past months about what will become the most discussed event of the internet for days to come. Yes, even more than global warming. It will shatter the foundations of the game industry, shock the audience, and even change the sexual preference of some people. You’ve been warned mister! We are angry. And merciless.
Allow me to explain.
Once upon a time, when the world was a better place to live in and there was love and beauty, the adventure genre existed. You could buy anything referred to as an ‘adventure’ with confidence, knowing what kind of game to expect as you more or less know what to expect when you rent a Jess Franco movie. The birds sang and everything was golden.
Now we have been boned. It’d seem someone has decided the ‘adventure’ name has such a wide meaning, it can used to categorize anything that doesn’t fit under any of the other popular genres. Worse, some of the games featured in this article doesn’t even follow this logic (ie: you have downright plain action games). But why, why did they choose this poor genre to be massacrated? Why doesn’t anybody use ‘shooter’ to label both Doom and R-Type? Oh no sir, those respected and important games need to be properly labeled, hence the difference between ‘first-person shooter’ and plain ‘shooter’. Nobody cares about the adventure genre anymore, so let’s spread our foul message all over the world! There is such madness plaguing this industry that someone has to do something about it. So we here at Just Adventure+ have decided to grant the glorious MOTTA Awards, our response to the increasing carelessnes showed by many sites.
Basically, we decide which were the most outrageous misappropriations of the ‘adventure’ term during the previous year and then we proceed to ridicule and make fun of the sites found most deserving of a MOTTA Award. Obviously, the bulk of the article will be the most “notorious” adventure game of the year awards, although there might be other particular cases (you’ll have to read on and find out for yourself – be warned though, it’s excruciating). Of course, the “winners” will be properly notified. You will remember what the ‘adventure’ name stands for. You will remember us. (manic laughter here)
A little bit of background considering this is our first issue: the term MOTTA was coined up by fellow writer Ben Bowen and the winners chosen after an extensive voting campaign on the Just Adventure+ forums. The number of voters was astonishing no more than eighty. Evidently nobody wanted to waste too much time on this. And I can see where they’re coming from. Anyways, the one who agreed to do the dirty job, which is writing about these insulting awards (not ours, mind you, theirs), is yours truly.
Let’s get this over with, shall we.
The case for: Awarded “Adventure Game Of The Year”
Perpetrator: PC IGN
 It’s just a slightly more dramatic alternative of “insult sword fighting”, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be an adventure game. |
Ever since Secret Of Monkey Island was released in the early 90’s that pirates have become a recurring theme in adventure games. And deservedly so, as few subjects can rival the excitement and dramatic experience of taking on the role of a pirate. Saddly, SOMI was missing something – due to the technical limitations of the era, our beloved Guybrush Threepwood couldn’t engage on the sort of great fights you get to see in the movies. Thankfully, Pirates! has come back to mend all the problems that plagued SOMI, tossing away the childish nature of the game and awful features (ha-ha who in his right mind would believe real pirates engaged on that sort of dumb insulting) in favor of a more dynamic gameplay.
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Breathe… in… out…
Here goes a piece of advice to you guys – you see, nobody actually associates ‘science-fiction’ with spaceships and UFO’s anymore. You can also have killer robots, time-travel, amazon women on the moon, and so on. Analogously, nobody any longer associate ‘adventure’ with Goonies and pirates. Yes, PIRATES! So that doesn’t mean you can declare a game an adventure if it has pirates in it, you understand?! On the other hand, maybe you misinterpreted the Dance Dance wannabe sequences as some new form of innovative and exciting puzzles. If so, my apologies. |
The case for: Awarded “Adventure Game Of The Year”
Perpetrator: VGManiacs
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When I came to this point while writing the article, I had to pause. I was completely blocked. I panicked, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Yes, it was 2:00 AM but the liter of coffee I had during the last half-hour should’ve been enough. Then I realized what happened. I had absolutely no idea what to say. I am, in fact, still trying to figure out what thing… moment… minimal detail made VGManiacs declare Metroid Prime 2: Echoes the adventure game of the year. Maybe they misinterpreted shooting the creatures as puzzles. Or… I think I got it! Sometimes you need to carefully calculate jumping between platforms – clearly an indicative of a meditative and thoughtful type of gameplay, a notorious trademark of the adventure genre.
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 Mutiplayer support check. Varied arsenal of weapons check. Freaky aliens hunting you check. Yessire, an adventure game alright! |
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Or maybe… maybe the way in which you have to cleverly select the right weapon to combat your fierce opponents. Yes, that has to be it – that and how you must find the weak point of the end-level boss. Battling the mean bosses is definitely one the most enjoyable moments in adventure games.
Sigh… Please, either bring back Infocom or hand me a shotgun to blow my brains out. I’ll do anything, even auction my mother on eBay to clear the sullied and trashed ‘adventure’ name. |
The case for: Both labeled as adventure games
Perpetrator: GameSpot
 What’s wrong with you? Can’t you see that’s good-old Larry’s nephew playing some sort of drinking minigame in this fine and traditional adventure game? |
It’s always relieving witnessing the commendable work carried on by huge websites like GameSpot. Perhaps one of the biggest problems of the ‘jack-of-all-trades’ type of sites like GameSpot is to provide accurate definitions for all the games they cover. It makes sense if you think about it, as they have a wide variety of readers – people enjoying different types of games, be it strategy, real-time strategy, first-person shooter, stealth/action… Yes, they clearly describe some games as being stealth/action. So it comes as no surprise when they define LSL: Magna Cum Laude and Silent Hill 4 as… well, adventures.
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You surely heard about both these games but in case you live in some kind of bubble let me tell you these are some of the finest representatives of the adventure genre. Take Magna Cum Laude for instance – you take the role of a horny teenager which desperately needs to score with some chicks. To achieve this, you must solve some clever minigames, reminiscent of some of the finest puzzles implemented by Magnetic Scrolls during the dawn of our beloved genre. Come on, it’s exactly what Al Lowe did with Leisure Suit Larry (the one actually starring Larry Laffer) a few years ago, except this time they slightly changed the approach. Don’t be narrow-minded, kids – if GameSpot says so, it must be an adventure.
Or what about Silent Hill 4? Right from the beginning, when the first hound from hell shows up, you know this is going to be a rad adventure game. Thankfully, the Silent Hill series have evolved a little this time, focusing on killing the zombies and evil creatures alike instead of solving boring puzzles. Let’s hope the remaining bunch of old-fashioned adventure developers out there jump on this bandwagon, improving their pathetic outdated games with those kind of thrilling, edge-of-your-seat sequences. Oh please… At least I’m somewhat relieved that Silent Hill 4 is the closest thing to an adventure featured in this article… if you cut out a good 80% of the whole game. But don’t get me started on Magna Cum Laude. Look, just because it’s some sort of sequel to an adventure franchise, it doesn’t mean it has to be one. That does make kind of sense, does it? Maybe Just Adventure+ isn’t the ultimate authority in the genre, but at least we labeled Magna Cum Laude as an arcade game (an archaic but still useful little word). Oh and Silent Hill 4 as survival horror or action/adventure – which is exactly what it is. |
The case for: Awarded “Adventure Game Of The Year” and they even had the face to post their own hilarious definition of adventure games
Perpetrator: Game Tunnel
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It is of vital importance that we read this accurate definition of adventure games to understand the weight of this award:
“Game Tunnel defines adventure games as either platform games, think Super Mario Bros. (Charlie II for indie purists), or action games that are heavier on the storyline and lighter on the action (those that have RPG aspects, but aren’t really RPGs).” Now I can finally rest in peace, knowing that whenever I need to identify an adventure I’ll always have this fantastic and all-encompassing definition at hand. Lord, grant me strength… |
 Geez guys, you got me worried there for a one second thinking this was a platformer! But now I can see I was wrong and pushing your blob around tiled levels with time limits and stuff is clearly a sign of a classic adventure game. |
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This really borders on the insulting. Not only they dished years of gaming history with their amateurish definition, they’re actually contemplating the possibility of purists in it. Can’t you see the “real” adventure genre is the only one admitting purists? Return what belongs to us! What’s worse, games like Gish have been called platformers for like… well, since ever!
If I had my way, I’d force them to play Super Mario Bros. for the rest of their lives with headphones and have the volume crammed up. Let’s see if you take that lame game so seriously after you listen those dreaful tunes a few hundred times. I understand it’s the equivalent to Chinese water torture after the first 48 hours. One more week, and it becomes mortal. Talk about adventure! |
 A most shocking display of that glorious moment in adventure games when you can finally paint the walls with the insides of a threatening old man using your handy shotgun. |
Ah the adventurous feeling of bludgeoning someone to death! Running old ladies over with your kick-ass car. Hanging out with hookers. Robbing banks. Listening to rap music. Hell, GTA can be already considered a synonym of ‘adventure’ – and 1UP is well aware of it!
Of course, we’re talking about none other than GTA: San Andreas, the game that has been highly anticipated by adventurers all over the world. It happens to be the sequel to GTA: Vice City, the immensely successful game which arguably revived the adventure genre. What makes this collection of bytes such a wonderful experience? |
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Easy – the hi-octane gameplay making your adrenaline burst through your nerves as most adventures do. Because let’s face it, running through a virtual city with your trusty Uzi like a madman has always been the cornerstone, the essence of what consitutes the adventure game. However, just like in Vice City, the concept has been greatly sophisticated, as players have to take part in missions. Missions! No wonder the genre was dying until the GTA franchise showed up with its innovative design. So the killing is organized into missions (which in reality behave as puzzles) cleverly integrated within the storyline. As if that wasn’t enough, players can ride a huge variety of vehicles. Cars, jeeps, speedboats, planes, bikes (bikes!), you name it. |
Well, that’s all folks! We hope you enjoyed our first issue of the MOTTA Awards. Don’t send me hate mail, I’m just the writer! Make sure you read us again next year when Quake IV is hailed as the adventure game of the year. Wooh boy, what a riot that’s going to be!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go cut my veins with a spoon.
