Hi, everyone!
In this year (2009) and in the last one I've spent most of my time with First-Person Shooters, which is a genre I love. I even made a list of my favorite FPS titles and the ones I would try to finish. Thankfully, even with two jobs and constant studies at the university, I was able to finish most of the games I wanted (so much dedication in the weekends... LoL). Considering I'm a bit out of time right now, I'm sticking mostly with my Adventure titles. If you're tracking my profile since the beginning of this year, you may remember my list of the Adventure games I was interested in playing. Now I have the opportunity to play them. =)
What's so cool about this kind of game? It's because it almost ignores the player's skill and put their brains on the test. It's a very different approach on the gaming world, and unfortunately the Adventure genre is dying slowly but surely since the golden days of Lucasarts (Full Throttle, The Dig, Day of the Tentacle etc.). But that doesn't mean you don't have anything to play in this genre anymore. You can bet that you'll spend weeks (why not months?) playing the Penumbra Collection (2009), Broken Sword 4 (2007) and Dreamfall (2006). And, if you're into old-schooling, why not try the Myst series? If you put in your heart that you'll never refer to a walkthrough when stuck, these games may take more than years to finish. Now we're talking about quality in gaming.
What will change for me? Not much: First I'll change my profile's theme, probably with pics from The Neverhood (1996). Secondly, you'll notice that I'll update a bit more often my profile here in GS, with more videos, screenshots and blog posts; I'll also try to visit more the profiles I'm tracking. Finally, I'm going to stick with at least one Adventure game from the list I linked above, and I'll probably start playing the three Penumbra games first. Naturally I'll keep playing a FPS game now and then, especially Left 4 Dead and the sequel later on.
The great advantage of playing Adventure games is that they give the player more time to breath. If you know where and when to stop, you may continue playing the game after one or two weeks of abstinence without any trouble. And, as I said above, it's well spent money because these games can take weeks and even months to beat. You can buy the Myst series for less than $100.00 and keep playing it during a year, although you may spend the same cash on FPSes and beat them in a single week. As I aforementioned, Adventuring is a different approach; I'm not saying it's the best choice for everyone, though. =)
To finish, my reviews posts will be less frequent now, but I'll write at least one per month. On the other hand I'll be uploading more gameplay videos, which I consider a nice way to show the qualities of a game.
Keep gaming!
Comments
But don't forget that we're not too far away from finally getting Heavy Rain in our hands. Have you played Fahrenheit?
@bowlingotter: That's true. Refering to a walkthrough will tell if you had a cheap victory or not; it's like when someone spoils the ending of a movie. Adventure games relies heavily on the story and puzzles, so if don't discover and solve them by yourself, what's the point on playing this kind of game? =)
No PC version for Heavy Rain, unfortunately. But I remember playing Fahrenheit (AKA Indigo Prophecy) a few years ago; good call! For some reason this game brought me good memories from the times of Alone in the Dark! Sadly, it's quite hard to find a copy of Fahrenheit around. Even though I remember the graphics weren't that much, the atmosphere was unique. Quite an eerie game, I must say.
Man, Space Quest... one of the best Sierra's Adventures ever released. I still have the entire series, but I never finished all the titles. =)
Alone in the Dark! That game scared the crap out of me when it first came out. That and 7th Guest.
About Alone in the Dark, I think the original trilogy is the real deal. Anything that came after the first three titles is just garbage, in my humble opinion. Another proof that graphics don't make a game! =)
And I 100% agree. I don't consider anything after Alone in the Dark 3 as part of that franchise.
Having said that finishing adventure games is very enjoyable. Even when I finished return to zork with a walkthrough it was so awesome.
Adventure gaming aye? I don't think it's a dying breed just a niche market as there are some sweet games just released that deserves attention. One comes to mind is The Path - very cool indeed.
And your new avatar - The Neverhood! What a great game indeed - I remember there's real pain in the rear side cannon puzzle that took me ages to finish...but I stood my ground and done it!
@nutcrackr - don't worry mate. Eventhough adventure gaming is one of my forte I really suck at RTS - and I mean BIG time! We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
Adventure games are always a good way to relieve stress and practice critical thinking and deductive reasoning. They are great if you don't have that much time because you usually don't play them for hours on end like we do with shooters or RPGs. I have the Penumbra games but haven't played them yet. But they look cool.
Take care mate.
@Azghouls: Hey, man! Have you finished The Path? After reading the GS review, I got a bad feeling about this game. =) It seems short and very linear. I hope they're wrong about the score as they were with The Neverhood, because the Adventure genre isn't shining ultimately, so any good addition is welcome. But perhaps -and hopefully- you're right, mate; it isn't dying at all. =)
The RPG world is becoming more and more powerful. I mean, Diablo III, The Witcher 2, Borderlands, Dragon Age, Divine Divinity 2, Risen... so many promising games from great developers. I guess you will never run out of RPGs, man. =)
You could ask about that in an email to their Tech Support.
http://www.bigfishgames.com/
Not yet mate however I have installed it and played a good half hour and literally fell in love - I love the art direction in that game however considering I got literally million of games in my 'now playing' list I'm placing this one on hold - all for a good reason that I would like to immerse myself with the game.
And don't worry about the 'critics' review. That's why we are here.
@Azghouls: Thanks for the info. Actually, I'm looking for new Adventure games, but I'm not aware of any promising upcomings. If you know about a good game that is still in development, please let me know. =)
Unofficial reviewing is the reason why I like GS so much. =)
Azghouls told me that Dreamfall is great; I'm definitely going to play it. Not sure when, though. =) Please, tell me if Silent Hill is worth; I watched the movie and liked it, but I'm too lazy to search for all the four PC games of the series. I played Thief II: The Metal Age years ago, and for those who like this "Splinter Cell stuff" (such as doing things silently and walking in the shadows), I guess it's a totally worth game. Sadly I don't have patient for this kind of game. =)
SGTiD1NG0