No one plays adventure games anymore?

[Zhukov]

^ this, basically. Does anyone other than Telltale actually make them any more?

by adventure do you mean the "point and click" monkey island variety?

just like "platformers" they arnt exactally the most popular genre

Two rather ignorant comments, which was always to be expected given the negligible coverage of this type of game on The Escapist.

Wow, okay, I thought you had something to say here, but now you just sound bitter as all hell.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Seriously, I joined this forum 2 weeks ago and haven't seen one mention of an adventure game. Every other genre has been mentioned - FPS, RPG, action, strategy, simulation. But no adventure.

Now, I'm not criticizing anyone for their choice of game (why would I?), but I would like to understand why it's so unpopular, for something that two decades ago was the most popular game genre.

Cough*Zelda*cough.

Has been considered an Adventure game since 1986

By who? Not by me or any definition of Adventure I'm aware of.

By every definition since 1986 (and yes, I remember the release of LoZ)

Look at the side bar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda

Bottom of this page (about this game):
http://cheats.ign.com/objects/005/005990.html

Almost every post here:
http://forums.g4tv.com/showthread.php?t=4346

And here:
http://video-game.pikimal.com/the-legend-of-zelda-skyward-sword

In this article:
http://gamingprecision.com/2011/08/adventure-games-the-forgotten-genre.html

And here:
http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/the-legend-of-zelda-the-wind-waker/guide/

Moral of the story:
Zelda= Action-Adventure

What did you think it was?

"Action-adventure" is completely different from "adventure".

Tomb Raider is action-adventure. So is Zelda.

 

[Fluffythepoo]

Adventure games evolved into sandboxes and RPGs, stop being old

Devolved, more like

Now thats just it, stop that, or well put you in the home, bad old people, baaaaad

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Wow, okay, I thought you had something to say here, but now you just sound bitter as all hell.

Sorry I didn't mean to sound that way. My point was that I don't blame people for not being aware of these games, considering they aren't given much attention on game sites.

 

[jthwilliams]

Seriously, I joined this forum 2 weeks ago and haven't seen one mention of an adventure game. Every other genre has been mentioned - FPS, RPG, action, strategy, simulation. But no adventure.

Now, I'm not criticizing anyone for their choice of game (why would I?), but I would like to understand why it's so unpopular, for something that two decades ago was the most popular game genre.

Personally, I'm an avid adventure game player. I have played everything from the the sierra classics (Kings Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, Manhunter) to Myth, The Longest Journey, Dreamfall, Phychonaughts, Fahrenheit, Heavey Rain, L.A. Noire, etc. I've played a lot from lucas arts and talltail games, The new and old money islands included the release on my cell phone. Runaway and quite frank way too many to list. But I can't leave out the Gaberial Knight Series.

That being said adventure games tend not be released as frequently or get as much advertising or publicity when they are released. Also good Adventure games require good writing and it is easy to make a poor one AdventureWorks is a company that I hate because even though they exclussively make eventure games they are often very poor.

Honestly, If you have any to recomend, I would love to know I'm always looking for something new, I particularly like ones that have a humor bent and I'm only so so into "mystery" adventure games. But I welcome your input. And if there is a game you want to talk about feel free to ping me.


*EDIT* Good Aventure Game titles I left out
* Tex Murphy Series
* Syberia Series
* Ankh Series
* Bad Mojo
* Broken Sword Series
* Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (the book is better than the game but the game isn't bad)
* Ceville (very funny recent adventure game)
* Grim Fandango
* I have No Mouth and I must Scream
* Indigo Prophecy
* Journeyman Project Series
* Overclocked: A History of Violence
* Phantasmagoria Series
* 7th Guest Series
* Sam & Max Series (both lucas arts and telltail games)
* Scratches
* Schizm
* Shivers
* Simon the Sorcerer Series (though the last two that came out are pretty bad)
* Space Quest (I know I mentioned it above but this series is my fav so I'm saying it twice)
* Still Life Series
* A Vampyre Story
* Wallace & Gromit Series
* The Watchmaker

 

[Antitonic]

I play visual novels; they're kind of an offshoot genre (with occasional cross-breeding with the RPG-esque dating sims). Do I count?

...wait, what kind of "adventure game" are you talking about? Zelda-type roaming adventure? Or Zork-type text-based adventure?

Neither, really. The former isn't an adventure game, and the latter is a text-adventure. So no, you don't count.

So, by your definition, what is an "adventure game"? You said you could name some.

If we knew what was covered in that genre, maybe we'd talk about it?

Not trying to be a smartarse here, just trying to understand your viewpoint.

EDIT: For example, GameFAQs lists a few games in the XBOX "Adventure" section, NOT "Action-Adventure". Penny Arcade, Tomb Raider, Kinect Adventures, 4-in-1 Card Game Collection, Spiderman.

Do any of these fit your definition?

 

[Folji]

Pure "adventure" games are rare in today's video game market. Indie developers are probably the only ones who still concern themselves with the idea of making pure adventure games. When bigger developers decide to make adventure games, they usually go for the pretty well-established action adventure genre (which contains a number of games a lot of people probably wouldn't think of as adventure games).

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

I could name at least one for each month of 2011, if I were inclined to.

Doing so would make your first post much better. I can think off the top of my head of L.A. Noire, that's pretty much the only major release not counting independant ones off PSN or Steam.

What do you mean major release? If it means that it is reviewed on The Escapist, then that's my whole point in making this thread. If you mean it has a proper developer and publisher putting out a retail release purchased by thousands of people, then there are plenty of recent examples.

 

[Shirastro]

I used to play adventure games, but than they stopped making them (ha! what did you think i would say)

Seriously the golden age of the adventure games is long gone. Sure there might some new ones from time to time but there is really nothing to talk about outside some nostalgia threads.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

So, by your definition, what is an "adventure game"? You said you could name some.

If we knew what was covered in that genre, maybe we'd talk about it?

Not trying to be a smartarse here, just trying to understand your viewpoint.

I would say having a character-based story, with progress based on success in solving puzzles, and little or no reflex-based actions required from the player.

So Myst, Longest Journey, Syberia, Monkey Island, Sam & Max, Broken Sword, Gabriel Knight, Ceville, Jack Keane, Drawn etc.

 

[Alphonse_Lamperouge]

Seriously, I joined this forum 2 weeks ago and haven't seen one mention of an adventure game. Every other genre has been mentioned - FPS, RPG, action, strategy, simulation. But no adventure.

Now, I'm not criticizing anyone for their choice of game (why would I?), but I would like to understand why it's so unpopular, for something that two decades ago was the most popular game genre.

Cough*Zelda*cough.

Has been considered an Adventure game since 1986

By who? Not by me or any definition of Adventure I'm aware of.

Im sorry, but if you don't think the Legend Of Zelda is an adventure game, then your perception of what an adventure game is so distorted, you are probably playing The Sims. and ENJOYING it.

you said it yourself, my friend. your problem is your lack of awareness.

 

[Pearwood]

If you mean it has a proper developer and publisher putting out a retail release purchased by thousands of people, then there are plenty of recent examples.

That is what I mean. You really should list some since it's your thread and you're trying to make a point. Not only that, adventure games are a very broad label that gets slapped on any game like Tomb Raider or such that are just action/puzzle hybrids.

 

[jthwilliams]

Seriously, I joined this forum 2 weeks ago and haven't seen one mention of an adventure game. Every other genre has been mentioned - FPS, RPG, action, strategy, simulation. But no adventure.

Now, I'm not criticizing anyone for their choice of game (why would I?), but I would like to understand why it's so unpopular, for something that two decades ago was the most popular game genre.

Cough*Zelda*cough.

Has been considered an Adventure game since 1986

By who? Not by me or any definition of Adventure I'm aware of.

Im sorry, but if you don't think the Legend Of Zelda is an adventure game, then your perception of what an adventure game is so distorted, you are probably playing The Sims. and ENJOYING it.

you said it yourself, my friend. your problem is your lack of awareness.

Zelda would be action/adventure not adventure. Adventure games tend not to have any central gameplay feature around combate and tend to be mostly dialog, inventory management, hunt and find for inventory items, puzzel solving, problems solving, and mystery.

zelda is a good game, but it is closer to Skyrim than to King's Quest.

*EDIT*

Actually the definition of an action game is practically that it is an games that possesses many adventure games qualities but has combat as a central gameplay activity.

It is where the action in the action/adventure catagory comes from.

**EDIT**

Also there is nothing wrong with the Sims. Extremely popular, easy for people to play. Not my favorit series, but I've played a few hours of it.

 

[jthwilliams]

If you mean it has a proper developer and publisher putting out a retail release purchased by thousands of people, then there are plenty of recent examples.

That is what I mean. You really should list some since it's your thread and you're trying to make a point. Not only that, adventure games are a very broad label that gets slapped on any game like Tomb Raider or such that are just action/puzzle hybrids.

Here
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.329985-No-one-plays-adventure-games-anymore#13419792

I've made a pretty good list of adventure games that I've played and recommend.

 

[Kurokami]

Seriously, I joined this forum 2 weeks ago and haven't seen one mention of an adventure game. Every other genre has been mentioned - FPS, RPG, action, strategy, simulation. But no adventure.

Now, I'm not criticizing anyone for their choice of game (why would I?), but I would like to understand why it's so unpopular, for something that two decades ago was the most popular game genre.

How do you define adventure game? I'm actually not too sure tbh, I would classify most open RPGs as adventure myself. =/

 

[Pearwood]

Here
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.329985-No-one-plays-adventure-games-anymore#13419792

I've made a pretty good list of adventure games that I've played and recommend.

Yeah it's a good list, I'm a huge fan of the Space Quest series too. The OP was talking about releases in 2010-1 though, those are all between 5 and 20 years old. I was mostly interested to see what he's thinking of.

 

[4RM3D]

No one plays adventure games anymore?

No company makes adventure games anymore!

Okay, that's not entirely true... There are a few indie games every now and then. But the big studios have abandoned adventure games, because the money is no longer there. Instead it's all action/shooters.

 

[Combustion Kevin]

Is'nt every game with a storyline an adventure in its own right?
I find Skyrim and Uncharted very adventurous, really.

 

[bakan]

No one plays adventure games anymore?

No company makes adventure games anymore!

Okay, that's not entirely true... There are a few indie games every now and then. But the big studios have abandoned adventure games, because the money is no longer there. Instead it's all action/shooters.

Germany has actually a good amount of new adventure games.

Just recently 'Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes' was released which is a sequel of 'Edna & Harvey: The Breakout' and it is pretty good and I had a lot of fun with it.

Another one is 'The Book of Unwritten Tales: Die Vieh Chroniken'.

Though there aren't any English versions right now, as far as I know (at least for The Book of Unwritten Tales series).

 

[SoranMBane]

They were bred out of existence when the technology behind games started to allow for the possibility of both good stories and good gameplay at the same time, because while traditional adventure games often had above-average writing, they always had awful, boring gameplay. Now we have games like Psychonauts, Portal, Half-Life, Deus Ex, Shadow of the Colossus, and Bioshock in their place; games with great gameplay hand-in-hand with stories that rival or even surpass anything old adventure games could accomplish. I think our own Yahtzee says it all best in this little bit he did: