Any good adventure games around now?

Vinda-Lou · Post by **Vinda-Lou** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 1:48 pm

I only ever completed a handful of adventure games, and most of them pre-1990! Yet I always enjoy them, even myst type games. I guess I enjoy the exploration of cool places, but minus the absolutely ludicrous puzzles. For example, Gabe Knight 3 (post 1990, I know) wasn't too bad, but that friggin make a mustache out of cat hair puzzle was just stoopid.

So are there any decent ones out that are entertaining and exploration-full, but minus dumb puzzles?

I don't mind mildly-hard ones, that's what gamefaqs is for, but ones that require huge leaps of logic are just annoying. Also, how was "Wanted"? Wasn't it a western? It looks bad, with Woody from Toy Story, but how was it? I'll check out Gamerankings in the meantime.

O.DOGG · Post by **O.DOGG** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:10 pm

The best adventure game I've played in recent years was Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon. It looks like it's very consolish but that's until you get to play it. It's a classic adventure game only without a mouse.

Other than that, if you haven't played Sanitarium, that would be my first choice for a good adventure game. Full Throttle, and The Longest Journey are both great. I hear a lot of good things about Still Life but I haven't played it yet. The demo was promising.

warning · Post by **warning** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:27 pm

I miss JetFred.

SuperHiro · Post by **SuperHiro** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 2:29 pm

A far as I'm concerned, if you haven't played Grim Fandango, you can't say anything about adventure games.

Vinda-Lou · Post by **Vinda-Lou** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:21 pm

Played Grim, played Broken Sword a bit on xbox a couple years ago, but the slow load times put me off. Pc version is probably quicker. Never tried the Longest Journey, if I find that I'll give it a try.

Goonch · Post by **Goonch** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:23 pm

warning wrote:I miss JetFred.

Yeah...what ever happened to him? In the GG days he was the "Adventure genre" officiando.

farley2k · Post by **farley2k** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:31 pm

Echo is getting good reviews.

Even the worst review says "ECHO is polished and technically well done. The prehistoric setting is new in adventure games, and although the game's educational slant may not appeal to everyone, most of the background reading is optional. If you like your games puzzle-heavy and story-light, ECHO is for you." Which doesn't seem too bad.

And you should check out Adventuregamers.com to see what they might recommend.

Vinda-Lou · Post by **Vinda-Lou** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:38 pm

Good website. Also http://www.justadventure.com/ is a good site.

How were the Harry Potter games? Adventures or platformers? There is a set of the games on sale for about 15 bucks.

Vinda-Lou · Post by **Vinda-Lou** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:43 pm

Anyone get Pandora Directive to work in XP?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:43 pm

Goonch wrote:
warning wrote:I miss JetFred.
Yeah...what ever happened to him? In the GG days he was the "Adventure genre" officiando.

You can still get his reccomendations.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:50 pm

Brocken Sword 3 and Return to Mysterious Island are both good adventure games. I've not gotten too far into them, but Moment of Silence and Still Life both seem good, as does Wanted. Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silver Earings seemed ok, but I got stuck about half way through.

I started Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock the other day - the Nancy Drew series tends to be a dependable source for solid, if not spectacular, traditional adventure gameplay. And I like that this one is a period piece, being set in the 30s.

baron calamity · Post by **baron calamity** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:52 pm

I played Wanted: A wild West Adventure. Its ok. Better than the usual drool that the Adventure Company puts out but nothing to rave about. It is trying to be funny but just isn't. I just got Sherlock Holmes and the Silver Earing which is suppose to be good but I haven't tried it yet.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:52 pm

Vinda-Lou wrote:Good website. Also http://www.justadventure.com/ is a good site.

How were the Harry Potter games? Adventures or platformers? There is a set of the games on sale for about 15 bucks.

I think they were action-adventure, though I haven't played them myself.

dangerballs · Post by **dangerballs** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 5:13 pm

Still Life is great. The graphics and story are nice, and the puzzles are all logical for a change. The only problem I had with the game was the ending which basically is a "buy the sequel to find out how the story ends" kind of deal.

Suitably Ironic Moniker · Fri Jul 22, 2005 7:51 pm

dangerballs wrote:Still Life is great. The graphics and story are nice, and the puzzles are all logical for a change. The only problem I had with the game was the ending which basically is a "buy the sequel to find out how the story ends" kind of deal.

Which doubly sucks, as the team who created the game was fired shortly after its release.

Andrew Wonser · Post by **Andrew Wonser** » Fri Jul 22, 2005 9:25 pm

I would actually recommend Missing Since January (Or In Memorium depending on which side of the ocean you live on). It's not like the standard adventure games where you have a main character, but more like you are it. There are some complaints that using search brings up a lot of walkthroughs but I found that when I actually wanted one I couldn't find it without trying. The ending is a little dry but there is an expansion suposedly in the works for Europe as well as a possible sequel.

I've still got Syberia and it's sequel sitting on my shelf and I'm probably going to get Mysterious Island and Runaway some time in the future.

Looking ahead I've got my sights on Dreamfall, The Longest Journeys' sequel.

It really is a shame that Adventures aren't appreciated here in the states to the point where they have to be dilluted with other elements. I really miss the days of the pure Adventure genre.

D.A.Lewis · Post by **D.A.Lewis** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 2:11 am

After RPG's my favorite gaming genre is adventure games.

I like to play an adventure game after a long RPG campaign. And did you know that since adventure games have such a long shelf life they are also known as Evergreen Products?

Okay here are some of my pics but first let me give a big NO to Missing Since January. It could have been a tremendous game because a lot of the clues you need to solve the gaming puzzles you acutally have to research on the "Real" internet. Howver in order to get to those puzzles you have to usually solve some weird (and for to ofter twitch) puzzle. I couldn't take it any more and quite about half way through. And I was sorry to quit because the story is excellent and this game makes great use of cut scenes. but the pre puzzles suck. There are some reviews of this game on the net that put it far more succinctly than I.

PICS: per your criteria

entertaining and exploration-full, but minus dumb puzzles

I'm assuming you played Sam & Max. If not, go out and get a copy of Armend and Dangerous. Sam & Max is a freebe. Sam and Max is one of the funniest and greatest games ever, regardless of genre.

Syberia 1 is great but Syberi 2 is just good. But it's nice to finish the story.
exploration=a lot of nice snowy place
entertaining=she is so damn cute and her robot pal is funny
no dumb puzzles=the puzzle relate to the game not some kind of play board.

Mission Critical. (Mid 90's oldie)
There is a bug in the early game but other than that, an absolutely fantastic game. With an end game digression that is unlike any other.
exploration=exploring the ship and and land down below
entertaining=interesting science concepts
no dumb puzzles=the puzzle relate to the game not some kind of play board.

Morpheous. (another mid 90s' oldie)
Unintersting box. Opening story seems to be blah but after about 1 hour, you'll find yourself in a fascinating adventure.
exploration=exploring the past of a number of ship passangers
entertaining=you want to keep playing to see what is going on
no dumb puzzles=a couple but nothing crazy, most made sense.

Vinda-Lou · Post by **Vinda-Lou** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 8:15 am

Great post, DA. Sam & Max was great. I tried Syberia but got bored very quickly. I am going to pick up The Longest Journey next week at Gamestop; they have it for 10 bucks.

How was Darkfall?

Finally: Are there any good mystery games out there? I've been watching Monk on dvd, and would love an adventure game where you have to piece together clues and solve a mystery that requires real thinking, not puzzle thinking. Does such a thing exist?

Kaigen · Post by **Kaigen** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 9:56 am

I highly reccomend Myst 4. I think it's pretty much the best adventure game since The Longest Journey. The graphics and musical are phenomenal, the worlds are more living and interactive than in previous Myst games and the narrative is stronger. But the puzzles are really, really hard. There's an in-game hint system if you get stuck, but it's not always that helpful.

You say you've played Gabriel Knight 3, I assume you've played 1 & 2 as well? I think those are about as close to what you're looking for as you'll get. Still Life might also fit the bill, but I haven't played it.

Andrew Wonser · Post by **Andrew Wonser** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 12:16 pm

D.A.Lewis wrote:Okay here are some of my pics but first let me give a big NO to Missing Since January. It could have been a tremendous game because a lot of the clues you need to solve the gaming puzzles you acutally have to research on the "Real" internet. Howver in order to get to those puzzles you have to usually solve some weird (and for to ofter twitch) puzzle. I couldn't take it any more and quite about half way through. And I was sorry to quit because the story is excellent and this game makes great use of cut scenes. but the pre puzzles suck. There are some reviews of this game on the net that put it far more succinctly than I.

Different strokes I guess. I don't recall many twitch mini games, in fact I only remember one which was near the end. I think the biggest asset when tackling those games was patience. I'm no where near a twitch gamer, I hate it in fact but found each game do-able though would sometimes have to start over so I could get the feel of it before really trying.

If you would like I can send you the last emails I received, or all of them really.

Andrew Wonser · Post by **Andrew Wonser** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 12:17 pm

Another mystery adventure I really liked was Black Dahlia. I think it's rather hard to find these days but worth it imo.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 12:30 pm

Vinda-Lou wrote: How was Darkfall?

Very atmospheric.

Finally: Are there any good mystery games out there? I've been watching Monk on dvd, and would love an adventure game where you have to piece together clues and solve a mystery that requires real thinking, not puzzle thinking. Does such a thing exist?

I'm not sure I completely take your meaning - almost every adventure game is going to have some puzzles. The old infocom mysteries (Deadline, Witness, Suspect), or the old sierra game The Colonel's Bequest might be the closest to what you're thinking of.

Some other mystery games I've enjoyed:
The Last Express
CSI - (fairly easy, though)
Clue Chronicles

If you don't mind a game played from a legal perspective
DA: Pursuit of Justice
In the First Degree
Law and Order 2

There's also a game thats supposed to come out later this year based on And Then There Were None

And Secret of the Silvier Earings might be worth a look.

D.A.Lewis · Post by **D.A.Lewis** » Sun Jul 24, 2005 4:47 pm

Vinda-Lou wrote:Great post, DA. Sam & Max was great. I tried Syberia but got bored very quickly. I am going to pick up The Longest Journey next week at Gamestop; they have it for 10 bucks.

How was Darkfall?

Finally: Are there any good mystery games out there? I've been watching Monk on dvd, and would love an adventure game where you have to piece together clues and solve a mystery that requires real thinking, not puzzle thinking. Does such a thing exist?

Dark fall is very atmospheric but the puzzles suck and take you out of the story. It's an old school type adventure where you move marbles or tiles or put things in order so that you may move the story forward. An OOer recently was playing the game and he seemed to like it.

CSI fits the mystery bill perfectly. Each main character has a mystery to solve and of course the puzzles are all story related. It's short and relatively easy but I loved it. It also helps if you are a fan of the show because the voice acting is great. (they use the full cast)

I can't remember which OOer posted this, but he rated the recent Mysterious Island as a very good game and a lot of fellow OOers agreed. It is on my to-get list. (Interestingly, the woman on the box cover looks a lot like the woman from Syberia)

A game just released is Still Life It's about an FBI agent who sees similarities between a series of murders in contemporary Chicago and in the 1920's Prague. It's gotten some good previews but I have not read any reviews yet. A big plus for me though is that the game is by Microids and not Adventure Company. It's not that I have anything against Adventure Company but far to many of their adventure games seem too cookie cutter.

And on the horizon, one game I have my eye on is Indigo Prophesy (formerly Fahrenheit). You play a man who wakes up just after he has committed a murder. Your mission is to find out why you did it. The game also has you playing the the FBI characters that are on your tail. So that certain game decisions you make have an effect on the other characters and the story.

The developer says:

There is no wrong choice, there are just different stories. By their actions, players define the story they want to tell.

The August issue of Gameinformer has a nice article about the game and they imply that it will be cutting edge game story telling. We'll see. And I'm hopeful.

Montag · Post by **Montag** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:55 pm

Dig up Indiana Jones and the Lost City of Atlantis. That one rocked.

Kyosho · Post by **Kyosho** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:58 pm

I believe you mean Fate of Atlantis.