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#50 – Infocom text adventures
Okay, so we cheated. But really, how can we not? The wealth of text adventures in the genre’s early days could fill up a best-of list all on their own, many of them supplied by Infocom. The company who helped catapult the genre (and computer games in general) to the forefront with the original Zork went on to produce a prolific lineup of successful adventures for the better part of a decade. Founded in 1979 by several MIT staffers, Infocom was the name in interactive fiction until it was bought out by Activision in 1986 (though new games continued to appear under the Infocom label for some time after that). Infocom text adventures eschewed the rudimentary graphics emerging at the time to create rich virtual worlds filled in as much by the player’s imagination as the extensive descriptions offered on-screen. The text parser, while certainly limited in scope, nevertheless offered an unparalleled level of immersion in directing your own adventure. Such freedom to experiment has since been sacrificed in the name of point-and-click accessibility – a loss that many lament to this day.
But who can pick just one? Written by co-founders Dave Lebling and Marc Blank, plus other noted “Implementors” like Steve Meretzky, Brian Moriarty, and Bob Bates, the choice of favourite Infocom games ultimately came down to preferred genres. Fantasy lovers were rewarded with the Zork and Enchanter series; sci-fi fans were treated to classics like Planetfall, A Mind Forever Voyaging, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Not your cup of tea? There were mysteries like Suspect, The Witness, and Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels; and comedies such as Leather Goddesses of Phobos, Bureaucracy, and Hollywood Hijinx. Many still think that The Lurking Horror is the most terrifying adventure to date. The list goes on. Often sold in bookstores, the games even included notable “feelies” to serve as copy protection, though most were treasured as bonus extras in their own right. It was a different era then, and a magical time to live through for those who were a part of it. The text adventure lives on today in a thriving Interactive Fiction community, but the adventure genre itself owes much to the undisputed early brilliance of Infocom.
You might also like: Magnetic Scrolls and Scott Adams adventures, 1893: A World’s Fair Mystery, Photopia
#49 – Sam & Max: Season Two (aka Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space)
It may seem unusual to treat five separate releases as one entry, but the five installments of Sam & Max: Season Two combine to form an exceptional work when taken as a whole. Unlike the first season of Telltale’s episodic revival of everyone’s favorite canine shamus and hyperkinetic rabbity thing, where the episodes were knitted together only by a thin thread, there was a real connected story the second time around – an absurdly bizarre and unspeakably insane one, of course, which begins with gunfire and demonic possession as a backdrop for the Christmas holiday, continues through trips to Easter Island, the undead city of Stuttgart and its vampire raves, takes a diabolically hilarious time travel sojourn, and ultimately winds up with an infiltration of the nefarious corporation known only as Hell, LLC. And yet none of that description even hints at the hilarity of the brilliant writing and puzzle design on display.
Throughout the season (which came to be known as Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space in console ports), the humour is top-notch absurdism, with perfect references to past events in the series and nearly ideal use of supporting characters to maximum comedic effect. Telltale wisely extricated themselves from the need to make each episode standalone, as they did in Season One, and instead went all-in for the cliffhanger approach. At the time we described the series as “completely, certifiably nutso” and therein was the incredible magic and charm of the experience, the full realization of what Steve Purcell’s beloved characters were meant to be. Thanks to those infamous “marketplace realties”, a Freelance Police sequel once seemed never meant to be, but in Telltale’s hands, Season Two became a modern classic exploding with the ambition and lunacy of the best Golden Age comedy adventures.
You might also like: Sam & Max: Season One and Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse
#48 – Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
Any of Sierra’s Space Quest games could rightfully stake a claim as the series’ best, but there are mainly two words for why Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers gets the nod. No, not “Scott Murphy” or “Mark Crowe”, though the self-proclaimed Two Guys from Andromeda penned consistently hilarious scripts. Rather, it’s “Gary Owens”, the Laugh-In announcer who was nabbed to voice the narrator in the 1992 CD-ROM release a year after the original floppy disk version. Owens delivered a masterfully sarcastic, over-the-top performance that raised an already funny franchise to otherworldly heights. He even made dying hilarious, which is a good thing, as you’re likely to do so many, many times. Those aren’t the only laughs, of course. Though there are more pop-culture references and less sci-fi parody here than in other games, the superfluous “Taste” and “Smell” interactive options offer plenty of amusing responses as well.
The time-travel plot is a predictably zany hodgepodge of events, as Roger unwittingly (does he know any other way?) finds himself transported back and forth through time, from his original adventure in Space Quest I to a fictional future sequel in Space Quest XII. The game itself was entirely modern for its day, however. This was the first game in the series to move from text parsers and EGA graphics to the brave new world of point-and-click, VGA graphics, and the upgrade was significant. And when the CD “talkie” version was introduced, it came at a time when few other games were yet making use of the new medium, making this game one of the more progressive adventures of its era. Yes, there are dead ends and the puzzles can be unintuitive, but as the funniest game in one of the most storied adventure series ever, it’s Space Quest IV that stands above the rest.
You might also like: Space Quest series
#47 – Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Level-5’s Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a game full of puzzles – lots and lots of logic puzzles. Sound boring? It’s not! Already popular in Japan but virtually unknown around the world before its 2008 release, the game is ideally suited to the portable Nintendo DS and brief rounds of on-the-go gaming. And yet it’s addictively easy to become obsessed with overcoming devious wordplay, deceptive riddles, and puzzles that have you manically (or strategically, if you’re patient enough) sliding pieces around. There are even puzzles that convince you that you’re doing math when you’re really not. The challenges are confounding, surprising, and full of “aha!” moments – the kind that fill you with elation because you were sure you’d never be able to solve that one on your own… though there are always hints if you really can’t.
But this isn’t just a puzzle game by any means. These brainteasers are wrapped in a beautiful, charming, and cozy cartoon-like presentation. Plentiful cinematics fill the tiny DS screen with rich, lively animation and crisp dialogue. And when you’re not knee-deep in a puzzle, the game has you out adventuring with top-hatted English gentleman Professor Layton and his plucky sidekick Luke as they attempt to locate a secret artifact. All around them are quirky, eccentric townsfolk to chat with, and a myriad of collectibles and minigames to discover. Other Layton games have continued to carry the torch, but Curious Village was the first to capture our hearts and strain our brains. Who knew a collection of a hundred-odd puzzles could make for such a wonderful, cohesive adventure?
You might also like: Professor Layton series, Puzzle Agent series, Safecracker series
#46 – The Journeyman Project 3: Legacy of Time
Sequels can all too often be lacklustre retreads of their predecessors, but such was not the case with Presto Studio’s Legacy of Time in 1998. The final installment of The Journeyman Project took new paths to form a memorable conclusion to the trilogy, while still being mindful of its roots. With Earth under pressure to dismantle its time travel technology, the agency tasked with protecting time is unprepared when a massive disturbance hits, so returning hero Gage Blackwood is sent back in a prototype suit to investigate. There he meets old foes and friends (including fan favourite, Arthur the A.I.), and thwarts a conspiracy that could destroy the world. The story rounds off the overall arc skillfully, providing better insight into the motivations of the villains and showing things weren’t quite as black and white as we thought, which makes for a particularly satisfying conclusion.
The lush historical scenes, from warm Mediterranean waters to the snowy Himalayas, get a much bigger share of the screen this time, a deserving increase given the loving detail lavished on them. They also smoothly incorporate FMV characters into their computer-generated backgrounds. The controls have also been streamlined, making for a much smoother interface than before. For the first time in the series, you even get to interact with people in the past. Through the chameleon ability of the prototype suit, you can copy the appearance of natives, allowing you to subsequently wander around and chat with others undetected. The different reactions you get based on who you are impersonating keep things interesting, and are also integral to the puzzles. With Arthur as witty and informative a companion as in the previous installment, the sum total is a triumphant sequel that offers an enduring legacy of entertainment.
You might also like: Atlantis series, AGON series
Next up: #45-41...
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@Jackal
Congrats on great work. As someone already asked, could you put the games from the list on voting, so that we have users list too? For example, let us choose top 20 games of those 100 (assigning 20 points for best, then 19 for place number 2, and so on), and then you could publish cumulative results of users voting 
I don’t understand people complaining on the list. They are acting like their opinion is absolute and that they are the ones who decide what others should think. So it would be nice to let us all vote and make users top 20 list as an addition to your list, so they can finally stop complaining
Thanks a lot for the list! So many suggestions for the year to come.
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars….......KING
Perhaps it’s now time to update some of the game reviews, especially those who got a very high ranking in the Top100, but not the appropriate revieuw score.
The teo that come to mind now are both # 1 and 2. The longest journey was considered a 5 star game at it’s days but was pushed back to 4,5 for lack of proper comparison…..
This Top100 proves this decision wrong!
I thinks it’s important to remember that this list is the work of 20+ people, who have very strong opinions on what constitutes their favourite adventure game. The fact that it ever saw the light of day is a testament to Jack Allin’s amazing skills of diplomacy (and as a hard fisted ruler of the empire…) : D. But in all seriousness if we put a vote out to the general public for a top 100 adventure games list, it would most likely come back looking like this (possibly in a slightly different order). The best part about the list, is not whether your favourite game made it on or if it was in the position that you wanted to be in, but rather all the unique opportunities you have to try games that may not have been obvious to you before. You may disagree with a position of a game being in front of your favourite title, but now you have a chance to go off and play that game and decide for yourself (and have some fun while your at it). If anything this is the ultimate Adventure Game bucket list and regardless of how you view each entry, you know the games are going to be good! : )
Nothingman, I’m certainly not opposed to doing a reader poll, but tabulating rankings would be very difficult. It would definitely require some kind of weighted points system. So maybe, but I’ll have to think about it. Might be best to leave it for a while. We’ll soon have this year’s Aggies to start preparing 
Subbi, there are some reviews on the site that I’d be happy to replace; mainly the older ones written before we developed any real editorial standards. But there are lots of games we’ve never reviewed at all, and it can be hard finding/getting older games to run, let alone finding time to review them all. So we’ll get to what we get to! But we won’t be replacing any reviews strictly for marginal score discrepancies.
Ahh…I meant classical, not baroque.
Of course, there is matter to disagree and show nerd rage, but aren’t we, adventurers, supposed to be part of the more mature and level headed demographic of the gamer population?
Plus this top 100 must have been a colossol task to make.
So thanks to the staff, and a happy new year to all!
What a great list! While I can’t say I agree with everything (for one I hate all the video-crap like Gabriel Knight sequels and also Curse of Monkey Island is in my personal top 5) this list is a great inspiration regarding missed games I need to pick up and play - and which to replay! I loved The 7th Guest as a child - it actually scared me so much it gave me nightmares - but I forgot its name and just now rediscovered it due to AG. Thanks for an EXCELLENT article - and a happy new year! May 2012 bring forth a lot of great adventure games.
I was surprised and happy to see a good deal of these games that I knew were available on console and handheld on this list:
#77 Silent Hill, Shattered Memories (PS2, Wii)
#73 Discworld 2 (PS1)
#68 Shadow of Destiny (PS2, PSP)
#65 Hotel Dusk, Room 215 (DS)
#60 Trace Memory (DS)
#59 Myst III, Exile (PS2, XBOX)
#57 Indigo Prophecy (PS2, XBOX)
#55 Syberia 2 (XBOX)
#52 Dreamfall, The Longest Journey (XBOX)
#49 Sam and Max, Season 2 (PS3, Wii)
#47 Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)
#41 Ghost Trick, Phantom Detective (DS)
#40 Myst IV, Revelation (XBOX)
#39 Last Window, The Secret of Cape West (DS)
#37 Stacking (PS3)
#33 L.A. Noire (PS3, 360)
#31 Portal (PS3, 360)
#29 Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney (DS)
#26 Heavy Rain (PS3)
#20 Still Life (XBOX)
#18 Myst (PS1, DS)
#17 Machinarium (to be released on PS3)
#15 Syberia (XBOX, DS)
#14 The Secret of Monkey Island (PS3)
#10 Portal 2 (PS3, 360)
#8 Monkey Island 2, LeChuck’s Revenge (PS3)
#5 Riven (PS1)
#4 Broken Sword, The Shadow of the Templars (PS1, Wii, GBA, DS)
I’ve only finished 11 of these! Time to get adventure gaming! Thanks for making this list AG!
I have a number of disagreements regarding the games included on this list, yet I say KUDOS! You included my top three AGs in the Top 10 (GK2, BS1 and GF, in that order) and many more of my favorites, giving top place to my beloved Grim Fandango.
That’s what matters. As an adventure gamer of 23+ years, I think this is a mighty list that will serve as a good guide for future adventure gamers.
Worst thing about the lists of any kind, is that kinda “force” the reader to try the items (games on this occasion) which scored very high on that ranking, while his or her favorite-to-be game might be hiding on the bottom of the list, even out of it..
Yes, that happens to me all the time with best-of lists, and that sucks.
Still, when we’re talking about adventure games, this list might be a nice guide for a newbie because there aren’t like thousands of adventure games out there, but much less I guess.
But when we’re talking about music or movies for example, man I DO hate lists.
My advice on a newbie adventure gamer: Just pick a theme you like FIRST (for example horror, mystery, exploration, puzzle etc) and THEN forget about the rankings and just skip randomly through the appropriate games on that nice list. You might be surprised!
After all, it would really suck if you “had” to try 84 other games first, to experience the unique yet unorthodox “The Dark Eye” , for example.
What a bad advice from immortalwind! If you are a newbie adventure gamer you should definitely try the top ranked games in this top. You will have little to lose. You will try the best games of this genre and in the meantime you will develop your tase in adventure gaming as you play.
That was a really great ride down memory lane.
I approve (most ) of the list. But in the end, this isn’t so much a list of the best, but a list of games we loved and still love.
Thank you for making this and creating a new list after the so old one.
*11 thumbs up*
Totally disagree with you small dickie. If I were newbie and the first adventure game I tried was Broken Sword which ranked 4 on this list, I would probably never try another one.
But I didn’t. Instead, for me it was Riven and Grim Fandango that really got me into adventure gaming.
It all comes down to taste… and luck.
A lot of talk about Grim Fandango.
It is a great game (like most on the list), but it did come with a few flaws.
I hope Telltale will make a remake, just without the (awful) keyboard control and with (like any other game) hotspots.
Then it will be number 1! (or at least near number 1)
PS Machinarium higher than Myst, the mother of the 1st person adventure game? Ouch!
Very pleased to read such a comprehensive awards list. You were right to commit to 100, and not just 20 or even 10.
Also happy to see ‘Feeble Files’ on the list although I’m sad it was placed so low. I loved that game and very nearly completed it.
However there was a bug which made it possible to be unable to finish the game.
Without spoiling anything, the problem was that late in the game Feeble was in a location where he could leave without picking up a crucial item needed later. After leaving that location, he couldn’t return.
I played the original 4 CD version of the game so this bug might have been fixed but in any case, the solution is to just backup your save every time you finish.
Which you should do out of paranoia anyway. It’s a looooong game
Hi There,
there is no doubt about this order which was verified between classic games until the least very new ones, but i wonder does anyone here really agree that (the beast within) should take more credits the (sins of fathers) ..? How??
and one thing;
how come i didnt notice any LSL’s at this list at all ? , i Believe the 2 and 3rd parts should have been somewhere from 1-100 Adventures !
I can’t answer why you didn’t notice any LSL’s on the list, since there is one.
yea u r right its 71 , thanks.. i must have missed it
Mark1976 “PS Machinarium higher than Myst, the mother of the 1st person adventure game? Ouch!”
Well, agreed but… who knows, maybe Machinarium will be the mother of a new adventure era. At least, I hope so.
Excellent list. I think I have a set to-play list for the next long while.
immortalwind i it really hurts ! agree…, but i see also lots of other “OUCHs” around , we should have the chance to another round ,lol , something like a Poll for those Hundred
The list has now been linked at Kotaku, on their front page, which is pretty cool!
I don’t really care about lists normally, and this one is decent even if I disagree with lots of things.
But seriously Fahrenheit… better than Toonstruck or IHNM?
Why Portal is listed as an Adventure game? In that case Metroid Prime should be listed it has more adventure elements than Portal.
And a whole lot more combat. Apples and oranges. Portal is eligible for all the reasons we’ve specified since we started covering it. You’re welcome to look them up.
I enjoyed this list very much! Thanks for all the hard work put into it. I’m sure I’ll be referring to it when I need a game recommendation
Any reason why Machinarium (runner up in 2009 AGGIES) nails #17 on the list and Tales of Monkey Island (Winner 2009 AGGIES) is not mentioned at all?
Was it because of the hype that Tales won the 2009 AGGIES? Or the fact that Monkey Island was already featured 3 times in the TOP100 that Tales didn’t make it?
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with the fact that Machinarium should be in the TOP100 and Tales not, simply because it’s really something different and therefore rightfully deserves a spot in the TOP100, but should Machinarium also not have won the 2009 AGGIES aswel then?
Different criteria. Tales was thoroughly enjoyable at the time, but it’s part of an already impressive series that’s well represented, and it doesn’t really distinguish itself above the others as an all-time achievement, whereas Machinarium is far more memorable even a couple years later. There are other possible factors too. New staff turnover since then that hold Machinarium more highly, more people having played the game than had at the time, etc.
Good top (it’s rare) but I think you have forget games that should be in top 100 before nancy drew for example: Prisoner of ice and Kyrandia.
@Jackal,
That makes sense. I was just suprised by the relatively high ranking of Machinarium and not winning the Aggies of 2009
Also why not Zac mac Krakhen?
Guys !
Where are the :
- Dracula series ?
- Necronomicon
- The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin
- The secret of alamut
Comeonnnnn
Leaving away the ranking would take some fun away.
But then again the numbers really hurt more than they do good, imho.
I wouldn’t mind having a top ten or twenty and the rest presented more equally.
Because really, any kind of ranking can only be arbitrary and will lead to arguments. Which brings us back to the fun part and brings me here. 
Nonetheless: Thank you for the list and here is a suggestion for the next time, in case you want to do a ranking again. (Most probably.)
Perhaps make two lists. One where historical importance for the genre and innovations in gameplay are taken into account, (perhaps not ranked, simply a timescale) and one where every jurymember can shove that thought overboard and simply rate by fun/fear/headaches/immersion/whatever. Ok, Nostalgia will always play a part.
Even keeping one list, but openly showing two ratings could help understand the decision better. You already did a decent job, though, showing us the reasoning behind each decision.
Even so I got the feeling that the historical importance of some games was acknowledged or got them into the list in the first place while the one of others seemed to be neglected.
As for Portal: I haven’t played the second game but really enjoyed the first. I understand your reasoning for covering it here and applaud that.
Still I have to agree with those who say it doesn’t really fit into this list.
A very well thought-out list from the AG editorial team. The quality and consistency of writing in each of the entries is superb. And it can’t have been easy making a lot of those agonising decisions that inevitably push some personal favourites out of the list altogether.
Funnily, I had read through all the way to the top 10 (on the eve before it was published), then just got caught up in other things and didn’t read the final entries till just this evening. I was delighted to see most of my all-time personal favourites there, including Pandora Directive which is my #1 (IMO, it often doesn’t get the credit it deserves). And The Last Express!
As an aside, I was mightily chuffed to see that your screenshot for Gabriel Knight 3 (with Gabe in silhouette in the church) was from my original Games Domain review of the title when it first came out (though in retrospect, my review was… a bit over-exuberant. But, hey, we live and learn). Wherever did you find it? I recovered the review text and most of the screenshots from the Wayback Machine, but that was the one shot I couldn’t retrieve. I might just grab it back :-)
WHERE. THE. HELL. IS. SHENMUE?!?!?!?!?!
Probably hanging out with all the other action-adventures that weren’t considered for this list.
Was “Lost Eden” considered and did not make the Top100 or does it fall outside the Adventure category?
I remember playing this many years ago and it was quite nice
Lost Eden was definitely eligible for the list; just didn’t make it.
What a fun list! I was delighted to see Riven and The Longest Journey in the top ten, especially since neither game received the popular recognition it deserved. The Longest Journey sold well in Europe but not in the US (which is why the sequel took so long to produce), while Riven never approached the number of sales it deserved. The Longest Journey is still wonderful to play; I play it at least once a year and am playing it again now. About Riven, people need to know that it’s available for the iPhone/iPod, and it’s a wonderful iPhone experience. I play it all the time on my phone and it’s great to always have it in my pocket. If it sells well, Cyan might be persuaded to create an HD iPhone/iPad version.
I’m surprised “Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon†didn’t make it. It was not only an excellent game but was one of the few adventure games with a full, exciting, well-rounded ending. And, I’m surprised Dreamfall was on the list, and at as high a rating as 52. The sequel to The Longest Journey was delayed for lack of funding and it shows. Despite implementation of a 3-D environment, Dreamfall’s world seems far smaller and much more constricted than the world of The Longest Journey. And, it’s notorious for its spectacular lack of an ending. Dreamfall is not really a game; it’s a quarter of a game that leaves the impression it was never finished because Funcom stopped funding its development.
I agree that The Sleeping Dragon should have gotten a spot in this Top100. Probably somewhere in the lower half. It had excellent production values and I remember that Charles Cecil really tried to re-invent the Adventure genre with this game. We can all agree it was not a full success, especially due to some repetitive puzzles, but the gameplay felt more physical also due to some nice QTE’s. This was before Heavy Rain or Fahrenheit.
Coincidently Tornquist also tried to “re-invent” the genre a couple of years later with Dreamfall.
I think that both games, though they did not fully achieve their objective, deserve a spot in the Top100.
I know “Sleeping Dragon†was criticized for the box-moving puzzles, but I’m probably the only person who actually enjoyed those.
Also, I just downloaded “Broken Sword: Director’s Cut†to my iPhone and it’s fantastic! I’m almost shocked at how well the game works on the iPhone and how much fun it is, especially considering all of the detail and animation. If anyone wonders why I’m taking hour-long coffee breaks, “Director’s Cut†is the reason.
Speaking of “Broken Sword,†what’s the consensus on “The Angel of Death?†I thought it was so uninteresting that I never finished it. Should I give it another try? I enjoyed “Sleeping Dragon†so much that I was really looking forward to it and was disappointed when it came across as gray and dull, almost the opposite of the lightness and brightness of “Sleeping Dragon.â€
@Jackal: Oh, I see. lol. xD My bad.
Are we going to get a list of honourable mentions who didn’t quite make it? The biggest surprise for me is the omission of the Kyrandia series.
Just about every game that got serious consideration has been included in the alternate recommendations. Not in any kind of order, obviously, but that was one of the reasons for including them. Fun fact: Kyrandia did actually make the list before Book of Unwritten Tales was released and bumped it.
Ah, I’d choose Kyrandia over the Book of Unwritten Tales any day, but I do admit that it hasn’t aged that well, especially the first game. Is this list final or are there going to be occasional alterations to it eventually?
The plan is to revisit the list every year-end to keep it updated. Not with a big countdown like this, but each year a new list replacing the current one.
Okay, I’ve just finished “Azrael’s Tear”.
First of all, how in the name of seven hells it may be considered even remotely similar to “Amnesia: Dark Descent”?
Secondly, while I by no means state this to be a perfect game… why isn’t it in top100? I mean, it’s definitely NOT WORSE (and I personally consider it to be quite a bit better) than “Zork: Nemesis” (which is as high as being right in the middle of the list), for all it matters.
Tl;dr: Any chance it might get a closer examination by your team for the next year’s corrections to this list?
Who said the games are similar? As I pointed out already, the heading says “You might also like”. And the same people who like free-exploration 3D games with a touch of danger and action may well like both. The secondary recommendations are really a way to get other good games some exposure they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Are the associations a reach sometimes? Maybe. The alternative is to leave them out entirely. Would that be better? Revisiting AT isn’t a priority for future updates, but it is one I want reviewed on the site, so I hope to get to it at some point. We’ll see if it makes the cut if/when we do.
