Adventure Gamers / Adventure Europe / Just Adventure / AdventureDot - Why?

[Dasilva]

Hey all,

I wanted to ask you guys about Adventure Gamers / Adventure Europe / Just Adventure / AdventureDot /etc. Do you guys apprechiate their presense? Would you guys rather prefere one site like Just Adventure or have multiple sites dedicated to the adventure genre?

I was speaking to a friend and he said he doesn't like the concept of different press/media/fan websites such as the ones mentioned above to have exclusive stuff, or having reviews etc. I'd rather see one website with everything.

Personally I love seeing different adventure game press websites, it gives an option to where they want to go, and I find it very interesting to read about different things on different sites. Its just like all the other sites like IGN / Gamespy / Gamershell / Game Spot / etc.

Its all about the community in my opinion, the whole place would be boring if there was only one site.

What do you guys think? Do you think there would be room for another site like AE / AG / JA etc? Do you think we already have too many websites dedicated to adventure games? Please share. :)

[Dale Baldwin]

I only tend to visit this site for AG news. If there's anything notable on the other sites that AG hasn't covered, people normally post about it anyway.

If JA+ wasn't so unnavigable, I might check there more often, but as it is... bleugh.

[kelmer]

I was speaking to a friend and he said he doesn't like the concept of different press/media/fan websites such as the ones mentioned above to have exclusive stuff, or having reviews etc. I'd rather see one website with everything.

That's like saying there should only be one newspaper, only one TV news informative, or only one magazine.

I think there must be as much media as possible, because it's important to be able to compare diverse opinions and choose whichever suits us better.

And, of course, competence (although it might not be taken as that in this case) is always something good for the final user.

[scribeswindow]

That's like saying there should only be one newspaper, only one TV news informative, or only one magazine.

I think there must be as much media as possible, because it's important to be able to compare diverse opinions and choose whichever suits us better.

And, of course, competence (although it might not be taken as that in this case) is always something good for the final user.


Well said Kelmer. I completely agree. Most sites such as this one that also have forums do create a sense of community. Also, if you have such a general site, then people would then have to wade through other information as well, information that may not be relevant. I think the internet has definitely allowed for groups of people to come together with likeminded interests. Personally I only play adventure games. I don't have the inclination nor the time to be playing other stuff, therefore a site with everything and anything on it about computer games is definitely unappealing

[colpet]

The more the merrier! I only play PC adventures, so I like a very specific gaming forum. My favorite sites are Gameboomers, JA, AG, Mystery Manor and Quandary. Each has similar news, but often a different spin on it. I hear about the latest games, read previews and reviews, but most of my information comes from the forum member's comments. That's how I can really tell whether I'll like a game or not.

[eriq]

Are you kidding? One site for everything?! One of the best things about all of these sites is how differently they present information. I enjoy all the varying opinions and especially the different styles of writing. AdventureGamers.com has some of the best writers (and quality control). And I love the fun exclusives on AdventureEurope. Aside from the fact that it's run by Dimitris Manos, one of my favourite game peoples!

[Jackal]

I just appreciate quality, period. If a site can offer something of value to the community, it's welcome in my books. I think all the major sites, and even some smaller fan sites, have their own strengths to offer, and if the genre is strong enough to sustain them all, great! We're not in competition with each other, and if anyone thinks we are, they take themselves way the hell too seriously.

As Spitfire said, it's all about the community (and the genre).

[Burge]

I only tend to visit this site for AG news. If there's anything notable on the other sites that AG hasn't covered, people normally post about it anyway.

If JA+ wasn't so unnavigable, I might check there more often, but as it is... bleugh.

W3rd on both counts. JA's design is utter pants.

[VoodooFX]

One site to rule them all!! :D (www.adventuregamers.com (http://www.adventuregamers.com))

[Legolas813]

I mainly visit Adventure Gamers and it is my favorite, but I still feel the other sites are important. Adventure Europe and Game Boomers are two others I like to visit. The only one I really don't care for is JA+.

But I think all of the adventure sites have their place. There certainly shouldn't be only one.

[Steve Ince]

Speaking from the development side of the fence, it would be awful if there was only one adventure based site. By having a number of sites with different approaches and editorial policies and very different user bases in the forums it's possible to get a much clearer picture of adventure fans' tastes.

[Ninth]

I almost exclusively go to AG, but obviously restricting information to only one source is a bad idea.
The more, the merrier. :)

[Dasilva]

Do you guys enjoy it when other websites have different exclusive material so you don't get everything on one website.

And in my opinion JustAdventure really does suck, there are so many popups and banners, they're also the last people to know about what goes on in forums etc.. I only go there to enter their giveaways. :)

Now that I see everyone is so positive about this idea. I've been spending a few months developing a new Adventure Game media/press/etc website to be launched in the year year. I've collected the most exclusive stuff I never knew I could get hold of. I've also been working on some unique features that no other website has been doing. But I don't want to real much. Hopefully I'll have all of you guys' support.

[Lucien21]

Do you guys enjoy it when other websites have different exclusive material so you don't get everything on one website.

And in my opinion JustAdventure really does suck, there are so many popups and banners, they're also the last people to know about what goes on in forums etc.. I only go there to enter their giveaways. :)

Now your just asking for a kicking.:pan:

Given the level of ads etc on all the sites. JA isn't that bad.

Sure the main website is god awful design (Sorry Val), but I still like it's eccentricities. It also gets it's fair share of the exclusives and stories like all the site who receive the press releases etc about the same time.

I have been a member of most of the adventuring sites starting at JA+ and although I don't post there as much as I used to I still check it out on a regular basis.

Each site has it's own feel and point of view and long may it continue.

AG for instance seems to cater for a youger demographic than most of the other sites. So new innovations and arcade sequences seem to be more readily accepted. Myst stylee games are less of a discussion point here as it seems more weighted towards 3rd person.

Gameboomers is more sedate, but i've never been a member.

JA+ does seem more set in it's ways as to what is regarded an adventure. More of the membership are Mystites. JA+ has also moved too far towards politics and religion talk in there forums IMO and most of the old regulars have either moved on or don't post. It's also less activly moderated so fights and flame wars have been ongoing between some members recently.

Quandary has a large Aussie membership as well as others but still seems to be building up. I love the reviews at Quandary and usually can trust their judgement. (not to say the ones elsewhere are crap, but there are certain reviewers at say JA that I don't read)

I think you need the variety of viewpoints and communities. There certainly is the room for it.

[Ninth]

I think you need the variety of viewpoints and communities. There certainly is the room for it.
Not only that, but I find the adventure gaming community well balanced. You can see pretty well, and pretty fast, which sites are likely to appeal to you, and I'd say there not too much redudancy between the different sites.

[Jackal]

You guys seem to be talking more about a site's forum community than the main sites. Those tend to be quite different animals.

Do you guys enjoy it when other websites have different exclusive material so you don't get everything on one website.

Depends what you mean by "exclusive". This is one of the most ridiculously overused words, not to mention flat out wrongly used in some cases. Which pretty much makes it meaningless.

[Dasilva]

You guys seem to be talking more about a site's forum community than the main sites. Those tend to be quite different animals.



Depends what you mean by "exclusive". This is one of the most ridiculously overused words, not to mention flat out wrongly used in some cases. Which pretty much makes it meaningless.

Like exclusive new screenshots/trailers/wallpapers/info.

[Dale Baldwin]

That still doesn't say what you mean by exclusive.

[Dasilva]

That still doesn't say what you mean by exclusive.

Exclusive = Something (eg: a trailer) that only gets released on particular site.

I don't know how else to discribe it. :9

[fov]

Spitfire, I think what Jack and Dale are getting at is that something's only exclusive if no one else has it and if you have some kind of agreement with the person who provided it that it won't be provided to anyone else for X amount of time. Just because a site is the first to post a batch of screenshots that have been released to a number of sites doesn't give the first site an exclusive. (Unfortunately, this is how some sites use the word, and it's misleading.)

It's also unfortunate but true that having an exclusive doesn't really mean much. Even if it's supposed to be yours-all-yours, it's going to be reposted by other sites within hours of you putting it up.

While I'm responding, I just wanted to thank everyone who has said nice things about AG. :)

[Jackal]

Exclusive = Something (eg: a trailer) that only gets released on particular site.

In that case, then no. Frankly, in a niche genre this size, I don't believe in exclusivity. The entire reason for our existence is to promote the genre. Hording materials that are freely given by publishers or developers to force people to go to your site doesn't do that. To me, once something appears here, even if it debuts here as an "exclusive", it should belong to the whole world. You know, a "hey world, a new trailer!" Not "hey, world, look at us!"

[Dasilva]

Spitfire, I think what Jack and Dale are getting at is that something's only exclusive if no one else has it and if you have some kind of agreement with the person who provided it that it won't be provided to anyone else for X amount of time. Just because a site is the first to post a batch of screenshots that have been released to a number of sites doesn't give the first site an exclusive. (Unfortunately, this is how some sites use the word, and it's misleading.)

Would it be the same if the developer gave you these screenshots and said here are some never-before-seen shots. Would that be considered exclusive?

It's also unfortunate but true that having an exclusive doesn't really mean much. Even if it's supposed to be yours-all-yours, it's going to be reposted by other sites within hours of you putting it up.

But the idea is that people will know it came from a certain site, thus making it a tab more popular, IMHO.

While I'm responding, I just wanted to thank everyone who has said nice things about AG. :)

Well AG is probably one of the best out there, it offers everything you'd ever want in a site like this.

[Dasilva]

In that case, then no. Frankly, in a niche genre this size, I don't believe in exclusivity. The entire reason for our existence is to promote the genre. Hording materials that are freely given by publishers or developers to force people to go to your site doesn't do that. To me, once something appears here, even if it debuts here as an "exclusive", it should belong to the whole world. You know, a "hey world, a new trailer!" Not "hey, world, look at us!"

I know, I have no problems with people posting the exclusives everywhere, it should be encouraged. Well said. :)

[Ninth]

In that case, then no. Frankly, in a niche genre this size, I don't believe in exclusivity. The entire reason for our existence is to promote the genre. Hording materials that are freely given by publishers or developers to force people to go to your site doesn't do that. To me, once something appears here, even if it debuts here as an "exclusive", it should belong to the whole world. You know, a "hey world, a new trailer!" Not "hey, world, look at us!"
Completely agreed.

Except that I don't believe in exclusivity, period. :)

[fov]

Would it be the same if the developer gave you these screenshots and said here are some never-before-seen shots. Would that be considered exclusive?

It depends. I've been given never-before-seen shots with an agreement that AG would run them first, and then before we did they were sent out to all the sites in a press release.

I agree with what Jack said... I don't really see the need for something (a trailer, etc.) to be tied to one site for any length of time. But it can be exciting to be the first to provide something to the community. This is true whether it's an "exclusive" or not. I got a huge rush out of reporting the Sam & Max / Telltale news last September, because it got a lot of people excited. That wasn't an "AG exclusive"... AG just happened to be one of the only press outlets at the event.

EDIT: Whether something is worth slapping "exclusive" on it also really depends on the project and how much publicity it's already had. If we were given some "never before seen" Dreamfall shots at this point, it wouldn't be that exciting... there are already a billion Dreamfall shots out there right now.

[Mattsius]

I'm quite sure no one here wants just one adventure game site. As has been stated the same goes for newspapers, TV news outlets and practically anything else here in life. Diversity is always a good thing, whatever the subject.

I mainly visit AG and tend to avoid JA+ because of its appalling design (or lack of design all together) and it's very varying reviews/previews/etc. quality.
I feel that all the sites around are a good thing though, because although my view on adventure games very much coincide with the general views of the staff of AG, not everyone has my taste in adventure games, so it's good that there's different sites for different needs.

EDIT: I agree with Jack about exclusivity being a bad thing. Especially for a small genre like ours it's important that the different sites/communities work for the good of the genre and not for the fame of the individual persons/sites.

[Jackal]

Except that I don't believe in exclusivity, period. :)

I think commercial sites need to have some form of exclusivity. I mean, IGN leeching off Gamespot just wouldn't be cool. But otherwise, I agree.

Would it be the same if the developer gave you these screenshots and said here are some never-before-seen shots. Would that be considered exclusive?

Lots of things can be considered exclusive. Again, keep in mind the different uses of the word. If it just means "first time appearing", then sure. The question is whether or not it's worth boasting about being exclusive. Usually it isn't. For screenshots, almost never, unless perhaps they're the very first for a particular game. Nobody else gives a crap whether you're the 1st or 400th to post them. All they care about is if they're new to them.

[Dasilva]

*rubs off exclusive text on new screenshots* :P

[Kazmodan]

I believe that different sites should exist. It's a lot more interesting to see different views of different sites than a single view of a "giant" site. This genre is niche as it is, and I don't want some "admin" of a single adventure site imposing his own views only. Like in almost anything in life, I like to diversify. If I end up disliking a certain site or the way its articles are written, I move onto the next.

For example, I used to like Just Adventure as pretty much the only source for adventure games. But at some point their articles were reduced to nothing more than constant whining about this or that or about others calling them whiners (see Randy's PC Gamer article where PC Gamer called him a whiner). Non-stop complaining about people liking old-school classic adventures more and not willing to have an "open mind" for the new 3D action-adventure (plus, JA has annoying pop-ups and outdated html). I mean, what happened to the good old reviews? It's peoples' choice in what they like and they vote with their wallets and that should be enough. Right now it's so hard to read the reviews on some sites without seeing them whine about adventure genre being "oppressed" or what people should and shouldn't like to keep the genre alive.

For now, I read Adventure Gamers, Adventure-Archiv.de, Quandary-Land, and the sites that review adventures sometimes but not exclussively (to see a somewhat "outside" perspective).

Yes, I realize this is somewhat of a rant but I'm only replying to a topic, not making a new one.

Just IMO. :)

[Dasilva]

So what you all are trying to say is that we should act more as a family rather than someone who wants people to exclusively visite their site and hog material rather than sharing it.

[Mattsius]

So what you all are trying to say is that we should act more as a family rather than someone who wants people to exclusively visite their site and hog material rather than sharing it. I can't speak for anyone else, but that's certainly my opinion anyway.

[tsa]

I'd like to see some more independent adventure game websites. This helps because every site will have its own way of looking at news, and rating new games. That gives you a better view of what's out there. More = better, but too much is not good of course. Fortunately adventure games are not so popular that the web is overflowing with sites about them :)

[tsa]

I'd like to see some more independent adventure game websites. This helps because every site will have its own way of looking at news, and rating new games. That gives you a better view of what's out there. More = better, but too much is not good of course. Fortunately adventure games are not so popular that the web is overflowing with sites about them :)

Come to think of it: can someone maybe post a bunch of URL's for the people who are interested? I, for one, only look at JA+ (http://www.justadventure.com, weird site, the wining that was described in a previous post annoys me too), and this site. Which ones that I miss are interesting?

[fov]

Here are URLs for some AG-related sites:

GameBoomers (http://www.gameboomers.com)
Four Fat Chicks (http://www.fourfatchicks.com)
Quandary (http://www.quandaryland.com)
AdventureDot (http://adventure.rpgdot.com) (They mostly just print links to other sites' news items, but it can be a good place to see what's happening "at a glance.")
SierraGamers (http://www.sierragamers.com) - this is Ken Williams' site, a good place to talk Sierra nostalgia.

Those are the only ones with URLs I can remember at the moment, without looking them up. :D There are several more listed in our links section (http://www.adventuregamers.com/links.php?trail=0;24;15;16), though.

[Legolas813]

^ Don't forget http://www.adventure-eu.com/

BTW, on a totally unrelated note, did anyone notice Gamespot finally reviewed TMOS?

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/themomentofsilence/review.html

[Dasilva]

^ Don't forget http://www.adventure-eu.com/

BTW, on a totally unrelated note, did anyone notice Gamespot finally reviewed TMOS?

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/themomentofsilence/review.html

And for some reason AE still doesnt work weather I use Firefox or Internet Explorer, strange.

[Melanie68]

And for some reason AE still doesnt work weather I use Firefox or Internet Explorer, strange.

It works for me in Firefox. Did you follow Fov's suggestion in the other thread to clear out your old Adventure Europe cookies before you visited the page again?

[Dasilva]

It works for me in Firefox. Did you follow Fov's suggestion in the other thread to clear out your old Adventure Europe cookies before you visited the page again?

Yes, and its still not working.

[fov]

At this point you should probably email Dimi. Maybe your IP address is blocked or something.

d.manos@theinventory.org

[MoriartyL]

[Metroid 2 is] not the best game in the world, I'll admit, and one of the worst in the series,...
Stop right there. Echoes is a fabulous game, which in some ways is the best game of the series.
Oh, and by the way, the reason it is no sin to call MP2 an adventure is because its exploration is the most important type of gameplay. That is, if you consider games like Myst which focus on solitary exploration to be adventures.



Carry on.

[Dasilva]

At least over here you get 'meet hot singles' adverts, the adverts at JA+ are just about flash games and other random things. :D

I agree with you here, some people at JA+ think their celebrities or seomthing, that they can say and do what they want.

[fov]

No more bashing of other sites (or their staff) in this thread, please. :crazy: It's cool to talk about what we like and dislike at various sites (AG included!), but let's try not to make it personal.

[reno6]

I've deleted my post. Tensions have been high over at the forum I frequent, and the hatred and general anti-Christmas-spirit have gotten to me. I apologize for my earlier outburst, and anybody I might have offended.