Exciting developments in Adventure games!!

[wanman]

Is it just me or is it great to be into adventure games at the moment?? I mean, there are so many great looking adventures being released this year and next - I think the industry is definitely on the rise.

Although, you cannot judge how good an adventure game is on visuals, I have to say I love the type of locations/stories being used/developed in the up and coming games. Let us all hope that there are at least a few little gems in there that will continually raise the profile of adventure games and capture new audiences!!

I raise a glass to those bold developers and publishers that are making it happen and giving us worlds that momentarily take us away from the madness of the world we all live in! :D

[Crapstorm]

Is it just me or is it great to be into adventure games at the moment??

It might just be you. I feel the exact opposite right now.

[wanman]

Change the record Crapstorm! A little boring now and we all know you feel that way!

[smulan]

I agree with you wanman, I've played some very good adventuregames procuced in the last two, three years and there's more to come I think.

[Beacon]

There are some good looking games coming up, but few of them are in realtime 3D. When more adventure games go 3D, then things will get exciting.

[Thaurin]

Speaking of real-time 3D, I'd like to see more games like Dreamfall. Possibly with more puzzles, but good graphics and strong story/dialogue!

There have been some good games released in these past years, definitely. I'd say that adventure games could be on the rise, but I don't want to sound too optimistic. :D

[Wouter]

After playing Dreamfall (and to a lesser extent Fahrenheit), nothing will ever be the same again for me where adventures are concerned. I have a hard time going back to games like Runaway2.

However, i share your enthusiasm. There are some promising titles coming from september onwards. Let's hope they turn out ok.

[wanman]

I hear you, we don't ever want to be too optimistic! ;)

I also agree that with more Realtime 3D, the excitement will come - although that means that the games become more resource heavy (system requirements), etc. But hey, maybe that is the way it will have to be in order to compete and survive as a genre (for example, look at the change and evolution of FPS in terms of system reqs)

[equallyAvant]

Damn i was planning to make a thread like this myself....
We see great names return to adventure games development....Jane Jansen with Gray Matter, ex-LucasArts with Sam & Max and Vampire Story...
The future is looking bright imo...
Cinq Studio is also a hidden ace in the adventure scene....

The discourage you the fact that also generic adventures are also in production....(like Agatha Cristie's games....jeez cant it be any more generic than that?)

[Crapstorm]

Change the record Crapstorm! A little boring now and we all know you feel that way!

Sorry. My next album will be experimental hip-hop instead of the classical blues that I usually produce.

[tsa]

LOL @ Crapstorm :)

But back on topic, what's this about 3D? I'd rather have a good story than beautiful pictures. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy a beautiful environment, but it's not the most important thing for me.

[wanman]

Sorry. My next album will be experimental hip-hop instead of the classical blues that I usually produce

Comedy genius :Z

Back on topic, story is just as important for me. Let us hope amongst all the talented visuals, that the games can sustain a great storey. Just a quick question then to AGs, what makes the perfect storey?

[lipsum]

What makes a story great, IMHO, is the sense of a wholeness you have while playing and afterwards. Take Syberia I&II, for instance. The characters develop and change during the game, the locations and their inhabitants seem to have their own personal history and they don't serve only as tools to get the story going. Though all the locations and characters are totally fictitious, you feel you can go there tomorrow. Also, apart from Kate's journey home (if ever... this could be a nice premise for Syberia III, isn't it?), there are no loose plot lines. It all comes together very very nicely.

[colpet]

Not very exciting times for me either. Very few new games strike my interest, but I'm glad to see that some sectors of the adventure crowd have games to look forward to.

[Kolorabi]

I think this is a great time to be an adventure player. Counting commercial indie releases, I really can't remember the last time I had so much to play and look forward to. Now, if only Nobilis could sort out their UK distribution, so I could get my hands on Destination Treasure Island...

[cwapitm]

I think it's slowly starting to get better. I don't think adventure games will ever go mainstream again, but certainly more are being made. I keep my eye out on the independent companies because they seem make more higher quality adventure games.

[ATMachine]

For an adventure gamer like myself, weaned on games with entertaining stories and innovative and amusing gameplay, the pickings right now are definitely dreary. More than half the titles on shelves today deal with the same few subjects: Atlantis, the Knights Templar, Egypt. Also most of the modern releases are first-person with very few characters to interact with. And what few games don't stick to this formula instead borrow their subjects straight from classic literature. Originality is (at the moment) dead.

[Squinky]

I think the Underground scene is quite exciting these days. But that's just me.

[ATMachine]

I think the Underground scene is quite exciting these days. But that's just me.
I don't play many Underground games, so I can't speak on that front. Perhaps I should start. God knows they can't be much worse than the professional adventures coming out these days. :)

[tsa]

I played some of them and enjoyed myself immensely. "Pleurghburgh: dark ages" comes to mind, and "Jessica Iforgotherlastname and the Dusseldorf conspiracy". Those were fun.

[Gonchi]

Sorry. My next album will be experimental hip-hop instead of the classical blues that I usually produce.

Pfft. Sellout.