I love adventure games (also known as point-and-click games). I would dare to say I love them more than any other type of game out there. Where other really wonderful game genres struggle to hold my attention, adventure games can do so with little effort.
And so, when I found Gemini Rue, I was in bliss, and that bliss continued all the way to the end of the credits.
I'm not going to go into detail about what the game is about. There are plenty of reviews and summaries out already that you can look into that can do a much better job than I can. Just know that it's really great and you should check it out.
In fact, if you're not experienced with point-and-click adventures, you should check out quite a few titles - I'll list them at the end of this post.
You see, there's something charming about adventure games. Something that I think a lot of people miss out on and could appreciate if they gave them a chance.
These aren't high adrenaline, high speed games. Point-and-clicks are the kinds of games where you can sit back and have a cup of evening coffee while playing. They're thinking games, where instead of trying to gather skill points or headshots, you try to come up with ways to get into or out of situations. They challenge and change your perspective. You play one of these games long enough and suddenly you're looking at your own rooms in real life for possible items to use in escape plans or thinking up corny and witty responses in your conversations with friends.
You play adventure games for the stories and the puzzles - they're all about the characters/situations and logic (or lack of logic, in some cases).
Unfortunately, adventure games are not exactly the hottest things on the shelves. In fact, it's a little difficult to find any on the store shelves if the name Nancy Drew isn't included in the title (actually, these Nancy Drew games are pretty fun). In our fast-paced, short-attention-spanned society, people want games that move just as fast as they do or that can be played easily in random chucks on the go without a whole lot of commitment.
But Gemini Rue is solid proof that this is not a dead genre. The game has gotten some amazing responses so far. People are still making these games, and people are still playing them. It helps that wonderful companies like Telltale Games are re-releasing and producing new adventure games based on well-loved series such as Monkey Island, Back to the Future, Sam and Max, and (soon) Jurassic Park. And the DS has proven to be a nice platform for adventures, as well.
Many have thought adventure games were permanently put to rest after the Myst boom, but I think they've just gone into hibernation for a while, waiting for a time when the next "different" thing in gaming actually turns out to mean something classic.
If you're a veteran adventurer, don't worry, I think there's hope for us yet. And if you're a novice to this genre, well, keep your inventory bag close by, brew yourself a pot of coffee or tea, and check out some of these titles below (and the ones linked above). You're in for a different kind of gaming night.
- Beneath a Steel Sky (Free)
- The Last Express
- Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
- Blade Runner (Might have to treasure hunt around to find this one. Absolutely worth it.)
Good post! Beneath a Steel Sky is one of my all-time favourites.
ReplyDeletePoint-and-click adventures were the games I grew up with - I'm in mourning now that they've been overtaken by generic shooters. I guess our obsession with technology is partially to blame, too - it gives shooters and such wide scope for advancement, but there's not more much you can do for adventures than just making the graphics prettier.
Did you like The Longest Journey?
Thanks! I grew up on point-and-clicks, too, which may have a factor in how much I love them haha. And you're right about the technology thing, I think. Adventure games don't have a lot of room for gameplay innovation.
ReplyDeleteI actually haven't finished The Longest Journey yet. I just got it as a gift recently and have barely broken the surface - terrible of me, I know. But so far I'm enjoying it. What did you think?
Oh no! You must promise that you'll finish it! It's one of the most epic things I ever played, and the scope of the places you'll eventually visit is crushing and haunting. Since you're a fan of BaSS, Blade Runner and Gemini Rue, you'll probably really enjoy TLJ's sci-fi :)
ReplyDelete(The sequel is lacklustre, though...)
Nice post. I can't say I'm any sort of experienced veteran in this subject, but it is pretty interesting. Sometimes I'm just in the mood for this type of game. Something calm and relaxing. Some games are a little too stressful to play all the time (Starcraft and some shooters).
ReplyDeleteNot to insult the genre in any way, but all I could think of when you described Adventure Games was.. "Sounds like McGuyver". lol.
On another note. I know it feels like this genre has disappeared mostly, but honestly, I feel like it has a perfect opportunity to return to the gaming world. How? With the use of all these new console add-ons, the Move and Kinect. I think the problem with these add-ons is they are trying a little too hard to be "hardcore" when it is almost impossible to do so. Now, their technology IS amazing, but they could be focusing on a simpler experience with a more story driven, thinking game, using point and click with Wiimotes or Wands, and your *brain*.
Now, this might be a little ambitious of a thought because I don't know how much the Adventure Game crowd would enjoy this, but with the Kinect, you could actually stand there and use your body to move around, and your arms/hands to do all your actions and whatnot. It would be a fun way to interact and immerse yourself into the game. Of course this is my opinion and who knows if this would work. It could even grab some gamers and introduce them to the genre. It's also one way to play a Kinect game without looking like a complete goofball.
It might be blasphemous to be trying to incorporate all this new tech into your old school games, but thats the direction the gaming world is taking so I don't see anything wrong with trying to incorporate the old with the new.