Joystiq

Editorial: Point out the definition of adventure games until it clicks

Jessica Conditt — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST

As the underground cult of indie development surges to the surface and crowdfunding allows vague ideas to transform into products, the scope of gaming bubbles and changes. Games now span spectrums of physical input and emotional amplitude, and our perspectives change with them.

Amid this upheaval is an age-old genre that for some reason resists attempts of acceptance in the "hardcore" gaming audience: point-and-click adventures. They're just choose-your-own-adventure stories; they're interactive novels; the choices in them don't matter - all arguments against adventures as true games, while shoot-die-respawn titles play on, unchallenged.

Joystiq's own Top 10 of 2012 list includes The Walking Dead, a high-profile and famously intense point-and-click, and my own Best of the Rest has Yesterday, a gritty adventure from Pendulo Studios. Obviously, we consider both of these games to be games. Other players, maybe not so much - so let the argument begin.

In order to debate whether adventure games are, in fact, games, we first need a shared definition of the term. Without definition, you could argue that The Walking Dead isn't a game and I could just as passionately espouse why it is, and we could both be correct within the worlds of our own, secret definitions. While mutually assured correctness sounds like a wonderful conclusion, in reality it does nothing to examine the question at hand and leads to huffy frustration, leaving the debate unresolved forever.

What we're really arguing is the definition of a "game," rather than any particular sub-genre, which are all just variations of that main theme. This is my definition.

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Editorial: Point out the definition of adventure games until it clicks originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gabriel Knight writer Jane Jensen opens new studio Pinkerton Road

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:30:00 EST

It's a good time to be a classic adventure game fan, in case you hadn't noticed. Between Double Fine's recent success story and this week's announcement of a brand new adventure studio from Gabriel Knight writer Jane Jensen, the next few years are gonna be rife with pun-laden puzzles.

Jensen's new studio, Pinkerton Road, is being co-opened with composer Robert Holmes (also of Gabriel Knight fame) and will focus on "third-person adventure games for PC and tablet with rich stories, gorgeous art, and seamlessly fun play." Rather than following the traditional developer model of seeking funding via publishers, Pinkerton Road will be using a model based on community supported agriculture. Yes, really.

Jensen's calling it "Community Supported Gaming," and says fans will essentially pay for year-long seasons of access to the studio's games (a la CSAs). A smattering of ideas are already in the works for the studio's first year, and Kickstarter is facilitating the funding. If you'd like to support the project, there are still 42 days to go on the funding goal.

Gabriel Knight writer Jane Jensen opens new studio Pinkerton Road originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adventure game portal Sarien back with Activision's approval

Griffin McElroy — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EST

In a lengthy post on the personal blog of Martin Kool, proprietor of the recently cease-and-desisted Sierra adventure game portal Sarien.net, the lengthy history of the site's development was recounted. We assumed said history would end with the site's closure earlier this week -- but luckily, it looks like a new chapter is set to unfold, as Activision has given Sarien approval to continue running, albeit in a limited fashion.

Kool explained, "Activision proposed to officially authorize Sarien.net to publish the first game of any series in its multiplayer HTML5 form." The portal will include a link from each of these free-to-play first chapters to the series' full collections on Steam. The publisher also demanded that the iPad versions of the titles be removed, on the off chance that they ever decide to drop their own adventure game Apps. Seems like a pretty reasonable response from Activision -- especially when compared to most publishers' policy of "Hey, that's ours, cut that out right away, young man."

Adventure game portal Sarien back with Activision's approval originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unauthorized Sierra adventure games portal Sarien.net ceases upon Activision order

James Ransom-Wiley — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST

Sarien.net, "the portal that once stood for reliving classic Sierra On-Line adventure games" (for free), has been shut down following a cease-and-desist order issued by IP owner Activision. The site's creator, Mr. Kool (real name!), has posted the letter from Activision's legal counsel on the Sarien homepage.

"While we appreciate your dedication to the Sierra classic library and understand that you are a fan of these games, Activision has not authorized the development or distribution of these games via your Website," the order reads. "Accordingly, we must demand that you immediately cease any further distribution or exploitation of the Sierra Games on your Website."

Kool launched Sarien way back in April 2009, but it seemingly took this month's implementation of iPhone and iPad browser support (for all of the site's AGI-powered games) for Activision to take notice. "Wait till you see my new World of Warcraft in javascript," Kool quipped in a tweet. "Oh wait, that's Activision too..."

[Thanks, Ryan; image source: MobyGames]

Unauthorized Sierra adventure games portal Sarien.net ceases upon Activision order originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hideo Kojima linked to adventure game project

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

In a recent interview with Japanese gaming news site 4Gamer (as translated by Andriasang), Chiyomaru Shikura, the CEO of music publisher 5pb, revealed his upcoming foray into the world of interactive electronic games. When asked about his upcoming projects, Shikura explained that one title will carry quite a bit of clout -- specifically, the one on which he's collaborating with "Konami's Hideo Kojima."

"Kojima said that he wanted to make an adventure game," Shikura explained, adding, "we're still at the level of 'let's lock ourselves away in the mountains somewhere and work on the plot,' so the specifics haven't been finalized." If this project comes together, we're really hoping to see some classic-style, point-and-click adventure game puzzles -- just imagine what positively insane item combinations Kojima could think up.

Hideo Kojima linked to adventure game project originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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L.A. Noire isn't your 'average adventure game'

Justin McElroy — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:29:00 EST

We don't yet know precisely what to make of Rockstar's upcoming L.A. Noire (not that that's necessarily a bad thing), but after poring over a new Edge piece on the game, we think we may be getting a clearer picture.

"With traditional adventure games, everything is based on what the designer wants you to figure out," Jeronimo Barrera, VP of product development at Rockstar, told the publication. "We've kind of gone for a different approach, which is more like real-world detective work."

Developer Team Bondi isn't coming right out and putting it this way, but L.A. Noire sounds like a new genre, caught halfway between the open-world action of a Grand Theft Auto and the brainteaser pacing of a classic adventure game. Could we be witnessing the birth of the true "detective" game? Figure that one out.

L.A. Noire isn't your 'average adventure game' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Real Myst added to GoG.com lineup

Xav de Matos — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:00:00 EST

Cyan Worlds' late-2000 remastered version of the classic adventure game, Myst, is now available for DRM-free purchase on Good Old Games. Real Myst takes the classic graphic adventure title and refines it with free-roaming and real-time 3D graphics, replacing the original's pre-rendered stills. According to GoG, this is the Myst designers Robyn and Rand Miller originally wanted to make. So, like George Lucas before it, Cyan Worlds reworks the original to take advantage of modern technology -- but with the added benefit of not ruining our childhoods in the process. The title is a steal at $5.99 and recommended for any adventure game junkie.

Real Myst added to GoG.com lineup originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gentlemen, please note that Time Gentlemen, Please is now half-off

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST

The adventure game genre has begun to rally back into the hearts and minds of all gamerkind, largely on the backs of re-released LucasArts classics and high-minded, hand-drawn indie darlings. But let us not forget about the role played by Zombie Cow's Ben There, Dan That and its successor, Time Gentlemen, Please -- both of which reminded us that adventure games, above all else, should be irreverent and, when that fails, should be just plain incoherent.

If you skipped out on the latter game due to that completely prohibitive £2.99 (about $5) price tag, you've got a chance to redeem yourself. Speaking to Eurogamer, a Zombie Cow representative confirmed that the price of Time Gentlemen, Please has been cut down to £1.49 (call it $2.50) in an effort to make the wait for Modern Warfare 2 a bit more bearable. "So it's a humanitarian thing, really," the spokesperson explained. Just visit Zombie Cow's site, enter in the code: MW2AAAAGES, and watch the price tumble.

Gentlemen, please note that Time Gentlemen, Please is now half-off originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Telltale's next franchise announcements 'around October,' not necessarily comedies

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:15:00 EST

Known for perfecting the episodic release, Telltale Games says it's stepping into "new genres." CEO Dan Connors told VG247 as much in a recent phone interview, and the idea for this move is coming from a somewhat expected place -- television shows like The Sopranos, Lost and True Blood. "We've already evolved the genre in a lot of ways ... but we believe there's a lot of head-room to make more dramatic advances in storytelling and drama inside of this genre [adventure games]." Considering the company's past work with franchises like CSI though, you could say this tale has already been told. (YEEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!)

Though Telltale will be at PAX alongside us and everyone we know, don't expect any announcements just yet. Connors says the soonest we'll be hearing about anything is "around October," so, ya know, get comfy.

Telltale's next franchise announcements 'around October,' not necessarily comedies originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LucasArts wants to re-release classic adventure games (if you want to buy them)

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:25:00 EST

If the words Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango and Full Throttle bring pangs of joy to your heart of hearts, you'll want to hear this -- several LucasArts higher-ups have stated the desire to bring more of their catalog of classic adventure titles back to life, provided that people show interest in purchasing them. For starters, you could drop a few bucks on the upcoming XBLA and PC remake of The Secret of Monkey Island as a good faith offering.

This sentiment was mentioned to Australian news outlet WAToday by LucasArts community manager Brooks Brown, who said, "if this sells, there's no one at this company who doesn't want to do these games." One fan of the company's beloved point-and-clickers is LucasArts CEO Darrell Rodriguez, who spoke with Joystiq on the possibility of more classic revamps just before E3, and explained that he "couldn't do anything but release more of these titles" if sales for Monkey Island and desire from the gaming populous were strong.

Long story short, if you don't buy Monkey Island, and they don't re-release Grim Fandango because of your non-purchase, we're going to find you and punch you repeatedly in your most delicate places.

Gallery: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (PC, XBLA)

LucasArts wants to re-release classic adventure games (if you want to buy them) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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See screens, video from canceled 3D Space Quest platformer

Jason Dobson — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:30:00 EST

He's defeated Sariens, foiled Sludge Vohaul and even uncovered a sinister plot by ScumSoft. Still, after all of that, little has been heard from mop-wielding hero Roger Wilco, star of Sierra's venerable Space Quest series, in well over a decade. And judging by images and a video posted by game designer Brett Johnson of a canceled seventh game in the franchise, it's a good thing.

The long-rumored sequel looked to sweep its PC roots under the rug, trading pointing and clicking for running and jumping as a 3D platformer for the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox. In fact, the game, which was being helmed by developer Escape Factory, bore little resemblance at all to the Space Quest that series fans had grown to love. Still, it's somewhat interesting to look at the Space Quest game that might have been, but like the Labion Terror Beast, it's best appreciated from a distance.

[Via superannuation]

See screens, video from canceled 3D Space Quest *platformer* originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Classic LucasArts artwork turned into movie posters

Jason Dobson — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST

All too often when mixing genres, the results - like that Mountain Dew left over from last night - fall flat. However, one enterprising forum-goer has has defied convention (and warmed our hearts), successfully marrying classic LucasArts adventure games with our wall's longstanding desire to be covered in nostalgia.

The results consist of several beautiful posters, most based on original artwork lifted from an era when LucasArts wasn't afraid to point and click, including Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman masterpieces, The Secret of Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle. Designed to be printed and hung, we can't think of a better way to hide that unsightly crack above your bed.

Classic LucasArts artwork turned into movie posters originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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