A poster on the "hints" forum asked for help with "Outcry", and that prompted me to dust off my DVD's and start re-playing this fantastic game. For those who haven't had the fantastic experience of total immersion in an Adventure game, I would urge you to find and play this incredible work.

But I couldn't help but ponder...what has happened to adventure games? When did the genre deteriorate into mindless cartoons; crudely drawn cartoon-like characters poorly animated against grainy, pixelated two-dimensional backgrounds. I'm just venting, I know, but its sad to see the sorry state of modern "adventure" (lol) gaming. There, I've had my say.

Many of the larger companies that used to develop our favourite adventure games series no longer produce them, for whatever reason: the company itself has gone bust, or they have switched to other genres of game that are more profitable. What we have left are the independent developers, who don't necessarily have the budget that the big studios had. Cue the current spate of short, episodic adventures, cartoony graphics, and so on. Some of the independent adventure games are good to great; others are pretty dire. Wisecracking worms just don't do it for me anymore, I'm afraid, so I avoid the cartoons.

I'm nostalgic too, macmac. I remember the classics of ten years ago.

I totally agree with macmac. I am playing my older games now because when I look at the newer games I am turned right off by the graphics, cartoonish pixelated characters. I think companies like Frogwares have completely spoiled me.

Doreen

I agree, what is with all the cartoon games. Do they think we are all 5 years old? I have wished and hoped for more games like moment of silence, still life etc.....

It's unfortunate that so many developers weren't paid for their work by publishers such as Lace Mamba, Dreamcatcher/TAC, Digital Jesters, etc.
For example,
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JakubDvor...amba_Global.php
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-01-28-lace-mamba-responds-to-cbe-software-accusations
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122085-Indie-Devs-Speak-Out-Against-Publisher-Lace-Mamba
http://www.frogwares.com/blog/sherlock-holmes-5-adventure-game-collection-public-notice/
And those are only the relatively recent examples.

Developers like Kheops, Detalion, Microids Canada, and Galilea are no longer around because of this breach of contract / theft, and we are lucky we still have Frogwares.

Jon Boakes would have produced another Dark Fall or Lost Crown sequel a long time ago if he'd been paid and didn't have to spend time earning money some other way besides making games.

This kind of thing went on for YEARS before most gamers heard anything about it -- at least since the early 2000's. Gamers assumed that a portion of retail sales would go to the developer, the people who actually made the game, but that wasn't what happened. Dishonest publishers engaged in a lot of funny business, manipulating the legal system, changing the name of their company, claiming some other now-nonexistent branch was responsible so there was no one to sue, etc. But they were just thieves (actually they're a word I'm not allowed to repeat in this forum), and are responsible for driving a lot of developers out of business.

Dishonest publishers are the reason so many developers have tried Kickstarter. Unfortunately Kickstarter can't raise the entire cost of funding a high-end adventure game.

Developing games is not a stable process that continually builds on what worked in the past and improves on it. Instead individual developers go out of business and the new ones have to start from scratch.

Considering what adventure game developers have to go through to get their games funded and finished, it's surprising we get any games at all.

Instead of complaining that many new games aren't to our tastes, we should be glad there are some that are still being made. These recent games are not cartoon games:

J.U.L.I.A. Among the Stars
Asa: A Space Adventure
The Raven
Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments
and games like Memoria and Whispered World, that take place in a fantasy world but have serious themes -- not so cartoony

1st person games with FPS-style movement give me nausea. But for those who don't have the nausea problem, there are also games like these:

Vanishing of Ethan Carter
Ether One
The Talos Principle
Anna Extended Edition
Dear Esther
Eleusis

and the upcoming Obduction, Xing, and Asylum.

And the Carol Reed series is definitely worth a mention

Posts: 211
Loc: Southeast Asia
A poster on the "hints" forum asked for help with "Outcry", and that prompted me to dust off my DVD's and start re-playing this fantastic game. For those who haven't had the fantastic experience of total immersion in an Adventure game, I would urge you to find and play this incredible work.

But I couldn't help but ponder...what has happened to adventure games? When did the genre deteriorate into mindless cartoons; crudely drawn cartoon-like characters poorly animated against grainy, pixelated two-dimensional backgrounds. I'm just venting, I know, but its sad to see the sorry state of modern "adventure" (lol) gaming. There, I've had my say.

Hi macmac
I agree entirely with you about what you said about pixelate mindless cartoons etc. games. Everyday I am looking for a worthwhile game (with a story) and cannot find one. I go to gameboomer to see what is on in new games I would like, nothing. I have replayed all my old games since I started playing video games and I am now at the end of my rope. One thing I have to add I do not like game that use real people in it but like a good design game with a story.
Outcry was one I did this year and I thought it was fantastically imaginative. J.U.L.I.A among the star I was completly immersed in it it was so good with Vanishing of Ethan Carter WOW those are great games. I am waiting for years for Asylum to come out and am kind of desperate that we will never see it since I read the creator had problems at one point with financing. Why don't they make a continuity with Culpa Innata for example, such a great social game. Financial difficulties again?
Hope my english is understantable lol.

Absolutely! That series really inspired me, and now I'm working on my own game.
In short, it will be almost like a Carol Reed game, minus some quality issues.
It's not easy to be compared to those games. You can see all the work that has been put into it/them.
But perhaps with some experience it will look better in future.

Yes I know it's not the smartest thing in the world to speak badly about your own work before anyone has seen it. Especially when they might be grading you later, hah!
I just don't want anyone to expect the same now that I've said what it will be like.

Anyway, better stop talking now before it gets even more blurry.
I look forward to the future, and I hope it will be enjoyable.

RebKean, I personally judge each game on its own. I think its awesome you are making one!

Ana

Keep up the good work! We 'amateur' indie developers can make games that reflect the values we admire in the great games we have played, and make them about exactly what we want. They do take time, however. My latest game, 'Adventure Island', took me five years to complete, but I enjoyed (nearly) every minute of it!

I would like to offer my game to anyone looking for a new point and click game that isn't cartoony (except in one short section designed to reflect early pirate adventures), part first person, part third person play. It's my personal homage to many of the great games I've played, but not a simple copy of any of them. It's in the FREE GAMES GALORE section.

I love it too! It's like the poster above me says though, timeconsuming.
In best case, it will be done in 2015, that's what I'm aiming for, but since it's my first, you can not really be sure of anything.

Lots of insecurities of course, but it's a pretty nice feeling, working on your own
adventuregame. I mean little old me?

Sending positive vibes it will all go smoothly!

I wish you loads of luck, RebKean, on your endeavor.
Sandy

Thank you, that's very kind of you.