Things we haven't seen in adventures

I would just like to share some thoughts I've had about adventures. Yes we have found Atlantis, we have solved the riddle of the templars, we have had our amnesias and we have been burned under the sun of Egypt...but there are some things we haven't seen in adventure games and I would like to say a few things that I find strange that we haven't seen in adventures.

1) Black people...
Have you played any adventure where the main hero was black? I don't remember any (btw I'm not black but I just thought it was strange)

2) Children
I don't remember any adventure where you have to control a child. This idea came to me yesterday when I was watching The Others with Nicole Kidman and I thought that it would turn into a great adventure where you have to control one of the two children.

3) Night club
I would like to play an adventure where a lot of its story takes place in a night club, an underground night club maybe full of underground unusual people.

4) War
I would like to play an adventure game where there is a conflict between two lands and you have to seize the war. The only adventure I can remember similar to that would be Quest For Glory 3. But I would also like to see a scene where the war goes on and you could see thousands of people fighting at the same place like in the movies Braveheart or Jean De' Arc.

5) A drama
Syberia was a very good example. There was no real villain in the story but life can be a villain herself. So why not have a real life drama where you can have a person who has fallen in problems with drugs or sth like that and you try to bring him/her back to the right way.

6) An FMV comedy
The only FMV games we have seen were either about paranormal or science fiction. I would like to see a comedy made in FMV also (I love paranormal and science fiction and it is my favourite but sth different would also be good).

7)A crazy fan
Like the movie The fan with Robert De Niro, there could be some sort of obsessed fan that want to kill a football star, or an actor and you have to stop them. You could also play the role of a bodyguard of that star or something like that.

8) Be a lawyer
I haven't played Law and Order yet but it sounds very interesting. I would like to see more adventures that take place in a court room.

These are just some ideas....not anything else but I'm getting tired of travelling to Egypt

Interesting dimix3...In The City of the Lost Children you played as a very young girl...I quite liked that game, thought it was not to everyone's taste...Also you controlled children briefly in Alone in the Dark 2 (only in the CD version I think) and Sanitarium. George Stobbart of Broken Sword fame is a lawyer, but apart from his knowledge of Latin, it does never become a part of the game. I am pretty certain Zork Grand Inquisitor qualifies as a FMV comedy.I agree on all the others.

Interesting topic
I have to say that I think a few of those things have been seen...
#1: I believe the main character in Faust is black. you just don't see him much cause it's a 1st person game.
#2: In city of lost children you play as a child
#3: The space bar takes place largely in a nightclub i think, although I haven't played that one :0

However, I couldn't agree with you more on #8! I would LOVE to see a good drama as an adventure game, rather than pure fantasy. I'll take a dramatic movie over a fantasy one any day.. I like adventure games because of the thinking involved, not because of the setting usually. I am curious to see how many agree

I would definitely like to see some of this stuff happen, too. Of course, we all know that it never will unless the designers actually listen to us for once!

In Obsidian one of the two main characters is Max. He's black. You, the player, are his white girlfriend and colleague.

And I'd LOVE to see an FMV comedy! Fat chance...

Betje

I agree with all of your post... in particular, I am also very sick of going to Egypt. I was very disappointed when the sequel to the Cameron Files turned to that tired location.

I'd actually like to see more games like FAUST where the focus is on individual characters and their motives.

But what I would like to see most of all is the adaption of great books/movies into adventure games. The Maltese Falcon comes to mind, as I love private eye stories. I suppose the copyright laws would be prohibitive in this regard, but wouldn't it be fun to have your favorite book/movie turned into an adventure game?
Cynch

1) Black people...
In Maniac Mansion you can choose a black character at the start of the game.
And in 1st person games where you never see your character in a cut scene, how do you know that you're not black? Are you a black person in Shivers or Myst or Byzantine or Amber or ?

2) Children
Sanitarium had one level where you play as a little girl - and another level where you can turn into a little girl.
In Maniac Mansion and Day of the Tentacle you play children.
And then there are children's games, like Carmen Sandiego, Ally's Adventures, etc.
I don't know if the Famous Five games are strictly for children, but you play children in those.

6) An FMV comedy
Toonstruck

One problem is that they never find anything new or original there. It's always the same old stuff.

Personally I am happy NOT to have to control any children in games--it's an escape for me! <img border="0" alt="" title="" src="graemlins/woozy.gif" />

Not much into adaptations but wouldn't mind seeing Ellery Queen type mysteries or games based on th show Relic Hunter. Also wouldn't mind going back into the past like they did in The Messenger and seeing how a place changes over time or have always wanted to see the Babylonian Gardens. Also think that Journey to the Center of the Game ought to have a kid brother/sister along. Andre Norton's Time Traders or Solarian books would let them have free rein on creating worlds. Wonder if fairy tales would translate well like The Firebird or some of the greek myths. Though mostly would like to see a space series started. One where you got a trading/exploring/ranger ship that ends up having to solve a mystery at each port or finds some derelicts in space. One in which you could see all different types of cultures. Piers Anthony's Steppe gives a fascinating glimpse into a well-known historical character and those times.

What a great topic!

I AGREE that we need rest from

Atlantean Maya Egyptian Timewarp!

Adventures.

I'd love to see an FMV adventure that takes place in an office. A murder mystery.

Yes, oh yes! I'd also like to see fantantic new planets, lots of varied topology and flora and fauna. Not to mention fantastic space scenes!

Acornia, you'll just have to pull together a development team!

I am not much into adaptations either they usually do not turn out well. I prefer original stories. Some of the most successful games were based on original stories, like Amber, Amerson, Faust, Syberia. They all had to do with human emotions and drama. I would like to see some stories with interaction with different life forms. Schizm scratched the surface of this with the symbiotic interaction of living spaces and locomotion.

I do not desire to replay something I have seen on TV and was not enchanted with the first place.

I do not mind going to Egypt if it is well done since we hardly scratched the surface of all the possibilities and I do not mind seeing its treasures but surly there are other stories possible that do not include Mummies chasing you hither and yon. I agree with Ray, we had enough Mummies already!

We have that already. Well, maybe only kinda sorta. It's called Phantasmagoria 2.

You play a black woman in "Lost in Time" from Cocktel Vision. ( I did a google search on this, and found a "Lost in Time 2", was there a sequel to this that I missed!!)

For FMV comedy, the only one I can think of is "Fork in the Tale" , which was a strange but fun game. (but it got panned by reviewers, and didn't sell well. In fact, the production company never produced any other games and went out of buisness after the game was released).

As for a war game, there are many stratagy games like "Age of Empires", but I'm not sure how this would work as an adventure.

There have been several games featureing lawyers. In addition to "Law and Order", there was "In the 1st Degree" where you have to successfuly prosecute a murderer. This one is FMV too! And lets not forget "Syberia", Kate is a lawyer too!

Louis

mszv, I've got a game for you, if you haven't played it: Anachronox. Talk about fantantic new planets, lots of varied topology and flora and fauna. Not to mention fantastic space scenes.

But maybe you've played it; I can't remember.

Anachronox is one I missed along the way, Ray. I'll have to check into it...sounds like marvelous mind munchies for those of us with those scifi leanings.....

love, Witchen =O)

Thanks Ray. It is a gorgeous looking game. I haven't played it, but then I haven't played any RPGs. Oh, I'm still trying to get Morrowind to run on my desktop, don't think that exactly counts.

I was hoping that an adventure game would have those characteristics, but I'll give anachronox a try.

I asked about this once.
Apparently Lost in Time was originally published in 2 parts in Europe. But in the USA it was published as one game.

Wasn't there a game being developed that was Based on a Russian fairy tale? I remember downloading a little trailer for it a few months ago.

Hi there, Jenny1....Here is a demo/download of the game Fairy Tale .

It has been out there since last January and I haven't heard anymore about the game since. I'll see what I can find out.

Mszv,

If you haven't played any RPG's Morrowind is the not best one to start wtih. But Annachronox is a good one. It really is more of a hybrid adventure/RPG. Play it on easy and combat is quite simple plus there isn't a whole of combat in the game to begin with. There are parts of the game where you can easily play for a couple of hours without having a fight and those parts will feel more like an adventure game. The game is in the bargain bin now so you really should check it out.

Now how do you suppose they came up with a name like that?

I followed a link from that site and found out that the Czech version is already out. I couldn't see anything about the English version though - or whether it will be published in the USA or not.

Yeah, isn't that a clever title though! I did ask them about an English full game version. We'll see if they respond.

Stacey and Ray: I just bought Anachronox.......we shall see about this little bit of combat business.....
bwhahahahaha.

Love, Witchen =O)

Witchen, you are in for a real treat. Anachronox held my attention like nothing I had played in years. The combat, such as it is, ramps up gradually and you have ample time to increase your skills and get better weapons. But the game is about so much more than that. Amazing range and complexity. There are fan sites totally devoted to the game, such as Planet Anachronox, where you can get lots of useful info. I can't wait to hear what you think!

I thought BYZANTINE was an interesting "Crime Drama". It had a slight "science fiction" element, but it was entirely appropriate to the story. Would that there were more like it.

I don't care what color, size, race, species, or gender my character is. I'm going to become that person/alien/species when I play. Variety is the spice of life. When else would I get to be anything but what I am? (ok besides Halloween)

As for locations, I'm a huge fan of the spooky amusement park setting & I know it's been done, but I think there's a few more games in there before it's Egypt. (and the fact that I can't get Panic in the Park to run).

I'd also like to see a setting like in the Stephen King mini-series "Rose Red" where the building is continually changing & growing. Toss your maps out the window!

There are several movies that would make great games. Unfortunatly the gaming companies realize this & produce ACTION games accordingly. I'd like to play "Resident Evil" only with no zombie or guard dog combat. But puzzles where you can die against that computer would suffice I'd think.

Even more so than movies, which are generally made into action or shooters, books are good sources. I think that Stephen King's novel, "The Stand" would make an excellent game. Yes I like Stephen King but there's many many others that would make good adventure stories with less used settings.

As for careers, I'd like to see a special effects artist or something...imagine what fun you could have!

Here's an idea....What about being Ace Ventura Pet Detective?

Love, Jen

I fully agree about BYZANTINE, Advpuzlov!!! Its one unique and engaging game, that's for sure. I'd like to see a remake of this one. The technology has advanced significantly since '97, to put it mildly. A smoother running game engine would make this one superb play! Great game. One of my standout favorites!

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Thanks for the encouragement on Anachronox, Reenie. I am really looking forward to trying it out. Will have to switch back over to my Sony 450 with Win98, but that'll be fun for a change. I'll probably play it before Pharaoah's Curse and Ghost Dogs.

Love, Witchen =O)

There is an Ace Ventura adventure game!
Never played it or seen it, though

http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/gameId=4757/

Well it may seem like a lot to you but relatively compared to other RPG's it is not a lot.

OK Zanthia, Ray, Reenie, and everyone, I'll give Anacronox a try. I'll look for in at my local Fry's Electronics.

As for Morrowind, I'm not giving up yet. Yeah, I know Zanthia, it's not the RPG to start with, but it truely is the only RPG I ever wanted to play.

On, things we haven't seen in adventures - how about a massively multiplayer online adventure? Myst Online will be out in 2003 (probably late). I know most of us adventure gamers aren't interested in multiplayer online games, but I'm going to give this one a try. I'll let you know when it's out. Maybe I can meet some gameboomers in the world.

All for now.

Hey dimidimidimi if you are really looking for a different type of adventure game then may I suggest the one I just finished and it seemed like it took me forever (maybe it did, just didn't know it). The name is American McGee's Alice. It is based on Alice in Wonderland, but with a very different twist, it is put out by EA Games. Let me tell you, it is VERY different than the ones we normally play. In this one you do control a child throughout. Check it out, you might be surprised.

I have heard of this game kevin, but fortunately or unfortunately I am an adventure purist and I don't enjoy action/adventures.

Hey Dimi.
Check out "Blackout".
Pure adventure, very dark (quite alot of it takes place in a night club)and it differs from anything I´ve played. In a good way that is. Sorta reminiscent of Sanatarium. Since it´s a Swedish game - it shouldn´t be so hard to find.

Come to think of it..it might be from Denmark. Whatever, it´s a very disturbing and good game

I checked quite a few different sites and searches for "Blackout" and came up with nothing. Could you provide some sort of a link? Thanks!

Hi friedmonkey,
As far as I know, Blackout was never translated to english. Here is some links with reviews in swedish (if You want to run them through a translator):
http://spel.torget.se/home/spel/testat/_arkiv/test_blackout.html
http://www.testhuset.nu/visatext.asp?id=90

Karin

PS.
If You ever learn swedish, I could probably find the game for You

Well, most of the things that you wrote about DimiX3 are in Blade Runner. Let me elaborate:

1) Black People

Sadik is black, though mot the main character but hes one of the important characters in the game.

2) Children

Lucy shes a child, you can`t play with her but you can control how she reacts later on, based on the path you take in the game.

3) Nightclub

During your investigation, you will have to go to 2 Nightclubs to investigate.

4) War

Well, technically there isn`t a war one earth but there is conflict between humans and replicants.

5) Drama

Theres some drama in the game. Like when Steele died in last part of the game. Or life on earth where replicants aren`t allowed, and you have to retire them, well you can choose not too.

6)

Theres comedy in the game also but not in FMV.

7) Fan

Well none that i can think of that are in the game.

8) Lawyers

Don`t need em. Basically you just shoot replicants .

Lol, i feel like i`m promoting the game. I guess Blade Runner is one of those adventures it`s hard to come by.

Sorry Fried Monkey (and thanks Karin for the links) I didn´t know that the game wasn´t translated to English.
I don´t know why since I´m sure that it would´ve done OK saleswise. As I said it gives the same effect as Sanatarium beeing a very creepy psycological game. In fact it is one of the games that has given me the longest lasting impressions ever. Having played more than 200 games that should count for something