I'll start with:
1 - Blackwell Deception. The latest game in the series by Wadget Eye Games. Well there is an expression 'a good craftsman never blames their tools'. Wadget Eye games don't have the best tools but they sure use what they've got to maximum effect + wonderful voice acting & great story make for a wonderful game!

2 - To the Moon. Available via Wadget games is an intriguing story told by backtracking through someone's memories to honour their ultimate dream on their deathbed. The graphics are very basic but the game's well thought out & just lovely!

3 - A New Beginning. I just loved all of the characters in this game & the very intriguing plot. In reviews it's been accused of preaching - I never ever picked up on that - it's just a game & a very good one!

4 - The Book of Unwritten Tales. This is a lovely AG from beginning to end - very good story, great voice acting, wonderful dialogue & engaging characters - almost the perfect AG!

5 - Nancy Drew Alibi in Ashes. I love the ND games but for me this is the worst game in the series. I enjoyed the game, the plot was okay but the swap to other playable characters was confusing because there was no real grip on the talents of each of them - it seemed to be hit & miss to discover & that was weak! I thought the idea had been done in other games a lot better! I feel a little disappointed in HER Interactive.

What have you played recently & what do you think?

Great comments, Chrissie. Let's wait for the other gamers.

Good idea! Let me look back and see...

Great topic chrissie

Replaying Syberia 1&2- these are the best AGs ever made, (IMHO) story is intriguing and holds my interest, takes me to fantastic places and I can solve the puzzles(except one)

Perry Rhodan Immortals of Terra-wonderful sci-fi, immerses me in a futuristic world and keeps me interested. great intergalactic scenery.

Moment of Silence-another futuristic sci-fi world.good story.

Zanzarah-Had to stop for awhile, the fairy battles were too hard. might get back to it later.

I'm focusing on some older games that I've always wanted to replay before I have to get a new computer and give up WIN XP (boo Hoo)

Sorry I can't join in with this but I've been replaying oldies and so am VERY behind with the newies that I've bought

Hi Mad, it really doesn't matter whether the games are new or old! If the last 5 games you played were replays of older games it would be interesting to know what it is about them that makes them enjoyable to play again.

OK

Gabriel Knight : Sins of the Fathers.
A truly addictive story from the very first click of the mouse - and one which I've never tired of replaying.

Monkey Islands 1 & 2. [Special edition.]
Two fantastic LucasArts oldies - with original or new graphics at the press of a key - but the same wonderful stories retained.

Grim Fandango.
A game with a most unusual story. LucasArts gave us another great special.

Dragonsphere.
It has a good old fashioned adventure story - and I've replayed this game many times too.

Sanitarium.
A creepy, unsettling story - which I enjoy to the max on every replay.

Well those are my latest plays (alongside an old RPG) and although the puzzles in all these games were great fun, I think it's clear that "story" is the most important part for me in any adventure game

Mad, my main attraction to games is the story as well.

Unfortunately, with my recent "mouse elbow" I don't remember the last 5 games I played, but I'll do my best.

The Silver Lining Episode 4 - This I know I played recently, since Chief and I co-wrote the walkthrough. Loved it, as I've enjoyed all of the previous episodes, and I can't wait to find out what happens in Episode 5. Didn't care for the action sequences at the end, though. Wish I could keep saved games after each of them, as that is what I normally do with those types of sequences.

Gray Matter - One of the best games I've played in a long time, though I don't think it quite measures up to the GK series. If it were any other developer, I'd have been blown away, but I know Jane has done better in the past. So I couldn't help but compare it to her other work. Story was the strongest point in the game, better than most games, though I still think the GK games had even more intricate story lines. Still enjoyed it quite a bit and have it placed highly on my list. And it's probably my favorite game this year, which is saying something, since this year had fantastic games. I'll still be one of the first to pick up Gray Matter 2 if it comes out.

Black Mirror 3 - Nice, somewhat spooky, great atmosphere. I really like the entire Black Mirror series as a whole. Also had an "action" sequence I could have done without, but everything else was a lot of fun.

Book of Unwritten Tales - Because of the pain in my arm, I haven't been able to finish this one yet. But I was enjoying it quite a bit. Beautiful graphics, terrific voice acting, nice whimsical storyline. Looking forward to getting back to it.

Edna and Harvey: the Breakout - A terrific game dressed as a wacky comedy, with a deep and interesting psychological story hidden underneath. Graphics were unusual, but they grew on me, and they fit the style of the game. Also one of the better games I've played in a while; looking forward to the sequel.

All in all, I think 2011 has been one of the better years for games in quite some time. Hope 2012 is just as good.

I spend so much time (and money) on casual games that I don't play adventure games too often. But I have played ND Alibi in Ashes which was pretty good and I just replayed both Syberia games which I think are the most fun graphically pleasing and interesting of all the Adventure genre. I am going to play The Longest Journey and Keepsake again soon. Both are very good!

I've mainly been playing slightly more actiony titles like Amnesia, Penumbra, etc but the last few true adventures:

Sam and Max season 1: Fantastic, stark-raving madness. I loved it so much and I'll be catching up to the rest of the series soon.

Sublustrum/Outcry:
Wonderful enviorments, great style and sense of atmosphere, but bad translation work, comically so, which is a shame cause it detracted from the artfully somber storyline.

Lost: Via domus: The game rip-off of the Lost TV show. Okay. It had some good points, and nice locations, but very, very repetitive puzzles--alternating between being chased by the smoke monster and solving increasingly complex circuit board puzzles got tired fast. And just when the story was getting interesting, it ended.

I've picked up and put down some games without finishing them this year though I'll probably play them someday. The last five I've finished are a mix of old and new.

1. Zork Grand Inquisitor: I loved it and laughed all the way through. Who cares if it's got some age on it? This is a brilliant, totally unique game and a true classic.

2. The Book of Unwritten Tales: My absolute favorite of the games that have come out in 2011. The graphics are beautiful; the voice acting is incredibly good; all the characters are real individuals and most are likable; and the puzzles are fun even though one of them gave my fingers a heck of a workout. Playing this game was a blast.

3. The Next Big Thing: Talk about screwy! That's the best description I can give TNBT, but it seems that I like screwy even if it means I'm asking myself, "What the heck?" a lot! Lovely graphics, too. (I wouldn't mind owning that really odd dog.)

4. Broken Sword, Shadow of the Templars: George is still George and Nico is even more so in the DC. Anyway, who could fail to love a game with Lady Piermont in it?

5. Sherlock Holmes, The Awakened: This is an odd game. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I got so turned around in parts of it that I almost gave up and then the notion of Holmes giving any credibility at all to Cthulhu rising from the depths took some getting used to. Still, I had a good time playing it...and turning quickly so Watson had to zip to catch up.

And since nobody asked, I'm really looking forward to the new Jack Keane in 2012.

Gil.

Good question, chrissie. I like seeing what people are playing and reading the mini-reviews.

Zork Grand Inquisitor
Great voice acting, very good graphics, given when it was made. Decent plot line and enjoyable puzzles. A very fun, creative and humorous game.

Black Mirror 2
I'm not a fan of really dark stories, but the percentage taken up by those scenes was much less than I would have thought. The graphics and voice acting were pretty good. I thought it carried on the feel of the first game and I'm looking forward to playing the third episode.

Black Mirror
It's fun to play a classic for the first time and see why it's considered a classic. Good story, voice acting, many locations and just a fun experience.

Gray Matter
I've been a fan of magic since I was young, and really looked forward to seeing Jane Jensen weave it into her game. The atmosphere created was among the best I've experienced, helped in no small part by the music, which made the cut-scenes work. I really enjoyed this game.

Lost Horizon
Another fun game with great graphics, a decent story, many locations and creative scenario puzzles.

Whispered World (doesn't count as a sixth game)
I gave this one a go but I had to give up. Maybe sometime I'll give it another shot, but I couldn't imagine spending over 10 hours listening to the little guy's voice. I've read here that you get used to it and the game picks up later...I hope so.

Traveler, oh right, I forgot about The Next Big Thing. That's another one I have to get back to. I was enjoying it quite a bit.

I'm also looking forward to Jack Keane 2 in 2012.

The last five games I have played are -

Arura (again) I love the music, puzzles and the beautiful worlds and the lonely play.

Rhem 3 - The Rhem games are too complicated for me to finish without a lot of help, but I love the solitary wandering and the beautiful graphics.

Baron Wittard - It was OK, the graphics were pretty, the story OK, but it just didn't sparkle for me.

Rhem 2 - The same as Rhem 3. (now working on Rhem4)

I've started and abandoned - Lost Souls, Lost Horizon, The whispered World and Machinariam (sp).

I keep track of games I have yet to play not games I have already played.

The last adventure I finished was the last Simon the Sorcerer game, I think. These days I tend to forget games shortly after I played them. Don't think I liked it as much as the earlier Simons.

I played Black Mirror 2. Liked it.

Before that I can't recall. Too many casual games in between adventure games.

Since I've written reviews for many of the games I've played recently, I'm skipping over those and submitting 5 that I played but didn't review.

RHEM 4 -- I love the mysterious world and the odd sense of surrealism. The puzzles are twisty and hard. I played this with a partner, and that's a great way to play it -- two heads are definitely better than one! If you long for puzzle challenges, this is where you can find them.

Blue Madonna: A Carol Reed Mystery -- This game (and the others in the series) grant entrance to a "real" world that's impossibly beautiful in places, dark and mysterious in others. Exploration is one of the reasons I enjoy gaming, and the Carol Reed games are good at placing me in the midst historical and personal secrets that I must dig up and piece together.

Zork Grand Inquisitor -- Memorably goofy and out-of-the-box. Graphically, you can tell the game's age (lots of pixelation) but the characters and dialogs are classics. I wish I had a Zork adventure game sequel to look forward to.

The Whispered World -- This is a third person adventure game in a gorgeous hand drawn world with lots of funny lines and oddball characters. (Yes, the main characters' voiceover is distinctive and off-putting at first -- probably would have been better if they'd hired a young teenage actor for the part.) This game is also a series of allegories that aren't the least bit heavy-handed (so light-handed I think I'm the only one who noticed, actually).

The Book of Unwritten Tales -- I'm only partway through this one (it's long!) but I've already laughed myself silly. I hope it never ends.

Mad,

I agree with you. The story is the most important aspect of an AG for me, too.

I've really enjoyed reading about what you are you're all playing & your thoughts! I love story in an AG (& there's a few older games mentioned now that have peaked my interest!) but have enjoyed some puzzle focused games too! It was nice to see such a variety. I've since played 3 other games:

Rocking Dead - I have a disc version which needs a steam account to activate (very naughty as there is no indication on the box!) - never mind about that! The game hasn't had terrific reviews so I enjoyed it better! It's got great graphics which are enhanced via your free cyan/red 3D glasses which are sadly passe - if you want to do 3D please get the latest technology (as in the cinema) that doesn't rely on balanced sight in both eyes (which is probably why the old idea didn't get popular in the first place!)

Even without the 3D view the graphics & movement in this game were wonderful for an AG & I enjoyed the inventory puzzles.
The ingredients were all there to make this such a good story but the talents of a writer were obviously missing!

Memento Mori: My favourite kind of game which took me quite a long time to warm up to as it didn't seem to flow too well to start with . I loved the story but didn't get really gripped until about 2/3rds through the game & then it was so exciting! I'm not sure about the concept of having so many endings when the triggers for varying ones rely on different responses without any immediate follow up, if that makes sense - i.e. it makes it trial & error.

Alter Ego: This was very similar in gameplay to Memento Mori but I just loved this game - it's a favourite for me! A very good involved story where different experiences & interaction between 'opposites' bring them together to solve the mystery.

Please add on your latest game!

Baron Wittard: Nemesis of Ragnarock--in a world of dwindling numbers of 1st person, solitary exploration suspense/horror puzzle adventure games, I was pleasantly surprised by BW. It offered up just the right mix of Shivers/Dark Fall/Bracken Tor for my liking. The story and puzzle integration may have seemed a little contrived, but no more so than Shivers. I found the Norse mythology component a rather interesting backstory.

Dark Fall: Lost Souls--possibly blasphemous, but it just may be my favorite of the Dark Fall games, which would make it my favorite game ever. The combination of gruesome story and visuals was intoxicating, and I couldn't step away from it.

Rhiannon: I enjoyed it. Reminded me a bit of games such as AMBER: Journeys Beyond and Inherent Evil. It doesn't overwhelm you with atmosphere or visual impact but subtly draws you in with its story. I hope to see more from these developers in the future.

Scratches: A work of art that creeped me out from beginning to end. You gotta wonder about a guy who collects paintings as grotesque as that, don't you?

Barrow Hill: I absolutely love games such as this, played late at night, with the lights off, and no one else around. Crunching through the forest, sneaking through the rooms of a dilapidated motel, investigating a cemetary, all in the dead of night. What could be better?!