[Intrepid Homoludens]

Grand Theft Auto IV - an intense adventure game in itself, even according to AG's owner.

Originally Posted by Foozwah

That's interesting because I've come to realise that one of the key aspects I've always gotten/enjoyed/sought in adventure games aside from the plot/story is exploration, and while I still do get that from the genre, I increasingly find I get the same sensation/reward in games like the Legend of Zelda series (particularly Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker), and oddly enough, the Grand Theft Auto series.

Both encourage me to explore just for the fun of it, and to be honest, in the case of GTA, I never bother actually finishing the main storyline, since I prefer to veer off and do my own thing: trying to get to location 'x', just to see what's there, or to see if it's even possible to get to 'x' in the first place, etc.

Even Marek himself, the owner of this site, once stated that a Grand Theft Auto game feels very, very much like playing an adventure in terms of exploration and the rewards and discoveries it brings to the player (at the time he stated that he was referring specifically to GTA III, but I'm sure he'd extend it to Vice City, San Andreas, Liberty City Stories on the PSP, Chinatown Wars on the DS, and of course GTAIV).

Originally Posted by nomadsoul

Will you guys believe me if i would say that i finished oblivion on level2?

Best thing about both ME and oblivion were that they were so easy on RPG mechanics that you can finish them like adventures with light shooting and melee(well these become excuse to drag plot).

I did every single quest in oblivion, most of the time traveling, exploring and well killing enemies in 2 slashes mostly even on level2. The darkbrotherhood story arc was outstanding(i really felt morally bad, got emotional), i recommend every adventure lover to try just that story segment, even he/she hates oblivion as whole.

Originally Posted by Trep

...where is it etched permanently that you must possess the combined IQs of Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and Sherlock Holmes just to figure out a challenge in Myst? Why should that be a main qualifier? It's been argued that patience is actually more valuable in this case than sheer brute noggin. But I'll tell you one thing, I'd like to see those same snobs not try using intelligence to win an insanely complicated real time battle in Command & Conquer: Generals, or figure out which team members to choose on the next mission in Knights of The Old Republic based on individual skills, or plan their cunning moves second-by-second to successfully eliminate the targets in Hitman 2 with surgical precision and elegance. In other words, get over yourselves already! You keep holding your heads that high, you'll get a nosebleed. Sheer intelligence is not a requisite exclusive to adventure games and can certainly apply to other genres. Sometimes, being a humble Philistine and some patience are all you need.

- source

In the same article I also brought up Silent Hill 2 as an impressive example of an adventure game, even technically. It does feature all the elements of one - story or narrative (very strong emotional and psychological edge), strong characterization, wickedly complex cerebral challenges (puzzles), exploration. Sadly, though, not very many of us here have played it because of the action elements (though you could beat the game on the easiest setting).

Originally Posted by imisssunwell

@ Intrepid Homoludens, at work now, only had a glance at your article, looks like it's an interesting one, will get back later today or tomorrow when I have read it properly

Thanks. I have to warn you, though, it's quite a long read. Take your time, I'm interested in your thoughts, especially considering it was written several years ago and from what I gleaned nothing much has changed since.