Quote:
Originally Posted by Sughly
I have to make quick reply to this too. I don't think they are necessarily, but what they do generally do is allow a gamer to consider story and character more than they usually would (with the exception of games like Mass Effect 2, Uncharted... I'm only comparing things like Doom and Alien vs Predator). And because adventures are based on puzzle design and generally play out at a slow pace, a lot of gamers can't handle this and need more action and faster pacing. It's probably a mistake to label this as being unintelligent I agree, it's not the right way of putting it, but I think it's a choice of wanting something more involving and thought provoking in a game. It's not too dissimilar to people who prefer Hollywood blockbusters to better made indepedent films because they can't take their eyes off explosions long enough to appreciate good character and dialogue. Kind of off topic now though...
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Quite well said, many action based games like Prince of Persia or Tomb Raider have real time puzzles. These don't require the pinnacle of human brain either but it's the same sort of "challenge" in my view.
Fast paced also has to do with the time one can/wants to dedicate to a game. Even though they're not AGs, today I wouldn't have the patience to go through Baldur's Gate nor do hc raiding in WoW, like I used to. The pace is more a matter of style, not a measure of quality imo. Mass Effect is fast paced and it is of extremely high quality, these days I find it's not worth it dedicating that much time in gaming.
Again with Hollywood it depends, as Mass Effect is cool, there are many good high budget films. It depends on the script writer, the cast and many more parameters. I wouldn't say that all indie games are gems either, a couple of them maybe but indie does not equal quality, at least not always so.
On-topic: I agree that digital distribution has helped AGs but not AGs per se, it has helped all low-budget games in general and most recent AGs fall into that category. I think it is the episodic format that has helped, AGs do pose a financial risk - in comparison to other genres- and it is much easier to take that risk in small incremental steps, rather than all at once.
Also I'd like to see Episodic gaming getting a little more enhanced, like Bioware did with ME & DA:O, with DLC. I think it adds more value to a game and it also gives developers financial incentive to refine its content.
These being said, at the end of the game's life-cycle I want a non-drmed retail release, I like to be able to replay my games 15 years later, I like owning my games. Even if I won't be doing it, I still have the option to reinstall Baldur's Gate, Planescape Tornment, The Longest Journey and play 10 mins, just for the sake of old times. Will I be able to do the same with Monkey Island V in a few years?
Edit: another issue I can see sometimes is pricing, Dragon age costs 12 quid @ amazon.co.uk. I see some *older* indie games, costing 2x or 3x that price and they are digitally distributed, not retail copies. I find this sort of pricing quite aggressive and don't buy them simply because of the pricing policy. digitally distributed games should be cheaper than the retail version and prices should be adjusted according to a game's age.
