[NcroManiac]

I hope it turns out to be the Deux Ex of adventure games.

[fov]

Arguing about who's seen what and who's an authority isn't particularly productive (and has nothing to do with the game). Let's move on, please.

Originally Posted by NcroManiac

I hope it turns out to be the Deux Ex of adventure games.

In what way?

[The Seed]

Although I wasn't too sure about it at first I'm really beginning to look forward to this now, and I'm not even much of a fan of TLJ. Mostly it's the fact that it looks like it's going to be a bit different from everything else, in the same way that Beyond God & Evil and Psychonauts were a bit different.

I think what really swayed it for me though was that trailer they released, seeing all those interesting and varied locations and just thinking: "I want to go there."

[RaMa]

Originally Posted by Jake

They gave out press builds at GDC, and Doug in fact has one of those copies, which he's been looking at and, in fact, playing. It will be passed on to an AG staffer for a hands-on at some point in the future (I have nothing to do with that, I was just there when Doug got the build), so look out for that. Also, they gave a handful of gaming magazines hands-on preview access back in January. So... lots of people have been playing it, including Doug.

Cool! So they were given out at the GDC. I received an e-mail from Craig Morrison a few days ago telling me he'll send me one too. I wonder when it'll arrive!

[BenjaminBunny]

i love dreamfall.

*sigh*.......

[Intrepid Homoludens]

It loves you back, baby.

[jjacob]

Originally Posted by fov

In what way?

I think he meant that it'll be a refreshing and unique blend of genres (or perhaps styles is more appropriate here), as Deus Ex was. Up until Deus Ex, shooters had been fairly straightforward and superficial. I'm not saying adventure games are that, but one must admit by looking at the genre's track record of recent years that the genre is stuck in a mid-life crisis, so to speak.

You got indie developers catering to die-hard nostalgia gamers who'd love to jump in a time machine and go back to 1986, medium-sized commercial developers releasing crappy adventure sequels, like twenty orso small dev teams consisting of former LA staff (with no big achievements so far other than Psychonauts, a platformer, oh.. and Bone )etc. etc.

Now you look straight into my eyes and tell me that's not a sad state of affairs, without blinking Here's hoping Dreamfall will put some life back in the genre, and receive attention from all sorts of gamers, not just us.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by jjacob

I think he meant that it'll be a refreshing and unique blend of genres (or perhaps styles is more appropriate here), as Deus Ex was. Up until Deus Ex, shooters had been fairly straightforward and superficial.

I think rare games like Thief, Deus Ex, and System Shock 2 help trigger re-examinations and an awareness of the the arbitrariness of genres in games, and help make the industry and gaming culture more conscious that boundaries between genres can, and sometimes must be, malleable, especially in times when some dramatic change is necessary, if only for the sake of freshness.

I'm not saying adventure games are that, but one must admit by looking at the genre's track record of recent years that the genre is stuck in a mid-life crisis, so to speak.

I think it is stuck. Has been for too many years. We - developers, publishers, and gamers - need to perpetuate a dynamic dialogue, not about what adventure games are, but about what they can be, how they can be so, and how they can improve on all levels. This doesn't necessarily mean that there is no room for 'hardcore traditional' adventures, but it shouldn't mean that that should be the ONLY source material that developers and publishers must work with. And perhaps many of them don't care to offer something a little more progressive and original, so to be blunt they should expect to be criticized for not choosing to be fresh in ideas, they should expect to be largely ignored by the bigger representatives of the gaming press and by extension, those outside the tiny circle of adventure gaming 'purists'. That's how the world works.

It can only make for more interesting and better quality games and we can all benefit if more and more variety is offered.

You got indie developers catering to die-hard nostalgia gamers who'd love to jump in a time machine and go back to 1986, medium-sized commercial developers releasing crappy adventure sequels, like twenty orso small dev teams consisting of former LA staff (with no big achievements so far other than Psychonauts, a platformer, oh.. and Bone )etc. etc.

One of the problems, I think, is that you have indie or small budgeted developers who have their passion and vision to make a potentially great (or at best, high quality) game for whatever amount of money invested. However, their vision is often informed for the most part only by all the other adventure games they've played and loved in the past. They're severely limited by what they're familiar with, by what they know only.

And along with all that are the conventions and constraints (in many cases technological constraints) of those games they've played and loved. Why copy and mimic the puzzles and now predictable plot devices of a game from 1990 that was created by a very highly talented designer when you can just about wipe the canvas clean and 'invent' your own new concepts, theories, and ideas? Or at the very least, critically examine the lapses in quality in adventures of the past several years and ask, 'How can I make this existing idea BETTER in my own game?'. Why stick with conventions all the time just because it's what you're familiar with?

Now you look straight into my eyes and tell me that's not a sad state of affairs, without blinking Here's hoping Dreamfall will put some life back in the genre, and receive attention from all sorts of gamers, not just us.

Realistically, I honestly think that Dreamfall, like Indigo Prophecy, may just end up being anomalies within the genre we so arbitrarily define as 'adventure'. It would have to take a more concerted effort over a longer period of time to create a ripple effect whereby more and more adventure game publishers and developers are almost forced to rethink what constitutes an adventure game content-wise, and for all practically purposes. After all, many of the most commercially successful ideas were orginally very daring and defiant.

[BenjaminBunny]

I just ordered Farenheit off of ebay, and I'm really excited to play it, not least because of it's alledged blend of the cinematic and the interactive adventure.

What I think is cool about Dreamfall is that Ragnar apppears to be bending and experimenting with how we interact with the environment and different characters in the game. It's also quite promising that he's developed the game in full widescreen format. AND the game features forty plus professional actors from all over the world in it's voice-overs. Ragnar's combining something of what looks to be almost true cinematic quality with something that the player can interact with, and in that way, immerse themself in. And that's exactly what I hope to see more of in the future of "adventure" gaming.

[tabacco]

Yeah. I'm really hsppy that you can interact with or look at lots of stuff in your environment, in a way entirely unreminisient of, say, Syberia.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by BenjaminBunny

What I think is cool about Dreamfall is that Ragnar apppears to be bending and experimenting with howwe interact with the environment and different characters in the game. It's also quite promising that he's developed the game in full widescreen format. AND the game features forty plus professional actors from all over the world in it's voice-overs. Ragnar's combining something of what looks to be almost true cinematic quality with something that the player can interact with, and in that way, immerse themself in. And that's exactly what I hope to see more of in the future of "adventure" gaming.

Amen, brother! I'm freaking sick of this 'find-the-2-hotspots-per-dead-looking-screen' crap. I love the almost RPG-like richness that looks to fill the world of Dreamfall.

[tabacco]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Amen, brother! I'm freaking sick of this 'find-the-2-hotspots-per-dead-looking-screen' crap. I love the almost RPG-like richness that looks to fill the world of Dreamfall.

Plus there's a purple robot monkey who reads you entertainment news. Who wouldn't buy a game with that?

[insane_cobra]

Originally Posted by tabacco

Plus there's a purple robot monkey who reads you entertainment news. Who wouldn't buy a game with that?

People who like their robot monkeys green?

[Dasilva]

[/vent]I personally think you're all full of crap (those who judge Dreamfall), out of all the games out there Dreamfall is the only decent adventure game thats been in development lately, sure you don't have to be all fanboy and say you love it, but dont put down the game because you know jack about it.

Adventure gaming stopped with TLJ, after TLJ there have been ok games and no GREAT games, there were average games that just mimic the past, maybe us fanboys of the 'olden days' want somehting different for a change not the same old point n click crap.[/vent]

[Spiwak]

I agree with you completely Dasilva, Trep, and jjacob. We really do need to start thinking about how we can improve on the genre more instead of tryign to create familiarity. The adventure genre is behind, and needs to catch up if it plans to ever have the kind of power it once used to. But more than that, I'm just more interested in games that don't always follow the easy formula, and take a new approach. I hope Dreamfall is able to reach a larger audience and maybe get more people interested in adventure games and thereby get more companies interested in expanding the genre.

[Dasilva]

Believe me, the Adventure game genre is sleeping, one day it will be completly revitalized. Even hardcore FPS will get sick of the same thing over and over.

I want games to make me cry. Consider that a challenge.

[insane_cobra]

My god, seems like the whole gaming community is made of wusses these days.

[Dasilva]

If a movie can make you laugh and cry, why can't video games? Theres no emotion in killing for 15 hours of gameplay.

[Aj_]

Originally Posted by Dasilva

Theres no emotion in killing for 15 hours of gameplay.

There's the passion for taking names, kicking ass.

I can't think of an Adventure that hasn't made me laugh, TLJ was one of them, Ragnar is capable of British humour. I'm not one for crying.

[Dasilva]

So your a hardman then?