[Lurcher]

Final Fantasy games still take 15-20 hours to finish even with a cheat to skip the billion random battles. I always start clean - trying to play the way they should be played, but the story gets good and I have to find out what happens so I cheat for about half way. I don't have 100 hours to spend on a game. The music is just so good too.
I also like World of Warcraft - my husband and I play together and quest.
For consoles my favorite game is Animal Crossing...

[Manhunter71]

I tend to differentiate between PC and console depending on the type of game -

I prefer FPS, point and click adventures and some RPGs for the PC, but for consoles I like 3D action adventures similar to Splinter Cell, MGS, and then obviously the FF RPGs and the Shadowhearts series

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Mass Effect

For adventure gamers unfamiliar with Mass Effect, watch this streaming gameplay demo ( high def version)showing real time dialogue choices, combat, and the beautifully rendered world you get to explore. This is adventure gaming in essence. For my money this should be a model for how adventure games could be done in terms of dramatic effect and quality of production.

I started out playing Zork on my brother's IBM back in the early 80s, forgot about gaming during my teens and twenties, then rediscoverd it seven years ago through the Playstation, then the PC. Though I loved good adventures like Gabriel Knight 3, The Longest Journey, and Grim Fandango, I've since grown bored of adventure games, primarily because they've largely become numbingly boring, unimaginative, unoriginal, redundant, and just plain crap in quality. However, I loved the progressive but flawed Dreamfall, and the innovation of Indigo Prophecy. I these two titles should be the inspiration as to where the adventure game, as a type, should aspire to in terms of doing new things.

That said, I look for games that feature the essence of adventure games (those things I loved so much about Gabriel Knight 3, etc.) - compelling stories and characters, exploration, cerebral challenges, and consistent world where you can discover things. I've found this essence in various kinds of games - RPGs, action/adventures, hybrids, and even real time strategy.

One of my favourites of all time is Deus Ex. I also loved the Thief games, and of course, the Silent Hill series. And there is Beyond Good & Evil, the Knights Of The Old Republic series. Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are t3h g0d, and I had a memorable time with Fable.

Some upcoming games I look forward to are Mass Effect, Bioshock, Alan Wake, Fable 2, and Assassin's Creed.


Alan Wake - cinematic 'adventuring'.

Here's a streaming trailer for Alan Wake, Remedy's upcoming psychological thriller. It's a more cinematic take on the action/adventure, and again, it would be great if it inspired some adventure game developers in terms of creating mood and atmosphere.

[2GooD]

I play third-person adventure games and the Civilization series of games. First-person games, be it adventure or shooters, give me head-ache and make me nauseated (kind of sea-sick).

[ssa]

wonder what games the Bush family like to play

[Kolzig]

Monopoly?

[byf43]

I've played all kinds of games. Dark Forces, Call of Duty, Oblivion, Halflife and other action games. I also like strategy games.

[DesNalgadOr]

I play RPGs that rely more on the history than action.
i also like strategic games (real-time or turn base)

i pretty suck in everything else.

[Curt]

Apart from thoroughly enjoying a host of top adventures I've had real addicted phases to:

Football games (eg. Match Day, Emlyn Hughes International Soccer, Sensible Soccer, some of the FIFA series)
Football management games (eg. Championship Manager series)
Golf games (eg. Leaderboard, Pro Golf 2, Microprose Golf, Links series)
RTS games (C&C, Age of Empires, Battlezone 1 & 2),
Management (Sim City, Constructor)
Turn based strategy (Civilization, Colonization)
Puzzle (Lemmings)
Fantasy sport (Speedball 2)
God games (Populous 1 & 2, Powermonger, Settlers, Dungeon Keeper, Black and White)
Racing simulations (Geoff Crammonds Grand Prix series, TOCA and DTM series, Superbikes 1 & 2, Colin McCrae Rally series)
Fantasy/Sci-fi first person shooters (Doom, Quake series, Half-Life series, Tomb Raider)
Realistic first person shooters (Hidden & Dangerous, Call of Duty 1 & 2)
Multiplayer shooters (Counter Strike: Source, Battlfield 2)
Flight Simulators (f19 Stealth Fighter, Commanche 3)

I've definitely missed some out (memory is not so good nowadays), but each of those mentioned has sucked up literally weeks or months of my time. RPG's have never really appealed to me though. The only one I spent an extended amount of time on was Lands of Lore 2 which really comes under the rpg-adventure category imho.

I really should have gotten out more but don't regret a minute of the time enjoyed with these great games.

Interesting topic that gave me a moment to travel back through some great memories.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Curtsie, have you tried C&C: Tiberium Wars yet? It's my introduction into the C&C universe and I'm addicted to the Xbox360 demo.

[Curt]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Curtsie, have you tried C&C: Tiberium Wars yet? It's my introduction into the C&C universe and I'm addicted to the Xbox360 demo.

Nope. I certainly hope to get around to trying it (I have the demo) but much of my computer time is taken with golf course design nowadays and has been for the last 14 months so I don't get time to play much else (although I'll find time for any adventures I want to play as I did for Still Life and Tunguska). I have read good things about it though.

[jojo_jinx]

I enjoy all sorts of computer games on varying platforms. I really like some beat-um-ups but also enjoy games like Abe's Oddysee, Crash Team Racing, Tomb Raider (old ones best so far!), Jak and Daxter I - lots of different genres! Saying that, I don't tend to play many FPS's or realistic-looking car/ sport games

[noknowncure]

Originally Posted by ssa

wonder what games the Bush family like to play

Real time strategy games, mostly. George W just gets past the first level and then tells everyone he's completed it. Mission accomplished.

[RichardI]

This one doesn't. I hated Dreamfall. What a gigantic rip-off. I got to the first "fight" scene, quit the game and uninstalled it.

[insane_cobra]

Nowadays adventures are among my least played genres. I love the concept, not so much the currently prevailing execution.

[MoriartyL]

Amen!

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by cobsie

Nowadays adventures are among my least played genres. I love the concept, not so much the currently prevailing execution.

HEAR HEAR!!!! For a 'genre' fecund with so many incredible possibilities on ALL levels, it's completely and utterly crap on so many levels. Why do you think I've moved on to RPGs and action/adventures? They do many of the fundamentals but do them far, FAR better.

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Why do you think I've moved on to RPGs and action/adventures?

I'm torn between "because the magic of adventures of yesteryear moved to games like Beyond Good and Evil and Max Payne and the adventure gaming public blindly accepts the crap lazy unimaginative developers sell them and opposes to even the slightest modifications to the stagnant formula", and "because you like RPGs and action/adventures better".