[kadji-kun]

Originally Posted by rtrooney

The second had many more adventure elements than did the first. It also has a few frustrating action sequences. I'm currently playing an EAP "casual game" from BigFish that has many Adventure-style puzzles. including a few slider puzzles.

Frustrating action sequences? I don't recall any. I found both games pretty easy. Nothing that should be considered frustrating. Oh, I think I know what you are talking about...but even when I thought I was being slow, I still completed them first time around.

[booB]

I don't really see adventure games in stores that often, but it's happened a few times. I was able to pick them out mostly by looking at the screenshots -- if you can see what looks like a mouse cursor, and the box doesn't say "RPG" or "strategy" on it anywhere, and the screenshot doesn't have gems or tiles on it, it's probably an adventure game. Screenshots are especially good for separating the HOGs from the rest, because usually HOGs will have at least one screenshot that shows a list of items next to the gameplay screen.

[Marduk]

Well I was able to tell all of the HOGs in the store by their screen shots (and the descriptions) but I have been fooled by some games thinking they're AGs when they're not because the screen shots of an Adventure Game can often pass for the cut-screen screen shots from other types of game and visa versa.

[jfcwilson]

I've had this problem too, HOGs as far as the eye can see and few AGs.
Several points:
1. System Reqs. If the req. are very low(e.g. in the 800 MHz and lower) chances are it's a HOG. If reqs. are very high(2.5 GHz or higher), chances are you're looking at something else entirely, probably 3D.
2. ESRB Rating. HOG's tend to have quite low rating, E or below. Modern AGs are normally T or above.

[Melanie68]

If it's a game you haven't heard of, write down the name and research it online. You're bound to find a description of gameplay, how good/bad it is, etc. You can use the guidelines listed above as well, but I would definitely read up on it.

[rtrooney]

Originally Posted by kadji-kun

Oh, I think I know what you are talking about...but even when I thought I was being slow, I still completed them first time around.

Yes the two laundry room sequences and the search for the correct dorm room were frustrating, but that was, perhaps, a poor word choice. You can't die or get thrown in jail in the game. And I think the two laundry sequences let you play until you accomplish the objective.

But they were frustrating inasmuch that we complain about action sequences in "real" adventure games, and here we find some of the same in a casual adventure game.

And I suppose we could consider the Rose Garden puzzle in Death in Scarlet an action sequence, but that didn't bother me at all.

[orient]

I've got to say that nowadays, I very rarely buy a game based on the retail box alone. That was something I stopped doing back in the PlayStation 1 days. I only buy games that I have a preexisting knowledge of, so usually I know what genre/sub-genre a game is. If I'm unsure, I'll usually check on the internet before purchasing.

Telling the difference between the box of a hidden-object game and an adventure games can be tough, no doubt. I initially thought that Mystery Case Files on DS was an adventure game before I looked it up.

"Real" adventure games have a habit of listing how many usable objects there are in the game - and sometimes how many locations. There's usually a rather big blurb about the storyline, too, but maybe the same can be said for HOGs. I'm not really sure.

[Marduk]

I know that you shouldn't judge from the box alone but, imo, it is probably the most important place for a developer or publisher to make it as clear as possible what a game is all about because it's the last chance for the consumer to change their mind between taking it from the shelf and paying over the counter.

And from my experience (it was only once but it was a dozen different boxes) HOGs are incredibly easy to spot for what they are.

I had noticed the way adventure games tend to make bullet-point lists of estimated number of locations they have, objects, characters, etc etc etc, but I still have to watch out because there are still some none adventures with very similar lists which have thrown me off, before.

[orient]

I find those types of bullet points on the back of adventure game boxes (and in adventure game marketing in general) rather unnecessary and amateur. Whether it's the number of unique locations, interactive items or non-playable characters. Sell me on the experience, the storyline or even the gameplay. Don't try and sell me on arbitrary lists that bare little impact on the quality of the game. I don't care if the next Still Life has over 750 environments, 250 NPC's and 500 items to pick up. None of that means it isn't going to suck.

The best one is "Features professional voice acting!" Yeah, it damn well better, too.

[Marduk]

Originally Posted by orient

I find those types of bullet points on the back of adventure game boxes (and in adventure game marketing in general) rather unnecessary and amateur.

yeah, they do seem that way. But I remember thinking, even before games that weren't adventures, how most games had plenty of items you could interactive items and different locations. It's like saying "we've got no selling points for this game we can think of so we'll just tell you all of the features every game has anyway because it's better than no text at all".

The best one is "Features professional voice acting!" Yeah, it damn well better, too.

I actually lol'd. Seriously, which game was this?

[orient]

Here's one, although admittedly I loved that game. I've seen many more too but I can't think where.

I know that some hardcore adventure fans like these feature lists because it's a convenient summary and they can be sort of informative in a way, even if they don't really speak to the quality of the game - and of course, sometimes these feature lists seem impressive and can get some people excited to play/buy the game, but they don't mean anything to me. I'm more interested in what makes the game different from other games.

[booB]

Originally Posted by Marduk

I had noticed the way adventure games tend to make bullet-point lists of estimated number of locations they have, objects, characters, etc etc etc, but I still have to watch out because there are still some none adventures with very similar lists which have thrown me off, before.

RPGs tend to have lists like this, too.