[Pulsar_t]

The story/exploration versus puzzles debate has raged on for years, but it is not my concern in this topic to discuss it in any shape or form. I'm looking for games that favour the story/exploration elements and implement only a minimum layer of puzzle/problem solving that wouldn't normally leave most players stuck for long. Games like: Blade Runner, Ico, Fahrenheit, Resident Evil, Ace Attorney, etc. (yes both PC and consoles)

I appreciate any suggestions..

[Periglo]

I guess you are aware some of those titles are not considered AGs. Which of course connects with the debate of what an AG should include, and what makes one.

Having said so, there is at least one AG that, imho, belong to this class:Dreamfall. Then, there are lots of RPGs that can be considered adventuresque: e.g. many Bioware titles (KoTOR I & II, Mass Effect I & II, Jade Empire), plus others (Vampire: Bloodlines. Some action games, too: Psychonauts, Beyond Good and Evil.

[Assaf]

yes, i wanted to say dreamfall too.

[rayvio]

there's Time Hollow on the DS, good story but fairly light on puzzles. the directors cut of Broken Sword is also much easier than the original (although still has many puzzles) as some of the puzzles have been simplified and it's no longer possible to die
back on the PC there's The Path. it's short on puzzles (there are none), however the story is pretty much metaphor and open to interpretation so it may not be what you're looking for

[Pulsar_t]

Thanks for the suggestions! Yes I realise games like Resi and Silent Hill have strong action elements but I chuck them in with the rest of my "conventional" AG collection.

What about FMV games? I already played Ripper and the Tex Murphy trilogy, but they're not exactly light on the puzzles.

Yeah, Dreamfall.

How about Sinking Island? That's a good game and story, not too many puzzles that I recall but more dialogue heavy as it's a murder mystery, with nice art deco settings.

I also wanted to recommend The Immortals of Terra: A Perry Rhodan Adventure which is an awesome game. But I think it might possibly be a bit puzzle heavy.

Also, having just finished Black Mirror 2, there ARE a few puzzles, but they're honestly not showstoppers, they're easy enough for the most part to continue the story and exploration quite quickly. And if you choose the easy option at the start, it allows you to skip certain logic puzzles.

[Kazmajik]

Phantasmagoria might fit the bill, if you're looking for puzzle-lite FMV.

[potan]

I think Hotel Dusk (DS) is also kind of lite on puzzle.

[rayvio]

I just started playing Hotel Dusk today, so far it's pretty easy and seems to have a strong story
as for Immortals of Terra, I remember most of the puzzles being fairly easy but a couple of places I got stumped. one of which was an annoying "repeat this sound" puzzle, which was a pain since I'm tone deaf

[Pulsar_t]

Thanks again for the suggestions. I felt Immortals of Terra to be more of a traditional AG even though the puzzles were particularly hard.

What about the Casebook games?

Does anyone else share the opinion that Blade Runner was a great AG because the progress adjusted itself according to how you talked to the characters (I had to save all the time because I didn't want the story to branch into a different direction by accident). It was virtually impossible to get stuck in BR! I don't think even Heavy Rain has that level of intricate scripting?

[rayvio]

I loved the replayability of Blade Runner, and wish there were more games like it. usually though the most you get is alternative endings (if that) which just require loading a save near the end and doing one or two things differently
Indy Fate of Atlantis had a nice touch with the three different paths though, but nothing to rival Blade Runner

on an almost off topic note, I actually enjoyed the story of the Blade Runner game more than the movie too

How about Omikron The Nomad Soul, have you checked that out? It's a pretty epic game.

[Pulsar_t]

Originally Posted by Roman5

How about Omikron The Nomad Soul, have you checked that out? It's a pretty epic game.

Does it run on WinXP SP3? I've been wanting to play that one for ages. I love David Bowie's music too!

Originally Posted by rayvio

on an almost off topic note, I actually enjoyed the story of the Blade Runner game more than the movie too

Same here. The game introduced me to the movie and the novel. Would have caught wind of all three eventually thanks to the internet though.

Originally Posted by Pulsar_t

Does it run on WinXP SP3? I've been wanting to play that one for ages. I love David Bowie's music too!

It's a good question actually! Check this thread out, there's tips to get it working on XP.


http://www.adventuregamers.com/forum...ad.php?t=25424


I just watched some videos of the games walkthrough on youtube. I played this game in 1999 when it first came out. I never finished it though, got stuck on some combat. It seems I was right at the end of the game pretty much though before the final battle. If you don't mind quite a bit of fighting and some good but rather dated looking blocky graphics, then this is a great game which in some ways reminds me of dreamfall. And Bowie appears in the game too.

[strandiam]

Bethesda makes the best exploration games that I have played. Fallout 3 and Oblivionn are packed with endless content to discover and wandering around finding new things is my favorite part of those games.

Heavy Rain is almost purely story with very little puzzle.

[rayvio]

I loved Morrowind, but got very bored of Oblivion very quickly
as for Omikron, it's an excellent game despite it's flaws and deserves credit for trying something different. I really sucked at the first person shooting parts though, not so fond of shooting games so really out of practice

[nonax]

Originally Posted by Pulsar_t

What about the Casebook games?

Does anyone else share the opinion that Blade Runner was a great AG because the progress adjusted itself according to how you talked to the characters (I had to save all the time because I didn't want the story to branch into a different direction by accident). It was virtually impossible to get stuck in BR! I don't think even Heavy Rain has that level of intricate scripting?

The Casebook games are indeed puzzle light, however there are mini games and most of the game-play is searching and exploring rooms. The story and the acting in the FMV's is good. The integration of the story with the game-play could be argued however. I liked Casebook, but more for the innovative exploring and mini-games then for the story.

I must admit I never finished BR because I always got stuck, or died. But I agree that the game was very innovative. There are so many story lines. I ended up in one where no walk-through had before! And the graphics are also solid amazing!

[Shany]

I can think of a few games that focus on story (not so much on exploration, though)-

The Last Express - Very few puzzles, it's all about the story and characters.

Discworld Noir - There are some puzzles, but alot of it is investigating people.

The Blackwell series - Almost no puzzles and a great story.

[Pulsar_t]

I forgot about The Last Express I never finished it I'll have to look for it.

What about Ubik? Not a particularly good game, but if it's short enough..

[marshal99]

Yeah , the first Phantasmagoria game has that in-game gamekeeper hint option that will help you out if you ever got stuck - the game is more focused on the story and exploration than puzzle solving.

FMV Movie games like the quantum gate series has zero puzzles , totally about exploration and story.