[Erwin_Br]

It's time for a quick poll again. The question this time:

What period do you love the most, in relation to adventure games that were released?

Multiple choice is enabled, so you can select multiple periods.

--Erwin

[Garyos]

Damn, didn't notice it was multiple-choice. 1990-95 must be my favourite, with the biggest amount of timeless classics...

[AGA]

Quite frankly if 1990-1995 doesn't win, you're all insane.

[feisar]

1990-1995 was definatly the peak of the genre, we still get classics now and did before this period. But no other time can match the quality, variety and sheer amount of adventures.

A lot of developers had got the experience to make some amazing games, publishers were more than willing to spend huge budgets on really original offbeat titles and a lot of the games from this time are better in terms of bugs/design/gameplay/puzzles/plot/technology/artistic merit/graphics than the games of today.

[Zanthia]

Quite frankly if 1990-1995 doesn't win, you're all insane.

We all are mad here. I am mad. You are mad.
(c) Cheshir cat

[Wajus]

Since every period has it's classics I will say that for me it's not important when the game was published. I don't have a best period, no matter what statistics say.

[Nomad]

Ah, those Infocom times... And now I have to bleach my hair to hide the grey ones

[remixor]

90-95 kicks my ass. It's absurd how many classic games were released during those years. I have more favorites from that era than I could count

Originally Posted by Wajus

Since every period has it's classics I will say that for me it's not important when the game was published. I don't have a best period, no matter what statistics say.

Well, in theory, yes, but if you really enjoyed one game from a particular period, and a dozen games from another (for example), I think it would be pretty obvious that one of those periods yielded better results. It's really difficult to deny the way these types of things work in cycles. I mean, we saw a few years when there were hardly ANY decent adventures being released at all. Now we're sort of in something of a transitional phase, with fewer titles than we'd like but ones that are doing innovative things (Uru, BS3). There was the time when the genre was brand new, and it was just getting into its swing but didn't necessarily have the same quality it later developed. There was the late 80s to mid 90s, which more than anything else was solid. The genre was easily at its biggest, and so more things got put out. And one certainly can't ignore the presence and impact of Sierra and Lucasarts competing simultaneously. It's not to say good games only came from them (not by any means), but they definitely put out MORE good titles than anyone else.

[Erkki]

I didn't notice multiple choice either. I voted for 1995-2000 (CMI, Grim, Last Express, GK3, TLJ, Blade Runner(?)).

The previous period had a lot more games, but the ones I mentioned stand out more clearly for me.

[twifkak]

Yeah, I'd have liked to vote for Grim and TLE, but considering their sales, I'd say they were relics of the previous era. I voted for 90-95 of course, but also 2000-now, assuming that "now" includes "up to 2005." Maybe I'm just being optimistic.

[DFish]

Actually the best period is 1993 to 1998, with the last great adventure game coming near the end of 1998 (Grim Fandango). So I voted for 1995 - 2000 because that's when most of my favorites came out, even though nothing great came after 1998.

[DustCropper]

I voted both for 1990-1995 and 1995-2000. It's too hard for me to ignore the brilliant games that came out after 1995 (Broken Sword, Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes 2, Monkey Island 3, Grim Fandango, Last Express, Zork GI, Neverhood, Gabe Knight 3, Discworld Noir, Longest Journey, etc...) But I do agree that the best period is 1990-95.

[Wajus]

Originally Posted by remixor

Well, in theory, yes, but if you really enjoyed one game from a particular period, and a dozen games from another (for example), I think it would be pretty obvious that one of those periods yielded better results.

In theory yes. But since this is a matter of personal choice and I haven't even played enough adventure games yet I won't make such strict classifications. I simply don't care, that's all. It's a subjective matter. Even if I would like to specify one period I think it would be impossible for me - from each one I think of like two, three games as classics.

[Pesky mode=on] Besides those periods are based on what important "events in history of adventure games"? And what if someone thinks that 1995 was the best year with the best adventure games?[pesky mode=off]

It's really difficult to deny the way these types of things work in cycles. I mean, we saw a few years when there were hardly ANY decent adventures being released at all. Now we're sort of in something of a transitional phase, with fewer titles than we'd like but ones that are doing innovative things (Uru, BS3). There was the time when the genre was brand new, and it was just getting into its swing but didn't necessarily have the same quality it later developed. There was the late 80s to mid 90s, which more than anything else was solid. The genre was easily at its biggest, and so more things got put out. And one certainly can't ignore the presence and impact of Sierra and Lucasarts competing simultaneously. It's not to say good games only came from them (not by any means), but they definitely put out MORE good titles than anyone else.

I agree. That's pretty objective I think. Besides the theory of "waves" or "cycles" is very comforting and with games like BS3 and URU it's also a promise of "better tomorrow" that might come sooner than we thought it would.

[Ariel Type]

Well, in my opinion, the best period was somewhere in 1987-1997, but 1990-95 will do.

[myhrik]

1990-1995 was an easy choice for me... Of course that would exclude Grim, CMI and TLJ... But those are only three games.

Originally Posted by DFish

Actually the best period is 1993 to 1998, with the last great adventure game coming near the end of 1998 (Grim Fandango). So I voted for 1995 - 2000 because that's when most of my favorites came out, even though nothing great came after 1998.

I agree. The best period was undoubtedly 1993-98/99. I also voted for 1995-2000, with Full Throttle, Discworld, the Quivering, Grim Fandango, UFOs, Broken Sword, Chewy Esc from F5, Zork Grand Inquisitor, Dark Eye, Feeble Files, Byzantine, Black Dahlia, Dark Side of the Moon, Morpheus, Pilgrim, Sanatarium, the Last Express, Obsidian, Titanic, and all those other great games.

[Burge]

Originally Posted by Fienepien

I agree. The best period was undoubtedly 1993-98/99. I also voted for 1995-2000, with Full Throttle, Discworld, the Quivering, Grim Fandango, UFOs, Broken Sword, Chewy Esc from F5, Zork Grand Inquisitor, Dark Eye, Feeble Files, Byzantine, Black Dahlia, Dark Side of the Moon, Morpheus, Pilgrim, Sanatarium, the Last Express, Obsidian, Titanic, and all those other great games.

What about a little title called Day Of The Tentacle? Didn't cha like it?

[remixor]

And let's not forget the piratiest adventures of all time or our good old Indiana Jones!

Originally Posted by Burge

What about a little title called Day Of The Tentacle? Didn't cha like it?

Eh... ahum...uh... cough cough cough
[whispering on]
I don't know, I haven't played it.
[whispering off]

Indiana Jones was great.

[Erwin_Br]

Interesting... I'd expected the 1985 - 1990 era would be more popular than the current percentage...

--Erwin