Long ago (’bout 10 to 20 years) there lived adventure games, above all else known for their strong narratives and thoughtful puzzles.
LucasArts and Sierra On-Line set the standard for quality adventure games, with the Monkey Island series, the Gabriel Knight trilogy, Police Quest and last, but not least, Grim Fandango. But whatever happened to them? LucasArts dropped Adventure games in favour of milking the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, while Sierra simply stopped producing them after Gabriel Knight 3.
In recent years the Nintendo DS has sparked a new interest in adventure game content, with games like Trace Memory, Ace Attorney and Hotel Dusk. The Wiimote is also well suited for the genre, which was proven by 2007′s Zack and Wiki, but it seems developers are unwilling to take a stab at completely reviving the genre.
- Why were adventure games suddenly given up on?
- Would it be possible to completely bring them back, or have they been supplanted by other genres, like MMOs and RPGs?
Everyone has ADD. That’s why they were given up. I remember playing Monkey Island 2 for hours trying to figure out how to give LeChuck the snotty rag. (am I even remembering that right?) And I had to make a map of the jungle in Leisure Suit Larry 5. That was a pain. No one would ever take the time to play those games anymore. Too easy to look the answer up on the internet.
@Rocha, I have to agree with you there. It’s so easy to progress in games these days, due to gamefaqs and various other sources. Even I do it. I think gamers need to relearn how to sit down and figure things out for themselves.
- Why were adventure games suddenly given up on?
One reason is because adventure games are very hard to design. Keeping all parts of the game interesting and/or fun is something few adventure games perfected. Another reason I think is because the shift towards more console games that focused on platforming and shooting became popular.
- Would it be possible to completely bring them back, or have they been supplanted by other genres, like MMOs and RPGs?
Adventure games have become fused with action. While you do see a few pure adventures come out, the merging into action has kept many of those elements still alive. I too would like to see more pure adventures though.
P.S. I thought Chance took Thursdays?
@Andrew Patrick, I thought Chance took Fridays… Or maybe I got it backwards.
- Why were adventure games suddenly given up on?
I think because they are boring and lack action. people started to want more serious stories, and not the cheesy quick ones you get from adventure games.
- Would it be possible to completely bring them back, or have they been supplanted by other genres, like MMOs and RPGs?
I say they were replaced by survival horrors! Look at the original resident evils, and silent hills. Take out the enemies and it an escape the mansion game :P. It would be an adventure game.
- Why were adventure games suddenly given up on?
In a simple term, I think people got bored of it, and whereas most adventure games are regarded as some of the best games of our time, noone is going to take the chance to make anymore, just in case of a giant flop.
- Would it be possible to completely bring them back, or have they been supplanted by other genres, like MMOs and RPGs?
Not really, I think they would still work on the PC, as cheap Steam games or something, but the stories need to be longer or something like that.
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