Why Adventure/Platform Games Suck

Alright guys, I just rented Maximo yesterday and sure its a good game and everything but it really got me thinking...the adventure genre blows.  The genre has just been plagued by the same hackneyed entities (hehe tities) since the brink of time:

Star Fox: Adventures could be Maximo could be Banjo and Kazooie could be Jax and Dexter could be Anus and Sphincter.  It is just the same general game with a different character.

Ice/Fire/Scary Castle/Jungle levels...yawn.

Every other genre has advanced plot-wise, even shooters, but  no...adventure gaming has had the same childish rehashed poo, you know?

I hate collecting things.  Especially coins, puzzle pieces, anything but pornography.

NO ONE LIKES JUMPING PUZZLES.  NO ONE!

I just dont understand all of the hype about whatever new Naughty Dog game is coming out because I could pretty much tell you exactly what is going to be included.

Well, the games you\'re talking about are certainly aimed at
a certain audiance ; young ppl who like lighthearted action.
As long as the characters and action are funny then they like
it. The animated movies Pixar is puking out are similar ; a funny
protagonist cartoon character with even funnier sidekicks and
a lighthearted, good ending plot. So to conclude ; either you
love it or you hate it !

But for a good (very very good) alternative, in the puzzle/adventure genre I suggest you play ICO.:cool:

[Bobs_Hardware]

this is exactly why im excited about Ratchet & Clank..

*Beats Ghettomath into a gooey puddle of red goo with a lead pipe*

Ahem.. do I REALLY have to explain the differences between the Adventure genre and platformers AGAIN?!? Please people.. get your genre\'s streight before ranting.

Do I have to draw some of you a picture? How about a slideshow to help illustrate?


Adventure


Platformer


Adventure mixed with other genres


Platformer mixed with other genres

The two genre types, even when mixed with other genres, are distictly different. I don\'t mind people who don\'t like or overly critique Adventure games.. as long as they\'re talking about ACTUAL adventure games. Calling StarFox:Adventure, Sonic Adventure, Banjo Kazooie, or Jack & Daxter adventure games is a slap in the face to all that LucasArts, Sierra, and Infrograms once stood for.

Sorry, I don\'t mean to make a mountain outta nothing.. but it\'s kind of pet peeve of mine.

I understand what you mean SonyFan.  I knew someone was going to debate with me on that.  I love the dying (well actually...dead) adventure game genre.  Grim Fandango for the PC was one of my all time favorites.  I just see that platforming gaming has become what adventure gaming was in the past, only a much toned down, suckier version--it is taking over in popularity.

And Knotter, Ico rules

yeah i dont like platformer games, though i enjoyed j and d...


but i loved the tr games, realy enjoying ico and sr2!!!!

Yeah, but platformers have always been popular on consoles. What we\'re seeing now on the PS2, NGC, and Xbox is NOTHING compaired to what we used to see on the SNES, NES, Genesis.. Ect. I wouldn\'t say Platform gaming is starting to become uber popular.. I\'d say it\'s actually becomming a bit less popular since the 32bit Era. The N64 was the only -real- gaming system that catered to people who like platformers.

I don\'t see where you can draw any paralelles between Adventure gaming and Platformers, but I do disagree with Adventures being a dead genre. The market is spherical, I think, in that you\'ll have a genre that\'s a hit for several years until people just get tired of seeing the same ole-same ole, and pick up on something new... which isn\'t actually new, but a Genre they discarded along time ago because it was.. again.. same ole-same ole. It\'s starting to happen with FPS\'s.. gamers are seeking out new and different games because they\'ve pretty much seen all the FPS genre has to offer. There\'s only so much blood and gore you can take before it just becomes old hat.

Adventures aren\'t dead.. and in fact, I think they\'re seeing a revival much like RolePlaying games did in the 32 bit Era. Tho what it needs is one killer app that makes people stand up and take notice, like Final Fantasy 7 did for RPG\'s. Slowly we\'re seeing a strong resurgance in Adventure games.. usually mixed with other genra\'s to provide gamers who get too bored with pure puzzle solving a thrill while they learn to appreceate the style of gameplay adventures have.

Right off the top my head:

Monkey Island 4
Sam & Max 2 (In development)
Shadow of Destiny
Silent Hill
Resident Evil
Shenmue
Alone in the Dark 4
ICO
Fear Effect
Mist III Exile

And that\'s just a few of the many types of Adventure games that have gained huge popularity very recently. There\'s a ton more like all the Resident Evil clones such as D2 & Carrier, and the no-name adventures that are out there... although never gaining high popularity.. were given a chance to hit the shelves such as Stupid Invaders. Not to mention that 80% of the largest fan created game projects on the net are creating sequels to Sierra & LucasArts adventure games. Quest for Glory alone has 7 fan-made games in development right now, with Hero6 being the largest fan-made game project ANYWHERE.

There\'s even serious rumblings over in Bellview Washington that Sierra is going to start up all their old Adventure game franchises again. A new Space Quest game is rumored to be in the works, although it\'s not certain weither it will be Space Quest 7 or a remake of SQ1.

So no.. I wouldn\'t call the Adventure Genre "Dead", I\'d say it\'s just on the back burner, waiting for it\'s time to come back into the spotlight.

SonyFan 0wnz!!! *hugs*

Sam & Max 2 will suck if they make it 3D. Or maybe 2D backgrounds with nicely cell-shaded characters would work? If it\'s at least half as entertaining as the first one I\'ll be in heaven

Originally posted by Hawke
SonyFan 0wnz!!! *hugs*

Sam & Max 2 will suck if they make it 3D. Or maybe 2D backgrounds with nicely cell-shaded characters would work? If it\'s at least half as entertaining as the first one I\'ll be in heaven

SonyFan may be sexy but the bum is unreliable when it comes to a game of PSO.

LoL, look who\'s talking Mr. "Opps, I forgot v.1 players can\'t access v.2 lobbys".


What can I say tho... AlteredBeast has been a bad influence on me.

I think that (good) adventure games have only ever existed for the PC.  Resident Evil\'s adventure part sucked.  Alone in the Dark 4 was just a re-hash of whats been done before.  The only thing that made adventure gaming adventure gaming was Lucas Arts and we all know that.  The genre would be nothing without Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island, and  Sam and Max.  THOSE were the true adventure games, not these hybrids like your mentioned Silent Hill,  Shenmue, Fear Effect.  Gosh damn do I miss them.

So this whole idea that they are "on the the back burner" im not too sure I go along with.  Think about adventure gaming of the past...now think of it without Sierra...uh oh.  Im saying, unless Sierra makes a triumphant and much needed return, one of my favorite genres is still...dead.

Youy pretty much summed up my feeling about Jak and Daxter

I expected the gasme to make the leap in the gameplay department as well as the graphics department

I\'m holding out hope for Ratchet and Clank

Originally posted by Ghettomath
The only thing that made adventure gaming adventure gaming was Lucas Arts and we all know that.  The genre would be nothing without Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island, and  Sam and Max.

you forgot Grim Fandango


one of the best games i ever played

[videoholic]

Originally posted by LUKE


you forgot Grim Fandango


one of the best games i ever played

Dude....  You need to get out of my head.

The only thing that made adventure gaming adventure gaming was Lucas Arts and we all know that. The genre would be nothing without Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island, and Sam and Max. THOSE were the true adventure games, not these hybrids like your mentioned Silent Hill, Shenmue, Fear Effect. Gosh damn do I miss them. - Ghettomath

True, but the way I see it, I\'d rather have a hybrid adventure game than no adventure games at all. If games like Resident Evil, Fear Effect, and such can get gamers interested in the Adventure aspect of these games, then big companies will be more apt to release "pure" adventures. Going back to Final Fantasy 7, look what it did to the RPG genre. The series itself has arguablely gone down the drain since, but look at all the other RPG\'s (many of them true to their roots) that have come from the success of the Genre.. all the way from Pokemon to Baulder\'s Gate on the PC.. RPG\'s have thrived in many different forms.

Notice another thing about my list? All console games... some multiplatform.. but all also existing on console, a market that has NEVER welcomed Adventure games. People who grew up on Mario and Sonic have a totally different approach to games than those who grew up with King\'s Quest or Monkey Island. They\'re in it for the action, so dumping a hardcore adventure game on them would be suicide for a company. Who (Other than PC adventure gamers) would play Resident Evil if it didn\'t have Zombies to decapitate with .12 gauge? Who (other than PC Adventure gamers) would play Resident Evil if the puzzles between areas were so damned tough that you had to spend hours before the next Zombie to kill? Console gamers aren\'t used to the level of difficulty PC adventure gamers thrive on.. and since they never grew up with the genre.. do not have the "Lateral Thinking" mindset to help them along.

Look, as much as I miss traditional Adventure games, you have to conceed that the Genre must either evolve or grow stale and perish for good. It happened to Infrograms when Sierra made the first "3D" graphic adventure, it happened to Sierra when LucasArts made their games mouse cursor only, it happened to LucasArts when FPA\'s like Myst came out. The genre must evolve. So I pick those games that most resemble the Adventure games of old (Resident Evil over ugh.. Tomb Raider*) and I play those and enjoy them for what they are. If the genre becomes big again, you\'ll see more pure adventures like Monkey Island 4, Grim Fedango, and Gabriel Knight 3 come out.. but they can\'t support the genre alone. Not anymore.


*(Tomb Raider is, IMO, NOT an adventure game. It\'s more of a Action/Platformer if anything)