Recommendations on where to purchase Adventure games - Vista -

[zenassem]

It's been a long time since I've played adventure games. Besides playing Missing about a year or two ago.

I was hoping someone could reccommend a site where I can purchase new and old adventure games that will run under vista. Stores by me just don't carry many of these games anymore and it's difficult for me to weed out what is/was good from the bargain bins.

It would also be helpful if the site had some screenshots, reviews, and or general plot/setting info.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[SSH]

http://adventureshop.gamesplanet.com

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Why pay the extortionist prices of adventureshop when you can get most of the games for considerably lower prices at amazon.com/amazon.co.uk?  Hell, they're selling Dracula:Origins (which just came out) for 10 bucks more, and Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis for almost TWICE as much.   Let's not forget that adventureshop is selling digital copies, while amazon is sending you this stuff in a box.  Adventureshop is, quite literally, ripping people off.

Here are some figures:

Dracula: Origins

adventureshop:  $29.99

amazon:  $19.99


Sherlock Holmes:  Nemesis

adventureshop:  $39.99

amazon:  $17.99  (resellers offer it for $12 used/new)


The Longest Journey

adventureshop:  $9.99

amazon (cheapest release): $16.05 (cheapest reseller $7.45 used/new)


Syberia Pack

adventureshop (claims it's exclusive): $9.99

amazon (collector's edition 2-disc set): $9.99 (cheapest reseller $8.71 used/new)


Post Mortem + Still Life

adventureshop: $19.99

amazon:  Still Life: $9.97 (reseller $9.24) / Post Mortem: $8.71 (reseller $2.32)


Overclocked

adventureshop:  $29.99

amazon:  $28.99 (reseller $22.99)


Darkness Within

adventureshop:  $29.99

amazon:  $19.99 (reseller $17.94)


Destination Treasure Island

adventureshop:  $29.99

amazon:  $29.99 (reseller $19.93)


  AGON: The Mysterious Codex

adventureshop: $19.99

amazon:  $19.99 (reseller $4.99)




I know you wonder about shipping, but the majority of these games have free shipping or minor shipping costs and still come to well under the cost of a digital download from Adventureshop, and amazon uk's prices are very similar to its US counterpart (and often cheaper!).  The bottom line is, I'd really really like people to stop recommending these extortionist bastards to people because they are a ripoff scheme.  I don't care who is associated with it, it's a total and complete ripoff when you can pay 10 bucks LESS and get a brand new copy of Dracula: Origins in its box.  Even when the prices match, remember that with amazon you're getting the game in its entirety (box, manual, warranty), so you're easily getting the better value.

Can we not mention these scammers anymore, please?

[zenassem]

Thanks for both suggestions. Have a lot to look through.

Are there also 'classics' versions of LSL series, SQ series, and Sierra or infocom games that will run on vista, available anywhere?

[GarageGothic]

Also, boxed games you can sell if you don't like them - I don't think there's any legal way of transferring digital downloads.

As for the old Sierra games, some collections were released recently that were supposed to be XP compatible - no promises about Vista I think. But, as far as I understand they pretty much just bundled the old games with DosBox, which is Vista compatible. So it should work. If you can get/have the original versions, you can also easily make them run yourself using DosBox and fan-made patches.

Infocom games are all in the same format, called Z-Machine, and can be run in newer implementations of the interpreter, such as Frotz which has been ported to almost every operating system in existance. So I assume it works on Vista.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Amazon has the Space Quest collection for $6.69 new, King's Quest Collection (1-7) for $12.19.  You should invest some time in looking around at sites instead of just asking, since there are many internet sellers with reasonable prices.

[SSH]

How is it a scam to not be the cheapest seller of something, Progz? Its not as if they are forcing people to buy from them? By your definition anyone who doesn't sell at the cheapest price is a scammer!

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

It's not merely because they aren't the cheapest but because their prices are so much higher for something that is purely a digital download.  By pure comparison, their versions should be cheaper than a full commercial boxed version of the game -- not more expensive!

[SSH]

And Odeon change me more if I pre-book cinema tickets on the web than if I buy them at the cinema. It's irritating, but I don't see how its a scam. They're not hiding the facts.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Apples and oranges.  You're getting the same product in your argument, whereas here you are getting a digital only distribution vs a fully packaged version on storage media for LESS MONEY.  I don't even see a point in discussing this further because you're just being ridiculous.

[zenassem]

Well both sites have something to offer, so I appreciate it. I have my old computers but haven't set them up since i moved. About 2 years ago I was big into emulators but lost most of my files on a bad HD that I didn't back up.

Here's pics of my computer setup

[Nikolas]

I don't even see a point in discussing this further because you're just being ridiculous.

Nice...

There is the issue of maintaining a store, which is not as big as amazon...

[SSH]

Apples and oranges.  You're getting the same product in your argument, whereas here you are getting a digital only distribution vs a fully packaged version on storage media for LESS MONEY.  I don't even see a point in discussing this further because you're just being ridiculous.

My point is that you called them a scam when what would have been fair is to have said they had uncompetitive prices. Scam implies fraud, which I think you have no basis for.

[MillsJROSS]

Nikolas has got it right. Amazon can lower their prices because they're bigger. They can offer hard copies, because they do so much business that they probably have lower shipping rates.

It's still the same product in the end, it's just amazon gives you some plastic and carboard to go with it.

That said...armed with the knowledge that amazon is cheaper, it's in your best interest to buy from them.

-MillsJROSS

[Darth Mandarb]

Tell me that's an Atari ST!!?!?!  Oh the memories!!  That's the computer I learned to program on (Basic WAY back in the day!!)  Well I started on the 800 and then the 800xl but really got going on the ST! I programmed on that sucker until the early mid 90s and towards the end I had to use duct tape to cram (and hold) the power cord in a certain position for the system to remain powered ...  Look at the disc drive!  I love it!!

Ahh ... thanks for the nostalgia!!  Fantastic memories!!

[zenassem]

I think in that picture It was my commodore 64/128. But in fact I do have an atari 1040 ST!