Messages

F for Fake aka Vérités et mensonges?

Exit Through The Gift Shop.

Looks Japanese to me.

And I want a Lucky Lemming spin-off! Also with deaths.

Clearly you've never met General_Knox. 8)

I don't think I have. Why do you bring him up? Did he create an AGS game that takes advantage of the newest generation of PCs?

Yes, it is the Last action hero...did search for Acme on wikipedia? 

That "only one animated character" hint was quite a giveaway

ACME Dynamite?

Dick Tracy?

A fistful of Dynamite?

Too late, Ponch!

I was talking exclusively about adventure games. There are innovative adventure games sometimes, but no one is particularly interested in that - neither the genre's fans, nor the press, nor the wider public.

But anyway, Minecraft and... what else comparable to Minecraft?

Minecraft has gone viral on an amazing, unprecedented, unexpected scale. The game that Minecraft was heavily inspired by (Infiniminer) didn't. But I'm not seeing Minecraft's success isn't meaningful for future games. Already seeing a Minecraft's blocky graphics on magazine covers was great.

Yep, the film is Avalon. Named after a classy bar. Your turn!

Sorry for the letterbox stretching effect.

loontje, the recent Mata Hari is like that - game mechanics built around the story, cheap graphics and plenty of innovation. Almost no one liked it.

Insecticide was a fun mix of action and detective missions (perhaps somewhat like L.A. Noire, but with more action). Cheap 3D graphics. No one bought it either.

Innovation alone doesn't sell a game. Innovation + good, expensive marketing might, but these days it's less risky to rely just on nostalgia.

Caligula

I haven't seen the film, but I can't imagine the photo coming from a different one.

All that said, this rant isn't supposed to be an excuse for poorly designed (adventure) games (dead ends, illogical trial and error puzzles, no hints, poor story...), especially commerical ones. Those are inexcusable.

That was kind of Richard's point.  That's what mainstream commercial adventure games have become.

How can you say that was Richard's point?

In the first part of the article he says that what set apart the truly good adventure games of the 80s and 90s was not their great craftsmanship, but the constant innovations they introduced (including innovations in the graphics). The only time Richard praises puzzle design is in case of Day of The Tentacle.

In the second part a much more serious jab at the genre is made. The modern gamer is "too sophisticated" to get stuck on puzzles (whether in classic adventure games or new ones). Modern gamer needs his "flow", or he won't progress in a game at all.

Both are valid points, and I personally really like the call to designers to innovate, but begging for mass gamer's (or casual gamer's) attention has nothing to do with "saving the genre". The way it ends it's more of a condemning than inspiring article, especially for small indie designers.

I don't understand your problem - the most demanding AGS games should work fine even on 6 years old PCs.

The trailer looks amazing. I'll have to check it out.

Mr Nanny?

Super Mario Bros

Ghost Busters?