The Adventure Genre, as a pure class of games, has not been doing so well commercially the past few years; however, elements of a classic adventure game are seen in many games today mixed in what other genres.
Obviously when a genre or product doesn't sell, it's due to a lack of interest, and a lack of interest has to do with said product's marketability. Now, herein lies the problem: How do we make Adventure Games marketable and commercially viable without foresaking the core ingredients of the genre (ala KQ: MOE)?
You may have thoughts of your own, but a big opportunity for classical adventure games to thrive is Multiplayer. The Online Multiplayer game market is probably the dominant PC game genre, with games such as World of Warcraft selling millions of copies yearly. And I think, if done properly, it could revive Adventure Gaming.
See, what is needed is to cut out all of the unappealing factors of adventure games, the linearity, the dead ends, pixel hunting and "Object Quests." and spice up the gameplay a little. Not by loads of intense action, but, by making the game a very non-linear, yet cinematic experimence.
It would be sort of like playing a 3D movie but with many different plot paths and many different endings, and perhaps some action in an adventure game style, with a very open ended world and a non-linear yet well knit plot.
See, the problem is, with action and role playing games so widely available, how can you make a 15 year old kid brought up on Doom III and Grand Theft Auto play an adventure game without being bored to death by the detail?
I think cutting out these details, and focusing both and gameplay and on story, while still keeping in line with classic adventure game elements and rules, can remake the genre as a commercially viable gaming experience.
Quote from: TheReturnofDMD on August 26, 2006, 01:18:03 PM
See, the problem is, with action and role playing games so widely available, how can you make a 15 year old kid brought up on Doom III and Grand Theft Auto play an adventure game without being bored to death by the detail?
I think you won't be able to overnight. :P Chances are, he'll only get into them once all his friends start playing them, which would probably be a year or two later, assuming the genre revives. :P
But as you said above, the adventure genre in it's dated form won't work, because it died for a reason. There are ways of evolving and re-inventing it, without pulling a MoE on people. :P I think this will be shown through TSL, as well as any other successful games that follow it. :)
The Metroid Prime games which are a cross between Adventure and FPS, the "First Person Adventure" is quite popular...
Its not much different than other action advdenture games... Dare I say even MOE... and the main character doesn't even have much of a personality.
Themed areas, from fire, ice, etc, puzzles solved thorugh use of weapons etc...
Granted they are absolutely beautiful graphically, and gameplay is much smoother.
Some DS game is coming out that's a mystery "throwback to the point-and-click games."
I thought it looked kind of cool. :P And if it's on G4, it has to have some interest. :P
Oh, and 3 guesses which show on G4 it was on. :P
Uhm...not sure. I think I saw an ad for that in my copy of GI. It looked interesting.
Its from the maker of another DS adventure game, "Trace Memory".
Which was a bird's eye view game with plenty of adventure elements, and some rather original puzzles that could only be done using a DS.
Quote from: awesomeasapossum on August 27, 2006, 04:09:00 PM
Uhm...not sure. I think I saw an ad for that in my copy of GI. It looked interesting.
Speaking of GI, we're gonna be be mentioned in a small "Get the demo here" blurb in the September or October issue. XD
It won't be a review, but it might look cool. :)
As I told Kelsey elsewhere, there is a VERY simple solution. If they did this one thing, it would increase the Adventure game market several fold... do you want to know what this great secret it? ;-D
HARRY POTTER
If a commercial company created an Adventure game based on it, especially one befitting the series, one up to its standards... it would have tapped into the perfect audience. They have the patience Neil asked about("how can you make a 15 year old kid brought up on Doom III and Grand Theft Auto play an adventure game without being bored to death by the detail?"), it's marketable to a fairly large audience("and a lack of interest has to do with said product's marketability"), a game based on it would most likely have many of the qualities people here have mentioned("It would be sort of like playing a 3D movie but with many different plot paths and many different endings, and perhaps some action in an adventure game style, with a very open ended world and a non-linear yet well knit plot."), increases word-of-mouth advertising("Chances are, he'll only get into them once all his friends start playing them,"), would result in commercial companies as seeing Adventure games as marketable, and would also result in future game makers having a fondness for the game style, and make similar(Adventure) games.
Note: I personally don't care for Harry Potter, but that doesn't change what I said. XD
There might, however, be slight issues in getting the IP. ;)
Well there are other HP games, so I don't see why not.
Oh, btw.
Best. Idea. Ever.
:P
Quote from: Yonkey on August 27, 2006, 05:50:10 PM
Quote from: awesomeasapossum on August 27, 2006, 04:09:00 PM
Uhm...not sure. I think I saw an ad for that in my copy of GI. It looked interesting.
Speaking of GI, we're gonna be be mentioned in a small "Get the demo here" blurb in the September or October issue. XD
It won't be a review, but it might look cool. :)
Let us know so we can get ours.
Well, a Harry Potter adventure game might look too close to Simon the Sorcerer, that Adventuresoft might complain :suffer:.
I don't think AdventureSoft could win that argument in a court of law. It would be akin to arguing that J. K. Rowling got her ideas for Harry Potter from Simon the Sorcerer... AFAIK, she wouldn't even know what they were talking about. Beyond that, any HP adventure games would probably be set somewhere entirely unique to Rowling's creation and involve mostly characters already established in the books.
As far as attaining IP, I doubt that whoever has the rights to HP would turn down someone else offering to do all or most of the work and give them a fair cut of the royalties (fair to be determined with agents and lawyers for all).
QuoteAs far as attaining IP, I doubt that whoever has the rights to HP would turn down someone else offering to do all or most of the work and give them a fair cut of the royalties
Yes, you are no doubt right. :)
Quote
They have the patience Neil asked about
One question. While I admit I know nothing about Harry Potter, how would Harry Potter fans by more patient than anyone else? ???
The idea my have potential though. :)
No there is really no way they'd win in a court of law but they'd complain, but not in court... They have already complained jokingly already. Cause of the concept of a young kid becoming a sorcerer, and because the artwork of Harry Potter looks almost exactly like the artwork for Simon.
Also haven't most the Harry Potter games released so far been action-adventure games, and I think one turned based RPG on the GBA?
I think the patience LN was referring to is the ones their fans have in patiently waiting for the next installment, rather than nagging Ms. Rowling 24/7. ;P
Anyway, we've already said that our next projects will be our own IP, and not anyone else's. :)