One of my favorite old school genres had to be the point-and-click adventure games for the PC. I remember when I was a kid I used to love playing games like Police Quest, Space Quest, Maniac Mansion and Myst. Myst especially changed the way I viewed video games, with its hauntingly quiet atmosphere, its hefty brain teasers and creepy story of two sons. I for real used to play that game for hours at a time.
However, I never played The Secret of Monkey Island until just the last couple of weeks, when it re-released in a special edition form on XBox Live Arcade. I’ve always heard great things about it, but I’m finally getting to experience the games charms for myself. It really has some brilliant writing, great characters and some laugh-out-loud moments.
The crazy thing is I’m realizing just how much I miss these kinds of games. How cool would it be if all of those old school games started re-releasing with new coats of paint? I’d play the heck out of them, that’s for sure. So what about you guys? Did you ever get into those old school point-and-click games? What were your favorites? Go!
I’ve never been interested in them, but Monkey Island has always been an exception. If it comes out on PSN I’ll get it. Also, I’ve been meaning to play Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I’ll do that after FF7. 60 hours in and I haven’t finished the fiirst disc yet!
I hate point and click games. They’re just too hard for me. I prefer more interactive stuff than pointing and clicking.
I played the heck out Police Quest and Space Quest. Those games were so much fun. Now that I think about it I kinda want to play Space Quest on my DOS emulator right now…
It was awesome to hear that LucasArts was re-releasing a buch of the classics on Steam. I could easily fill a post-length comment full of my favorites: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, Monkey Island 1-3, Full Throttle, The Dig, Grim Fandango, Riven, Zork Nemesis, Zork Grand Inquisitor…and so many more.
Maybe the revival of some of these classics will reignite a little spark of the mainstream adventure game development that used to exist. There’s been some cool stuff from indie and foreign developers the last few years, but I’m still waiting for a new AAA classic-style adventure title to come along.
I love Myst, I remember playing it with my family when I was “younger”. The incredible feeling of self worth, if you will, that you get when you are stuck on a puzzle for a day, or even a week, and you finally solve it is just something that you don’t get from an FPS or an RPG. I guess I like the Myst series, and all point and click games besides the Crystal Key, for the same reason I like foreign films. They take there time and realize that you don’t need an incredibly loud pulsing score and or loud sound effects to make an incredibly moving and emotional scene.
No mention of Telltale Games? These guys do so many shiny point-and-clicks, it’ll make your head spin. My personal favorite is Sam & Max. Not only are the puzzles clever, but the dialog is hilarious – it has what I think are some of the best lines in gaming. Like Santa yelling, “The snow will run red with the blood of the naughty!”
That said, I haven’t played through too many old school adventure games. I always get frustrated, and, in my refusal to use walkthroughs, give up.
I played through Myst III about 3 years ago, and it was F*ing fantastic. I love games like this.
Penumbra is a great series as well, its not quite the same flavour as point and click, but it is the Puzzle-solving-creepy-atmospheric-all-alone type of game.
Why don’t they do this for the Wii? Even if they just port the games, it’d probably get some people interested.
[quote comment=”7792″]Why don’t they do this for the Wii? Even if they just port the games, it’d probably get some people interested.[/quote]
It was released on Monday on Wiiware.
[quote comment=”7793″][quote comment=”7792″]Why don’t they do this for the Wii? Even if they just port the games, it’d probably get some people interested.[/quote]
It was released on Monday on Wiiware.[/quote]
Yeah, the brand new Monkey Island game, Tales of Monkey Island, is for the PC and Wii:
http://www.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland
I’ve been playing Secret of Monkey Island as well, and I love it, although I have to admit to using the “hint” button a LOT.
I loved adventure games when I was a kid even though I was never great at figuring out some of the head-scratching things you have to do to complete them. I think the only one I beat was The Dig, and I’m pretty sure I had to use a walkthrough at least once or twice.
Even still, I would happily fork out money for new adventure games, especially remastered versions of the classics.
I love the style, the writing is always entertaining, and I really don’t need random monsters to kill to keep me entertained.
Until then, there’s always ScummVM:
http://www.scummvm.org/
I’ve never really like point and click games or adventure in general, but Indigo prophecy was and still is the best adventure game, I’ve ever played.
[quote comment=”7794″]
Until then, there’s always ScummVM:
http://www.scummvm.org/%5B/quote%5D
I second that. I really enjoyed Beneath A Steel Sky, plus it’s free!
Just like Julez, I played “Myst III”. Loved the ambient world and puzzles. Even tho I didn’t know what was going on. XD
But yeah, I guess point and click games are fun.