Mental note: do not start up a new adventure game at 10:30 at night, “just to see how it looks”.
I started on Dreamfall last night. Dreamfall is an adventure game with a few action elements in it, and is the sequel to the widely praised The Longest Journey. It was developed by FunCom and published by my very own Aspyr Media.
The first thing I noticed about Dreamfall is that its keyboard/mouse control scheme is a crime against humanity. If you play this game on the PC, do yourself a favor and use a gamepad. Mine is actually a trusty green PS2 Dual Shock controller attached to a PS2-to-USB adapter, and once I got it set up properly the camera stopped whipping around wildly and the game settled down into a very nice control scheme.
The second thing I noticed about Dreamfall is that it is pretty – by far the prettiest game of its type I’ve ever played. The artists did a good job keeping the human characters out of the valley but still making them more realistic-looking and expressive than mere cartoons. The voice acting is also very good once you get past the cliched prologue. The world of the future it presents is surprisingly plausible, because it’s basically this world…only more so.
Now, that’s all fine and good, but is the game compelling? Um…yeah. It compelled me to stay up way too late seeing what would happen next, and I can’t wait to get back home this evening and play it some more.
Downsides? I played straight through the first two chapters last night and did not run into a single puzzle that gave me any trouble whatsoever. All to often, Zoë will actually tell you what you need to do. I know, I know, adventure games can’t be too hard if they are going to hit the mainstream (again), but at some point it would be nice to hit something I have to actually think about. I’m sure it’ll get tougher later.
Also the stealth and combat elements in the game are both trivially easy…why even put them in the game if you’re not going to utilize them well?
But overall, it’s off to a good start, and I haven’t even gotten to the…weirdness I know is coming.
I must admit that I’m curious, given that I loved adventure games at one point. The myth I was told when I got into the gaming industry is that “adventure games don’t sell.” But I see entire companies who do nothing but adventure games. They clearly have a niche market, but you can’t sell stockholders on niche markets.
I think Steam represents a perfect opportunity to market adventure games, even in an episodic way. A company, once they have the initial assets to describe the world (a plethora of “real world” furniture and the like), could produce several episodes in a “season.” I just need a programmer to help me modify Source to the UI I have in mind and then a couple of artists to kick out assets. Then I record some dialogue and we’ve got an adventure game for digital distribution. The best parts of Half Life 2 were the parts where it wasn’t a shooter. Surely that kind of thing can be recreated as an adventure/chase game.
I probably won’t play it even though i’m a fan of adventure games.
The first one I was told had homosexual characters in it, so that was the main reason I didn’t play it. Before you or anyone else gets defensive or mad I have to say I can’t play or watch something incongruent with my beliefs. This is not to say I don’t sin which is also incongruent however the difference is attempting not to sin because it’s against my beliefs.
In any case both games are probably really good but I when you have a certain personal standard you shouldn’t go against it.
We’re really looking forward to playing Dreamfall (thanks Viridian!) We’re close to finishing Keepsake, and we’ve got Paradise (Benoit “Syberia” Sokal’s latest) on deck, so we probably won’t start it for few weeks. It’s so cool to have a collection of quality adventure games! They’re usually so few and far between.
p.s. I wish I hadn’t read the last comment. I try not to read things that are incongruent with my beliefs. It’s far more comfortable for me to believe that there are no such thing as fundamentalists. This is not to say I don’t judge others, which is also incongruent with my beliefs (and theirs, or so they claim.) The diffence is attempting not to judge because it’s against my beliefs.
In any case, the poster is probably a very nice person but when you have a certain personal standard you sholdn’t go against it.
Ah, Wynne. You’re so snarky 🙂 I can’t wait for you to try Dreamfall, honestly, because there’s some bits in there that I could have sworn that you wrote.
Keith, in the end…there’s no way I can respond to your comment, is there? I can’t agree with you, because I…don’t agree with you.
On the other hand, I am the host of this website, and therefore I bear a certain responsibility. I consider it similar to being the host at a dinner party…it’s my duty to ensure that everyone has a good time even though everyone in attendance has different beliefs and the conversation may therefore take unexpected turns.
I like having you around and I don’t want you to leave in a huff just because we don’t believe the same way you do on this topic.
I can understand not wanting to pay money for something that glorifies what you don’t approve of. For that reason, I don’t buy Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, because it glorifies overproduction of sequels that have nosignificant gameplay improvements. However, surely borrowing a game and playing it through would be okay. That way, you’re not technically stealing and you’re not giving them any money, but you do get the opportunity to study the gameplay elements.
I’m excited that adventure gaming is coming back, even if it’s with a small, niche market. I wonder if the world of the Nintendo Wii-volution will be able to provide effective adventure gaming. Can you imagine using the controller like a flashlight as you explore spooky houses? Or “answering your cellphone” by holding the controller up to your ear and using the microphone and speaker? I love the Wii.
Viridian – You’re not going to drive me away by disagreeing with me. Mostly stating why I wouldn’t play it. I won’t leave “in a huff” as you say because I understand that my opinion is usually in the minority.
Wynne – You don’t have to tip-toe around my feelings just say you hate me and everyone like me, it’s your opinion and you have a right to it 🙂
Dave – i’m still contemplating your comment, I think I could get TLJ at the library, as any blatent imagery wouldn’t likely shock me anymore (for reasons which I won’t name here). As far as checking out the gameplay that probably has some merit, I will have to consider it.
Finally please note that I do have strong opinions of my own, and if I feel necessary I will voice them. I won’t attempt to get anyone into an argument nor try to convince people that my argument is the right one (usually doesn’t get anywhere).