Back in the 1990's, I was playing some computer games before MMORPG's came out and FPS's were still on Doom and other such games. I found a game called Myst at a computer store and considering I didn't have a computer at home back then, I went to a demo one and tried to play it. To my immense frustration and amazement, I couldn't get past the first room. Something about it made me completely and utterly stuck in that first room. A few weeks ago, a series of videos I watch brought up the genre of Myst. Point and click adventure games that make you want to pull your hair out. These games had little or no replay value due to the fact if you figured it out and (hopefully) remembered it the next time, it was a cakewalk. In exchange for this, the developers took the immense pleasure of making it so hard that you couldn't beat it without at least two months of gameplay through it. Games like: Gold Rush, Hero's Quest, Space Quest and other such games were the norm. They had funny scenes that made you want to come back for more punishment even as you die by just walking past the wrong end of a horse. *has had that happen several times, by the way* They bring you back to the olden days before advanced graphics and other such things became more important than a puzzle that got you stuck in the first room with no way out. Anyone else remember these games?
I never played any of those back in the day, but I've played one or two click-escape horror games over the net. The concept intrigues me greatly, but I can't seem to find any non-horror games in the genre that appeal to me. Still, it's a unique format, and it attracts a certain crowd which produces some interesting titles. I like it.
I have played a couple actually, mostly Tim Schafer's work, but there's nothing wrong with that considering how amazing his games are. As you said the thing with point and click adventure games is that they're made insanely hard to compensate for the lack of replay value, so the developers make very spesific puzzles where you have to do very spesific things to get past, the thing you have to do is never the most obvious thing. Which is why this genre will never be revived again, or at least not anytime soon, people don't want to be challenged or have to break up the pacing just to solve some pretty wild puzzle. Gamers nowadays just wants to kill whatever is in their way, they don't want to think and they won't buy a game without multiplayer either. It's a shame really. My favorite in the genre has to be Grim Fandango, that game was simply fantastic in every way imaginable, it is to date one of my favorite games.
Sierra Online made a vast majority of adventure games. Googling it I'm sure will help. I never heard of both, but Sierra and LucasArts vied for the top maker of adventure games way back in the 1980's. I have a few ports for them, but are so glitched up it doesn't show half the quality of the game itself. I agree with you, Christhor, it won't happen anytime soon these games coming back. Every generation sadly enough for me sees the games being dumbed down more than giving the frustration level that early generation gamers enjoyed so much more. It's sad if you think about it.
I HATE myst! I played it got half way through and got to a sort of submarine... but for me that was it I stoped before I killed the games creator!
Actually, the genre is making a resurgence due in part to the Nintendo DS's/other touch-screen devices' awesome interface for point-and-click titles. I've seen lots of adventure/visual novel-adventure hybrid games over the last few years like Phoenix Wright, Hotel Dusk, and Time Hollow. Even some classic series have gotten remakes or rebirths. None of them will ever be as frustratingly difficult as the classics, though. I'm a big adventure fan myself; I love the idea of a game with a witty script like so many of them have. In fact, I think one of the things that's holding back the gaming industry from being taken more seriously is the fact that the scripts/storylines for most games these days are horrid. Melodramatic and stretched out, plus the focus on high-speed action and violence. Adventure games from back in the day had great stories because that's all they could have, they didn't have the benefit of pretty graphics or powerful hardware... But popular games today are using technology as an excuse to drop good story and script. It's a huge mistake IMO, which is why I'm happy to see that the whole genre is getting resurrected, even if for a niche crowd. I'm currently playing through Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (the original... I wish I had the Special Edition, but I don't). I tried to play Grim Fandango the other day but it wouldn't work on my computer, I was miffed... I'll probably try Day of the Tentacle next.
