adventure games
Puzzling Over Adventure Game Puzzles
6:30AM Maggie Greene | There’s a really nice (lengthy) article over at Adventure Classic Gaming that takes a look at puzzles in (as you can probably guess) adventure games, and how those forms have seeped into other genres. More »
Hidden Treasures of Classic Sierra Games
7:40AM Maggie Greene | We’ve been a little nostalgic the past couple of weekends, which included a look back at Sierra’s origins; now Adventure Classic Gaming has a look at hidden assets of classic Sierra games. Not the Easter Eggs, but the bits and pieces hidden in the asset files of games — things that will never appear in the games themselves and take some exploration to actually get to. These range from bits of dialogue to wacky animations to pencil sketches; the author takes a look at some of these hidden assets and the meaning behind them: More »
News
History Lessons: A Look Back at Sierra’s Origins
2:30AM Maggie Greene | I’ve been keeping my eye on the “Stephen M. Cabrinety Collection” blog, which is a blog corollary to part of Stanford University’s archive of gaming-related materials — while there are only a handful of posts, there are some interesting looks back at some more obscure bits of gaming history. The latest is the first part of a look back at the origins of Sierra — back when it was ‘On-Line Systems.’ While Eric Kaltman notes that he didn’t have any of the original titles physically on hand, he did have “the first issue of the “On-Line Letter”, a newsletter celebrating the first anniversary of On-Line Systems”. Included are plenty of high-res pictures, though not all the interesting stuff is included: More »
Whither Monkey Island: ‘Puzzles Are For Geezers’?
6:40AM Maggie Greene | Are the ridiculous, wild goose chase puzzles of classic adventure games obsolete? Michael Abbott at the Brainy Gamer grudgingly says they may be — “A revealing slap in the face awaits the – shall we say “veteran” – gamer who hands an old adventure game to a young gamer with a hearty recommendation and an assurance of blissful gaming in store”. The response is likely to be ‘Is this supposed to be fun?’ Now, I know plenty of people who still remember fondly games like Monkey Island and other classic adventure games, including their oftentimes bizarre and lengthy puzzles, but: More »The Inaugural Adventure Gaming Expo
10:00AM Mike Fahey | Are you a big fan of adventure games? Do you know who Scott Adams is? Al Lowe? Chris Jones? In order, they are the father of adventure gaming, the creator of the Leisure Suit Larry series, and the creator of the Tex Murphy series, and all three will be appearing this August at the inaugural Adventure Gaming Expo in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The weekend long celebration of all things typey, pointy, and clicky formerly known as AdventureCon, will be taking place from August 29th to the 31st, and will feature panels, a charity auction, autograph sessions, and even a live-action adventure game running throughout the event. Yes, all that adventure gaming goodness, plus LARPing! You can head over to the official website and register until May 31st for $US 99, after which it jumps up to an even more ridiculous price. Still, sounds like a fun time to be had by all. I do enjoy a good LARP now and then. More »
