No one plays adventure games anymore?

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Seriously, I joined this forum 2 weeks ago and haven't seen one mention of an adventure game. Every other genre has been mentioned - FPS, RPG, action, strategy, simulation. But no adventure.

Now, I'm not criticizing anyone for their choice of game (why would I?), but I would like to understand why it's so unpopular, for something that two decades ago was the most popular game genre.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I play visual novels; they're kind of an offshoot genre (with occasional cross-breeding with the RPG-esque dating sims). Do I count?

...wait, what kind of "adventure game" are you talking about? Zelda-type roaming adventure? Or Zork-type text-based adventure?

 

[Zhukov]

*cough cough [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.329959-The-Longest-Journey-and-Dreamfall]*

Anyway...

Part of it is that hardly anyone makes adventure games. They're out there, sure, but they've been largely surpassed in every way by other genres.
The rest is just due to the nature of this particular forum. Most people here are RPG folks (which will quickly become apparent), with a healthy dose of action and shooter on the side.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

I play visual novels; they're kind of an offshoot genre (with occasional cross-breeding with the RPG-esque dating sims). Do I count?

...wait, what kind of "adventure game" are you talking about? Zelda-type roaming adventure? Or Zork-type text-based adventure?

Neither, really. The former isn't an adventure game, and the latter is a text-adventure. So no, you don't count.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

*cough cough [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.329959-The-Longest-Journey-and-Dreamfall]*

Anyway...

Part of it is that hardly anyone makes adventure games. They're out there, sure, but they've been largely surpassed in every way by other genres.
The rest is just due to the nature of this particular forum. Most people here are RPG folks (which will quickly become apparent), with a healthy dose of action and shooter on the side.

Two games both over 5 years old... it's not much, is it?

At the very least, Yahtzee could do an adventure game ONCE a year instead of the usual 50% shooter and 50% RPG

 

[BreakfastMan]

Well, most people on the forum like to talk about the big new games. There aren't any big new adventure games coming out nowadays (hell, there are barely any adventure games coming out nowadays, period. Most of the ones that do are indie titles that no one has ever heard of). Put two and two together... I think you can do the rest yourself.

 

[Vault101]

Seriously, I joined this forum 2 weeks ago and haven't seen one mention of an adventure game. Every other genre has been mentioned - FPS, RPG, action, strategy, simulation. But no adventure.

Now, I'm not criticizing anyone for their choice of game (why would I?), but I would like to understand why it's so unpopular, for something that two decades ago was the most popular game genre.

by adventure do you mean the "point and click" monkey island variety?

just like "platformers" they arnt exactally the most popular genre

 

[AD-Stu]

Part of it is that hardly anyone makes adventure games. They're out there, sure, but they've been largely surpassed in every way by other genres.

^ this, basically. Does anyone other than Telltale actually make them any more?

I was a massive, massive fan of the adventure gaming genre back in the day. I tried playing the first chapter of the Telltale Monkey Island series though, hated the interface and gave up pretty quickly.

Also, don't feel besmirched. There's hardly any discussion of driving / racing games here either, and there's a hell of a lot more of those released every year than there are adventure games.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Well, most people on the forum like to talk about the big new games. There aren't any big new adventure games coming out nowadays (hell, there are barely any adventure games coming out nowadays, period. Most of the ones that do are indie titles that no one has ever heard of). Put two and two together... I think you can do the rest yourself.

There are plenty of big new adventure games. I could name at least one for each month of 2011, if I were inclined to. Put two and two together... and you can see upon whose shoulders the blame truly lies.

 

[the spud]

Adventure games were the most popular genre 20 years ago? I thought it would be something like platforming...

OT: The only adventure games I have ever played are the Professor Layton games and Monkey island 1 and 2, and the Layton games weren't really what you would call traditional adventure games. So, yeah, Monkey Island 1 and 2, as much as I love them, I understand why they died out. The writing was sharp, but that could have been done in other genres, and the puzzles were very nonsensical and illogical at times.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Seriously, I joined this forum 2 weeks ago and haven't seen one mention of an adventure game. Every other genre has been mentioned - FPS, RPG, action, strategy, simulation. But no adventure.

Now, I'm not criticizing anyone for their choice of game (why would I?), but I would like to understand why it's so unpopular, for something that two decades ago was the most popular game genre.

Cough*Zelda*cough.

Has been considered an Adventure game since 1986

By who? Not by me or any definition of Adventure I'm aware of.

 

[Pearwood]

I could name at least one for each month of 2011, if I were inclined to.

Doing so would make your first post much better. I can think off the top of my head of L.A. Noire, that's pretty much the only major release not counting independant ones off PSN or Steam.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Well, most people on the forum like to talk about the big new games. There aren't any big new adventure games coming out nowadays (hell, there are barely any adventure games coming out nowadays, period. Most of the ones that do are indie titles that no one has ever heard of). Put two and two together... I think you can do the rest yourself.

There are plenty of big new adventure games. I could name at least one for each month of 2011, if I were inclined to. Put two and two together... and you can see upon whose shoulders the blame truly lies.

Okay, do so. Name one big adventure game that has received a large amount of coverage by multiple traditional gaming new sites (including this site) and was released at retail, for every month of the year. I follow gaming news quite a lot, and I cannot think of a single non-Telltale game that meets those criteria.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Adventure games were the most popular genre 20 years ago? I thought it would be something like platforming...

OT: The only adventure games I have ever played are the Professor Layton games and Monkey island 1 and 2, and the Layton games weren't really what you would call traditional adventure games. So, yeah, Monkey Island 1 and 2, as much as I love them, I understand why they died out. The writing was sharp, but that could have been done in other genres, and the puzzles were very nonsensical and illogical at times.

It could have been done, but wasn't. Adventure games have consistently maintained the top spot in writing quality, no contest. Unless you include interactive fiction, which is arguably adventure too.

 

[Vault101]

^ this, basically. Does anyone other than Telltale actually make them any more?

by adventure do you mean the "point and click" monkey island variety?

just like "platformers" they arnt exactally the most popular genre

Two rather ignorant comments, which was always to be expected given the negligible coverage of this type of game on The Escapist.

Well, most people on the forum like to talk about the big new games. There aren't any big new adventure games coming out nowadays (hell, there are barely any adventure games coming out nowadays, period. Most of the ones that do are indie titles that no one has ever heard of). Put two and two together... I think you can do the rest yourself.

There are plenty of big new adventure games. I could name at least one for each month of 2011, if I were inclined to. Put two and two together... and you can see upon whose shoulders the blame truly lies.

..? what are you on about?

beause if you ment "point and click" then what we have been saying is pretty acurite, unlike FPS "adventure game" titles dont rake in the cash and hype as much,

its also true about "old school" RPG but thats a whole other argument

however if you called games like..say uncharted adventure games...because it involves going a big grand old adventure..then yeah

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

Assuming you are referring to the old school adventure genre. I like them and there is still a few of them released but its always massively under the radar. You aren't likely to find anything like the classics way back when.

 

[Fluffythepoo]

Adventure games evolved into sandboxes and RPGs, stop being old

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Adventure games evolved into sandboxes and RPGs, stop being old

Devolved, more like