(re: Take The Plunge…)
Nobody misses anything until it’s gone.
That’s so true for adventure gaming. Though I contend that it’s gone in the old form, I believe it’s alive, but not too well. I wish I could name five per console, but I can’t even do that. I’d have to combine that list, and I already did that.
However, Mr. Lilly is very right about what’s going on. Nobody at the big corps has an idea about gaming, since their first PC was either a Pentium or PowerPC, and their first console was either PS1 or N64. They simple can’t know what they’re supposed to create.
EA does, though. I saw them take a chance with Alice a few years back, and few other games I can’t remember currently, but will go to game store and take a look. Alice is what really stands out, as do The Sims, which plays like a Make Your Own Adventure or Torture You Own Neighbors. Whichever. But, overall, EA would be the company to go to. It’s all high quality and a good price over there, though some games such as Pirates and few others are a little below par.
Sometimes, I wish I had majored in Computer Science, then I’d be a programmer. But that’s the problem with gaming today. Too many programmers making games for programmers. Slugglish sales, blame piracy. Same old at most companies. I think programmers would get more satisfaction from making an artistic masterpiece (Alice, Myst 3), but are, instead, complaining about getting only $65,000 a year with benefits, and working very easy hours compared to my restraunts. No offense to that one guy from Westwood, but, living in Vegas, I knew many past and present Westwood guys more so than Sierra people. Most were as I desribed programmers above thoughout. I find that damn tragic.
If we can get designers in the style of Al Lowe, Roberta, and even Mr. Goofy Scott Murphy, then I think games would be excellent, because the story will be there first, then the game evolve around it. That’s the problem with online games like EverQuest: no story, just fighting. Big whoop. I guess the majority of people who play these must not know what a goal is, and must still live with their parents. I’m guessing, but that was my big impression when I played these games online.