Current Articles
- review Posted by Jenny Rouse.
The Mystery of the Mummy retroFrogwares is arguably among the most recognized independent adventure game developer, best known for its now long-running Sherlock Holmes series. While a number of adventure games have also been previously released based on Arthur Conan Doyle's seminal character, Frogwares' series has been widely regarded by critics to be the most successful adaptation to date. The Mystery of the Mummy, later… |
- review Posted by Patrick Talbot.
Detective Case and Clown Bot in Murder in the Hotel Lisbon retroAs a subgenre of crime fiction, detective murder mystery stories have been serving as plotlines for many novels, movies, and television shows. These stories have occasionally appeared also in adventure games. When an indie game developer from Portugal decides to tackle this subgenre on its own terms—by adding to it elements of wacky humor, infusing it with tributes to classic graphic adventure… |
- review Posted by Mervyn Graham.
Murdered: Soul SuspectMurder: Soul Suspect originated as only a game concept for a supernatural thriller from Japanese publisher Square Enix. Wanting to expand with greater appeal to the western game market, the publisher approached American developer Airtight Games (who past credits included the puzzle adventure game Quantum Conundrum) to help to develop this concept into a full-fledged action adventure title. While… |
- review Posted by Gustavo Calvo-Simmons.
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller - Episode 3: The Oracle retroThere is an intangible compelling quality about a good detective novel—it simply transcend time. Similarly, many classic detective mystery games are remembered because of their great storylines. Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller, from indie developer Phoenix Online Studios in collaboration with veteran game designer Jane Jensen, is another example of a great adventure mystery game because of its… |
- review Posted by Peter Rootham-Smith.
Secret Files: Sam Peters retroSecret Files: Sam Peters is the fourth game in the Secret Files series from Animation Arts (developer of Lost Horizon). However, this game does not feature Nina Kalenkov or Max Gruber who are the main protagonists from previous games in the series. Rather, it is a spin-off to Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis, the sequel to Secret Files: Tunguska, and turns a minor character Sam (or Samantha)… |
Past Favorites
- feature Posted by Mark Newheiser.
Adventure game puzzles: unlocking the secrets of puzzle designFor a lot of games, you can figure out most of what you need to know about them from simply looking at an in-game screenshot or watching a gameplay trailer. With a quick glance at the head-up display and the quality of the graphics, you can get a good sense of what kind of monster killing mayhem you will be engaging in and what kind of experience you will likely get from playing the game.… |
- feature Posted by Marshall Ratliff, Philip Jong.
The rise and fall of Full Throttle: a conversation with Bill TillerPlaying Full Throttle is like tasting a rich bowl of roadhouse chili filled to the rim with biker gangs, chick mechanics (covered in engine grease too), and truckers with badass tattoos. An action packed, comical (albeit short), animated graphical adventure set in the backdrop of an apocalyptic future, Full Throttle touches on the subculture of motorcycle gangs and their steel horses. It is also… |
- interview Posted by Philip Jong.
Roberta WilliamsNo adventure game designer had ever achieved the level of success as Roberta Heuer Williams (Roberta Williams) had. Born in 1953, she and her husband Ken Williams co-founded On-Line Systems, which later became Sierra On-Line, when she was only 26. Mystery House, which she wrote in 1979, was the first graphic adventure game ever created for the PC. Her portfolio of games, spanning over nearly 20… |
Random Picks
- review Posted by Matt Barton.
Nancy Drew: The Captive Curse retroNancy Drew: The Captive Curse is the 24th game in the long-running Nancy Drew series from Her Interactive. I have played and enjoyed all of the Nancy Drew games, and this game is definitely among the best games in the series. I am sure it will appeal to existing fans of the franchise, but it is also a great entry to start for gamers new to the series. It has fun puzzles, an intriguing setting,… |