The Year of the Adventure Game

Something miraculous happened last year. Tim Schafer of Double Fine Productions asked for $400,000 on crowd funding site, Kickstarter, to make an old school point and click adventure game, and the world gave him $3.3 million. In doing so, he and his company bypassed the usual publisher route needed to secure funding for a game, and maintained full creative control of their project. People just about everywhere took notice. Among them, a number of past and present game developers from such origins as Access Software, LucasArts, Revolution Software and Sierra On-Line. They all wanted a chance to take another stab at the adventure game genre, which until then, had been regarded by publishers as a genre that did not typically generate a significant amount of revenue. Translation: It did not make as much money as Call of Duty. Could lightning possibly strike twice? Not only did it strike twice. It struck again and again and again. It was a bit like the end of It's a Wonderful Life, with an angry CEO at Activision, Electronic Arts or some other such place playing the part of Mr. Potter. And as a teacher once said, every time a bell rings, an adventure game developer gets his paycheck.

With that said, Happy New Year! This year is going to be very special because all those adventure games that we Kickstarted last year are going to be released this year. To celebrate, I decided to put together a list of adventure games being released in 2013, including a few that were funded beyond Kickstarter.

Space Quest 7: Buckazoids from Andromeda

I originally posted this article on May 28th, 2012 in an effort to boost awareness of Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy's Kickstarter campaign for their up-and-coming game, SpaceVenture. Just like their earlier Space Quest games, I went heavy on the sarcasm. I shared this article with Scott via Facebook, and was a bit shocked when he said that I caught him by surprise. I assumed that he meant something was off with the article itself. Perhaps the things I wrote about him in particular. It was just a misunderstanding, though. Scott was surprised merely by the way that I notified him on Facebook. Not knowing this at the time, I quickly put the article under wraps, and within a day, I had written a new one with a more serious tone (Space Quest: A Greatly Exaggerated Tale of Adventure). With SpaceVenture fast approaching, I thought that I would re-share this article, and encourage everyone to check out guysfromandromeda.com for updates. Also, if you happen to have one of those iDoodads, be sure to check out their Cluck Y'Egger app. The original Space Quest 7: Buckazoids from Andromeda article begins below.

Steam Holiday Sale Game Grab 2012

Yet another year has gone by, and with it, yet another holiday sale on Steam. These are the games that I grabbed at super low prices this holiday season. It is worth noting that I do not plan to play all of these games right away, but some of these deals were too good to pass up. It will give me something to play on a metaphorical rainy day.

Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut Edition ($4.99, Normally $19.99)
Assassin's Creed II Deluxe Edition ($4.99, Normally $19.99)
BioShock Franchise Pack ($9.99, Normally $39.98)
BioShock
BioShock 2
Dead Island: Game of the Year Edition ($6.79, Normally $19.99)
Deus Ex Collection ($11.24, Normally $44.99)
Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Augmented Edition
Far Cry ($2.49, Normally $9.99)
Far Cry 2: Fortune's Edition ($2.49, Normally $9.99)
Humble Indie Bundle 7* (http://www.humblebundle.com)
Cave Story+ (Already Owned) (Extra Key Available)
Closure
Dungeon Defenders + DLC
Indie Game: The Movie
Legend of Grimrock
Offspring Fling
Shank 2
Snapshot
The Basement Collection
The Binding of Isaac + DLC (Already Owned)
Mass Effect Collection ($9.99, Normally $39.99)
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
The Longest Journey + Dreamfall ($6.24, Normally $24.99)

Total: $59.21* / Without Savings: $229.90*

Did anyone else discover any good deals, and if so, what did you pick up?

* If bought individually, the items contained within Humble Indie Bundle 7 would total an astounding $134.89 (if my math is correct). This is not factored into the above total. It was not directly a part of the Steam Holiday Sale. Plus, the money raised by the Humble Indie Bundle team goes to several worthy charities. You cannot put a price tag on that.