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No one respects the gaming tag 'Adventure' game, anymore ...

Nickolaidas

Member
Go to Steam.

Search for 'Adventure' tag. You know, Monkey Island? Broken Sword? Quest for Glory? Elvira Mistress of the Dark? Darkseed? Space Quest?

Instead you get: shooters, JRPGs, action games, survival games, rogue-likes ...

and then ...

Flight Simulator.

I searched for Adventure Games, and it showed me freakin' Flight Simulator.

The game that is literally a gaming tag on its own.

It's right there.

In the fucking name.

FLIGHT. SIMULATOR.

Why do you put FLIGHT SIMULATOR in the fucking 'Adventure' tag?

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

 

Nickolaidas

Member
I'm old enough to remember Zelda being an "Adventure" game for decades.

Even now, it's kind of genre-less. Is it a JRPG, an open world (adventure game) with puzzles? No one has ever agreed what genre its in.
I would call it an action game with RPG elements - at least the early ones. Breath of the Wild could be called an open-world Action Adventure RPG.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Isn't there any tag for point and click OP? Maybe that's what you are looking for.

It's like with the RPG genre, very subjetive to what you think role-playing is.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
I'm old enough to remember Zelda being an "Adventure" game for decades.

Even now, it's kind of genre-less. Is it a JRPG, an open world (adventure game) with puzzles? No one has ever agreed what genre its in.
The problem was that we could never call it an Adventure game, because a bunch of point-and-click puzzlers had claimed the label. So. It floated.

We really should call stuff like this and Witcher 3 adventure games. They really aren’t RPGs, yet they don’t really fit neatly into any other category either.
 

Nickolaidas

Member
Isn't there any tag for point and click OP? Maybe that's what you are looking for.

It's like with the RPG genre, very subjetive to what you think role-playing is.
For me, a role-playing video game is any game which has character creation, leveling up which grants you new powers and abilities, and player agency. Also, a party system is almost a given, but not 100% necessary.

And yes, the Witcher series are not RPGs for me. They're open-world action adventures with RPG elements. Since you cannot customize the protagonist, it's not an RPG for me.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
For me, a role-playing video game is any game which has character creation, leveling up which grants you new powers and abilities, and player agency. Also, a party system is almost a given, but not 100% necessary.

And yes, the Witcher series are not RPGs for me. They're open-world action adventures with RPG elements. Since you cannot customize the protagonist, it's not an RPG for me.
Yeah, agree on that. Most people thing that anything with numbers and stats on it is already an RPG, which imo is far from true.

Also wow, I though I was the only one that didn't considered The Witcher games to be RPGs. In those games your character have an stablished personality and a given set of skills, so they are not RPGs for me either.
 

UnNamed

Banned
What we used to call Adventure now are rpg with big worlds. I remember some genres as Arcade/Adventure for those arcade games where the path was not linear, the modern metroidvania. Or Action game, back in the day almost everything was Action.
 

Punished Miku

Gold Member
For me, a role-playing video game is any game which has character creation, leveling up which grants you new powers and abilities, and player agency. Also, a party system is almost a given, but not 100% necessary.

And yes, the Witcher series are not RPGs for me. They're open-world action adventures with RPG elements. Since you cannot customize the protagonist, it's not an RPG for me.
Final Fantasy doesn't have character creation in most of the games. Most JRPGs don't actually.
 
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recursive

Member
I'm old enough to remember Zelda being an "Adventure" game for decades.

Even now, it's kind of genre-less. Is it a JRPG, an open world (adventure game) with puzzles? No one has ever agreed what genre its in.
Depends which zelda you are referring to. BotW I would put in the walking simulator category. ALttP I would tag as adventure.
 
Genres in gaming have become almost meaningless as stuff has become too blended together.

Plus, the more tags publishers can put on their games, the more chances thry have to try and sell it to you.
 

Kuranghi

Member
I'd say (most) Zeldas are "linear metroidvanias" technically. I think the "adventure" tag came from the scenario rather than the gameplay itself, you are going on a big adventure, since before the game started you were a normal young boy.
 

Amiga

Member
I'm old enough to remember Zelda being an "Adventure" game for decades.

Even now, it's kind of genre-less. Is it a JRPG, an open world (adventure game) with puzzles? No one has ever agreed what genre its in.

Zelda was often described as action RPG (ARPG) also used to describe Y's, as opposed to turn based RPG(TBRPG), and Tactics RPG(TRPG). later the term Western RPG (WRPG) to describe games like Baldur's gate/Dragon Age.

Adventure was traditionally used to describe point and click and story/puzzle based games. later Action/Adventure to describe games like Tomb Raider.
 

Yumi

Member
It’s so broad. There was a time when I think it was closely tied with overcoming obstacles without action based inputs. I remember Kings Quest fondly.

oddly enough Flight Simulator makes sense to me cause you are just exploring. Albeit knowing what kind of game your looking for I can see how it would be hard to search for it.
 

Nickolaidas

Member
It’s so broad. There was a time when I think it was closely tied with overcoming obstacles without action based inputs. I remember Kings Quest fondly.

oddly enough Flight Simulator makes sense to me cause you are just exploring. Albeit knowing what kind of game your looking for I can see how it would be hard to search for it.
You explore? I thought you just ... flew.
 

harmny

Banned
For me, a role-playing video game is any game which has character creation, leveling up which grants you new powers and abilities, and player agency. Also, a party system is almost a given, but not 100% necessary.

And yes, the Witcher series are not RPGs for me. They're open-world action adventures with RPG elements. Since you cannot customize the protagonist, it's not an RPG for me.
Is disco Elysium an RPG for you? Linear story. you can't change the outcome of things. no character customization.
 
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GHG

Member
Is disco Elysium an RPG for you? No player agency no character customization.

Disco Elysium is far more of an RPG than the witcher games are.

You probably couldn't have chosen a worse game to bring up as a point of comparison.
 

SirTerry-T

Member
Go to Steam.

Search for 'Adventure' tag. You know, Monkey Island? Broken Sword? Quest for Glory? Elvira Mistress of the Dark? Darkseed? Space Quest?

Instead you get: shooters, JRPGs, action games, survival games, rogue-likes ...

and then ...

Flight Simulator.

I searched for Adventure Games, and it showed me freakin' Flight Simulator.

The game that is literally a gaming tag on its own.

It's right there.

In the fucking name.

FLIGHT. SIMULATOR.

Why do you put FLIGHT SIMULATOR in the fucking 'Adventure' tag?

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF


Unless it's got "Scott Adams" namechecked in the title it ain't an adventure game :)
 

dDoc

Member
And yes, the Witcher series are not RPGs for me. They're open-world action adventures with RPG elements. Since you cannot customize the protagonist, it's not an RPG for me.

Since we're discussing, isnt RPG = role playing game? In the case of W3 players are role playing as Geralt :)
 

harmny

Banned
Disco Elysium is far more of an RPG than the witcher games are.

You probably couldn't have chosen a worse game to bring up as a point of comparison.

Why? no customization. That's why he said tw3 wasn't an RPG. Also linear. Also no party system.
 
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Nickolaidas

Member
Since we're discussing, isnt RPG = role playing game? In the case of W3 players are role playing as Geralt :)
If we take the term literally, even Pac-Man is an RPG.
Why? no customization. That's why he said tw3 wasn't an RPG. Also linear
The Witcher 3 is not linear.

Don't know anything about Disco Elysium so I cannot really comment on that one. From what you describe, it sounds like an Adventure/Turn-Based Strategy hybrid.

EDIT: Reading its description on Steam, it is an open-world RPG. Reading you claiming that the Witcher 3 is linear ... do you even know what linear means?

Devil May Cry is linear.

Shadow Warrior is linear.

A game which gives you an entire continent to explore at your own pace and leisure is NOT linear.
 
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GHG

Member
Why? no customization. That's why he said tw3 wasn't an RPG. Also linear. Also no party system.

Decisions and stay choices matter far more in that game than they ever do in the Witcher 3.

The conclusion always remains the same (if you get there) but how you get three can vary wildly. The witcher 3 is basically your typical streamlined modern AAA "RPG" whereas Disco Elysium has many of its roots in cRPG pen and paper games.
 

harmny

Banned
Decisions and stay choices matter far more in that game than they ever do in the Witcher 3.

The conclusion always remains the same (if you get there) but how you get three can vary wildly. The witcher 3 is basically your typical streamlined modern AAA "RPG" whereas Disco Elysium has many of its roots in cRPG pen and paper games.

They don't and how you get there cannot vary wildly at all. I think you didn't play the game more than once because it's pretty evident. Horrible take to be honest.

What you should have said is that disco Elysium is still an RPG but not because of those things.
 
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Jeeves

Member
"Adventure" is simply too broad of a word to only be applied to point-and-click adventure games anymore (for a long time now). I understand they were there first, but let's be real, there's nothing making those games any more of an adventure than a Zelda game. I still think adventure is a useful identifier, but not on its own. You've got point-and-click adventures, text adventures, action adventures.
 

Kev Kev

Member
no respect GIF by Rodney Dangerfield
 

GHG

Member
They don't and how you get there cannot vary wildly at all. I think you didn't play the game more than once because it's pretty evident. Horrible take to be honest.

What you should have said is that disco Elysium is still an RPG but not because of those things.

I actually don't think you've played the game. There are skill checks and dice rolls absolutely everywhere. It's pretty much impossible to have the same playthrough twice, even if you have the same stats.
 

cireza

Member
You know, Monkey Island? Broken Sword? Quest for Glory? Elvira Mistress of the Dark? Darkseed? Space Quest?
These are more like "Point & Click" adventure games.

To me, Adventure games are action games that have no (or very light) stats/inventory management, such as Landstalker, Ys, Story of Thor or Zelda. Games in which you take part in an adventure around a vast world, without random and/or turn based encounters.
 
Basically every steam tag gives you a bunch of non-applicable games, you can narrow it down with more tags but its still a crapshoot. Not really much you can do about it because people mislabel things all the time.

"Adventure" is simply too broad of a word to only be applied to point-and-click adventure games anymore (for a long time now). I understand they were there first, but let's be real, there's nothing making those games any more of an adventure than a Zelda game. I still think adventure is a useful identifier, but not on its own. You've got point-and-click adventures, text adventures, action adventures.

The thing is, Adventure games aren't labeled as such because of a thematic association with the concept of adventuring. It's pure legacy. The game that first popularized them was called Colossal Cave Adventure (also known as just "Adventure") and so other games like it were called "adventure games" for the same reason games like Rogue are called "rougelikes." Or games that are like Metroid and Castlevania are called... metroidvanias.

Gaming genre's have a weird thing where some are labeled for their association with a theme or mechanic and others are just legacy. What happened with adventure games would be like if FPS' never stopped being called "Doom Clones" in the 90s.
 
The best Adventure games are what the Japanese classify as adventure games aka Visual Novels.

Also western adventure games are boring as fuck *shrug*
 
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Jeeves

Member
The thing is, Adventure games aren't labeled as such because of a thematic association with the concept of adventuring. It's pure legacy. The game that first popularized them was called Colossal Cave Adventure (also known as just "Adventure") and so other games like it were called "adventure games" for the same reason games like Rogue are called "rougelikes." Or games that are like Metroid and Castlevania are called... metroidvanias.

Gaming genre's have a weird thing where some are labeled for their association with a theme or mechanic and others are just legacy. What happened with adventure games would be like if FPS' never stopped being called "Doom Clones" in the 90s.
Exactly. For roguelike, it's not an issue because the word "rogue" in a vacuum doesn't really mean anything as far as genres. But Adventure is a word where the dictionary definition has obvious and intuitive applications to genre labeling, so it's pretty nonsensical to keep it restricted to such a narrow and specific slice of games.
 
Basically every steam tag gives you a bunch of non-applicable games, you can narrow it down with more tags but its still a crapshoot. Not really much you can do about it because people mislabel things all the time.



The thing is, Adventure games aren't labeled as such because of a thematic association with the concept of adventuring. It's pure legacy. The game that first popularized them was called Colossal Cave Adventure (also known as just "Adventure") and so other games like it were called "adventure games" for the same reason games like Rogue are called "rougelikes." Or games that are like Metroid and Castlevania are called... metroidvanias.

Gaming genre's have a weird thing where some are labeled for their association with a theme or mechanic and others are just legacy. What happened with adventure games would be like if FPS' never stopped being called "Doom Clones" in the 90s.
You forgot Souls-like genre that was created by Demon’s/Dark Souls.

When I think of adventure, I think of a game with little to no violence in it.
 

Kev Kev

Member
Breath of the wild is an epic adventure game. That feeling of being in an epic adventure that I was in control of is why it’s my GOAT
 
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