Visual novels, point-and-click adventures, etc.

[Juno]

Also similar to interactive fiction, interactive movies, but I didn't want to jam all that in the title. :P

Games of these genres are typically characterized by minimal gameplay but rich and adaptable stories; in some games, like Telltale's The Wolf Among Us, The Walking Dead, and also Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, the players' choices are very important, and the story of the game may change due to the decisions made by the player. Some, however, are more linear and has a story that the player must follow, like the Ace Attorney games.

What is your opinion of these games? Are you a fan, or do you find the lack of combat and action boring? What are your favorite and least favorite games of these genres?

 

[El Héroe Oscuro]

I love these kinds of games! A company by the name of Sierra Entertainment - who isn't around anymore - did any excellent job with the point-and-click genre of gaming, and as such created some very intuitive and great games. The Space Quest, Kings Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry games were all great in their own respect, as it involved a lot of thinking on the gamer's part to find the right item to advance the plot. I could only imagine what it was like before the Internet being stuck at certain parts and trying to figure out what to do next - it's this element of intuitiveness that I personally think a lot of games are missing out on today.

 

[Mark Kamill]

Do the CiNG games count? Cause those were effing amazing, especially Another Touch. Greatest lost to gaming as an art last gen.

 

[Cerberus87]

I love these kinds of games! A company by the name of Sierra Entertainment - who isn't around anymore - did any excellent job with the point-and-click genre of gaming, and as such created some very intuitive and great games. The Space Quest, Kings Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry games were all great in their own respect, as it involved a lot of thinking on the gamer's part to find the right item to advance the plot. I could only imagine what it was like before the Internet being stuck at certain parts and trying to figure out what to do next - it's this element of intuitiveness that I personally think a lot of games are missing out on today.

Necessary GOG.com advertisement here since the site has all of those games for very cheap. ^^ They come preconfigured with DOSBox.

I actually found out about Space Quest only recently since I got interested in DOS gaming again, but I had never heard of the series as a kid.

Didn't Sierra "evolve" into Valve?

 

[Virgilin]

Necessary GOG.com advertisement here since the site has all of those games for very cheap. ^^ They come preconfigured with DOSBox.

I actually found out about Space Quest only recently since I got interested in DOS gaming again, but I had never heard of the series as a kid.

Didn't Sierra "evolve" into Valve?

Hello! ^^
I guess my avatar and my signature give away the love I have for VNs, hehe! :3

I've heard about all of those games but I've never gotten a chance to play them... The only consoles I have is a PC and a DS *cries*

From what I can gather, Sierra kind of got into a scandal in the late 90's and is now a part of Activision through its collaboration with Vivendi games. But then again I'm not sure... :/

 

[Night Watcher]

I love these games, especially Witch on the Holy Night.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

VN = Japanese games, I don't even need to say anything =D

But I do like Telltale series as well.
I always like to enjoy the story of a game so I don't mind the absence of gameplay :)
They could be as long as VNs though... I finished TWD in half a day.

 

[Cerberus87]

Hello! ^^
I guess my avatar and my signature give away the love I have for VNs, hehe! :3

I've heard about all of those games but I've never gotten a chance to play them... The only consoles I have is a PC and a DS *cries*

From what I can gather, Sierra kind of got into a scandal in the late 90's and is now a part of Activision through its collaboration with Vivendi games. But then again I'm not sure... :/

Hi there. ^^

The aforementioned Sierra games are for PC actually. But you need DOSBox (an emulator) to play them on modern PCs. GOG.com preconfigures them with DOSBox so they are simple to setup.

 

[Dustmop]

Point-and-click adventure games are among my favorite genres. :3
I have a bunch of categories on Steam to organize my games by genre, and by far my largest list is of P&C games. I love having an inventory full of random objects and mashing them into every clickable location and object I come across for hours on end. Who wouldn't? Naturally, I prefer the horror games. I've recently fallen in love with the Dark Fall series, especially the third, Lost Souls.
Though sometimes they can become a little.. well, boring. Too often they feel like they just recycle a vast majority of their 'puzzles' and 'plots' from other games.. How many times have we used the newspaper to get a key out from the other side of the door? Anybody? :P So I've been trying to seek out games that add a unique twist to it, like in Oknytt where you are this adorable ALF-hedgehog hybrid who is also the Avatar. (Well sort of. You have an inventory, but you also control fire, water, air, and earth for puzzle solving. Or just to interact with the background for poops and giggles.)

I don't think I have a least favorite in the genre.. Unless I can just say "every game that makes you pixel hunt for the next item." Nobody enjoys that. Stop doing it. :v
Or games that make you backtrack to the beginning for one item. Halfway through the game. Backtracking is usually essential in these games, and that's fine if the entire map is a centralized hub and 4-6 clicks will take you anywhere, like aforementioned Lost Souls is. Or Jolly Rover, where each part of the game has a max of like 10 screens to walk through. Fine, whatever. But if I'm 40 screens away, I'm not walking back to the first screen. Nope nope nope.


Visual Novels, on the other hand, don't usually interest me. At all. Although, this thread comes at a great time because I did spend all day yesterday playing my first one, haha. I couldn't sleep, and the lack of action on my part made it easy to follow along~ Easier than Dark Fall, anyway, where my 'life' would have actually been in danger. =p I was playing Cinders, of which I picked up in a bundle recently.
With a great love for Cinderella and 2/4 endings finished.. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it, but once I grabbed the first achievement I obviously had to keep going as to not drop my average game completion percentage even farther. So I'll still probably 100% the achievements, likely this weekend while I can remember what I'm doing.. but 'dating sims'/otome games don't really appeal to me.

 

[Megan]

Some of my favorite games would be Toonstruck, Normality (which is more of a first person 3D adventure) and the Deponia games. I still have to play a couple of Lucas Arts games, though, like Monkey Island.

I'm not a fan of VNs, to be honest, they are a little bit too static for me...

 

[Yukari]

I love point and click adventure games. Though I have yet to play most of the ones mentioned here. King's Quest is particularly one of the best and most influential series out there. Though I still need to play more of these games.

I hate not having money...

I'm shocked nobody has mentioned 999 yet! I love that game as a visual novel.

I've heard a lot about that game, particularly the story. I really want to play it, buuuut my mom is really strict when it comes to mature games. ;~;

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

I've heard a lot about that game, particularly the story. I really want to play it, buuuut my mom is really strict when it comes to mature games. ;~;

It's not that bad... like yea, there are some (read MANY) deaths but the amount is pretty average...
TWD is worse in this way.

I'm shocked nobody has mentioned 999 yet! I love that game as a visual novel.

Because no one wanted me to start fanboying on it =D

 

[Shhwonk]

I'm starting to become a big fan of this genre, as I'm realizing I've always really liked them but I never researched too deep into P&C games. When I was a kid, I would play the hell out of games like Pajama Sam, Spy Fox, Putt-Putt, and Freddi Fish and whatnot... yeah they're kids games, but I friggin' loved them. A couple days ago I also picked up King's Quest I for MS-DOS for $3 at a Goodwill, in the box with all the manuals and discs, which is a steal! I enjoy the genre because the games aren't too casual as you still need to use your brain, but they doesn't stress you out hardcore like some puzzlers.

Recently I beat Heavy Rain and that was amazing. I can't think of any other interactive fiction or visual novels, but so far, I'm liking the genre. Isn't the official sequel to Chrono Trigger, Radical Dreamers, also a visual novel?

 

[Arc]

Even though I'm an avid fan for anime and such, I don't actually play that many VNs. I've played far more point-and-click adventures games than I have VNs. The only VNs that I've played from beginning to end is Fate/Stay Night, Rewrite, Phoenix Wright series, and 999. Not a very daunting list.

In comparison to point-and-click adventures, I've played the all of the Monkey Island games, Broken Sword, Grim Fandango, and many more.

I adore these types of games because I don't really have to do much. I sit in my seat while I see a bunch of characters interact with each other whether it be for comedic value, or something else I'm desiring. I always value a decent story and great characters. Due to the nature of VNs and point-and-click games, these are typically their strong points. Although their presence have diminished over the years, I'm glad that there will always be a great game of it's kind that comes out every once in a blue moon.

 

[twocows]

I like a good story every now and then, and these kinds of games tend to focus on that.

This one's pretty interested, I played it a few years ago.

VN = Japanese games, I don't even need to say anything =D

Most are, but not all.