So, because Remi is literally unbearable, it's time for a new poll. Ignoring LucasArts, who makes the best adventure games?
There are many fine adventure developers not represented in the options, but that's what our comments are for :)
PS: We'll bring you the results of the last poll presently ;
suejak
Outside of Monkey Island, which are bonafide classics, what did LucasArts do that's so memorable?
Grim Fandango, DOTT, Indy Atlantis, Sam&Max, Full Throttle, The Dig. Heck, I'm leaving out Maniac Mansion, Loom, Indy Crusade and Zak McKracken to avoid mentioning them all.
Basically everything they did was pure gold, man.
Not only Monkey Island.
Wrong site? lol, sorry.
Lucas never made an rpg hybrid like Quest for Glory or a self-referential parody-laden gong show like Space Quest. It never made "real," mature games like PQ and GK. Lucas instead endlessly reiterated the same Saturday-morning-cartoon aesthetic and structure, redone (very well) 4-5 times over the course of the 90s.
Outside of Monkey Island, which are bonafide classics, what did LucasArts do that's so memorable?
Maximino
I can't believe Telltale beat out Sierra..
There's a lot of Fanboys here.
With that said, I'm a huge oldschool Lucas fanboy, but next to Lucas, has always been Sierra in my book. TellTale has done some good, but nothing close to the over a decade of enjoyment I got from Sierra still making adventures.
I haven't played an adventure game so funny and enthralling in over a decade. These games have a special kind of humor.
It's too bad the English translation appears to have been botched which seems to be pretty common for German games.
And from the clasics, Cyan.
From present developers I would nominate Wadget Eye for sure.
All the others in the list I could have voted easily also as they've all made extremely quality games that I will never forget.
Except for the stuff made by Bill Tiller, he is an excellent artist, but the games Autumn Moon have made so far are just forgettable.
Wadjet Eye is also very close. Gemini Rue and Resonance were outstanding, and I've just bought Blackwell and Primordia in the last GOG indy sale, can't wait to try them out.
clone2727
Ascovel
@clone2727 Another fan of Presto and Cyan here, but their days are long over (besides the imminent Pegasus Prime rerelease for Windows).
You? I didn't know. Cool.
Ascovel
@clone2727 Another fan of Presto and Cyan here, but their days are long over (besides the imminent Pegasus Prime rerelease for Windows).
During the 90s and earlier? Sierra DOES deserve the title.
@clone2727 Another fan of Presto and Cyan here, but their days are sadly long over (besides the imminent Pegasus Prime rerelease for Windows).
Brilliant one-shots like The Last Express from Jordan Mechner or The Neverhood were one of the great things about the industry a decade or two ago.
I see Sierra getting some negative feedback here, but I don't know, other than being unforgiving, I still loved me some Quest games.
In modern times, WadjetEye has made the only modern point and click adventures that do enough with puzzles AND story telling to keep my attention to completion. For me, Telltale can't even do that.
Eisbaer11
Daedalic from Germany have made some pretty amazing games.
Too right. I've played the first 2 Deponia games, really looking forward to the 3rd, and I finished The Whispered World today. Started A New Beginning and so far it's pretty good too.
elTee
I also included them for the Kyrandia series, which are typical LucasArts-era point and clicks. But in honesty, I put some of those companies down because I was interested to see how many votes they'd get. I mean, Double Fine - to my eyes - hasn't really even made an adventure game yet. I know genres are not clean cut anymore, but it's still quite interesting to see.
I disagree with that. Double FIne haven't made a POINT AND CLICK adventure game, but both the wonderful Stacking and the pretty-good The Cave are most definitely adventure games.
The Cave has platforming elements, but it still felt like an adventure game to me in it's puzzle-solving.
And Stacking is one of the purest (and most joyful) adventure gaming experiences I've ever had. It absolutely comes under "adventure game" banner.
In terms of individual games that have successfully captured the LucasArts spirit, I reckon King Art's Book of Unwritten Tales has come closest. Very funny game, with one of the most endearing characters I've ever come across in gaming.
Haven't played their most recent effort The Raven, but it doesn't look like it's of the same cloth as BoUT.
ajf4000
Seems rather odd to include Funcom, a company that made one, maybe 2, adventure games, but not Daedelic, a company that hasn't made anything EXCEPT adventure games. And a whole stackload of them, too.
You're right. I put Funcom in because I know some people just think The Longest Journey is the best ever.
SurplusGamer
As much as I like Blade Runner, not Westwood - I don't think you get to claim silver medal based on one great game.
I also included them for the Kyrandia series, which are typical LucasArts-era point and clicks. But in honesty, I put some of those companies down because I was interested to see how many votes they'd get. I mean, Double Fine - to my eyes - hasn't really even made an adventure game yet. I know genres are not clean cut anymore, but it's still quite interesting to see.
Not Telltale - they've made some really good efforts but their best work has been when they've moved away from their roots.
Certainly not Funcom, that The Longest Journey remains so highly regarded is something I don't think I'll ever get.
Not Sierra. They may have been pioneers, but I think age has not been kind to those games in the same way it HAS been kind to LucasArts classics.
As much as I like Blade Runner, not Westwood - I don't think you get to claim silver medal based on one great game.
Not Autumn Moon. I wish it was Autumn Moon, but everything they've put out so far has just fallen flat for me.
It's a similar story for all the others that I come across. I know that my nostalgia biases me and I can't claim to have tried everything, but I haven't found anything that even comes close to the kind of smart writing and world building LucasArts were capable of in their prime. I have high hopes for Broken Age, though.
Fennarth
Sierra PIONEERED the graphic adventure and were the first to create those living breathing worlds you wished you could live in while other companies had you jumping around on silly platforms and hitting pixels at random.
Like, really odd. But whatevs...
Outside LucasArts, Jane Jensen makes my favourite adventure games. But company-wise, Revolution or Double Fine (Stacking is amazing!) probably lead the way from that list.