Countdown Rebuttal

Kevin Hoelscher, staff writer

During the scant months that I’ve been a member of the AG staff, I’ve come to know and respect Evan and his opinions. Thus I find myself faced with the daunting task of constructing a tactful means of telling him that his Top 20 adventure games list is complete and total crap.

Actually, I admire Evan for having the courage to undertake what has to be one of the more unenviable writing tasks that one could be charged with. Creating the Top 20 list (or any best-of list for that matter) is always a no-win situation, as this is a traditionally a passionate subject for most gamers, and any list, however thorough or even-handed, will always open one up to scores of derision and criticism from readers who seem to be personally offended that their favorite game(s) didn’t make the list or didn’t rank high enough.

Myself, I have a hard time critiquing such a list as I haven’t had the opportunity to play some of these yet (embarrassingly enough TLJ numbers among these even though it’s been gathering dust in the closet for some time) and don’t want to criticize their inclusion without having done so. Others I haven’t played in such a long time that I fear I may have fallen prey to the “rose-colored glasses” syndrome I diagnosed myself with in a previous article.

Ultimately, however, my hesitation boils down to simple indecision. Out of all of the adventure games that I’ve played and enjoyed over the years, I’m not entirely certain that I’m capable of choosing one that I’ve enjoyed above all others, let alone choose and rank 20 of them. Just as with my list of favorite books, movies, or female celebrities I would like to have a torrid affair with, my list of favorite games is constantly morphing and evolving.

I could say that I felt Gabriel Knight 2 was superior to the first installment, disagree with the inclusion of King’s Quest I (which I have played), or cry foul at the exclusion of Buried in Time, but what the hell do I know.

What I do know is that Evan and I share many favorites and have differing opinions of others. As for those that I haven’t had the opportunity to play yet, knowing that someone prizes these games so highly, I see this as an opportunity to fill in the gaps in my adventure gaming pedigree and perhaps discover a few overlooked adventures that I might one day add to my list.

By the way, Evan, I was just kidding about the total crap comment…it was only partial crap.

Claire Wood, staff writer

Firstly, may I commend Evan on his choice to exclude Myst from the top 20 countdown. Hurrah. Finally someone who appreciates that a game that lacks engaging characters or indeed any semblance of a plotline, is nothing short of tedious. Very, very T-E-D-I-O-U-S. While its historical impact on the genre cannot be understated, the critical ‘fun’ factor was fatally lacking. Many have cited the superb graphics as an important redeeming feature. My answer? Give me Maniac Mansion any day–sure, the characters heads may have been disproportionately large, and if you stared at the colours too long your eyes went blurry, but what the heck?! At least I didn’t feel that I’d rather chew off my own arm rather than replay it!

Enough of what didn’t make the list–now for what did. Evan’s article was certainly very persuasive and caused me to mentally revise my own top 20. I do however have some quibbles…

It appears something of a travesty that Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templar surpasses not only the epic Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, but also the truly excellent Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. Although Broken Sword has aged well visually, and is nothing less than charming to play, it lacks the maturity and suspenseful storyline of Gabriel Knight. The level to which one is immersed in the game is frightening–as is the plot, making Gabriel Knight only the second game ever to be relegated to the safety of my freezer.

Perhaps my only other criticism would be the position of 18 for Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge. For laugh-out-loud humour, this game is beaten only by Sam & Max and is consistently excellent in terms of challenges, plot and musical score. As a (closet) sequel junkie, I relished the chance to re-enter Monkey Island’s world and wasn’t disappointed, even by the heavily criticised ending. Although controversial, it’s what got everyone talking about Monkey Island and inspired legions of fans to go out and buy the sequel (perhaps Ron Gilbert’s intention all along!)

Commendations on the placement of Full Throttle. I bought Full Throttle on special offer in combination with The Dig, and in all honesty felt that I would find little to appeal in a game that is essentially about motorbikes. Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised, as despite the tiresome action sequences, Full Throttle had an essential saving grace–Maureen. Maureen quickly became one of my favourite female characters due to her failure to conform to the ‘damsel-in-distress’ stereotypes of games such as Kings Quest VI. Although I wouldn’t have placed it higher than 20, I’m pleased it made the list.

Finally, I was glad to see Day of the Tentacle retain its crown as the greatest adventure game of all time. As well as all the excellent reasons Evan has listed for making this game #1, for me, it was the brave step LucasArts took with their central protagonist Bernard. Sure he may not have been as handsome as Gabriel Knight or as suave as Indy, but he struck a blow for nerds everywhere, who could brandish their pocket protectors and high-waisted trousers with pride! Way to go Bernard! And way to go Evan on an excellent series.

Eivind Hagerup, news updater

When I got Evan’s list of the Top 20 Adventure Games of All-Time in my inbox at the beginning of December, I was glad to see that I’ve played almost every game on the list (haven’t played The Last Express yet, but it is still #1 on my priority list), and also completed most of them. Even so, the list gave me a few surprises at first. Sure, Pepper’s Adventure in Time is a nice title, but does it really deserve a place in the Top 20? Although I acknowledge the game as a successful “edutainment” game, and understand that the game might have higher interest to American adventure gamers than to European (because of its bias to American history), I would rather have placed another adventure game on that spot. Like Syberia or Blade Runner. What about King’s Quest 1? Even though I personally like the game, and I’m a fan of the series, King’s Quest 1 just isn’t interesting to most adventure gamers today. If you compare the game to newer adventures, many adventurers will say that it just didn’t stand the test of time. Lastly, I was surprised that Monkey Island 2 didn’t receive a higher spot on the list, and that The Secret of Monkey Island was rated higher than its sequel.

Although, after a short while of hard thinking, it became apparent to me that you can’t judge this kind of list without paying close attention to each game’s historical significance. King’s Quest 1 wasn’t just a revolutionary adventure game. It was a technical advancement never before seen in computer graphics. It was the first game to actually let you move the character around the screen, and to let the player explore the game’s world in a entirely new perspective. Also, if you compare the game’s story to other games at the time, you’ll see that it’s equally good (or bad) as its peers. It is clear that King’s Quest surely belongs in the Top 20 Adventure Games of All Time.

Let’s go back to Monkey Island 2. Obviously one of the best adventure games ever made, and personally, I rate this title higher than Monkey Island 1. On my list, I would have placed Monkey Island 2 a bit higher than #18, but neither of the two titles would belong in the Top 10. To me, this becomes more apparent when I compare them to games that, without a doubt, belong in the upper half of the list; such brilliant masterpieces as Grim Fandango, King’s Quest 6, Gabriel Knight 1 and Broken Sword.

As a conclusion, I would like to state that Evan did a great job on the Top 20, and that I agree with the greater part of the list. I would personally have great trouble in creating such a list, as I never could’ve agreed with myself on which games were the best.. But I admire those who can.