Graphic Adventures What is a graphic adventure game? An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and…

Graphic Adventures
What is a graphic adventure game?

An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media, literature and film, encompassing a wide variety of literary genres. Many adventure games are designed for a single player, since this emphasis on story and character makes multi-player design difficult. Colossal Cave Adventure is identified as the first such adventure game, first released in 1976, while other notable adventure game series include Zork, King's Quest , The Secret of Monkey Island and Myst.

Initial adventure games developed in the 1970s and early 1980s were text-based, using text parsers to translate the player's input into commands. As personal computers became more powerful with the ability to show graphics, the graphic adventure game format became popular, initially by augmenting player's text commands with graphics, but soon moving towards point and click interfaces. Further computer advancements led to adventure games with more immersive graphics using real-time or pre-rendered three-dimensional scenes or full-motion video taken from the first- or third-person perspective.

For markets in the Western hemisphere, the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1980s to mid-1990s when many considered it to be among the most technically advanced genres, but had become a niche genre in the early 2000s due to the popularity of first-person shooters and became difficult to find publishers to support such ventures. Since then, a resurgence in the genre has occurred spurred on by success of independent video game development, particularly from crowdfunding efforts, the wide availability of digital distribution enabling episodic approaches, and the proliferation of new gaming platforms including portable consoles and mobile devices.

Within the Asian markets, adventure games continue to be popular in the form of visual novels, which make up nearly 70% of PC games released in Japan.The Asian markets have also found markets for adventure games for portable and mobile gaming devices.

Why Celebrating Gaming Anniversaries Is Important? *************************************************************************** As the current generation of consoles continues on, companies should…

Why Celebrating Gaming Anniversaries Is Important?
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As the current generation of consoles continues on, companies should do well to remember to honor the past by celebrating upcoming franchise anniversaries!
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While not quite old as other industries in the world, video games have formed a large base of users thanks to pioneering companies like ‪#‎Atari‬, ‪#‎Nintendo‬, and ‪#‎Activision‬ to name a few. Gamers are typically passionate about franchises, which makes celebrating certain achievements like anniversaries an important step. Just this year, Nintendo helped its most well known character and company mascot, Mario, celebrate his 30th anniversary, with two special ‪#‎amiibo‬ figures and a community driven website all culminating in ‪#‎SuperMarioMaker‬ – a Wii U exclusive that allows players to build their own stages using themes and items from four iconic Mario games.
Believe it or not, ‪#‎Ubisoft‬ also fits into this category as well. Long before they were known for the Tom Clancy games or mega franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft plucked the limbless hero ‪#‎Rayman‬ from the creative mind of Michel Ancel. 2015 marks Rayman’s 20th anniversary and to celebrate Ubisoft announced smaller items such as fan driven contests, an infographic, and a brand new game called Rayman Adventures – the latter of which was greeted with ample excitement. Unfortunately, after watching the debut trailer, it was revealed that Rayman Adventures was a mobile based game, and not a traditional game in the same spirit as the well regarded Rayman Origins and Rayman Legends. The comments under that YouTube trailer spoke volumes as almost universal disappointment quickly set in with fans. At the very least, this shows that fans are hungry for another traditional Rayman game.
Companies also find ways of promoting games by using tie-in methods with these celebrations in hopes of utilizing that fan base excitement to purchase merchandise. Back in 2011, Nintendo used the Legend of ‪#‎Zelda‬’s 25th anniversary to help promote ‪#‎TheLegendofZelda‬: Skyward Sword with special edition ‪#‎3DS‬ consoles, merchandise, and released a special edition bundle with a gold ‪#‎Wii‬ controller and a CD featuring classic Zelda music performed by a live orchestra. Meanwhile, Sony celebrated the PS4’s anniversary with an incredibly limited PS1-themed console and controller.
Most would argue that declining sales are the biggest reason why franchises are left behind, causing companies to shy away from creating new entries in a series. To me, the bigger issue here is that companies are completely missing out on golden opportunities by not taking franchise anniversaries seriously. Gamers tend to be a nostalgic bunch, so on one level, celebrating a big milestone will immediately resonate with a faction of gamers. Not only does this attention help with the IP itself, but it reinvigorates the fan base as well.
What about you? Would you like to see more thoughtfulness and care put into celebrations that honor beloved franchises?
‪#‎Game‬ ‪#‎Ranter‬ ‪#‎Banter‬, Mario, ‪#‎PC‬, ‪#‎PS4‬, Rayman, Wii U, ‪#‎Xbox‬ One
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[By Derek Nichols]

Batman Arkham Knight Expansion Rocksteady has announced that Batman: Arkham Knight will have numerous DLC and Expansions as part of their post-launch process. These items can all be purchased as…

Batman Arkham Knight Expansion
Rocksteady has announced that Batman: Arkham Knight will have numerous DLC and Expansions as part of their post-launch process. These items can all be purchased as part of a Season Pass for around $40, and will include the following:

Batgirl: A Matter of Family - A prequel story expansion allowing players to take on the role of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, before the events that led her to be confined to a wheelchair as Oracle.
The Season of Infamy - An expansion to the Most Wanted side missions that have you play as Batman to take on new super-villains that attempt to invade Gotham, including the following missions:
Beneath the Surface (Killer Croc)
In From the Cold (Mister Freeze)
Wonderland (Mad Hatter)
Shadow War (Raz al Ghul)
Gotham City Stories - Narrative missions that allow you to play as Batman's allies, including:
GCPD Lockdown - Play as Nightwing and take down The Penguin
Catwoman's Revenge - Play as Catwoman and get payback on The Riddler
Batmobile Tracks - new race tracks designed by The Riddler to test your skills, along with new Batmobile Skins, including the following themed race tracks:
1989 Movie Batmobile Pack, featuring skins and race tracks based off the Tim Burton directed films
2008 Tumbler Batmobile Pack, featuring skins and race tracks based off the Christopher Nolan directed films
Batman Classic TV Series Batmobile Pack, featuring skins and race tracks based off of the classic TV series starring Adam West
2016 Batman v Superman Batmobile Pack, featuring skins and race tracks based off the upcoming movie directed by Zack Snyder.
Challenge Maps - Three Crime Fighter Challenge Packs containing new AR Challenges each
Costumes - A plethora of downloadable skins and suits for Batman and his allies, including themed packs and retro designs

Batman Arkham Knight Expansion Rocksteady has announced that Batman: Arkham Knight will have numerous DLC and Expansions as part of their post-launch process. These items can all be purchased as…

Batman Arkham Knight Expansion
Rocksteady has announced that Batman: Arkham Knight will have numerous DLC and Expansions as part of their post-launch process. These items can all be purchased as part of a Season Pass for around $40, and will include the following:

Batgirl: A Matter of Family - A prequel story expansion allowing players to take on the role of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl, before the events that led her to be confined to a wheelchair as Oracle.
The Season of Infamy - An expansion to the Most Wanted side missions that have you play as Batman to take on new super-villains that attempt to invade Gotham, including the following missions:
Beneath the Surface (Killer Croc)
In From the Cold (Mister Freeze)
Wonderland (Mad Hatter)
Shadow War (Raz al Ghul)
Gotham City Stories - Narrative missions that allow you to play as Batman's allies, including:
GCPD Lockdown - Play as Nightwing and take down The Penguin
Catwoman's Revenge - Play as Catwoman and get payback on The Riddler
Batmobile Tracks - new race tracks designed by The Riddler to test your skills, along with new Batmobile Skins, including the following themed race tracks:
1989 Movie Batmobile Pack, featuring skins and race tracks based off the Tim Burton directed films
2008 Tumbler Batmobile Pack, featuring skins and race tracks based off the Christopher Nolan directed films
Batman Classic TV Series Batmobile Pack, featuring skins and race tracks based off of the classic TV series starring Adam West
2016 Batman v Superman Batmobile Pack, featuring skins and race tracks based off the upcoming movie directed by Zack Snyder.
Challenge Maps - Three Crime Fighter Challenge Packs containing new AR Challenges each
Costumes - A plethora of downloadable skins and suits for Batman and his allies, including themed packs and retro designs

Website: www.Multiplayer.Center

[The games were chosen for their influence, longevity, reach and iconic status] ************************************************************************** Pong and Doom have been inducted into…

[The games were chosen for their influence, longevity, reach and iconic status]
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Pong and Doom have been inducted into the first Video Game Hall of Fame.
The project to find influential games that deserved to be in the Hall of Fame was begun in February by The Strong - a US museum of play.
Tetris, Super Mario Bros, Pac-Man, and World of Warcraft were also chosen to feature in an exhibit of iconic games.
Angry Birds and Minecraft were nominated but did not make the final list.
The museum invited people to nominate games played on PCs, consoles, hand-held gadgets, phones or in arcades.
Game changers
The winners span three decades of gaming from Pong, first released in 1972, to World of Warcraft which debuted in late 2004.
[Pong was released into video game arcades in 1972 and into homes three years later]
Pong was chosen because it launched the entire games industry, said the museum in a statement, revealing the six entrants in its Hall of Fame. It acknowledged that it was not the first electronic game but was the first to get "wide-scale public attention".
Other games were chosen for becoming cultural icons (Tetris), making games a mass-market phenomenon (Pac-Man) and changing the way games were made (Doom).
World of Warcraft was chosen, said the museum, because of its longevity and the way it has brought millions of players together into one game world.
[About seven million people currently pay to subscribe to play World of Warcraft]
The winners were whittled down from a long list of 15 that was picked by an internal panel of academics, journalists and game experts recruited by The Strong. Their decisions were based on a game's longevity, influence, geographical reach and iconic status.
The museum now plans to feature the winning games, the other nominees and many others in a permanent exhibition.
The other nine nominees included Legend of Zelda, Space Invaders, the Oregon Trail and Pokemon. Nominees for the 2016 inductees to the hall of fame are now being accepted.
Based in Rochester, New York, The Strong was founded in 1968 by Margaret Woodbury Strong a collector of toys, dolls and other play paraphernalia.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33005297

The new level is the first in more than two decades from the game's co-creator John Romero John Romero, one of the developers behind the seminal computer game Doom, has released his first new…

The new level is the first in more than two decades from the game's co-creator John Romero
John Romero, one of the developers behind the seminal computer game Doom, has released his first new level for the title in 21 years.
He is offering the new material for free via the file-sharing site Dropbox.
Mr Romero told the BBC he had made it as a "warm up" for a new project.
Doom was released in 1993 and had 10 million players by 1995. It has retained a cult popularity, and still has a dedicated community of players who also create their own content.

Mr Romero worked on iconic games such as Quake, Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D
The source code - the computer program that powers the game, written in a human-readable computer language - has been available for some time.
As a result, Mr Romero estimates there are about 30 alternative versions of the entire game, and more than 100,000 add-on levels created by Doom fans.
"Every day people are still making new levels for it," he said.
His new level, Tech Gone Bad, is a boss level that offers an alternative climactic fight.
It ends in a massive complex with a huge computer room that links to different portals and "hell cracks" in the floor, he said.
Tech Gone Bad Doom levelImage copyrightJohn Romero / Doom

The new level combines indoor and outdoor scenarios
The original final level was made by the developer Sandy Petersen and not Mr Romero.
The new version is mostly based outdoors.
Mr Romero said that distinguished it from the original game, which was largely based on indoor play, with the exception of Mount Erebus in level six (E3M6 in the Doom register).
"Doom mapping is pretty easy to do compared with 3D engines," Mr Romero said of his own creation.
"But I did worry... the community that's been playing it for 20 years would tear [the new level] apart."
However the reaction from players has been positive, he added.
"It's been out for four days and it's exploded. It's crazy that a game that's 23 years old has so many people still super-excited about it."
Joh_hansson tweets: Great design, it's huge a varied. Somehow it feels modern as well. Must have taken you a while to put together. More please.Image copyrightTwitter
Image caption
Players seem to like John Romero's new level.
He added he had no idea Doom would become such a perennial favourite back in the early 1990s.
"With Doom, it was mouse and keyboard-controlled on the PC when it was released, and you can still play it that way," he said.
"People remember how much fun they had a long time ago and I hope they will have that much fun again."