The Forgotten PC Games 05.29.08: Adventure Classics

Posted by Chris Vicari on 05.29.2008

After selecting the three adventure games I wanted to cover for this week's column, I realized that all three were made LucasArts. Instead of mixing it up a little, I decided to roll with it since all three are freaking awesome. I hope you enjoy these games as much as I did and still do.

Challenging a player's intelligence, logic and thinking skills, the adventure genre easily contains some of the toughest games out there. While not all are excruciatingly difficult, these games offer a grand source of great writing, likeable characters, and charming humor. Even though the genre doesn't hold the same mass-market appeal it once had in the 80's and early 90's, the genre still firmly holds its own with games like King's Quest, Myst and The Longest Journey. The genre has come a long way from its humble text-based beginnings and pixilated graphics but it still delivers magical adventures and new worlds just as it did all those years ago.

Check the bottom of the column for more information on how to play these old games on the most modern computers.

When I'm on the road, I'm indestructible. No one can stop me… but they try.



A post-apocalyptic future, roving biker gangs, brawls, murder and one badass biker named Ben set the stage for Full Throttle, LucasArts' 1995 submission to the adventure genre. While not a winner of any awards, Full Throttle has achieved cult classic status which still enjoys a loyal fanbase to this day. Two attempts for a sequel were also made by LucasArts, but both failed miserably and it's sad to say that Full Throttle may be Ben's only adventure.

Check the bottom of the column for more information on how to place these old games on the most modern computers.

Synopsis

You play the role of Ben Throttle, a tough-as-nails biker who leads a gang called the Polecats. After driving over a limo hover car and breaking its hood ornament, Ben and his gang head to the bar where Malcolm Corley, owner of Corley Motors, the last domestic motorcycle manufacturer, meets them about the limo. Laughs ensue as Corley reminisces about his biker days of old until his sub-ordinate and cutthroat Vice-President Adrian Ripburger enters. He pulls Ben aside and invites him and his gang to the company's shareholders meeting to which Ben declines. Afterwards Ben is knocked out, his bike tampered with and the gang is nowhere to be found. When he wakes up, Ben must get back in contact with the Polecats and ensure that Ripburger's maniacal scheme of murder and corporate takeovers doesn't go to fruition.

Full Throttle is a somewhat traditional point-and-click adventure game but its great writing courtesy of Tim Schafer who was also the writer for the famous Day of the Tentacle game, crisp artwork, memorable characters and unique gameplay elements more than made up for it. In certain portions of the game Ben drives through canyon roads and highways and battles it out with rival biker gangs for items and weapons required to progress through the game. While the action pales in comparison to some of the games we play today, it was one of the first adventure games to pull it off and it does a good job too.

Here are two videos since I couldn't decide which one was cooler because they both rock.

The original trailer in all its glory

Ben, Trucks and Explosions

The road beckons

Full Throttle is LucasArts at its finest and you should definitely treat yourself to playing the role of an absolute badass who enjoys life on the road and kicking the crap out of anyone who gets in his way.

A pirate's life for me!



The Curse of Monkey Island is another adventure gem courtesy of LucasArts and is the third game in the Monkey Island series and was released back in 1997. Like Full Throttle, it too has phenomenal writing, artwork, voice acting and humor. It has also achieved cult classic status and has a devoted following as well. It's sequel, Escape from Monkey Island which came out three years later, also received great critical acclaim and won Best Action/Adventure Game at E3 in 2000.

Synopsis

Like in every Monkey Island game, you play the role of Gorbush Peepwood err I mean Guybrush Threepwood who is a wannabe pirate living in an alternate reality where Caribbean pirates from the 17th century coexist with vending machines that sell alcoholic beverages. In this adventure Threepwood, utilizing his only talent of holding his breath underwater for ten minutes, must save his love Elaine Marley from a curse inflicted upon her. Threepwood fights his old arch-nemesis Zombie Pirate LeChuck but makes a few new enemies as he insult swordfights and explores his way to find what he needs to lift Marley's curse.

The Curse of Monkey Island took a much different art approach than its predecessors making Curse a lot more cartoony looking but it only received very minor criticism and was often lauded for the move. Its charming humor which made the series so popular is in full swing here and there's rarely a sour note, if ever. Music is also top notch quality and never gets old.

The opening intro to the game. Humor and quality throughout.

An excellent choice

The Curse of Monkey Island is an excellent choice for any adventure game enthusiast and for those breaking into the genre. Everything about this game breathes top quality and it is only marginally surpassed by another adventure game called Grim Fandango which is also done by LucasArts. While it may need some DOSBox emulation to run properly, this game is definitely worth it.

Buenos Dias



Grim Fandango is easily one of the best adventure games ever conceived and is yet another symbol of LucasArts prowess in the adventure genre. Released only a month after the monster hit Half Life, Grim Fandango received top praise from nearly all critics. In a story by the Houston Chronicle, it named Grim Fandango as the best game of 1998 along with Half-Life. Grim Fandango's foray into the realm of three-dimensional graphics was the first adventure game to achieve this milestone, it looked phenomenal I might add, and it garnered massive popularity because of it. The game's story, humor, characters and everything in between are all absolute Grade "A" quality. Winner of a multitude of awards such as Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement, and placing in several greatest games of all time lists, Grim Fandango is a must-have title for any gamer. Its quality is damn near unparalleled. Sadly due to its lack of commercial success, it was one of the reasons why LucasArts pulled out of the genre. A sad day indeed.

Synopsis

Grim Fandango takes place in the Land of the Dead where people who recently died go before reaching their final destination. You play the role of Manuel "Manny" Calavera who is a travel agent, which means he escorts souls throughout the Land of the Dead, and his quest is to help Mercedes "Meche" Colomar on her journey through. The game is four acts long and attempts to capture the film noir style and adopt elements from old films of the same genre, something that it does fairly well.

Similar to all other adventure games released by LucasArts, Grim Fandango is also a point-and-click adventure where Calavera must interact with the denizens of the realm, pick up objects and solve puzzles. The game's humor is also evident throughout while the voiceovers and writing are of excellent quality. The graphics look great and I still can't believe it was released in 1998.

Since the game takes place in the Land of the Dead, everyone will look… dead. Also, Grim Fandango on the right being slick as usual.

One of the best

Grim Fandango as I've mentioned already, is one of the best adventure games to come out. It's another shining example of the genre and it can be easily recommended to anyone. If you've seriously never heard of this game, by all means order it and enjoy it. Hopefully one day LucasArts will allow their games to be sold on Steam. One can dream because I lost my copy. Grrr! It's on Amazon for 40 bucks though if you're interested.

Having problems running Curse and Grim Fandango on XP and Vista?

Head on over to http://www.scummvm.org/ and http://quick.mixnmojo.com/software and download ScummVM or the clients found at the other site which can run a whole slew of the old games. It's free but most importantly completely legal. Get your chance to play some of the best adventure games around.