Hi-Ho Hi-Ho

I was back to work yesterday after having had 2 weeks off for Christmas and New Year. I don't ever remember two weeks going by so quickly. I managed to do most of the things I wanted to.... eat too much, drink too much, snack constantly, drink constantly, stay up too late and play video games, and yet I feel unsatisfied. I did spend one whole week away from home, staying with my parents, away from any consoles, and this may be at the root of this unfulfilled feeling. I’m certain that more gaming, throughout 2009, will correct this feeling and so my new years resolution is to play more games.

I did play some games over the festive holiday even managing to find some time while at my parents to play Final Fantasy on the GBA SP that mysteriously found it’s way into my travel bag. Have you ever had that feeling of other people’s eyes tearing into your soul while you bury your head further into a game or a book or newspaper? I have.

Once I returned home I quickly set about playing some of my favourite older games. Not older as in mature, I know where some forum members minds will be wandering too, older as in retro and games as in video. With time seemingly on fast forward I merely dipped into Daze Before Christmas on my Mega Drive and Monty's Christmas Special on the PC. Both games that I'll leave until next December now. I blew the dust off my C64 and played Infocom's brilliant game Suspended, probably my favourite adventure game, John Singleton's Lords of Midnight and Maniac Mansion just so I could microwave hamsters. It just never gets boring!

The disappointing Fable 2 occupied a lot of the game time in the evenings and early hours. When I could get away with staying up late that is. I saw 2am once. I think it was 2am. My eyes were so bloodshot and sore that I may have been looking at the cat food dish. Now I know I'm getting old.

So although I would have liked a little more pixel time this Christmas I still had a really great holiday. Especially being with my family and visiting family and friends back home in Cheshire. I guess that's the real reason that time went so quickly.

Happy new year!

Sick bags are in the seat backs in front of you on the GAMEOV3R FORUM

Your Adventure Awaits

>LOOK

Oval Office
You are standing inside a White House, having just been elected to the presidency of the United States.

There is a large desk here, along with a few chairs and couches. The presidential seal is in the middle of the room and there is a full-length mirror upon the wall.
What do you want to do now?

> INVADE IRAQ
You are not able to do that, yet.

> LOOK MIRROR
Self-reflection is not your strong suit.

> EXAMINE CHAIRS
There are several chairs arranged around the center of the room, along with two couches. Under one couch you find Clinton's shoes.

> FILL SHOES
You are unable to fill Clinton's shoes.

> INVADE IRAQ
You are not able to do that, yet.

> INVADE IRAQ
You are not able to do that, yet.

Whatever happened to adventure games? Before consoles ruled the roost they were everywhere. I remember probably my first introduction to the genre on my little rubber keyed friend the Sinclair Spectrum 48k. It was The Hobbit (way back in 1982!), and I hated it with a passion. For its time the parser was pretty advanced, as rather than merely understanding the usual "get ring" type commands you could type sentences such as "follow tiny little man to Mordor to throw ring into volcano" and it just might happen, if you were lucky.
At one point in the game, it was possible to drink wine, getting the player (temporarily) drunk. The game would then substitute "sh" for "s" in its responses (e.g. "You drink shome wine"). This caused extra amusement if the player entered the command "sit".

Even with all this 'advanced' stuff I still found early adventure games frustrating, and like many people resorted to typing in swear words just to occupy myself. This would often result in amusing responses and filled my juvenile mind with much joy and happiness.

Ah the good old days of gaming! So back to my question, whatever happened to adventure games? Well, they evolved into point-and-click titles such as Monkey Island and Sam & Max completely avoiding the need for the games to understand text entered by the player, and they were good and often very humorous. But they just don't make em like that anymore... or do they?

There seems to be a whole underground realm of these kind of games now available on the Internet, some of them previously commercial games and others created from scratch and available as freeware. If you miss a good adventure you could do worse than start here.

Were you an adventurer? Are you a Hobbit? Do you have any large gold rings you need to dispose of? Maybe someone can help on the GAMEOV3R Forum

Mega Delight

I slipped on my glasses, switched on my Wii and clicked on the Shop Channel. 2800 points waiting to be spent, my wife in the bath and with the knowledge that Paper Mario is available it was only a matter of time before this moment arrived. But what's this! My eyes are drawn to something else and Paper Mario is almost blown over as my little blue pointer whisks across the screen and clicks on Mega Man. Mega Man in his most pure NES form. Oh joy! I played this game to completion and absolutely loved it. I have to have it and I click to download. Perhaps my glasses have rose coloured lenses?

The game downloads and I hastily load it up. Waves of nostalgia. This is what being a retro game fan is all about I think to myself. Gamers new to the scene don't know what they're missing! This is great! My huge grin remains as I press start and open the Level Select Screen. You get to play the levels in any order you want but doing them in the right order makes the game easier. Did I remember which level to tackle first? You bet I did, but I'm not telling you in case I spoil your fun. So, off I go jumping and shooting my way through the first level still grinning like a maniac.

Ok, time for a reality check? After all this is an old game from 1987 on an 8 bit NES. It can't be that good! But it is! Sure there are limitations but those limitations are built into Mega Man's character. He can't duck, doesn't shoot vertically or diagonally, he moves a bit slow and his jump worse than a rabbit on a chain gang. But none of this matters as the game works in every respect and is never frustrating. It's never an easy game though, oh no, it's a tough and challenging nut to crack and less experienced gamers may find it too tough. But for those with the skill this is a great game and offers huge bragging rights. 500 points/£3.50 gets you a piece of awesome gaming history. It's a steal. I guess those glasses have only the slightest hint of rose.

Is Mega Man too hard for you? Does he make you cry? Discuss this and much more on our FORUM.