Good morn- uh,
afternoon.
I slept amazingly well last night, all things considered. A deep, unconscious, coma like sleep. And while I didn't exactly jump out of bed the minute I woke up, I felt reasonably well rested when I opened my eyes at eleven o'clock. And then, in a cruel twist of fate...I fell asleep again. And woke up again at twelve. At which point I rolled out of bed (literally) and crawled to the shower. That was fun.
I'm really, really looking forward to ten days of jet-laggy-ness. Yay.
Seems the word on the street is that I was misquoted on the "action-adventure" bit - and yes, we're talking
The Longest Journey again now, probably for the last time in a while - which is sort of funny, because I haven't claimed that I was...even though I was. Sort of. That bit of info originally came from the Norwegian newspaper VG's online edition. At E3, I was caught in a hit-and-run interview that I hadn't expected (there were a couple of those, mostly regarding TLJ, which we'd planned to keep mostly mum on for the time being) or signed up for, and when I'm unprepared for something, I often ramble. I stand by most of what I said in the interview, but I actually never said "action-adventure". I said "adventure-action". Nit picking? Maybe. Point is, neither label describes the game very well. It's definitely not going to be a traditional "action-adventure", which I why I said "adventure-action" - with an emphasis on adventure. I'd prefer to call it just an "adventure", but then - for some - that conjures images of 2D pointing-and-clicking, static (no pun intended) gameplay, with limited environmental interaction and indirect character control. Classic adventures are fun, too, but TLJ:S won't be one of those. Why? Because we want to go further. We want to take the adventure genre to the next level. We want to revolutionise the way people play adventures, and we want to bring new gamers into the fold. If we're successful, expect a lot more adventures - not only from Funcom, but from other publishers as well. But that's just me being my usual cocky and arrogant self.
Thing is, whatever you think you expect to see, expect to be surprised. Yes, there will be action, but action that's perfectly in tune with the story, with the adventuring elements, with the puzzles, the conversations, the environment. No frustrating action. No pixel-perfect twitch gameplay. No button-bashing. No timed jumps. No falling to your death. No "Game Over" screen.
Why action? Because we're broadening the scope of the game's puzzles and challenges. How much action? Enough to provide variation. What kind of action? That's for another time. We're not talking arcade sequences forcibly inserted into the gameplay, by the way. We're talking about a game world that's entirely consistent with itself, where everything feels part of a greater whole. You'll be on an adventure in a world - or worlds - where there are dangers that require an approach that isn't just cerebral, but also physical.
Trust me - it makes sense. The story demands a more multi-tiered approach. The story is also a world better (pun definitely intended) than that of the first game. If for no other reason, play TLJ:S for the story and the characters. You'll be amazed. I promise.
I think that's all I have to say on that. Don't expect a lot of news or information about the game for a good while. When we're ready to do so, we'll launch a website with lots of cool stuff...but that won't happen until the weather gets chillier and everyone starts buying presents. For the time being, sit tight, think happy thoughts, and remember this: You won't be disappointed. Promise.
Oh, and before I forget: I still think that point-and-click adventures are all but dead. There are noteworthy exceptions, like
Syberia, and I'm sure there will be a couple of great p&c games in the years to come - a couple - but they won't be made by us. TLJ:S's new mouse-driven PC interface, however, will do anything and everything a p&c interface can do, and more. In a much more streamlined and dynamic fashion. With bells and whistles. Adventure gamers will be dancing in the streets. Yes.
