esterday, in part one of our disappearing-genres feature, we touched on three game groups that have been dead and buried for a significant amount of time. Today, we are going to explore a larger group of games – those still struggling to survive in the current market. Read on to find out what game genres have seen better days but haven’t thrown in the towel just yet.

The Dying

There are many more game genres that fall into the “dying” category than the dead. Most of them are holding desperately on to their final scraps of consciousness in hopes of being revived. Surprisingly, some of them have a chance. While the majority of the game genres below are currently undergoing a major recession in popularity, with the right combination of happy thoughts and fanboyism, they could fall into public favor once again.

Solo Genres
In recent years the practice of developing a game that falls under multiple genres has begun to rise. It seems rare now to find a pure action title or a pure role-playing game. Instead it is common to see an action/adventure/RPG or any other combination of key genres – not to say that this is a bad thing. The trend gives us new and diverse experiences by incorporating multi-genre elements into a single game.

As Editor-In-Chief Andy McNamara discussed in our May issue of Game Informer, RPG elements are even being incorporated into shooter titles such as Call of Duty 4. Sure, there are games out there still that offer a hardcore, unadulterated shooting experience or an untainted, turn-based role-playing game. However, more often than not, any game you pick up now will add a scoop of more than one genre to your video-game diet.

Adventure Games
Adventure games were one of the first groups to fall prey to changing market preferences. While adventure themes and gameplay elements still run rampant in new releases, pure adventure games are hard to come by. As we mentioned in part one of this feature, adventure games first came about with the introduction of Colossal Cave Adventure – a work of interactive fiction created in 1976. The game was commonly shortened to simply read Adventure, which then became the namesake of the larger game genre.

Adventure games primarily focus on exploration, puzzles, problem-solving and interactions with characters or the environment. One of other primary components of an adventure title is the lack of combat or reflex-based challenges. Traditional adventure games allow you to move at your own pace. This makes it much easier for players of all skill levels to take part in the game. Memorable adventure titles from the past include Myst, Grim Fandango, King’s Quest, The Secret of Monkey Island, Sam & Max Hit the Road and Policenauts – many of which fell into the popular point & click subgenre.

The Secret of Monkey Island was popular enough to spawn a slew of sequels

Adventure games were immensely popular through the 1980s and early 1990s. When action games took center stage in the mid 90s, the slower-paced adventure genre began to decline in demand. Now you are more likely to see an action/adventure combination than a solo adventure title. Still, some new games are attempting to revive the genre. The Phoenix Wright series falls along the traditional adventure path, as does Hotel Dusk: Room 215 and Trace Memory. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaro’s Treasure is also a recent release along the same vein.

So no, adventure games are not dead; they are simply overshadowed by the more popular genres in today’s market. Several developers are testing the waters to see if adventure games can gain the following they once held. While an adventure-game renaissance is almost certainly not in the works, the genre will most likely stick around for the foreseeable future.

Shoot ‘em ups
Shoot ‘em ups – often shortened to shmup – are another genre of video games that while past their golden years, don’t show signs of disappearing entirely. When they were first introduced, shoot ‘em ups were simply referred to as shooters. However, the introduction of first-person-shooters caused for a small rebranding. Shoot ‘em ups are characterized by the player controlling either a vehicle or a character and being forced into fights with waves of enemies. Levels progress by clearing the screen, and bosses usually act as advancement markers in the game.

Space Invaders – The original shmup

1978’s arcade game Space Invaders is usually credited as the first game in the shmup genre. The massive commercial success of Space Invaders helped launch the genre for arcades, home consoles and personal computers. Popular shmup games included Defender, Ikaruga, R-Type, StarFox, Gradius and Radiant Silvergun. As with the adventure genre, shmups were most common during the 80s and early 90s – until the implementation of 3D graphics became widespread. The growing popularity of arcade fighting games may also have stolen some of the genre’s thunder.

Shoot ‘em ups are not a growing genre, but they still have some modern applications. The introduction of the Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Store and Nintendo’s Virtual Console have helped to bring shmups back to the fans. The low price point and easy to download nature of these services may be just what the genre needs to keep them from fading off into the distance.