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For adventure gaming fans, the 80s and 90s had given us tons of great games to pick from. Both Sierra Online and LucasArts produced classic series throughout these decades. However, this beloved genre had all but died out during the past decade or so. We received a number of small indy-developed projects, some sleeper hits and others more niche. The problem was that these hidden gems were overlooked by the big-name published titles like Call of Duty, Halo, and Mass Effect. That is, until now.
Enter the realm of Kickstarter. Everyone should have heard about this phenomenon by now. Tim Schafer and his company Double Fine practically made this crowdfunding Web site a household name overnight when they funded their adventure project in the first day. And that amount just exploded over the course of the campaign. Hot on the heels of the DFA project, we soon were deluged with adventure game projects...one right after the other.
Next came Replay Games with their Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards remake, which made all of its stretch goals and earned us not just a remake but almost an entirely new gaming experience with extra rooms, jokes, and another woman (confirmed as being Asian). With Al Lowe and Josh Mandel (both Sierra vets) at the helm. And the people rejoiced.
Another big project started by a former Sierra employer, Jane Jensen (creator of the Gabriel Knight games), soon followed suit with her Pinkerton Road Studio campaign. Originally pitching three concepts, the backers picked Moebius as the first project of its "Community Sponsored Gaming" initiative. Those who pledged $50 or more were promised a second game being funded by an outside source, dubbed "Mystery Game X". We're still waiting to see what this is, but there is great speculation over at their forums.
Next up, we found out that the Two Guys from Andromeda (also known as Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe, co-creators of the Sierra Space Quest franchise) reunited after a falling out during the final days at the studio to create another SpaceVenture in the same vein as that classic series. They proved throughout the campaign that they hadn't lost their comedic touch and left the fans drooling for more.
The final big-name project being funded by fans through Kickstarter was Tex Murphy's Project Fedora. I will admit that I was not aware of this fan favorite until recently, but still backed it nevertheless.
Each and every one of the above projects can still be supported through PayPal as of this writing and I urge anyone reading this blog post to give a little bit of money towards bringing back a golden age of adventure gaming. There are also plenty of smaller projects trying to get funded through Kickstarter, some of which just made funding but are working on stretch goals right now. Please support these, as well:
An atmospheric game aimed at the young or just the young at heart. Has made funding, but are working towards stretch goals: more content at $26K and tablet ports at $36K. They still have 11 days to reach these goals. PC, Mac, and Linux ports guaranteed with iPad and Android tablet ports should they make their stretch goal of $36K. PROJECT FUNDED
Play as Vile, a demon trying to damn souls to Hell. Developed by the same person behind the Flash games of the same series. It's still trying to get funding and is nearly halfway there with 23 days to go at the time of this writing. PC, Mac, and Linux ports guaranteed. PROJECT FUNDED
A science fiction adventure with a Cyberpunk theme. It's still trying to get funding and is at around 16% with 21 days to go at the time of this writing. PC, Mac, and Linux ports guaranteed. PROJECT UNSUCCESSFUL
A detective comedy with some risqué themes that includes a variety of humor and innuendo. It's still trying to get funding and is struggling for support with 26 days to go as of the time of this writing. PC, Mac, iPad, and iPhone ports guaranteed. PROJECT CANCELLED
A classic-style RPG-adventure hybrid in the vein of Sierra's Quest for Glory series, but with a twist. They've made their funding goal, and are working on stretch goals. These include things like a big box version of the game, supplemental materials, translations, ports, and extra content. They still have 17 days to go to reach these goals. PC and Mac ports guaranteed with iPad and Android tablet ports should they make their stretch goal of $70K. PROJECT FUNDED
A science-fiction epic in the style of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, using stop-motion animation. PC port guaranteed with Mac, Linux, and iPad support should they exceed their funding goal of $56K. PROJECT FUNDED
If you are a fan of adventure games, then help support the Adventure Game Revival Movement. Help make 2013 the year that this often overlooked genre return with a vengeance.
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