Discussion Point - Disco Elysium

 Written by Morpheus Kitami

One of the most beloved RPGs of the last decade is Disco Elysium. A game in which you play a cop who wakes up in a dingy hotel room with no memory of anything, and he has a murder to solve. What follows is a very strange game set in an alternative Earth with its own strange history, countries and technologies, before you even get to the actual game itself. You have twenty stats, who each talk to you based on how much you use it and how much you put points into these stats. All in all, a very unique and memorable game.

As with everything people praise, there is pushback. The most interesting of these arguments, is that Disco Elysium can't be one of the best RPGs because it's actually an adventure game. (Or the more extreme cousin, a CYOA) Some say this, stating that despite the game having stat checks, not having combat disqualifies the game from being a RPG. Others because the gameplay, despite having stat checks, is mostly following an adventure game template. Use an item on something, in this case selecting equipment to give yourself an edge in certain stats, and most of the game is a dialog puzzle. Things which usually aren't thought of as RPG gameplay, more as adventure gameplay.

Most of the time, this argument comes from RPG players, and usually people who seem to view calling a game an adventure game an insult. But despite this, the idea is intriguing, and doesn't seem like it's been discussed much by people who actually like adventure games. So, is Disco Elysium an adventure game? Should we cover it a thousand years in the future when we get to 2019? Feel free to bring up its spiritual predecessor, Planescape Torment, as well, since that often gets hit with some of the same arguments.

Game 165: Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds (1994) - Introduction

Written by Michael

We haven’t played a game from Humongous Entertainment in a little while, since Ilmari played 1993’s Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon.  While he tackled the first three of their games covered by the blog, I’m happy to settle in for a new series of theirs.

Much like Ilmari in 2018, I also had no exposure to Humongous Entertainment.  I might have heard something about Ron Gilbert making children’s games, but when I was 14, I would have thumbed my nose at the thought, since I had very clearly outgrown such childish endeavors.  Only now, with the wonder of adolescence but a speck in the rear-view mirror, can I truly appreciate this experience.

Judgment Rites – History Lesson, pt. 1

 by Will Moczarski

Disclaimer: Because this is an episode with a lot of attention to detail (and because work and life are just crazy right now) I've decided to split the post in half, you know, to let you know I'm still alive and all. 

The third mission is called No Man's Land, and it really feels like a proper Star Trek episode. It begins – as it so often does – with a routine mission that is suddenly interrupted by a distress call. The Enterprise is on its way to Omega Corvus to probe some radiation clouds. However, the fact that Kirk is expecting an uneventful mission in his log entry is nothing if not the first giveaway sign that all hell will break loose. Yes, we will even be dragged into a World War, no less.

King’s Quest VII - Final Rating

Just how deep is my despair for having played this game?

Written by Michael

I was thinking of taking some time off between my last post and writing this scoring post, but I didn’t want my memories to fade.  This isn’t a bad game, but certainly not the best Sierra has to offer.  One could argue that they hit their peak with Gabriel Knight, although they certainly have a couple more well-done stories to come, mostly from Al Lowe with Larry 7 and Torin’s Passage, and a Space Quest game that almost reaches the luster of the earlier titles.  The FMV titles to come have their fans, but they aren’t perfect either.  The rest of Sierra’s output from this point on is a collection of arcade, action, and WalMart-friendly shovelware.

Yes, I know that those last few sentences are bound to start some arguments and paint a target on my back from some, but the good news is that, while the glory days of Sierra are largely over, other publishers will be picking up the slack for the next few gaming years.  The genre itself doesn’t “die” just yet, and some quality titles from other houses are yet to come.  I often mention Sanitarium as such an example, but there’s also Syberia, The Longest Journey, and Discworld Noir, all from publishers that have not had any real impact on our blog so far.

I bring all this up because we are about to score the final true adventure entry in Sierra’s original animated adventure series.  Before 1984’s King’s Quest: Quest for the Crown, they only made text adventures with accompanying pictures.  Mind you, they were the first to do that as well, and they did it successfully.  This is the end of an era for Sierra, and after 1995’s Phantasmagoria and limited input on the action King’s Quest 8 title, Roberta Williams will avoid adventure game design for almost 30 years, enjoying the riches of her success yachting with her husband.

But I digress; back to the title in front of us.

The Clue! - Sabien

Written by MenhirMike

I left you with a cliffhanger last time, but unlike Dallas’ “Who shot J.R.?” I’m not going to let you wait four more episodes to resolve it - the caller was Herbert Briggs, who tasked Matt with picking up a parcel from a woman named Sabien at Lisson Grove 17.

If you remember the intro to the game, Sabien was the woman mourning at Matt’s grave, so this is the romance act of the story kicking into gear.  

Matt is immediately stricken by her sparkling green eyes, her beautiful face, that special smile she seemed to give him. He stutters for a bit while she invites him to some tea, and after a few hours Matt leaves with butterflies in his stomach. And Briggs’ package.