Written by Michael
Last time we talked, I was in a dark cave.
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| "My life is a dark room. One. Big. Dark. Room." |
But, thanks to having played the previous game in the series, I already knew the solution: the fireberries. Trouble is, I don’t have the hardened skin of King Brandon. When I try to touch the berry bush to pick a bunch, I’m told they are too hot.
Much like myself.
Written by The TAG Team
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| A DeepAI rendition of the TAG offices |
The TAG blog is growing up. In November, it will become a teenager! But the most amazing thing is that the blog nearly didn’t make it to its third birthday. The original blogger, Trickster, retired just before the 3-year mark. This is the story of the ten years that have passed since.
Trickster might have taken on too much early on. His blog (then called “The Adventure Gamer”) tried to keep pace with the blog that inspired it, CRPG Addict. But writing about RPGs isn’t nearly as taxing as a well-crafted adventure game, since there’s more plot development to discuss, more unique actions to consider. Many RPGs involve grinding away at the same skills, exploring lands for treasure, and fighting creatures, sometimes over and over to reach a goal.
We’re not debating which one is more fun (although we have our opinions). We’re just saying that one is easier to write about than the other.
Most of the readers of his blog were disappointed when he left. But some of the commenters also suggested a takeover by the readers.
Perhaps the first to say this out loud was loyal reader Rowan Lipkovits, but others soon joined in the conversation. Including some names that should be familiar to current readers of the blog.
Another loyal reader and frequent commenter, Ilmari Jauhainen, started to make a plan. Instead of just one person at the helm, a handful of people would be sharing the duties, so this time, no one would get overwhelmed. He was soon joined by Joe Pranevich and TBD; and Aperama volunteered to review the next game in the schedule. He made the first post of that review ten years ago today, on October 24th, 2014.
And so began a new era.
The blog was reborn as a community project, with online calendars and email chains helping to coordinate the efforts of people who had never before met each other in person, from all corners of the globe. Over time, small changes were made to the structure of the blog, like occasional diversions playing “Missed Classics” that were skipped in the chronology of the blog. We've tried to shake up the mold a little. by even having done simultaneous posts with other blogs for games that cross over into both of our interests, such as Loremaster and Lucifer's Realm. We've even had multiple reviewers tackle a game at once -- an unforgettable experiment, one we should really try to do again.
More than 200 games later, we’re still chugging along, and most of the early admins are still involved with the blog, and some of the original reviewers and commenters as well.
Ilmari, even as he’s grown up and has more family and work responsibilities, still enjoys playing games for the blog, like the recently completed Inca II.
Joe is the father of the Missed Classic, playing the first one, Mystery House, soon after the reorganization of the blog. Over the last decade, he has built up a family in that time, and still stays connected with the blog, around his commitments. He’s taking a short leave of absence, but will be back in the coming year, if only because there’s no way he would ever leave his Zork and Infocom marathons unfinished.
The next addition to the admin team, Will Moczarski, is in the middle of a playthrough for the blog as we speak.
We’ve lost touch with TBD, but thank him for all the work he did shaping our style in those early years. Some of us have fun emulating his humor in our CAP distributions to this day.
The arresting skills of our in-house lawyer reviewer, Alex, continues to this day. His first review was over nine years ago, and his take on Open Season just started a few days ago. Unfortunately, that means that Jim Walls has also been a companion on the blog for so many years.
Other reviewers over the past decade have come and gone, but Reiko and Zenic Reverie have still kept involved, both finishing their most recent games over this past summer.
Commenter (and occasional reviewer) Andy Panthro still provides valuable insights, and we hope he will still be able to finish his next (but long-ago scheduled) game on the schedule.
Our commitment to the holidays remains strong. Next week, Morpheus will continue our tradition of honoring Halloween, and Joe has made sure we enjoy an adventure each Christmas. We've observed many April Fool's Days and other holidays as well.
We’ve injected some new blood into the mix (Admins MorpheusKitami and Michael, and Reviewer Vetinari) and, after a little lull during the pandemic, have just had our strongest year since. This year, we’ve written the most posts since 2019, and have had a lot of fun doing it!
In about a month or so, we’ll have over 5 million views on the blog. Trickster celebrated milestones like 50,000, but who knew how big the project would grow?
On behalf of the entire TAG Team, we’d like to thank you for being here. Everyone contributes in their own way; some comment, some write reviews, and others who just read the reviews, well, we need you too! (Although we really wish you’d comment, just to help us guide our writing...) Ilmari touched upon it in a blog birthday post back in 2017, but it bears repeating: we are constantly trying to reinvent TAG, to keep it fresh for the readers and reviewers both, and keep it going for decades to come.
We’re getting ready to start picking out the games to be played for 1994 on the blog, and look forward to you joining us.
Yours in Gaming,
- The TAG Team, 2024 Edition
- Ilmari, Joe, Will, Morpheus, and Michael
Please, we’d love to hear your thoughts about the ten years past and the future as well in the comments below.
Written by Michael
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| This is the only acceptable ghost this time of year. |
There’s not much progress to report here. I found a known bug in the game that prevents me from winning. Apparently only the C64 version is finishable. And I don’t feel like starting from scratch in a new system; this game just isn’t worth it. There’s more important things in life, like waiting in line at the DMV, or getting your teeth pulled.
Still, let me tell you what I’ve done, and what could have been.
Written by Michael
When we last left our whiny heroine, Zantha was outside her laboratory, recently ransacked. And from the swamp, there were some eyes looking at her, curiously.
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| Sadly, she didn’t say “Watch it, slimeball” the way Officer Hooks would have. |
Clicking on the eyes produces some large lizard monster-looking thing. Zanthia quickly grabs their tongue, ties it in a knot, and admonishes it for wasting her time. It slinks away, with its metaphorical tail between its legs. “Sometimes I have to be strict.”
Written by Morpheus Kitami
Welcome to 1942, we have a crackerbox-style house behind us, housing Livingston, our target. There's a rainwater barrel next to Hoffmann, empty because there's no rain, and more cacti on the corner. I can peak in through the window, but alas, the curtains are drawn. I can go to the left, though.
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| "I've been shot, which is why I'm going to stand like I'm trying to reach a high shelf!" |
And it's Livingstone, just after having been shot by Schmidt. Hoffmann tells him not to worry, and to go back to his own time, because he has this. He doesn't quite understand, but does so. If I were inclined to think this game might have a cruel ending, I would think I have just guaranteed that time is a loop rather than things changing and creating new timelines.
Getting closer to the house, it changes to the front porch. The fishing gear and swing are flavor. While I can see in through the windows, I don't see anything of interest. The chest and door are locked. The answer is surprisingly easy at this point, because of that well-known cliche of hiding a key where you can find it if you lose it. Where is it? In the mouth of the fish on the left. This allows me to open the chest, which has a piece of orange cloth with two grommets (those ring things you tie things into, not a noob skateboarder) and nothing else. The key does not unlock the front door.
Written by Michael
Well, this post won’t be as long. I’ve given up on this session after reaching what was almost definitely a dead end. And that’s after beating the darn ghost!
This will be less of a blow-by-blow of the steps I’ve taken, and more of just a list of failures and frustrations.
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First, going back to the grave to dig up stuff that was stolen from me results in death, from what cause I can’t really figure out.
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| By observations of what's noticeable in a scene it is the most visible...but then again, it is supposed to be... |
As nobody else really felt like looking up a walkthrough to give hints, it fell upon Ilmari to once again look up the walkthrough, giving me the clue that I should check the electrical box. On the left, with the obvious markings. The game says its suspicious, but when I use it, tells me off. 100,000 amps feels good any day, which caused me to put it under the "flavor" part of the game's environments.
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If only I had a pair of wire cutters... |
What I didn't spot was that I was supposed to look at it, up close. I can open it up easily, revealing the circuit breaker for this floor. I guess the 100,000 amps was a red herring. I'm not sure what I can do here. Ilmari also mentioned that you should press the dot on the exclamation mark, which isn't a hotspot. This reveals...
Written by Michael
Way back when, in 1992, Westwood Studios tried something a little different. They had been known as competent designers of games, in all sorts of genres, but they hadn’t really had a big hit yet, and they were only ever credited as a designer while another company’s logo graced the box. But their acquisition by Virgin Entertainment opened a door for them. Now, they were able to distribute and market their own games. And their debut adventure title was a beaut.
