I think not! GTA is a 3rd person shooter, anyway. I can't speak for Gears of War, but GTA does require more than fast reflexes. And, come on, do adventure games really require much brain power?? You occasionally get a hard puzzle here and there. A good FPS requires a lot of brain power in addition to good reflexes. Modern FPS enemy AI is smart, and there are often multiple ways to approach a situation. You can do the exact sequence over and over again in FEAR, Far Cry, or Max Payne, trying to find a better strategy. And that's just single player. If you go online and play Team Fortress 2 you'll encounter ever changing strategies presented by other live humans. TF2 also requires teamwork, which adds even more strategy. These are games are the exact opposite of mindless. TV is mindless.

I understand that many gameboomers don't like FPSs, but claiming that adventure games are somehow smarter is just ridiculous. Personally, I'm terrible at real time strategy (Starcraft), and prefer turn based (Civilization). I could claim that turn based requires more thinking, but this is simply untrue. I'm just bad at it, and RTSs are complex and difficult. You should be able to admit this too: FPSs are just too hard for you. Don't disparage an entire huge genre because of that.

Sorry to be argumentative, but I keep seeing things like this here and it's frustrating. GTA is, in spite of the violence and immorality, one of the best games ever. Half-Life 2 (FPS) has a better story than almost any adventure game I've played, and even includes some really cool physics based puzzles that any gameboomer would enjoy.

Hi cl0vis -- although some of us (myself included) stick pretty much to just adventure games, there are others of us who enjoy other genres too -- you can tell by stopping by the GameBoomers' Darkside and Casual Games forums. Even those of us who do play mostly adventure games often have family members who play other genres.

It's impossible to make progress in games from any genre without using your brains. Adventures test your brains rather than your reflexes, which is why I like them. I've made it through action sequences in adventures (including the shooting gallery in WANTED and the General's High Council in The Experiment), but I just don't like them.

I made it through the combat sequences in Dreamfall, but I liked fighting even less than other forms of action. I don't like hurting anyone, even a virtual character in a game. Repeatedly beating another character into submission (for me) requires a disengagement from the actual act -- I'm not sure that this is actually mindlessness, but it feels a bit like it.

Hafe life is more like action adventure and I must admit it as got a good story and would never have thought to play it till my son had me trying it out .Like Becky just arent keen on fighting as my nan always said it takes all sorts

The only combat I ever enjoyed was fighting the skellys & orcs in Kings Quest 8

tazmanw, I agree alot with your post. I turned 50 in April. My daughter is home from college and plays Sims 2 all the time. She will play a ND from time to time but mainly it's Sims. My son is on his own, but loves the Xbox shooter types. My husband too tolerates my "addiction", shops with me for games, looks at the cool things I see on the screen, and even helps me if he can. I guess that is why GB is so great, there is alot of us out there that can get together even though there is miles and sometimes oceans separating us.

A funny thing happened to me (beside all the twenty something guys too in the stores that think I have no idea about computers, specs or games) , is that I have worked with special needs kids. I was working with spelling and the word had a "z" in it. I was trying to make sure I made it clear so I said "z as in....Zelda." The child said, "YOU know who Zelda is??" I said "Yes, I have played many Zelda games, in fact that is how I got started playing games". He had a shocked look on his face and said, "YOU play Zelda???". I had to try not to laugh and said "Yes, I play Zelda and other games too". He was in total shock!!! He didn't know I was sooo cool!

In fact, my 2 year old grandson now begs me to get out the laptop and play the "dragon game" which is a BFG majong game. I have some muppet things for him now and ISPY when he is older. Gotta pass it on!

Koalanut

I don't know anyone enloy playing adventure games... Only RPGs and action games. That's why i love chit chat with all you . Finally i have someone to talk about adventures!

Not a lot where I am from to .Just don t see them on the selves in the shop .I do talk to a friends boy friend about a few point and click games as he as played a few.The rest just look at me and say oh talking computors again .Not interested they just seem to think I am a little mad ......Maybe just a little

Oh my, I didn't know there were so many *kids* here on GameBoomers! I mean those of you who are 50 years old.

I knew when I replied to this post someone would take offense to my comments, and that was not my intention.





cl0vis I should have chosen some better examples. You are correct GTA 4 is a third person shooter as is GOW. I should have used Halo, Far Cry or Half Life 2 as examples or I should have refered to them just a shooters.


I do enjoy playing other Genre's also Check out my games . I guess I should have been more straightforward in my opinion. I prefer playing Adventure games at my age, because it does help the ole grey matter as someone put it in one of the above posts. Also The shooter genre does have some great games, and I own a lot of them, and I agree that they have some great story lines and that they require you to do some quick thinking. But not everyone. Especially us older folks have the cat like reflexes to play these type of games. While I can hold my own in most of them, there are a few that I can't. I guess its the repetitive and unrelenting mowing down of enemy after enemy that I find can get boring and old after awhile. However, trying to solve an extremely difficult puzzle never gets old to me.

So, you agree then right ;-) I don't know, besides Doom 3, I haven't played too many FPSs recently that are involve simply mowing down enemies, except a couple that got worse ratings than adventure games on Gamespot. The ones I've played present different situations, cinematic events, and replayability. Halo is pretty boring though; I have no idea why that became so popular. It's one bright spot is that it's a playable FPS with a controller.

Anyway, have you played half-life 2? If you haven't, and this is a general recommendation, go buy The Orange Box. If you put the difficulty on easy the fighting is pretty minor in Half-life. What you'll see are some really interesting physics based puzzles; unlike any I've seen in a standard adventure game. And the you are usually in a "safe area" for those puzzles; you aren't rushed. You get all the Half-life 2 episodes so far, and, OF COURSE, you get Portal! Any adventure gamer should enjoy the puzzles in Portal, and the hilarious GlaDos. Portal and Half-life 2 contain elements that should be in adventure games now, and that could really bring the genre into the 21st century. I really do love adventure games, but the genre is completely stagnant. I'm working on a longer article about this. I know you all just can't wait ;-)

Oh, and I was not offended ;-)

Oh, and to the person who didn't enjoy the fighting sequences in some adventure games: that's because those sequences are terrible!! They almost ruin the games. Just about as bad as the "action" sequences in Indigo Prophecy.

cl0vis