Hello everybody, I really like this site!

After finishing Syberia on my Xbox I feel the urge for more of this genre. Thinking back on how dissatisfied I am with most of the games I've played, it occurs to me the ones I like are only those with both deep visual immersion and a focused storyline. And it must have both.

Also it must have a setting that I think I'd enjoy visiting in real life, I must play as a character or group that I actually find very likable, and I have to feel an urge to develop the plot by my continued participation. It's a tall order considering what most games focus on, and thus my great dissatisfaction. [and my satisfaction is top priority!]

Adventure games seem more in line with what I crave and it's clear the PC has the largest selection. My only real problem is that I have a hard time getting immersed in gameworlds when using a mouse. With a gamepad you feel more like you're controlling something inside the gameworld, but a mouse is more like directing from the sidelines. I want to be the player, not the coach.

So do you know which adventure games let you control the character by gamepad?
I also don't mind and actually prefer a little bit of action, so long as the game has an easy mode (Obscure, and Silent Hill 2 for example)

Have you played DReamfall?

Ana

Or Indigo Prophecy (aka Fahrenheit in Europe)? It's PS2, though (or PC, I believe). And the over-reliance on minigames and Simon-esque QTE's might put you off, as well as the "kitchen-sinkism" unraveling story of the latter half. It's still one of the most original and creative "gamepad adventures" out there, for sure.

If it's survival horror you're looking for, I have tons of suggestions, from Alone in the Dark to Siren ('cause 'Zombies' for Z just seems forced ). Again, mostly PS2-era, though, no Xbox sadly.

You should check out Telltale's Wallace & Gromit games - they were specifically designed with a gamepad in mind, to give that immersive feeling you're describing.

Also Broken Sword 3 (and 4?) work with a gamepad.

Hi Steven78 and welcome to GameBoomers!

The Wallace & Gromit episodes from Telltale can be played using a gamepad.

Thank you for the warm welcome!! And the advice was definitely helpful.
I'm definitely going to start with Dreamfall Game of the Year Edition for PC (I don't mind playing the first part with a mouse so that's no biggie, and part two is actually intended for gamepads.) I was hoping for a sci-fish setting as a change of pace and Dreamfall seems spot on. Can't wait to try it.

Yep I have a PS2! I'll look into their versions of Alone In the Dark and Siren. I also notice there are far more adventure games on the Xbox then I first realized.

I don't suppose there is a version of Alone in the Dark 1 and 2 with updated graphics? My PCs have trouble running pre-XP games. I'm using Vista and an S-Video cable to play PC on my television and Vista is even worse with compatibility.

I have a thing for haunted house games but the Resident Evil variety aren't always my cup of tea. It's all those derivative "puzzles" and having to pause everything to wrestle with the inventory system every fifteen seconds. I make exception for Obscure because it's inventory system is fast and on-screen.
Broken Sword 3 and 4 are intriguing! Yee-haw! I'll go for them right after Dreamfall.

Wallace and Grommit look cool so they'll go on the list!

Thanks again.

Hey, another thought: since you enjoyed Syberia, be sure to nab Still Life while you're at it! It's by the same development team, and while the story and setting are drastically different it's still crafted with their trademark care.

A PS2 game that always felt like an adventure to me is the criminally underplayed Primal. Though ostensibly an action-adventure game (with lackluster combat thrown in), the exploration and story aspects are just amazing, as is the beautifully realized setting. Belongs with Beyond Good & Evil in the 'forgotten gems' category.

Re: the original Alone in the Darks, you'd want to look into a DOS emulator program such as DOSBox, and I'm really not sure about gamepad support, they're kinda oldies. The series has indeed been rebooted several times now, though, for modern consoles, once for the PS1 generation with The New Nightmare and again by Atari for next-gen (simply titled Alone in the Dark, to confuse you ;)). TNN is basically a somewhat clunky but fairly creepy RE rip-off - irony, anyone? - while Atari's take is...different, to say the least. It's more of a sandbox, 'open-world' action-adventure (or it tries to give the illusion of such) and the gameplay often leaves a lot to be desired, but there's lots of refreshing little touches to it, like looking down at yourself to open your jacket and rifle through your stuff, or popping the clip on your gun to check your ammo.

Re: Siren, that was really just a pun, while the atmosphere is superb, you may want to read up on it a little first! There's a whole lot of trial and error to the gameplay, which focuses on evading and disabling the enemy rather than going at them face-to-face. Even a seasoned Resi4 vet would be hard-pressed to face a shibito zombie and escape unscathed, simply because your characters are so unequipped/unskilled. So the "action" isn't hard, per se, but it can be frustrating.

Anyway, I wasn't necessarily recommending either title to fit with your above criteria, really just joking that my horror library runs the gamut. I love "spooky" games as well, but all my adventure-genre ones are mouse-based.

Happy to say I already have Still Life on the way! That was an easy pick for me and it was real cheap on eBay. I love buying consoles right at the end of their runs because their libraries are packed with good games for under ten bucks. It almost feels like a crime buying six games for the price of a recent release. Just ordered Primal for under 8 bucks in like new condition and that includes shipping

I liked Beyond Good & Evil on Xbox too. Nothing like it that I can think of. I'll be wary of Siren but if I have the patience for Syberia I might be able to handle it.

The only question with the new Alone in the Dark is which version to get, the PC or 360 version? And then there is the very different Wii version made by Hydravision, and there's an updated version of the remake on the PS3 (which I may never own anyway) that's supposed to be superior. Meh, I'll just put it on the backburner, it'll still be there.

I rented the original Alone on PS1, I think, and I remember it being pretty scary, but didn't get very far. Now I have online FAQs.

RE4 had some nice scary parts but it was also really weird. It's that whole East/West gap. I got over it in the Silent Hill games though.

I played the DaVinci Code using a gamepad. It was the only way I could get through the action parts...and since this is not generally my cup of tea, I was a nervous wreck while playing this game. I will say, however, it was one of the best, most immersive games I have ever played. (Fortunately I found cheat codes to get me past the gun-toting Albino. Otherwise I was toast.) I still think about this game from time to time...story, characters, graphics, voice acting....all top-notch.

Another fun looking game! I can't believe I was able to overlook this entire genre (adventure) for so long. I guess it's because they get low ratings from the mainstream reviewers. I think the reviewers just aren't fans of the genre and that's where almost all of their animosity towards these games derives from.

So true. There was one reviewer over on Gamespot, I think it was, who really irked me by continually giving indie games like Scratches and Barrow Hill 2's and 3's out of ten, citing "traditional adventure game trappings" and whatnot. Which, hello, is what us genre fans are looking for! If you're that biased towards a particular genre, don't review it. The mainstream is so caught up with the next-gen in all its hi-def, bloom-lighted, pixel-shaded kill-kill-kill glory, that they forgot that some of us would like to think in our games, and still enjoy a good story. Nuthin' against them, mind, because I enjoy my consoles as much as the next gamer; just remember we're here! *shakes fist* Anyhow, I know this rant has been said a bajillion times before, so I'll stop. *climbs off soapbox*

Btw, this thread may interest y'all. He's conducting a study on why adventure games are "unpopular" today. I'm tempted to link the OP to this site.

I for one am glad to see you're hooked! It's just a shame you're so anti-mouse because, as you said, there are lots, lots more amazing titles available for the PC (and most are worth all that pointing and clicking).

That's an interesting thread! I've been looking at alternative mouse types for PC. They have one you control with your feet, another you control with your eyes, and one that gives you direct physical feedback! They are all expensive though.