Adventure Gaming - rumors of its death are greatly exaggerated and The Adventure Company is here to prove it with some truly inspired games on display at this year’s show. Admittedly, there was only a handful of new titles to tempt and tease us but it was plain to see that quality and not quantity was the focus for 2004.

AURA - Fate of the Ages (PC)

In unique worlds of dreams and reality, magical, mechanical and ethereal lands, take on the quest to find the artifacts cleverly concealed throughout the lands. Four parallel worlds await you on your journey: The Ademika Valley, The Mechanical World, The Isoteric World, and lastly, the Island of Unity, each with different environments to explore, challenges to encounter and a variety of indigenous puzzles to solve.

What many will initially dismiss as "just another Myst clone" is likely to surprise critics and adventure game veterans. "Breathtaking" is the only word that could possibly come to mind while I watched the demo for this artistic and visionary new title headed to the PC this June. The puzzles are smart and integrated into the environments and the story so you simply aren't solving puzzles for the sake of solving puzzles.

Features:

• First-person puzzle exploration game
• An original fantasy-based mass appeal, unique and original storyline.
• Mouse driven, with an intuitive point-and-click interface
• Unbelievably realistic and beautiful pre-rendered graphics and environments
• Original orchestral musical score and immersive ambient soundtrack
• Inventive and original puzzles

IMAGES

DARK FALL 2: Lights Out (PC)

A young cartographer, Parker, is sent to the Cornish harbour town of Trewarthan, where he is to map the lethal rocks that have claimed lives through the centuries. A thick fog rolls in from the English Channel as the faithful light of Fetch Rock Lighthouse is plunged into darkness, putting the lives of those at sea in peril. Parker may be their only hope. Armed with his compass, charts and wits he sets off to uncover the mystery. Along the way he discovers that Fetch Rock and its lighthouse have a very sinister history…

Is time running out? Or does it have an agenda of its own...

Features:

• The sequel to the popular and critically acclaimed Dark Fall: The Journal
• More than 50 realistic locations to uncover and explore
• Spectral activity to observe and interact with
• A virtual cast of actors with voice acting by the original Dark Fall cast (the Dark Fall Players)
• Atmospheric sound effects and original music
• Explore the lighthouse in three different historical time settings

IMAGES

Atlantis: Evolutions (PC)
Also on display was the the long-awaited next installment of the legendary Atlantis series. Based on the Cryo adventure games from the 90's, Atlantis Evolutions is the first episode in a new Atlantis series, taking the adventurer back to 1904 for an exotic journey through five unique destinations, each with their own culture, mysteries, and puzzles.

The demo for this game was pretty "raw" and consisted of only a few interactive areas. Evolutions features the same 3D panning and mouse interaction of the original series. Several members from the original Atlantis team are working on this newest installment so you can be sure this game will be true to the franchise when it ships later this year.

IMAGES

Missing (PC)
While "Missing" didn't get nominated for any official awards I did give it my personal award for "Most Innovative Game" of the show. As I stood there for my demo I had to pick my jaw up off the floor at least twice, and I even came back to listen to the designer give his speech a second time just to be clear on what I was hearing.

Missing is a game like no other - I hate to even call it a game. The designers have put a great deal of research into this title, which is based on a factual account of a murder-mystery.

Journalist, Jack Lorski, and his companion disappear while investigating a string of gruesome murders. Soon after their disappearance, Jack’s agency receives a disturbing CD-ROM containing footage he captured during his investigation. More than just a CD, this disc is in-fact the beginning of a terrifying game with a maniacal killer known only as “The Phoenix.”

You are the investigator who gets their hands on this CD and what follows is a journey unlike anything you have ever experienced. Using an innovative blend of Windows and your web browser you will researchy clues on the web, visiting both real and fictitious sites created for this game. You will also interact with several virtual characters, sending and receiving email to obtain even more clues.

Prepare to experience a genre-defining game when Missing arrives on the PC later this year.

IMAGES