tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post1394157303185705934..comments2024-03-29T02:34:55.592-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Elvira: Won! (with Final Rating)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85684594927172101902022-11-03T19:58:54.772-04:002022-11-03T19:58:54.772-04:00Thinking back to you talking about the SwordThrust...Thinking back to you talking about the SwordThrust modules costing $30 each, and seeing you can win at least one of them with five commands, dang. It has me reeling to think about how infuriating that would have been if you had somehow realized this from the get-go, and how you could laugh about paying $6 per move. That is even worse than GEnie's early 1990s rates for Island of Kesmai!Quarexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-7369107267533458312017-01-17T12:22:11.085-05:002017-01-17T12:22:11.085-05:00It wasn't much of an RPG, and I thought that E...It wasn't much of an RPG, and I thought that Elvira herself was a little unnecessary to the game. The sequel ended up being a much better tribute to ELvira herself, and the types of movies she hosted, although I still didn't like it for various reasons.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-75202948860378046972017-01-16T03:25:14.350-05:002017-01-16T03:25:14.350-05:00It seems to me that your issue was mostly that the...It seems to me that your issue was mostly that the game didn't really fit the category, not that the game itself wasn't good. But not being a true RPG it shouldn't have been awarded as such. Anyhow I'm quite satisfied with your summary of the game and I'm glad you enjoyed it somewhat even if it didn't rate so high.Mynorisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-66912219723274945052016-05-14T14:36:46.768-04:002016-05-14T14:36:46.768-04:00Hey, Elvira fans. Mr. Addict has given me permissi...Hey, Elvira fans. Mr. Addict has given me permission to let you know that Mike Woodroffe, founder of HorrorSoft and one of the designers of the Elvira series, has agreed to do a community interview over on "The Adventure Gamer" blog. <br /><br />If you would like to contribute a question, just leave a comment over here: http://advgamer.blogspot.com/2016/05/call-for-questions-for-mike-woodroffe.htmlJoe Pranevichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12997014242774219758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-82586620114174843932014-05-11T10:40:00.412-04:002014-05-11T10:40:00.412-04:00The "how many women were gamers" questio...The "how many women were gamers" question is the wrong way to approach the problem, I think. The real question to ask is "to what extent were women either made welcome or explicitly excluded" from CRPG audience consideration?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03023510621095565685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-81134751999396907952014-04-25T01:11:58.942-04:002014-04-25T01:11:58.942-04:00Whoa... my manhood just got compromised big time.Whoa... my manhood just got compromised big time.Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-12490735036719701412014-04-24T12:50:23.840-04:002014-04-24T12:50:23.840-04:00If it helps, I was a little girl playing adventure...If it helps, I was a little girl playing adventures and RPGs in 1990. I don't remember even hearing about this game and likely wouldn't have played it if I had seen it, because I would have assumed from Elvira's presence that it was going to be eyeroll-worthy sex jokes. (When I was a bit older, I would have played it HOPING that it would be eyeroll-worthy sex jokes, but that's another story.) <br /><br />Most games I played back then did require me to be a guy and it was so common it was basically invisible to me, although I was happy and excited when King's Quest 4 finally let me be a girl. From my understanding the adventure game genre always tilted more female than the RPG one did.Whinerhttp://whineaboutgames.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45553783720342859082014-01-18T18:33:55.353-05:002014-01-18T18:33:55.353-05:00Thanks for that note. I assumed it didn't beca...Thanks for that note. I assumed it didn't because it wasn't "runic." Now I'm wondering how the game translates the Latin.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26547298075318038592014-01-18T17:43:27.872-05:002014-01-18T17:43:27.872-05:00The Alphabet Soup spell also helps with the mural ...The Alphabet Soup spell also helps with the mural in the church, so no knowledge of Latin is needed on the player's part.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86762998301763600072014-01-16T07:48:06.811-05:002014-01-16T07:48:06.811-05:00"I'm not seriously trying to argue that g...<i>"I'm not seriously trying to argue that gaming in the 1980s and 1990s wasn't overwhelmingly oriented towards male players."</i><br /><br />I honestly don't see why this should even count as a problem. Has the bar on discrimination and oppression fallen so low that an entertainment product not catering equally to every conceivable audience is a human right violation? <i>Really?</i> There's tons of media out there that don't cater to my tastes, should I call the UN?<br /><br />Besides, whining about videogame portrayal of women in the case of Elvira is disingenuous to begin with, since the licensed television character of Elvira is Cassandra Peterson's own creation and Horrorsoft has taken no apparent liberties in transfering her to the silicon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54642959389214303172014-01-16T03:32:18.529-05:002014-01-16T03:32:18.529-05:00Precisely. How many of us guys here looks nothing ...Precisely. How many of us guys here looks nothing like Arnie but had played/watched a Conan movie/game?Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-70685302199923700692014-01-15T15:52:59.763-05:002014-01-15T15:52:59.763-05:00Dang it, Ragnar, now you've made me go look up...Dang it, Ragnar, now you've made me go look up speed runs of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, the game I most recently got into, I'm six characters in, all of them dead. Just found a run clocking in at 2 hrs 43 sec. Pretty damn good, I'd say. By the way, I'm not at all a speed runner or power player myself. I often find myself not finishing games (CRPGs) because I enjoy the developement of characters way too much. That said I did finish two of the games you listed. Morrowind several times. I think I might've bought that game maybe four times by now. I usually give it away when I tire of it for a while or it interferes with the rest of my life and such unimportant matters as work, school or social life. . <br /><br />Now it is once more installed, and modded up. Mara save me. mogimbohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10087093499583957343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22336688985930573102014-01-15T13:33:07.197-05:002014-01-15T13:33:07.197-05:00Also to be fair I think the assumption that women ...Also to be fair I think the assumption that women would dislike the game because of cleavage is also a silly assumption.UbAhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447678457902055799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-53771313858119805452014-01-15T13:31:57.793-05:002014-01-15T13:31:57.793-05:00Actually I was trying to say the assumption itself...Actually I was trying to say the assumption itself was problematic, but the discussion went into statistics. <br /><br />I was trying to summon the energy to reply and couldn't understand why I had lost care, but looking back I now blame statistics.UbAhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447678457902055799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62423730387680239682014-01-15T12:19:43.513-05:002014-01-15T12:19:43.513-05:00This has been an interesting thread. I would simpl...This has been an interesting thread. I would simply note that we're a bunch of men discussing our concerns that RPGs of the era are too geared towards men. We haven't heard from any female gamers about this.<br /><br />I think it's notable that the CGW reviewer who praised Elvira was a female (Leah something; I don't feel like downloading that file again) and said nothing about feeling "left out" by playing a male protagonist. Scorpia also gave it a good review a few months later. I've been reading Scorpia's reviews since I started this blog, and I've never seen her complain that she felt left out by the industry. In fact, in an interview on a female-oriented web site (probably not the best term, but I'm not sure exactly how to describe it), an interviewer asks several questions that invite her to speak about discrimination or sexism in gaming. She acknowledges that there are probably more male players than men, but doesn't offer any overt complaints as to the consequences of this.<br /><br />http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8555.asp<br /><br />I'm not seriously trying to argue that gaming in the 1980s and 1990s wasn't overwhelmingly oriented towards male players. My point is rather that we should probably hear from a woman before making any assumptions that any particular game is unappealing to female players just because the protagonist is male or the NPCs show a bit of cleavage.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-71560139675244841302014-01-15T08:58:27.885-05:002014-01-15T08:58:27.885-05:00It's great to hear that women were playing vid...It's great to hear that women were playing video games in the 80's and 90's, my daughter has picked up the habit as well as a few of her friends.<br /><br />In general though, even today when almost half of gamers are female, the RPG genre is still heavily tilted towards males. A large percentage of female gamers that have begun to play tend to be focused on the social aspects of gaming, not to mention the increased content of more non traditional games, I am thinking angry birds, farmville, and wii sports.<br /><br />I am not suggesting that the portrayal of women is a good thing, but lets be honest if we did find a study of the demographics of people who played PC (was this ported to any other device?) would anyone be surprised if it suggested any thing other than majority male players? Then factor in a RPG game to boot?<br /><br />To me this thread is about the assumption that in 1990 the majority (large majority) of players on a PC playing a RPG was male. Look at what we can, DnD players were mostly male. Computer club members, mostly male. Anything that I can think of that would be related suggests that in the early 90's, men were the dominate market.<br /><br />Now this game in itself makes a male lead a given in my mind. Elvira is/was about sex. She knows what she is doing and the perception people have about her. The game developers as well knew who their target demographic was.<br /><br />Why would they make a game for females as well? The cost of developing a 2nd set of dialogue options, screen shots, and other references would not be worth it.<br /><br />I love that women play video games and I think the realization that women find RPG's as a fun experience has helped make the genre as a whole a much better experience. But, lets be fair, despite the isolated stories, I think most everyone's experience is that men play PC games, RPG's in particular, more so in 1990 than women.<br /><br />Sorry for the roughness of this post, I know it's not written well.Bulldawghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08550157463200364704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-68066934129550133842014-01-15T07:45:00.705-05:002014-01-15T07:45:00.705-05:00Yep, she had two big ones.Yep, she had two big ones.UbAhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13447678457902055799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-87539816193666941442014-01-15T04:47:52.508-05:002014-01-15T04:47:52.508-05:00Actually the problem was that Data had no imaginat...Actually the problem was that Data had no imagination and was simply re-enacting the novels word by word and then told the computer to create a story based on the books which he solved as easily.<br />So he went on further and told the computer to create an adversary worthy of him based on the books.<br />The result was a completely independent AI entity of Dr Moriarty that promptly took over the ships computer by fooling Captain Picard to give his mainframe access codes while still inside a holodeck simulation. <br />Moriarty had also kidnapped Troi as a hostage in an attempt to demand to be able to walk freely without being confined to a holo deck (because he was a simulation after all).<br /><br />I liked the episode and we even met Dr. Moriarty again on later seasons.Petri R.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63578684029425018672014-01-14T22:23:36.170-05:002014-01-14T22:23:36.170-05:00There was an Elvira TWO?
Who knew Elvira had two ...There was an Elvira TWO?<br /><br />Who knew Elvira had two of the Biggest Hits in gaming?Odkinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-51210785105079240122014-01-14T20:41:30.644-05:002014-01-14T20:41:30.644-05:00Data's problem was that he'd read all of t...Data's problem was that he'd read all of the Holmes stories, so even "new" mysteries couldn't baffle him because there are only so many ways to present the same basic elements. Even in adventure games with insane puzzles, you're ultimately playing against the imagination and creativity of the creators, so genre savvy counts for a lot.Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08098875250377735658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-25555768964773027372014-01-14T20:02:58.822-05:002014-01-14T20:02:58.822-05:00I can't believe the words "bones" an...I can't believe the words "bones" and "tools" could appear in the same place and nobody had the urge to make one double-entendre?Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-77443625997833624472014-01-14T20:01:07.327-05:002014-01-14T20:01:07.327-05:00Well, Japanese Ministers of Education had been doi...Well, Japanese Ministers of Education had been doing it for years ever since WW2. Not to mention DPRK. UbAh might be Japanese... or North Korean! I mean, just look at his avatar!Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22240101221678073252014-01-14T19:58:09.660-05:002014-01-14T19:58:09.660-05:00Herp derp derp derp...Herp derp derp derp...Kenny McCormickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553499727945099493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-496936975573072372014-01-14T19:53:19.285-05:002014-01-14T19:53:19.285-05:00@Chet - Yeah, the episode is called "Elementa...@Chet - Yeah, the episode is called "Elementary, Dear Data" :)Giuseppenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-21450019487157312032014-01-14T18:07:15.341-05:002014-01-14T18:07:15.341-05:00I'm from an adventure game background and I kn...I'm from an adventure game background and I know a lot of people online that were/are into adventure games, many of them female, of my age or older (I am 30) that have played the Elvira games. So, although I do not have hard stats, empyrically, there were women, and a lot of them, that played rpgs and adventure games at the time. And of course, there's Scorpia.<br /><br />So although they seem invisible, we shouldn't give a free pass to Horrorsoft (or any other develper) for assuming maleness in a game about *playing a role*. <br /><br />Of course Elvira was mostly an adventure game with some remnants of d&d or whatever, but evenso, I do not see why it's alright to handwave it away.Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584102280299430293noreply@blogger.com