Why is it that consoles are often brimming with top-quality action, adventure, and platforming games while computers are almost devoid of them?

Because consoles are more loose and don't have the issues like the PC does (Example, high-quality hardware in order to play a game).

Fun fact: the best adventure games are for the PC

I never liked the categorization of games into "adventure." Pretty much any game that involves moving from one place to another could be considered an adventure. Is HL2 a shooter or an adventure? I say both.

Action is even better. Is there a game that doesn't require the player to act?

Why is it that consoles are often brimming with top-quality action, adventure, and platforming games while computers are almost devoid of them?
If by platform you mean those 2D platform jumping games, those things are garbage.

Platforming is out of date. Platforming in an FPS is horrible (yeah, they still try it, example Call of Juarez has some platforming, not too bad of a game if you find it cheap though).

...garbage...out of date...

tsssssk

I love the Sam & Max adventure games (on the PC) as well as the classic LucasArts adventure games (also on the PC). I'm starting to think that adventure games means something totally different to me than to Swein.

Well, () considers Metroid, Zelda, ICO, Okami, and other games to be adventure games.

Adventure games typically encompass stuff like Myst, 11th Hour, and a variety of other boring games wherein the player goes around some locations, gathering items, to return to his original location to make use of some items to get more items and some such.

EDIT: This is a parody of an adventure game. Warning: naughty language.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/2/13/

Well, () considers Metroid, Zelda, ICO, Okami, and other games to be adventure games.
That's probably more a convenient way of organizing the website than a sceintific classification. Also, different people have different definitions. I've seen "Adventure" used to describe both Zelda-like games and Myst-like.

Why is it that consoles are often brimming with top-quality action, adventure, and platforming games while computers are almost devoid of them?
Because nobody cares about PC games anymore? Consoles are just where the industry is focued right now. Someday the PC may have another golden age like the mid-to-late nineties, but in the meantime every genre (except maybe strategy and first-person shooters) will see most titles released for consoles.

People do care about the PC, PC gaming isn't going anywhere, but that's not for this thread.

"Adventure" is really a rather loose definition, Metriod is an action-adventure since while there is a story it's still a linear shooter.

A lot of classic adventure games such as Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy started on the console and never really left. It seems to me it's also easier to make a very linear 5-10 hour game then something massive like Mass Effect, The Witcher, KotOR or Morrowind.

As well, memory was a huge concern when creating console games, there wasn't a lot of it until recent years.

People do care about the PC, PC gaming isn't going anywhere,
Yes, obviously. The fact that this very website is so popular attests to that. However, the question of this thread is why "action, adventure, and platforming games" are more common on consoles than PCs, and I think a major part of why that's so is that consoles are simply the more popular platform right now. It's not the only reason, but it's a big one.

Why is it that consoles are often brimming with top-quality action, adventure, and platforming games while computers are almost devoid of them?

Because adventure games went out the door around 2000.

Yeah, it just seems like strategy and shooters dominate the PC but haven't gained nearly as much ground on the consoles. But they're doing better.

However, the best-selling FPS was on the Nintendo 64. And strategy games are getting better on consoles; they've been tops on handhelds for a while (Advance Wars and Fire Emblem, anyone?) and now they're gaining some ground on consoles (Pikmin, Disgaea).

Actually, Half-Life and Goldeneye 007 have sold around the same number of units. ~8,000,000 and Half-Life is still selling where as Goldeneye007 probably is mostly reselling used copies.

Well, according to the Guiness World Book of Records 2008: Gamer's Edition: GoldenEye 007 and Halo 2 are the best-selling FPSs, in that order.

Well, according to the Guiness World Book of Records 2008: Gamer's Edition: GoldenEye 007 and Halo 2 are the best-selling FPSs, in that order.

Finally, a relevant statistic from swein.

Actually, Half-Life and Goldeneye 007 have sold around the same number of units. ~8,000,000 and Half-Life is still selling where as Goldeneye007 probably is mostly reselling used copies.

There is also the fact that that figure probably doesn't take into account the number of copies of Half-life sold on steam.

There is also the fact that that figure probably doesn't take into account the number of copies of Half-life sold on steam.

Yeesh, how could I forget! Thats how I got mine!! :crazyeye:

[QUOTE=PrinceScamp;6833594]"Adventure" is really a rather loose definition, Metriod is an action-adventure since while there is a story it's still a linear shooter.

A lot of classic adventure games such as Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy started on the console and never really left. It seems to me it's also easier to make a very linear 5-10 hour game then something massive like Mass Effect, The Witcher, KotOR or Morrowind./QUOTE]
I think we need to get away from categorizing and get to tagging. :)

Well, how easy do you think it was to make Jade Empire (some people criticized for being a little too short at 20 hours)?

Making a commercial game is not easy. It's a lot of work (even for a short game).

Look at the credits:

http://www.mobygames.com/game/xbox/jade-empire/credits

These good people put in many long days (and nights) getting this game out the door.