With all the bells and whistles of the xbox 360 and ps2, some of my favorite games of all time are the classic point and click adventure games of my childhood. They didn't require high-end graphics cards or much hand-eye coordination for that matter. All you needed was a sharp mind and a good sense of humor. The list is sure to generate many complaints, but in my eyes, it just doesn't get any better than these.
5. Leisure Suit Larry
Now admittedly, these games sort of suck when I look back on them. But you know what, when I was 8 years old, I didn't care. I was running around picking up hookers, and I thought it was hilarious. I didn't know what the hell a prophylactic was, and I thought Spanish fly was some sort of aspirin. In retrospect, this game was probably something a young kid should have been playing, but hey, look how good I turned out.... For better or worse, who knows, but for that reason alone, it makes the list.
4. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
When I was a kid, I respected Indiana Jones more than Jesus. If Harrison Ford came up to me and told me to to punch a myself in the face, I would have no choice but to pummel myself. This game was my first experience with an Indy game, and boy was it a good one. This was the first point and click game I can remember that successfully incorporated fast-paced action. It
also had a rockin' midi version of the Indy theme song.
3. Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist
Sierra made a bunch of point and click games, all of which I owned. While they were all really good, this one just stands out to me. In fact, in all my years of gaming, Freddy Pharkas remains one of the greatest video game premises ever. You are a pharmacist. In the Old West. Hilarity ensues from that point on.
2. Day of the Tentacle
I must admit, I didn't play this one until years after its original release. For whatever reason, I just missed the boat on it. Once I did play it though, I realized what I was missing out on. A lot of the stuff that you can do in this game was ahead of its time. You could control multiple characters in multiple times, and it was a real challenge. Add to that the fact that the game was really funny, and you have a great game through and through. Plus, you have to love a game who has a main character named Hoagie.
1. Monkey Island
I don't even hesitate to choose this as my number one point and click game. The Monkey Island games simply had it all. It had killer music, a hilarious storyline, and a fairly decent challenge. Now, many of the games on this list have all those things, but none of them encompass them all so well. I still get a kick out of the sword fighting mechanic in the first game. How can you beat battling pirates by insulting them? Simple answer is that you can't. For anyone out there who hasn't played the Monkey Island games, go and get one right now. I promise you won't be disappointed. Plus, the word on the street is that a new MI game may be in the works. Keep your fingers crossed that we see Guybrush Threepwood again soon.
Honorable Mentions
Gabriel Knight Series
Sam and Max Hit the Road
Roger Wilco
Full Throttle