IF kicked my butt

Maybe it was because I spent last Wednesday and Friday reading and listening about the primitive beginnings of Interactive Fiction (IF), or maybe it was just because I thought a game with only words couldn't possibly outsmart me...but for whatever reason I though these IF games were going to be a breeze.  They weren't. 

The first game I tried, Lost Pig, was one of my favorites.  I found it an easy and appropriate introduction, but that still didn't mean I caught that damn pig.  I did earn one point though, which is more than I can say for the other games!

Next, going in order as they were listed on the Top 5 Introductory IF Games article, I tried Ecdysis.  This game was easier to maneuver mainly because it limited your options; you had neat and tidy little links to click on that took some of the endless options away from you.  However, this positive aspect was counteracted by the gross-ness of this game.  I didn't get all that far in the game and had no desire what so ever to return after crossing the first line of real plot, which read:

"The center of the meteorite, the hive nest. Tz'ikk'k lies dead on the ground, defeated moments ago by your powerful jaws to claim mating rights for Sh'usggg'ul, who crouches over the male drone now, devouring his brain. His larvae have slithered further down the tunnel, but you must not allow them to escape or they will surely return for their revenge."

Ew.

Moving on, I tried Tales of the Traveling Swordsman.  This is the one I probably like then best and its the one I used the most of my secondary hour of game playing on.  I liked it because it was familiar.  It reminded me of the Final Fantasy games that used to be on Nintendo and Super Nintendo way back when, and continued on into whatever game consoles came after that (okay, I admit it, when I was about 6 years old I loved to watch my older brother play video games.  I was a weird kid.).  I'm not at all sure, but I'd make a guess that the original adventure IF games like this one influenced the style and scenery in the first graphic Final Fantasy games and those like it.

Next I took a try at Galatea.  This one kind of broke the pattern of the first three in that it was more of a conversation than an action/adventure kind of thing.  You had to think about what you were going to ask and tell rather than see and do.  But, in this way it was also a good introduction on how to interact and form dialogue when playing IF games.  However, I didn't fare too well because I couldn't think of what to ask or tell.  Actually, I think I was trying a little too hard; I was trying to think of really sophisticated and long-winded questions rather than one word/one idea questions.

Finally, I played Photopia.  After reading its introductions and reviews, especially the one that made one player cry, I was shocked by the game's beginning (with two drunken guys seeking some female companionship...) Then, Flash, I'm on Mars.  Wait...What?  Here I was a little frustrated because the only command I could get to work was "E" (which I though meant "explore" or "examine") and then I couldn't get back to my spaceship.  Ugh. I guess this is why I watched the games when I was younger and didn't play them.

What IF?