Games That Reward Sticking With Them - an IFDB Poll

Here's a dangerously subjective poll. I can be a bit impatient with text adventures on most days, sadly, and if a game doesn't grab me, shake me, French-kiss me and hump my leg in the first 2,000 words (those long intros count toward the total) I generally shut the game down and walk away - too many other fish in the sea to linger. But I'm certain I've paid a quiet price for that: I bet there are a lot of games with so-so opening bits that, later on, blossom into something FANTASTIC ... what game does that description bring to mind, for your own tastes?

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	Shade, by Andrew Plotkin 6 votes "May seem like any..." [+]"May seem like any other "your apartment"-game (though better written en implemented)... but it isn't." --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Juhana... (No comment) [+](No comment) --perching path... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --tggdan3... (No comment) [+](No comment) --jahilia... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game

	Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin 3 votes "Keeps getting better with every scene" [+]"Keeps getting better with every scene" () --Divide... "Starts with a big..." [+]"Starts with a big guess-the-verb problem--at least that was my experience. Don't let that stop you." --Victor Gijsbers... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game

	Slouching Towards Bedlam, by Star Foster and Daniel Ravipinto 2 votes "It didn't..." [+]"It didn't really strike me very strongly at first, but as the plot unravels things get very good indeed." () --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) --Sobol... Vote for this game

	Bad Machine, by Dan Shiovitz 2 votes "At first it seems like nonsense" [+]"At first it seems like nonsense: but it is well worthy puzzling through if you can." --Newbot... (No comment) [+](No comment) () --Sobol... Vote for this game

	Savoir-Faire, by Emily Short 2 votes "The..." [+]"The learning-curve is initially a little steep, but once you get into it it's marvellous." () --Sam Kabo Ashwell... (No comment) [+](No comment) ( - Full review) --Lance Cirone... Vote for this game

	Changes, by David Given 1 vote "The first..." [+]"The first transformation puzzle may cause players to give up which is a shame since you never even get to see the first cutscene that reveals and intriguing and beautiful story." () --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game

	Crystal and Stone, Beetle and Bone, by Jenny Brennan 1 vote "At first I didn't have a clue what to do, but it just kept getting better and better." [+]"At first I didn't have a clue what to do, but it just kept getting better and better." () --Newbot... Vote for this game

	Infidel, by Michael Berlyn 1 vote "The opening..." [+]"The opening puzzles are tough and a bit unfair, but once you get into the pyramid, the game opens up a lot. (It's still very old-school, but infinitely more fun.)" ( - Full review) --Emily Short... Vote for this game

	Within a circle of water and sand, by Romain 1 vote "The intro has a..." [+]"The intro has a ton of text that may be overwhelming at first, but the gameplay is NOT as dense as it seems. After your first playthrough you can skip the lengthy intro. The game has a high replay value, but players may quit before they see this. It also has beautiful graphics that make it worthwhile." () --Kinetic Mouse Car... Vote for this game

	Chancellor, by Kevin Venzke 1 vote (No comment) [+](No comment) --Ikram... Vote for this game

	Christminster, by Gareth Rees 1 vote "This is a plotty..." [+]"This is a plotty and ambitious game with some cool set scenes. Unfortunately, the first puzzle more or less requires mindreading. Walkthrough that part, and the rest is better." --Emily Short... Vote for this game

	The Tiny House, by Dan Doyle III 1 vote "The game picks up..." [+]"The game picks up slowly. You start out trying to find out WHAT happened, then the bulk of the game is trying to correct it. More Zork or Sorcerer-esque. " ( - Full review) --tggdan3... Vote for this game

Is there another game that you think should be on this list? Just fill in the title of a game you'd like to vote for.

Poll created on November 24, 2009