Thoughts on classic Sierra games

[Nameless]

Originally Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:22 pm

Well, I'm finally playing some of them. Played, rather, given the first Leisure Suit Larry only took my around four hours to complete (with 203/222 points). Downloaded it from an abandonware website. It's not really abandoned, but I'm too lazy/cheap to see if I can actually buy any of the old games.

Spoilers, if there's anybody else who hasn't played them.

Leisure Suit Larry 1
It was ... moderately fun. Moving Larry around was kind of annoying compared to just typing in 'east' and the like, especially when everything else was just text entry. (Although, it was pretty fun to be run flat by a car about a second after I first started playing.) The humour was good, but not the best thing ever. The 'puzzles' were too easy for my liking. Save-scumming the casino for money was boring and required, never a good combination. The ending to the game was kind of stupid. ("... And then Larry find some random woman willing to have sex with him for no obvious reason, the end.")

Still, I'll probably play the second one at some point. Next, I think I'll try out Quest for Glory ...

[Tawmis]

LSL2 is moderately harder than LSL1. You have to keep in mind when LSL1 came out - it was pushing graphics and everything! So it's is simple. But LSL2 is a little harder. LSL3 a little harder still. Then LSL5, 6 and 7 all had the same level of difficulty for me (which was a hair above LSL3).

[Almirena]

Yes, try Quest for Glory next! And when you do, remember you really need to step into the fairy ring at night, or else you'll never get fit.

<very wicked grin>

[Nameless]

And when you do, remember you really need to step into the fairy ring at night, or else you'll never get fit.

Too late ... I already did that.

[Almirena]

I'll come up with something else... <goes off to plot>

[Collector]

I'll come up with something else... <goes off to plot>

[helps Al to plot] err... let me see... Oh! I know, QfG1VGA does NOT work in DOSBox, yeah, yeah, that's the ticket. DON'T use DOSBox for Yorick's room! Yeah, that will fix him...

[Almirena]

Remember that BEARS ARE EVIL. If you see a bear, you MUST kill it.

Foxes, too, are dreadful and horrible creatures. If by chance you come across a fox in QfG, destroy it and free the land of the ghastly influence of the disease-ridden fox.

[Collector]

And centaurs. Let no centaurs live.

[Nameless]

Hmm, I haven't actually seen a bear yet, but I'll make note to give it a flower or something.

[ThePudd]

Just as long as it's a smelly yellow flower.


...Oh wait, wrong game.

[Collector]

No! No! No! You mean disappearing ink!

Oops, dang! Wrong game again.

[Collector]

Quest For Glory 1
Overall, it was average. I played the VGA remake, and it was presented well and easy to play. It was fun (particularly getting through the bandit's fortress), but there were two major factors limiting this:
1) The fundamental problem with combining adventure games with RPGs is that you're often left wondering if you've missed something important, or if you're just expected to keep dully training a skill in order to get anywhere. (In the case of the spitting plant things, the 'solution' was to hurl rocks for over ten minutes before hitting the damn thing ...) When training the skill isn't even interesting, this really detracts from the fun.
2) Maybe I'm just spoiled from playing roguelikes, but no aspects of the game really had any depth to them. The fighting was simplistic, the plot and explorable area minimal, and the puzzles laughable. Actually, on that note, maybe one more thing:
3) The frequent uninspired, unhilarious, unevengroanworthy puns. Some moments were rather funny. "Oak-ey"? was not.

Anyway, I finished with 459/500 points. Currently undecided whether I'll play any of the sequels or not. But next up: Space Quest.

[ThePudd]

I liked Space Quest quite a bit.
In my opinion, the best ones are 4 and 5, and 6 was a big disappointment.

[Almirena]

Nameless, clearly you missed a LOT in the game.

To find out what you didn't do, and to discover the puns you didn't find in the game, read my walkthrough.

[Nameless]

Space Quest 1
Very fun. here was much ensuing of hilarity. The storyline and puzzles made sense. The random arcade sequence was ... wait, what? Skipped. However, there were two problems with the game, and I sense these being somewhat reoccurring: It was too easy and too short. Also, the enforced reliance on random elements in a game (eg. GAMBLING) is not fun, ever. Thank you Space Quest, for unamusingly wasting half an hour of my time in order to progress. Otherwise, great fun to play even if you didn't have to think too much.

Next up: I have to 'flip' together chicken burgers for half the day. >_< After that, I'm thinking the more serious Gabriel Knight.