Leisure Suit Larry 5 (Commentary Thread)

[Tawmis]

Finished Leisure Suit Larry 5, which, just reminded me how it's the worse of the entire series.

Hands down. Easily.

Not only isn't there much to "figure out" - it just feels like an interactive sequence where you're clicking things to move it along rather than puzzles in the game.

There's a "few" puzzles; but I only got "stuck" once; and that's because I forgot to - for the first time - click on the signs at a specific airport.

And the end?

The end is absolutely horrible. Everything you did was pointless. Everything. From the recordings to the gathering evidence.

I'd actually forgotten about that; so there was a few times with Larry where it began the sequence and I didn't set the camcorder to record and restored to do it again. Had I remembered, I wouldn't have made the effort to record the three women. Or go through the trouble of gathering evidence as Patti (especially the record part, because I remembered you had to play the record several different ways to get all the clues).

Over all, extremely disappointing.

Converting for the non commentary right now. So I will upload that when it's done.

Then will splice together my thoughts (I typically record my thoughts while playing, and splice them into the afterwards of when I am watching the video and sharing thoughts).

I will try to be more upbeat during the commentary version.

Try.

EDIT - Commentary video added to thread.

[Tawmis]

5 hour and some change non commentary play... naturally going to speed up the commentary version...

[Rath Darkblade]

I only finished this once. I tried playing it again, but it didn't feel like fun. You certainly have more stamina and fortitude than I, Tawm!

[Tawmis]

I only finished this once. I tried playing it again, but it didn't feel like fun. You certainly have more stamina and fortitude than I, Tawm!

There was something definitely missing in this game.
There was no... humor. It missed the mark of the other games. It felt like it tried too hard.
And it may be that Ken may have forced/pressured Al to make a new game for LSL, and Al just wasn't into it.
I am not sure... but yeah. This game was actually not all that fun.

I am, however, wondering, if I missed stuff - (like a Laura Bow thing?) - where I didn't gather enough (all?) the evidence to get the "conviction" ending - or - if it's really a "nothing you did at all in this game ever mattered" type ending.

[Qbix]

I think BBP made a script for this game ? Maybe something can be deduced from that ?

[BBP]

What I noticed from the LSL5 script that struck me:
-There were possibilities to mess up several scenes, such as the studio scene as Patti with Reverse Biaz. I recall getting through the dentist scene with Chi Chi by not talking at all but apparently you can also mess up Michelle Milken (NYC café)

-There is a lot of dialogue for combining inventory items - unfortunately there is very little dialogue during gameplay, you know, all that "that feels exactly like the plant" stuff you get all the time.

But it's true, there's little more to it than you already get during gameplay.

[Tawmis]

Well the reason I ask - as you said, BBP - there's a few way to get through some stuff.
Like with Reverse Biaz, I did originally got by it by just talking to him over and over; they end up having sex; but then he records the sex and turns it into a song.
I restored because I realized I still had the champagne and was near the end for Patti; and thought to give it to him and see what happens - and indeed, you can get by him this way too (which was the route I kept).
But after I played, and feeling so disappointed (every woman who has been with Larry knows what I mean!), I went over the walkthroughs... and found some things I "missed" and wasn't sure if any of that even mattered.

[Tawmis]

Commentary version now available... I tried really hard to be more upbeat... not sure it worked.

[Qbix]

Thank you Tawmis!

[Rath Darkblade]

Thanks, Tawmis.

By the way, is it me, or ... does this game suffer from a whole lot of contrived situations (even by LSL standards)? For instance:

1. Larry suffers from amnesia and forgets he was ever with Patti, after meeting her in LSL2 and hooking up with her in LSL3. (Doesn't make sense). Yet on the plane, Larry dreams of Patti playing at the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal etc... (Doesn't make even more sense).

2. Larry's job is now to videotape someone without their knowledge. Isn't that a little ... illegal? And creepy (even by Larry's standards)?

3. Patti's dream about "Willi" sounds to me like a reference to Bill Gates (original names William Henry Gates).

4. Is the "SHILL" building a reference to the Shell Company?

And, finally ...

5. Is it even possible for Larry to die in this game?

And yes, you're right. The graphics in this game are an advancement on the first three LSL games (even if they are highly exaggerated), but gameplay wise, there's very little here to recommend it. Thankfully, LSL6 is much better - and you're right, there are many, many more puzzles (plus ways for Larry to die).

Thanks again!

[goatmeal]

1. Larry suffers from amnesia and forgets he was ever with Patti, after meeting her in LSL2 and hooking up with her in LSL3. (Doesn't make sense). Yet on the plane, Larry dreams of Patti playing at the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal etc... (Doesn't make even more sense).

Tawmis would be able to explain better, but isn't the whole amnesia bit a plausible 'in-game' explanation about the whole "LSL4: The Missing Floppies" situation (i.e., the game that never happened)?

And since she always appears in a dream, it's likely Larry's subconscious is trying desperately to remember her.

4. Is the "SHILL" building a reference to the Shell Company?

No, it's a reference to the "Brill Building"; from the Wikipedia page:

"The Brill Building (built 1931 as the Alan E. Lefcourt Building and designed by Victor Bark Jr.[1][2]) is an office building located at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. It is famous for housing music industry offices and studios where some of the most popular American songs were written. It is considered to have been the center of the American music industry that dominated the pop charts in the early 1960s.[3]"

[Tawmis]

By the way, is it me, or ... does this game suffer from a whole lot of contrived situations (even by LSL standards)?

Much of this game seems to suffer from... just about everything.

1. Larry suffers from amnesia and forgets he was ever with Patti, after meeting her in LSL2 and hooking up with her in LSL3. (Doesn't make sense). Yet on the plane, Larry dreams of Patti playing at the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal etc... (Doesn't make even more sense).

As Goatmeal said; this is clearly a reference to having no idea what happened in LSL4, and that Larry's mind, much like the disks - was wiped clean. But a piece of his mind still had those memories of Patti (so when he would dream, it'd be of her). Larry does, throughout the game (namely near the start, and then seems to forget it) - about, "What am I doing here?" Type thing; so even Larry seems to be aware of his amnesia.

2. Larry's job is now to videotape someone without their knowledge. Isn't that a little ... illegal? And creepy (even by Larry's standards)?

It's creepy (and in some areas, illegal; but you have to consider, if you video tape your kids in a park - there's all those people in the background you're also videotaping without their consent).
The video taping of women didn't bother me so much; seemed to be right up Larry's alley. He's certainly done worse (like stole candy from a hooker)

3. Patti's dream about "Willi" sounds to me like a reference to Bill Gates (original names William Henry Gates).

Good call on the Bill Gates.

4. Is the "SHILL" building a reference to the Shell Company?

Goatmeal answered; and taught me something I never knew. I never caught what the reference to the SHILL building was. Nice bit, Goatmeal! Thank you!
(Who knew for a game I disliked as much as I did playing it this time around that I could still somehow learn something!)

5. Is it even possible for Larry to die in this game?

No. Or not that I ever found.

And yes, you're right. The graphics in this game are an advancement on the first three LSL games (even if they are highly exaggerated), but gameplay wise, there's very little here to recommend it. Thankfully, LSL6 is much better - and you're right, there are many, many more puzzles (plus ways for Larry to die).
Thanks again!

Thank you for watching it!

[Datadog]

The last time I revisited LSL5, it was a very uncomfortable ride. Compared to the other games, it's more gross than it is funny.

I restored because I realized I still had the champagne and was near the end for Patti; and thought to give it to him and see what happens - and indeed, you can get by him this way too (which was the route I kept).

That might be one thing I liked about the game. With Patti, you get extra points for outsmarting the men rather than seducing them. Feels like a throwback to King's Quest 1, where you get extra points for not killing the dragon.

[Tawmis]

The last time I revisited LSL5, it was a very uncomfortable ride.

There is one place in particular... when Patti gets the black ink toner all over her - goes down to the recording area - and it literally says (as you see Black/African American Rappers), "Great! With the toner ink on you, you fit down here!"

That's... uncomfortable. At best, these days.

I get, perhaps back in the 80s/early 90s, "black face" wasn't "as offensive" (I use that term loosely; but it was, at least being used in movies and such; not that it excuses it, but whatever)... but today, that was certainly a cringe worthy moment above all the rest.

[Rath Darkblade]

Yeah. I almost forgot that moment, until I saw it again. Well, that's what this is for ...



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