Best Leisure Suit Larry Cover...

[Tawmis]

... and why do you agree it's LSL2?

[Collector]

Missed a few

[Tawmis]

Yeah the collection ones, I didn't grab.

I also didn't grab the Laffer Utilities, because I was just grabbing variations of 1-7.

[Collector]

Yeah the collection ones, I didn't grab.

Well you did include Larry's Hits and Misses, which is essentially the Larry variant of the Collector's Edition, so I thought you meant to include the collections.

[Tawmis]

Yeah the collection ones, I didn't grab.

Well you did include Larry's Hits and Misses, which is essentially the Larry variant of the Collector's Edition, so I thought you meant to include the collections.

Hah! I had not intended to post that (Hits and Misses)

That's on me. lol

[Rath Darkblade]

... and why do you agree it's LSL2?

I don't agree it's LSL2.

Oh, wait. *looks at Tawm's furious face; ducks Tawm's Viking axe, jumps over Tawm's pirate sabre*

I absolutely agreeeeeee!!! *nodnodnodnod*
===========================
But let's look at this analytically, and in order of the covers. Obviously, a cover should tell you what the game's about.

- LSL1 is very "retro", and I have a feeling this was definitely done on purpose. We have lots of things that are in the game; Larry in his leisure suit, the taxi, dollar bills, playing cards, Eve, and ... some weird line connecting Larry's shoe with a wedding cake decoration. (That last one definitely isn't in the game, or the game would be a lot shorter).

- LSL7 has Larry jetsurfing behind the HMS Al Lowe, drink in hand, with one of the "boat babes" threatening to cut his line and jettison him to the shark. Simple, very "late 90s" feel. It doesn't happen in the game, but it definitely gives you an idea of what the game's about.

- LSL3 has Larry doing an improbable Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation, with Passionate Patti (I presume?) lifting an eyebrow at him. Release year: 1989... and it looks like it. The design looks very much like those silly "beach TV shows", like "Knight Rider" and "Baywatch", etc. It never happens in the game, but it's a good cover. (Plus, Larry looks like he's trying to give Patti "bunny ears", but doesn't quite get it, so it creates "Leisure Suit Larry 3").

- The LSL6 box actually the first one I had money to buy. Larry is obviously having fun, surrounded by the C&W singer, the bungee-jump addict, the mud-bathing beauty, and woman who needs a dress (nope, no spoilers here). The words "Steam Room" at the bottom are obscured by steam. This was released in 1993, and looks it.

- Another (more up-to-date) LSL1 box, this is the one I'm actually more familiar with. We see Larry (with an improbably large head and nose, as always), peeping at a woman from the back of a taxi and giving an "OK!" sign (I think?). We can also see (slightly obscured) the marriage shack on one side, and -- is that Lefty's? -- on another. It does the job and definitely shows what the game's about. (Incidentally, is that the hooker that Larry is looking at? It seems as good a guess as any). *shrug*

- Now, LSL2 ... *gives Tawm's Viking axe an apprehensive glance* ... is slightly odd. It's 1988, so the "jungle" and "surfing" themes are very "in". But Larry is wearing a Hawaiian shirt and surfing into the Nude Beach, which definitely doesn't happen in the game. The fonts are well-used, as usual. It's a good cover (and the bird's expression is hilarious), but Larry's head is -- if anything -- even more grotesquely outsized than usual.

*looks at Tawm's expression*

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Larry's head. At all. Honest!

- Next, it's LSL5. Going clockwise, we see the head of the main villain, Passionate Patti (in femme fatale pose), Larry with his camcorder, Larry being drowned in mud-wrasslin', and Larry trying to skate after girls (who are running away). It's a good cover, in that it shows us some of what happens in the game while, at the same time, showing us nothing much.

- Yep, another LSL6 box. Here we see Larry indulging in another extra-curricular activity at La Costa Lotta, while his drink (and a slice of lime) go tumbling, and the bungee-jumping addict threatens to cut his cord. (I think we saw a similar thing on the box of LSL7). It does the job, sure, but it's mostly the same as the other LSL6 cover; it does the job while telling us absolutely nothing.

- Finally, it's the "Greatest Hits and Misses" box. Here we see Larry trying to hit on someone (presumably a "babe"), while a tiny miniature Larry-Cupid fires his arrows ... and constantly misses. It's serviceable. It's nothing very specific, but it shows Larry's *ahem* less-than-stellar record.

(Just digressing: another way to present this would be to surround Larry with women with facial expressions ranging on the theme of "frown" and/or "disgust" as they walk away. All of them unmarried. Get it? Misses? Ah, suit yourselves).

Now then. How do we sum up?

One constant throughout the boxes is the fact that Larry's head is abnormally huge (except in original LSL1, revised LSL1, LSL5, LSL7, and "Greatest Hits and Misses"). This is especially noticeable in LSL2. (Aside: Larry, please stop snorting and laughing at the word "head"). *taps foot sternly*

On reflection, I suppose that since LSL2's plot is so odd (turning Larry into a kind of James Bond?), the illustration is ... fitting. If they really wanted to push the Bond angle, they could've put him in a tuxedo and asking for a martini (he has one on the cover of "Greatest Hits and Misses"). Or maybe he could even have been surfing in a tuxedo with a martini. Or would that give the game away?

Now, I'd better get away before I saw anything bad about LSL2.

*Rath runs away, being chased by Tawm, who has his Sith robe and lightsaber, and yelling "Tawm CHOP!"*

[notbobsmith]

I can't say I have very strong feelings about any of them. They are mostly variations on a theme. The original LSL is just a collage of things, which I don't particularly like. But I think I'll give this to LSL2. Mainly because I really like the seagull with the bikini top and wistful expression.

[Rath Darkblade]

I'm not sure if the seagull is wistful. To me, it looks like it's rolling its eyes. But never mind.

By the way, a question: in the LSL6 cover (where Larry is bungee-jumping) and the LSL7 cover, Larry is holding two very similar-looking (or even the same) drinks. Does anyone know what they are? I don't drink alcohol (much), so I'm just wondering.

(Given how relatively tame the Larry games are, compared to what the parent groups' reaction to them was (a la "GAHHH!!! BURN THE HERETICS! YOU RUINED MY CHILD!" etc.), the drinks are probably nothing more than Coca-Cola and lime?)

And that brings up another question: does anyone else think that the parent groups wildly overreacted to the LSL games?

[goatmeal]

I have a soft spot in my heart for LSL3, but that's because it was the first Sierra game I bought with my own money (we didn't get an IBM-clone until I was in college)...

[notbobsmith]

By the way, a question: in the LSL6 cover (where Larry is bungee-jumping) and the LSL7 cover, Larry is holding two very similar-looking (or even the same) drinks. Does anyone know what they are? I don't drink alcohol (much), so I'm just wondering.

Not much to go on. Tan drinks with a lime slice as a garnish. Probably not whisky based. But then, for all we know, they're just iced tea.

One seems to use both lime and a cherry as a garnish which would be odd.

[Rath Darkblade]

Hmm ... from a quick google search, I found two possibilities:

1. Dark 'N' Stormy Cocktail. Ingredients: Spicy ginger beer, spiced rum, lime, ice. (link: https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/dark-n-stormy/)

2. El Diablo. Ingredients: tequila, crème de cassis (a sweet blackcurrant liqueur), lime juice, ginger ale. Garnish with a slice of lime. (link: https://www.liquor.com/recipes/el-diablo/)

I'm not into either rum or tequila, so I can't comment (though lime and cherry is certainly odd - pushing up the tartness?)

Personally, I prefer liqueurs, and I have tried crème de cassis neat, on ice (as well as crème de menthe -- a sweet, mint-flavored alcoholic beverage -- on ice).

Crème de menthe is sweet, mild, and drinkable by anyone (even someone like me with limited alcohol experience). It contains nothing but vodka, sweetened with mint and a little sugar, and mellowed with cold water. It's an excellent after-dinner drink and perfect on hot days.

Crème de cassis is a French blackcurrant liqueur, and has a strong, tart taste. I personally found it a little strong by itself, but YMMV.