New King's Quest from TellTale!

[galbyman]

Very cool news!

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/18/kings ... -telltale/

[Tawmis]

Say what? How does that work?

[Collector]

I have rather mixed feelings about this. I am afraid that they will give it a cartoony style. This and the dumbed down interface made KQ7 a real letdown after KQ6. That and the fact that you could only have one save per chapter.

I did like one comment on that page, though:

When I read this: Currently, the rights to the franchise are owned by Activision.

This actually played in my head: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g9WjcGdxuM
Reply

[galbyman]

But this could be the begining of the revitilization of the Sierra adventure games. And the art style that they are doing on Jurassic Park is not as cartoony as many of thier other games so this could be really good.

[MusicallyInspired]

I've actually known about this for a little while. I can't say I'm excited, unfortunately. I don't think TTG's style meshes well with Sierra games and if they don't work with the original designers than it'd probably be just a straight write-off for me. But I also have my reasons beyond personal opinion which irks me a bit about this whole thing.

[Tawmis]

I have rather mixed feelings about this. I am afraid that they will give it a cartoony style. This and the dumbed down interface made KQ7 a real letdown after KQ6. That and the fact that you could only have one save per chapter.

I don't mind the cartoony style, as long as it's a good game.

(On that note, I didn't dislike King's Quest 7, because of the cartoony style; I thought that was also a bold move forward, to make it more like a cartoon and thus more appealing visually - granted, it wasn't perfect, but neither was King's Quest 1 EGA when it came out; it was what should have been the first step in moving in a new direction). The only real problem I had with King's Quest VII was that it felt more like a side scroller than the tradional 3D environment that KQ was so well known for.

[MusicallyInspired]

Telltale just doesn't mix with King's Quest. It may have a decent story (at least better than TSL's), but at what cost? Their games are absurdly easy and short. And are growing increasingly more so.

[MusicallyInspired]

Here's a quote from Dave Grossman:

"Sure, I've played a few old-schoolies. The first adventure game I ever played is the one that the genre is named after, "Adventure", which I came across in the late 1970s. Later, while I was working at LucasArts, I played some of the Sierra titles, and others, you know, checking out the competition. I found those games interesting and challenging, but ultimately very frustrating. They tended to punish curiosity with death, and they had all these puzzles where the solutions were amusing but often arbitrary and more or less impossible to figure out. It was like no one was thinking about what it would actually be like to PLAY the game. I claim no personal innocence on this point, by the way; I did write and design some games at that time which, while somewhat friendlier, are decidedly old school with some of their puzzles. I'm still apologizing to random strangers on the street for expecting them to think of hypnotizing a monkey as a rational way to turn him into a monkey wrench."

"As for where it's going now, I see a shift from puzzle games with story to story games with puzzles, if that makes sense? The story and characters, which were probably always the most compelling part of the experience anyway, take center stage, and the challenge offered to the player is whatever best supports the moment and the scene at hand, instead of whatever makes the designer look clever. The games are also often being made less lengthy and more accessible, to fit with the busy lives of modern players."

[Tawmis]

Well he has a point if he's referring to King's Quest 1. There was not much to the story of King's Quest 1, if you compare it to King's Quest 6. So the KQ1 and KQ2, I would agree with puzzle games, with story; rather than a story with puzzles. I would say KQ3, onward, that was definitely not the case, as it became a story with puzzles.

[DeadPoolX]

Wow. You guys are unbelievable.

You've all clamored for a return to Adventure games (in particular, the Sierra games) and when a company says they're going to do it, you bitch and moan.

Let's be honest here: THERE IS NO MORE SIERRA. Understand that and move on.

TellTale is the best hope ANY of us have of EVER seeing a Sierra game. Activision sure as hell isn't going to do it and would you even want them to? Look at the recent attempts on LSL, none of which came from anyone who understands Adventure.

Without TellTale, the Adventure genre would be relegated to inept companies or Myst-like clones.

So what if it doesn't have the "original designers" or isn't exactly in the old style? You won't get the original designers, so stop holding on to that unrealistic expectation.

And the old style? What do you expect? VGA? FMV? That won't happen and for good reason.

Maybe TellTale makes their games in a different fashion. So what? Was every Sierra game EXACTLY the same?

I guess I'm just flabbergasted by the responses I see here. You guys want Adventure games on your own terms. Beggars can't be choosers and make NO mistake, when it comes to the Adventure genre, we are ALL in the former category.

[Collector]

Well he has a point if he's referring to King's Quest 1. There was not much to the story of King's Quest 1, if you compare it to King's Quest 6. So the KQ1 and KQ2, I would agree with puzzle games, with story; rather than a story with puzzles. I would say KQ3, onward, that was definitely not the case, as it became a story with puzzles.

That may be, but I don't think that the basic character of the game should be to drastically changed, which I am afraid that it will be. LA and Sierra had two completely different styles and approaches to game making. The LA games always struck me as more juvenile. I say this in spite of the fact that some of the Sierra games were obviously were intended for children. The King's Quest games were more enjoyable for most adults to sit through while playing with their children. Sierra also had many games that were targeted to more mature audiences. Of the LA adventures, possibly the Indy games would appeal to adults. Too many judge Sierra by the early games when they were pioneering the genre, but their games evolved.

[Collector]

TellTale is the best hope ANY of us have of EVER seeing a Sierra game. Activision sure as hell isn't going to do it and would you even want them to? Look at the recent attempts on LSL, none of which came from anyone who understands Adventure.

But that is the point. With TellTale making it, it will only be a Sierra game in name only, not in character. I might be a little more optimistic if it were a completely new game, not a reboot. "Reboots", whether movies or games can go to hell. Do a new game/movie if you are not doing something true to the original.

[DeadPoolX]

TellTale is the best hope ANY of us have of EVER seeing a Sierra game. Activision sure as hell isn't going to do it and would you even want them to? Look at the recent attempts on LSL, none of which came from anyone who understands Adventure.

But that is the point. With TellTale making it, it will only be a Sierra game in name only, not in character. I might be a little more optimistic if it were a completely new game, not a reboot. "Reboots", whether movies or games can go to hell. Do a new game/movie if you are not doing something true to the original.

You don't know how TellTale will design a remake of KQ. Just because their games have been cartoony in the past (and given the series they've worked with it, that style makes sense) that doesn't mean they'd use the same style when making a more serious series.

You're judging TellTale's attempt (which we haven't even seen yet, so it seems premature to discount it) based on previous games. That's as bad as judging Sierra based on their very early titles.

Besides, not all reboots are bad. Given TellTale's solid Adventure game history, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt.

[Tawmis]

Wow. You guys are unbelievable.

Why?

You've all clamored for a return to Adventure games (in particular, the Sierra games) and when a company says they're going to do it, you bitch and moan.

Well, folks are entitled to their opinions. Remember when Sierra said, "We're making a new LSL!" Yeah, I was like, "Okay, let's give this a shot!" LSL:MCM was horrible. And then whoever made LSL:BOB, which is somehow, even worse than LSL.

Just because a company - ANY company - Sierra or otherwise said, "We're going to remake SIERRAGAME01!" Does NOT mean we need to jump up and down as if it's the salvation of all things wonderful!

Even if BIOWARE, who we all know I love and trust with RPG games said, "We're going to remake King's Quest!" I'd be VERY, VERY hesitant.

Let's be honest here: THERE IS NO MORE SIERRA. Understand that and move on.

I don't think anyone here is saying there is still "a Sierra" - and I think we have all moved on.

I am pretty sure, that's not in question here.

TellTale is the best hope ANY of us have of EVER seeing a Sierra game. Activision sure as hell isn't going to do it and would you even want them to? Look at the recent attempts on LSL, none of which came from anyone who understands Adventure.

Telltale may be the best hope - but if one doesn't like their style, doesn't mean that we should be happy that they're going to do it; or not at least weary of someone else doing it. As you said, look at LSL when other companies did it. Fail through and through. Even fail when Sierra did it with MCL. So given that history that Sierra games have not been done right; why should anyone be devoid of the ability of being weary of new Sierra games being released, based on the classics?

So what if it doesn't have the "original designers" or isn't exactly in the old style? You won't get the original designers, so stop holding on to that unrealistic expectation.

Again, I don't think that's the point here.

And the old style? What do you expect? VGA? FMV? That won't happen and for good reason.

Again, not sure anyone is expecting it to be VGA. It can be modern graphics... but look at Mask of Eternity, compared to the rest of King's Quest. It didn't work. Not to say that any modern version of it would work. For all intents and purposes, TSL is doing an - if anything - all right job with what they have done. So it's not about the original designers. Original format. It's about delivering good content. And styles we're used to. MOE should have worked as a new game, but I think it changed so drastically from the KQ format, that not many enjoyed it. Same with KQ7; it was too cartoony for many people, and too different; so folks didn't like it.

People are entitled to be leary about anything they hear. I don't understand why you're so bent that we're not jumping up and down with joy.

I guess I'm just flabbergasted by the responses I see here. You guys want Adventure games on your own terms. Beggars can't be choosers and make NO mistake, when it comes to the Adventure genre, we are ALL in the former category.

Beggars can't be chosers, no. But at the same time, we shouldn't be fed scraps (or crap) like MCL, BOB, etc.

[DeadPoolX]

KQ8, MCL and BOB weren't made by people who understand Adventure games. That's the key difference.

Before someone says anything about Roberta Williams on KQ8, we all know she had very little control over it. That wasn't her creation anymore, so it became the child of those who didn't understand or care about Adventures. The same is true of MCL and BOB.

TellTale understands Adventures. That in of itself puts anything they do with the KQ series miles ahead of KQ8, MCL and BOB.

As for BioWare.. they're not an Adventure company. They make RPGs, which while related to Adventures, aren't the same thing. The only Sierra title BioWare would really be qualified to do would be a remake of the QFG series.

EDIT: You know what? I'm going to leave this thread. I can already see how it'll turn into a major argument between me and whoever else in here. The best thing to do is go before it gets bad.