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We're all here because we enjoy Sierra games. And it's a company that's officially been defunct for years (in the eyes of most of us).

And yet here we are - what is it about Sierra games - do you think? - that makes them so loved/memorable?

Probably 75% nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, the games were good. But there have been a lot of games that have been good since then (not many adventures, IMO, but that's another topic). And from that nostalgia there's the desire to not let these golden memories fade away into nothingness, forgotten.

MusicallyInspired wrote: ↑Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:15 pm Probably 75% nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, the games were good. But there have been a lot of games that have been good since then (not many adventures, IMO, but that's another topic). And from that nostalgia there's the desire to not let these golden memories fade away into nothingness, forgotten.

That makes sense ... I guess a better question is, what do you think made these games stick out the way the do?

I am sure you've played plenty of other older games (around the same time as Sierra), but may not be (what do I know?) hang out on a forum dedicated to those games.

Definitely. A few, not many. Usually the ones that seem to "stick around" all these years with people are the ones that were more popular back in the day. And they were popular because they were the best of the best. I loved an old game called Pooyan on the CoCo3 (TRS-80) but there's nobody talking about that game today. If there were I'd probably be talking about it with them because it is relevant to my interests.

It's not such a mystery to me why these games have stuck around so long. There were not as many games and the ones that were the best were the most popular (obviously) and they stick out in everyone's minds. It just so happens that like-minded people will find eachother who enjoyed something that was inherently good, whatever it was. What's really interesting to me is now that there are literally (probably) billions of video games that exist at this point that you can get your hands on (and it's easier than ever with the internet, whether legitimately or otherwise), what is it going to look like in 30-40 years time and what games are going to stick out for people then that exist now? There's so much saturation and it's only getting more saturated. So much so that maybe there won't be as much of a concentration of people that will have any particular "good" title stick out enough for there to be a community still around in 30 years to continue talking about it? Of course, there are more people being born and filling up the planet every day so maybe that'll balance itself out. But it still might be harder to find that community.

I was using the internet basically since it really got started and public (95/96) yet I didn't join any Sierra communities until closer to 2000. I was aware of a few things and websites, but forums were just not on my radar so talking with others wasn't anything that I was exposed to or considered. I really started interacting with the community and finding myself a place in it when I discovered KQ1VGA by Tierra/AGDI in around 2000/2001. Then I expanded to Quest Studios, the 3D Realms forums, and a couple others. But I just wonder with such a saturation of video games going into the future and a saturation of people being on the internet and even people simply existing whether we'll be able to "find the forest for the trees." And what'll be forgotten and lost along the way?

But to answer your original question (lol), whatever reason these games are still worth talking about today is the same reason people fell in love with them in the first place and what made them popular. It's not just limited to why we're still talking about them today. It's all the same reason. Sierra games were good because they showcased the latest technology, for many of us it was one of the first game types we experienced (if you grew up with text adventures this was naturally the progression of that), the people who worked on them were the best at what they did and loved doing it and that just automatically gives birth to something special I think. Something worth playing over and over again for so many people for what is basically a one-time linear experience for the most part and that is still worth experiencing on your own and with other people to the point of continued conversation to this day.

I cannot add much to what MI said, except... what made Sierra quest games so good that we keep talking about them? The basics:

- A good plot (or at least, in the case of LSL games, a plausible plot)

- believable characters that were worth investing time in (or in the case of LSL, plausible or challenging characters)

- by and large, challenging puzzles (I don't include things like the "cat moustache" puzzle)

- good graphics, music and sound effects (for their time)

These should get you started, at any rate.

MI brought up a lot of good points. I think nostalgia is a strong influence. But I think one driver for any game is whether or not it gives us something new or interesting. I never saw the point of Top 100 Games of All Time lists. Older games have a hard time competing since technology is constantly changing and improving. An RPG with quest markers and automapping is just easier to play, but wasn't technically feasible in early incarnations of the genre. A better list are the Most Influential games. Games that did something for the first time or did it better than anyone else at the time. Sierra adventure games did that back in the day. From color graphics versus text only to the introduction of voices. A lot of them had the "Wow" factor early on. And that still lives on with games today. Just look at "The cake is a lie" and "...but then I took an arrow to the knee." memes. The cream always rises to the top.

Some day, I thought I'd make a popular adventure game.














But then I took an arrow to the knee.

*runs away really, REALLY fast*

*golf clap*

-Good design in general, most games are really enjoyable to play. I miss getting stuck in games for the right reasons, now that easy is the way to go.
-Memorable characters in King Graham, Gabriel Knight, Roger Wilco and of course Leisure Suit Larry. Once you've had a taste of them you keep coming back for more!
-Theme music to SQ, GK and LSL is so memorable it's used for the sequels.

Wow, so many things are memorable.

Gorgeous music, beautiful artwork, incredible attention to detail.

I especially love the games that added incredibly specific detail for the "look" function, allowing even minutiae to receive a paragraph of information. "The Dagger of Amon Ra" was very good at this, from Laura's sarcastic description of a tree being "a woody perennial plant" to the absurdly long description of the Ruhkorff Coil utilized by the lantern.

MusicallyInspired wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 10:18 am *golf clap*

Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.

(By the way, what is a "golf clap")? *confused*

It's a very calm, quiet, and relaxed little clap your fingers make in the palm of your hand. It's used as a meme for a "not bad, well done" reserved little clap+nod type of reaction rather than a full out applause. It's called a golf clap because on the green you have to be quiet so players can concentrate so even the applause is mostly reserved. YouTube it.

Funny.

Players in a symphony orchestra have similar quiet ways of communicating: sliding feet across the floor or wiggle fingers to communicate applause. Cute!

It seems like every memorable game has a hiccup point that a lot of players stumble on and review as negative. 7th Guest with the microscope puzzle which is unsolvable if you have a fast computer - guess which of the puzzles in the game became an app? Broken Sword 1 has the goat that's hard to figure out, but the goat also became a fan favourite getting a special feature in BS2, and now fans of the series refer to themselves as goats... I wonder if it might be the hiccup points that help us remember them. Rumplestiltskin, cat hair moustache, yeti pie, catacombs, skating hall

When I was a kid, the Rumplestiltskin, yeti pie, and all those "bad" parts of Sierra games all made sense to me. They didn't stand out at all. Only when I got online did I find out that everyone thought it was a big deal. I think they've been blown out of proportion over the years into something it never was. Same with Cedric and the "pooooooisonous snake" line. Never thought anything of it. lol

MusicallyInspired wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2019 8:37 pm When I was a kid, the Rumplestiltskin, yeti pie, and all those "bad" parts of Sierra games all made sense to me. They didn't stand out at all. Only when I got online did I find out that everyone thought it was a big deal. I think they've been blown out of proportion over the years into something it never was. Same with Cedric and the "pooooooisonous snake" line. Never thought anything of it. lol

I can agree about Cedric. When I originally played it, Cedric never bothered me.
However, these days - his votes grates my nerves. It's just like SNARF from Thundercats. I remember watching Thundercats NON STOP - so when they all came out on DVD a few years back - I bought ALL of them.
Threw them into the DVD player - and Snarf's voice was worse than nails across a chalk board.
To the point, I think I finished about 3 episodes - before just ripping them to MP4 and putting them away. And have not gone back to watch them again since, I think.

Now the Rumplestiltskin thing however - was a big deal. When I played, there was the clue about thinking backwards.
However, it wasn't just his name backwards. It was the freaking Alphabet backwards then matching it to his name. That was overly vicious.