Inspired by Al Lowe and Jane Jensen's recent Kickstarters, I have decided to write a blog about Sierra On-Line memories. Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe have also returned!
King's Quest I SCI Demo
Not too very long after discovering Space Quest Collection: Roger Wilco Unclogged at Best Buy, I also discovered King's Quest Collection. It featured King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown, King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne, King's Quest III: To Heir is Human, King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella, King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder, and King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow. If King's Quest was filled with the same sense of charm, wittiness, and wonderment as Space Quest, I knew that I would enjoy the series. Indeed, to that end, it was. King's Quest is a lovingly crafted tale of adventure, filled with exciting characters, enchanting lands, and a brilliant soundtrack. It begins in a magnificent land known as Daventry. King Edward the Benevolent is gravely ill, and with no heir to the throne, he must find a suitable replacement. He calls on Sir Graham, the bravest of his knights, to find three missing treasures. If he is successful in this quest, he will rule Daventry upon the death of King Edward. Sir Graham returns with the three treasures just in the nick of time. With the king's dying words, Sir Graham becomes King Graham of Daventry.
Showing posts with label The Treasure of the Sierra On-Line. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Treasure of the Sierra On-Line. Show all posts
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
The Treasure of the Sierra On-Line (LSL) *ADULT THEMES*
Inspired by Al Lowe and Jane Jensen's recent Kickstarters, I have decided to write a blog about Sierra On-Line memories. Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe have also returned!
Warning, if you are easily offended, you may prefer to read something else, like Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat or Martin Handford's Where's Waldo. Now, before we begin, I just have to put something on. It will only take a moment.
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
Always practice safe blogging! My experience with Sierra On-Line continues in late 1997 when, for the first time, I logged onto the World Wide Web, or the Internet as it is more commonly referred to today. My parents signed us up with America Online. I quickly became amazed by the amount of information available at my fingertips. It was not long before I also discovered that the Internet was full of filth, and that is where Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards comes in. The FBI is going to bust down my door for saying this, but I downloaded it from one of those illegal warez sharing sites. Sorry, Al! Hilariously, the tricky part was not in downloading the game itself, but in getting past that silly age verification screen. Who the hell is Pia Zadora, anyway? I eventually managed to pass the test, and for anyone looking to play the game now, you can simply press Ctrl-Alt-X to bypass it altogether! Leisure Suit Larry has a fairly simple premise. You are a 39 year old software salesman. You are also a virgin. You have one night to get laid. If this sounds familiar, you may have seen 2005's The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The game uses a text parser interface for inputting commands (as depicted in the image above). I thought that it was great because I could be as vulgar as I wanted with my commands. e.g. fu**, sh**, eat-out. Wait, that last one is not vulgar... or is it? After the initial excitement of the text parser interface wore off, I began to explore Lost Wages. Think Las Vegas, but somehow sleazier. Larry's travels would take him to a seedy bar, a liquor store, a disco, a casino, and a 24-hour wedding chapel, all in pursuit of love! Surprisingly, I did not have a whole lot of trouble finishing the game. Perhaps my mind was filthy to begin with.
Warning, if you are easily offended, you may prefer to read something else, like Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat or Martin Handford's Where's Waldo. Now, before we begin, I just have to put something on. It will only take a moment.
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards
Always practice safe blogging! My experience with Sierra On-Line continues in late 1997 when, for the first time, I logged onto the World Wide Web, or the Internet as it is more commonly referred to today. My parents signed us up with America Online. I quickly became amazed by the amount of information available at my fingertips. It was not long before I also discovered that the Internet was full of filth, and that is where Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards comes in. The FBI is going to bust down my door for saying this, but I downloaded it from one of those illegal warez sharing sites. Sorry, Al! Hilariously, the tricky part was not in downloading the game itself, but in getting past that silly age verification screen. Who the hell is Pia Zadora, anyway? I eventually managed to pass the test, and for anyone looking to play the game now, you can simply press Ctrl-Alt-X to bypass it altogether! Leisure Suit Larry has a fairly simple premise. You are a 39 year old software salesman. You are also a virgin. You have one night to get laid. If this sounds familiar, you may have seen 2005's The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The game uses a text parser interface for inputting commands (as depicted in the image above). I thought that it was great because I could be as vulgar as I wanted with my commands. e.g. fu**, sh**, eat-out. Wait, that last one is not vulgar... or is it? After the initial excitement of the text parser interface wore off, I began to explore Lost Wages. Think Las Vegas, but somehow sleazier. Larry's travels would take him to a seedy bar, a liquor store, a disco, a casino, and a 24-hour wedding chapel, all in pursuit of love! Surprisingly, I did not have a whole lot of trouble finishing the game. Perhaps my mind was filthy to begin with.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The Treasure of the Sierra On-Line (SQ)
Inspired by Al Lowe and Jane Jensen's recent Kickstarters, I have decided to write a blog about Sierra On-Line memories. Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe have also returned!
Today, we venture into the hallowed halls of Sierra On-Line, or should I say, the hollowed halls of Sierra On-Line. Sierra has existed in name only for more than a decade. In the 1980s and 1990s, however, they were arguably the greatest developer of PC adventure games under the sun. Notice, if you will, how I said arguably. These days, fans of the adventure game genre usually stand behind the assertion that LucasArts was better, and there are some very good reasons for that. For one thing, LucasArts' adventure games were typically a lot less buggy. For another, LucasArts did not punish you for dying. In fact, most of their games lacked death altogether. Personally, I still love both companies' games equally, and yes, I know that I will get a lot of flack for saying that.
I believe that Sierra On-Line has just as much merit in gaming history as LucasArts. Sure, their games may have generally been buggier, and they may have punished you for not picking up key items, but in my book, that does not make them a sacrificial lamb (bonus points if you get the game reference). For me, it was all about the beautiful worlds that Sierra crafted, and the stories that they told within them. Oh, and let us not forget about the amazing musical scores. I still get them stuck in my head to this very day! Sure, they made a few mistakes along the way, but you have to remember that computer games were still a very new thing when Sierra first came onto the scene in the early 1980s. LucasArts came later, and that allowed them to have a less rocky start with a more refined system in place.
Sierra Logo
Today, we venture into the hallowed halls of Sierra On-Line, or should I say, the hollowed halls of Sierra On-Line. Sierra has existed in name only for more than a decade. In the 1980s and 1990s, however, they were arguably the greatest developer of PC adventure games under the sun. Notice, if you will, how I said arguably. These days, fans of the adventure game genre usually stand behind the assertion that LucasArts was better, and there are some very good reasons for that. For one thing, LucasArts' adventure games were typically a lot less buggy. For another, LucasArts did not punish you for dying. In fact, most of their games lacked death altogether. Personally, I still love both companies' games equally, and yes, I know that I will get a lot of flack for saying that.
I believe that Sierra On-Line has just as much merit in gaming history as LucasArts. Sure, their games may have generally been buggier, and they may have punished you for not picking up key items, but in my book, that does not make them a sacrificial lamb (bonus points if you get the game reference). For me, it was all about the beautiful worlds that Sierra crafted, and the stories that they told within them. Oh, and let us not forget about the amazing musical scores. I still get them stuck in my head to this very day! Sure, they made a few mistakes along the way, but you have to remember that computer games were still a very new thing when Sierra first came onto the scene in the early 1980s. LucasArts came later, and that allowed them to have a less rocky start with a more refined system in place.
Sierra Logo
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