Space Quest 7: Buckazoids from Andromeda

I originally posted this article on May 28th, 2012 in an effort to boost awareness of Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy's Kickstarter campaign for their up-and-coming game, SpaceVenture. Just like their earlier Space Quest games, I went heavy on the sarcasm. I shared this article with Scott via Facebook, and was a bit shocked when he said that I caught him by surprise. I assumed that he meant something was off with the article itself. Perhaps the things I wrote about him in particular. It was just a misunderstanding, though. Scott was surprised merely by the way that I notified him on Facebook. Not knowing this at the time, I quickly put the article under wraps, and within a day, I had written a new one with a more serious tone (Space Quest: A Greatly Exaggerated Tale of Adventure). With SpaceVenture fast approaching, I thought that I would re-share this article, and encourage everyone to check out guysfromandromeda.com for updates. Also, if you happen to have one of those iDoodads, be sure to check out their Cluck Y'Egger app. The original Space Quest 7: Buckazoids from Andromeda article begins below.


Two Guys SpaceVenture

Just who are these Two Guys from Andromeda, and why do they want $500,000? For the answer to that, we must travel back to 1986. Put on your chrono goggles, time jockeys! A junk heap of a spaceship exits lightspeed near a seemingly habitable planet, and touches down in a strange land known as Oakhurst, California. Three guys emerge from the ship, two of them being galaxy renowned software authors Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy, and the third being a real pantload. The less said about him, the better. It just so happened that Sierra On-Line, a software development company, was located there. The CEO of Sierra, Ken Williams, witnessed the spaceship touch down from his office window. Eager for an excuse to leave the building (Roberta Williams would not shut up about King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human), Ken walks outside to greet the travellers from another world. Mark and Scott introduce themselves, and Ken offers them a job at Sierra. They would go on to develop the Space Quest adventure game series!


Mark and Scott settled in Oakhurst, California.

Hmm. There is something wrong here. Spaceship? Lightspeed? Seemingly habitable planet? Why, these are not chrono goggles at all! I must have mistook them for these idiot goggles! In truth, Mark Crowe and Scott Murphy are very much human. Shocking, I know. In fact, Scott grew up not far from where I live today, in Whittier, California [or as I like to call it, Shittier! DELETE THIS BEFORE POSTING!]. Mark and Scott would indeed go on to develop the Space Quest adventure game series. In total, six games were produced. Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter, Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge, Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon, and Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers with the involvement of both guys, Space Quest V: The Next Mutation with one guy (Mark), and Space Quest VI: The Spinal Frontier with some other guy (Josh Mandel). Scott became involved with the sixth game late in development, but by then, his heart was not quite in it. Since then, much time has passed. Seriously. Duke Nukem Forever entered and ended development in the time between then and now. Life sucked... again.


And just like that, they were gone...

2012, once thought to be a grim post-apocolypic year, was made ever brighter with the launch of an adventure game Kickstarter campaign known as Double Fine Adventure. A campaign that made over 3.3 million dollars! This sent a firm message to former adventure game designers everywhere: ADVENTURE GAMES ARE NOT DEAD! Al Lowe and Jane Jensen, two other veterans of Sierra On-Line, launched Kickstarters of their own with relative success. It would not be long before Mark and Scott made their return, as well. Where had they been all these years, you ask? Mark has been working for Pipeworks Software, and Scott... Scott... Scott has been busy being Scott [but seriously, Scott has been busy attending to his aging mother in Alabama, which is a very noble cause. I still remember how painful it was to see my father bedridden and near death's door. My family and I did everything we could to make him feel better]. Unable to continue the Space Quest series due to the rights being tied up with Activision (long story!), they opted instead for an original space adventure. A SpaceVenture. The rest, as they say, is history. Wait, they still need that $500,000! We should probably do something about that. Go here to help out the Two Guys from Andromeda: http://www.tgakick.com


$40? Make that $150!

Also, be sure to read my in-depth post about Space Quest.