Leisure Suit Larry
December 7, 2011 6:43 PM Subscribe
Leisure Suit Larry is a series of adventure games written by Al Lowe and published by Sierra from 1987 to 2009. The main character, whose full name is Larry Laffer, is a balding, dorky, double entendre-speaking, leisure suit-wearing (but still somewhat lovable) "loser" in his 40s. The games follow him as he spends much of his life trying (usually unsuccessfully) to seduce attractive women.
Watch someone else play Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards or play it yourself.
(h/t spec80)
Watch someone else play Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards or play it yourself.
(h/t spec80)
I'm pretty sure the later games (2000s) were actually about his "nephew" and not written by Al Lowe. They were also fucking horrible, *unlike* the games by Al Lowe. You can tell because, like so many modern franchise reboots, the new ones were obviously written and produced by people who had only *heard* of the original and never actually *played* them.
posted by absalom at 6:51 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by absalom at 6:51 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
> KEN SENT ME
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:53 PM on December 7, 2011 [9 favorites]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:53 PM on December 7, 2011 [9 favorites]
The Sierra downward spiral is seriously fucked up. I dug into it after (not) playing the Space Quest "reboot".
posted by Brocktoon at 6:56 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by Brocktoon at 6:56 PM on December 7, 2011
> KEN SENT ME
First thing I thought I when I read this post, too
posted by KokuRyu at 7:03 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
First thing I thought I when I read this post, too
posted by KokuRyu at 7:03 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
You can tell because, like so many modern franchise reboots, the new ones were obviously written and produced by people who had only *heard* of the original and never actually *played* them.
That may be, but Doctor Who proves that those who heard and loved the original "franchise" and have went on to write and produce the new episodes, can making a steaming pile of shit as well.
posted by juiceCake at 7:04 PM on December 7, 2011 [3 favorites]
That may be, but Doctor Who proves that those who heard and loved the original "franchise" and have went on to write and produce the new episodes, can making a steaming pile of shit as well.
posted by juiceCake at 7:04 PM on December 7, 2011 [3 favorites]
I remember playing this game at my babysitter's house when I was so young that she had to answer the age verification questions for me. In retrospect that was probably the only effective computer age verification system I'd ever encountered...
posted by phoenixy at 7:06 PM on December 7, 2011 [12 favorites]
posted by phoenixy at 7:06 PM on December 7, 2011 [12 favorites]
Leisure Suit Larry is a series of adventure games written by Al Lowe and published by Sierra from 1987 to 2009.
Which was a follow up to Softporn Adventure back when they were On Line systems.
One could, in theory, finish the game via getting the item for Gal #3 from Gal #2 without actually "getting to know her", But it was coded in Microsoft's Applesoft BASIC and would crash before getting to the end.
posted by rough ashlar at 7:11 PM on December 7, 2011
Which was a follow up to Softporn Adventure back when they were On Line systems.
One could, in theory, finish the game via getting the item for Gal #3 from Gal #2 without actually "getting to know her", But it was coded in Microsoft's Applesoft BASIC and would crash before getting to the end.
posted by rough ashlar at 7:11 PM on December 7, 2011
In retrospect that was probably the only effective computer age verification system I'd ever encountered...
And illustrates how incredibly information poorer the world was as recently as 25 years ago.
posted by Trurl at 7:13 PM on December 7, 2011 [15 favorites]
And illustrates how incredibly information poorer the world was as recently as 25 years ago.
posted by Trurl at 7:13 PM on December 7, 2011 [15 favorites]
Looks like I'm not going to sleep tonight. Must play a LSL game to completion. If anyone makes a post on the Lost Vikings tomorrow I might lose my whole weekend.
posted by zephyr_words at 7:18 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by zephyr_words at 7:18 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
I remember seeing this demo'd on a Tandy computer at Radio Shack when I was a kid. Was it really 1987? It seemed earlier than that. I equated the Larry in the game with Larry from Three's Company at the time. Oh dear.
posted by Calzephyr at 7:23 PM on December 7, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by Calzephyr at 7:23 PM on December 7, 2011 [6 favorites]
THANK YOU for this post. Leisure Suit Larry 3 is my all-time favorite game and I spent many happy hours playing it--which is weird, b/c I was a ten year old girl when that game came out. What were my parents thinking?
posted by leesh at 7:25 PM on December 7, 2011 [9 favorites]
posted by leesh at 7:25 PM on December 7, 2011 [9 favorites]
Haha, that verification system was the best. I got my first desktop and ended up on the Sierra side of the LucasArts/Sierra divide. I remember, as a young lad, getting hold of LSL and having to bypass that little quiz. The pop culture stuff was never a problem - I listened almost exclusively to the music of my parent's generation. But, well, the sex stuff was in a different universe of experience from a little kid.
Now, my dad knew I was playing this thing, and obviously was even ok with it once he realized it wasn't *actually* pornography, but rather just randy (and surprisingly moralistic) raunch humor. So, he never really hesitated in helping me "cheat" to crack the code. To be fair, I was kind of a weaselly kid, so I'd not be surprised if I'd somewhat mislead him as to the nature of this game, and mostly asked him about the pop culture stuff. It was a long time ago and I cannot be held responsible for accuracy in anything above the cut. Actually, the more I think about it, the more likely that I really just asked him for the pop culture stuff, memorized his responses, and just guessed at the sexy-sex stuff. You know, like I said, weaselly. Anyway, I remember the rest like it was yesterday....
So, I remember vividly one saturday morning, visiting my dad for the weekend - as I always did - and playing whatever game I'd decided to install on the hard-drive of his/my 8088. I'd just finished a plate of cinnamon rolls (the breakfast staple of my weekends) and had failed two quizzes running. Finally, I'd gotten to something like question four of five with no strikes remaining. (I'd be in a similar pickle come testing for my driving permit) Desperate, and having (probably) only ever asked my father the innocent stuff (and brute forced the rest), I was at a decision point. It was a question I hadn't really seen before, and it was something I'd never heard of. Was it a TV show? Some one hit fifties band? I had always been a strong reader, but there was hardly any context to go on. I mulled over my options a bit, without really paying attention to any of the answers. Almost all of the questions were something innocent but old, so I decided I'd just ask him about it like always.
He was out mowing the yard, as you're required to do by law in suburbia every saturday morning. I didn't want to run barefoot through the clippings, so I ran down across the deck and started hollering at him. Finally, I get his attention with my screaming enough so that he shuts the mower off. It goes dead just as my voice (even today, loud enough to be heard across and silence a loud auditorium) echos out across the lake and throughout the neighborhood:
"HEY DAD! WHAT'S A G-SPOT!"
Man, that was an interesting day. Sometimes I hope that the sort of embarrassing I was for my parents was unique, and sometimes I hope the exact opposite.
posted by absalom at 7:32 PM on December 7, 2011 [54 favorites]
Now, my dad knew I was playing this thing, and obviously was even ok with it once he realized it wasn't *actually* pornography, but rather just randy (and surprisingly moralistic) raunch humor. So, he never really hesitated in helping me "cheat" to crack the code. To be fair, I was kind of a weaselly kid, so I'd not be surprised if I'd somewhat mislead him as to the nature of this game, and mostly asked him about the pop culture stuff. It was a long time ago and I cannot be held responsible for accuracy in anything above the cut. Actually, the more I think about it, the more likely that I really just asked him for the pop culture stuff, memorized his responses, and just guessed at the sexy-sex stuff. You know, like I said, weaselly. Anyway, I remember the rest like it was yesterday....
So, I remember vividly one saturday morning, visiting my dad for the weekend - as I always did - and playing whatever game I'd decided to install on the hard-drive of his/my 8088. I'd just finished a plate of cinnamon rolls (the breakfast staple of my weekends) and had failed two quizzes running. Finally, I'd gotten to something like question four of five with no strikes remaining. (I'd be in a similar pickle come testing for my driving permit) Desperate, and having (probably) only ever asked my father the innocent stuff (and brute forced the rest), I was at a decision point. It was a question I hadn't really seen before, and it was something I'd never heard of. Was it a TV show? Some one hit fifties band? I had always been a strong reader, but there was hardly any context to go on. I mulled over my options a bit, without really paying attention to any of the answers. Almost all of the questions were something innocent but old, so I decided I'd just ask him about it like always.
He was out mowing the yard, as you're required to do by law in suburbia every saturday morning. I didn't want to run barefoot through the clippings, so I ran down across the deck and started hollering at him. Finally, I get his attention with my screaming enough so that he shuts the mower off. It goes dead just as my voice (even today, loud enough to be heard across and silence a loud auditorium) echos out across the lake and throughout the neighborhood:
"HEY DAD! WHAT'S A G-SPOT!"
Man, that was an interesting day. Sometimes I hope that the sort of embarrassing I was for my parents was unique, and sometimes I hope the exact opposite.
posted by absalom at 7:32 PM on December 7, 2011 [54 favorites]
Spawned from #mefightclub conversation about this post, here are the technical requirements for the original EGA version of LSL 1:
CPU: 8088 / 8086
Operating System Required: DOS 1.0 to 2.11
RAM Required: 256 KB
Available Media (at time of release): 3.5" Floppy Disk, 5.25" Floppy Disk
Video Supported: EGA, CGA, MCGA, VGA, Hercules monochrome graphic cards, Tandy / PCjr
Sound Supported: PC Speaker, Tandy / PCjr
Input Supported: Analog Joystick, Keyboard
For comparison, here's the KQ 5 (their first VGA point-and-click adventure) requirements:
PC PROCESSOR: DOS 286-12Mhz/Windows 386SX-16Mhz or higher
PC OS: MS-DOS 5.0 or higher, Windows 3.1 or higher
PC RAM: 640K, 2 MB recommended
PC RAM CONVENTIONAL: DOS-575K
PC VIDEO CARD: 640x480 VGA 256 Colors
PC HARD DRIVE: 1 MB hard drive space
CD-ROM DRIVE: 1x speed, 2x speed recommended (CD-ROM only)
SOUND CARD: Diskette-No/CD-Yes-Sound Card with DAC
posted by curious nu at 7:33 PM on December 7, 2011 [3 favorites]
CPU: 8088 / 8086
Operating System Required: DOS 1.0 to 2.11
RAM Required: 256 KB
Available Media (at time of release): 3.5" Floppy Disk, 5.25" Floppy Disk
Video Supported: EGA, CGA, MCGA, VGA, Hercules monochrome graphic cards, Tandy / PCjr
Sound Supported: PC Speaker, Tandy / PCjr
Input Supported: Analog Joystick, Keyboard
For comparison, here's the KQ 5 (their first VGA point-and-click adventure) requirements:
PC PROCESSOR: DOS 286-12Mhz/Windows 386SX-16Mhz or higher
PC OS: MS-DOS 5.0 or higher, Windows 3.1 or higher
PC RAM: 640K, 2 MB recommended
PC RAM CONVENTIONAL: DOS-575K
PC VIDEO CARD: 640x480 VGA 256 Colors
PC HARD DRIVE: 1 MB hard drive space
CD-ROM DRIVE: 1x speed, 2x speed recommended (CD-ROM only)
SOUND CARD: Diskette-No/CD-Yes-Sound Card with DAC
posted by curious nu at 7:33 PM on December 7, 2011 [3 favorites]
Which was a follow up to Softporn Adventure back when they were On Line systems.
Al Lowe's flash of brilliance came when he realized that Softporn would be much improved by changing the focus of the game from the retardedly adolescent sexual "conquests" to the profound case of retarded adolescence in the main character, and thus Leisure Suit Larry was born. The original Apple 2 game would nowadays be rejected by "alt.sex.stories" for dumbth, but with that single ironic flip its badness became amusing in LSL.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:35 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
Al Lowe's flash of brilliance came when he realized that Softporn would be much improved by changing the focus of the game from the retardedly adolescent sexual "conquests" to the profound case of retarded adolescence in the main character, and thus Leisure Suit Larry was born. The original Apple 2 game would nowadays be rejected by "alt.sex.stories" for dumbth, but with that single ironic flip its badness became amusing in LSL.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:35 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
absalom: My experience was remarkably similar. Lying to my friend's conservative Christian parents about why we needed to know the answers to the pop culture questions and then nonchalantly asking them at dinner what a prophylactic was. I was 11.
posted by 256 at 7:39 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by 256 at 7:39 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
After much internal debate, LSL 6 is installed. I'm cracking open a Raging Bitch (Flying Dog Brewery -- get this next time you're out if you see it.) and getting to work.
When I look up into the Stars I know you'll be playing along.
posted by zephyr_words at 7:42 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
When I look up into the Stars I know you'll be playing along.
posted by zephyr_words at 7:42 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
I remember playing this in about 1988 or 1989, on an older friend's computer. I was just old enough to find it compelling, but not quite old enough to really get what was going on. Good memories.
posted by Forktine at 7:48 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by Forktine at 7:48 PM on December 7, 2011
Oh god, I am instantly back in Alan's dad bedroom guessing all the age-restriction questions and playing the game cause it was forbidden and totally not getting ANYTHING that was going on but just happy cause I loved point and click adventure games and this was a NEW one.
posted by The Whelk at 7:51 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 7:51 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
then flash forward a few years and I'm playing Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle Of Flesh and going "WHAT?"
Afterlife was good.
posted by The Whelk at 7:54 PM on December 7, 2011
Afterlife was good.
posted by The Whelk at 7:54 PM on December 7, 2011
(but still somewhat lovable)
Weeeeeell...not as such...
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:55 PM on December 7, 2011
Weeeeeell...not as such...
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:55 PM on December 7, 2011
I was probably about 12 when I came across the EGA version of #1. This would have been about 1990. We had the EGA version because even my first computer was several years old and an 8088.
I have no idea how, nor how I got past the age restriction. I just remember vividly that if you didn't buy a condom at the store you got AIDS and died. Sometimes I bought the condom, sometimes I didn't, just to see if maybe *this time* he wouldn't die.
Never worked. Always use protection kids. That's what Leisure Suit Larry taught me.
posted by aclevername at 7:59 PM on December 7, 2011 [7 favorites]
I have no idea how, nor how I got past the age restriction. I just remember vividly that if you didn't buy a condom at the store you got AIDS and died. Sometimes I bought the condom, sometimes I didn't, just to see if maybe *this time* he wouldn't die.
Never worked. Always use protection kids. That's what Leisure Suit Larry taught me.
posted by aclevername at 7:59 PM on December 7, 2011 [7 favorites]
That may be, but Doctor Who proves that those who heard and loved the original "franchise" and have went on to write and produce the new episodes, can making a steaming pile of shit as well.
Oh bollocks.
posted by markr at 8:00 PM on December 7, 2011
Oh bollocks.
posted by markr at 8:00 PM on December 7, 2011
Anyway LSL turned me into a Sierra/Lucasarts fanboy so I got to play Day Of The Tentacle and Sam And Max so that is a net positive.
posted by The Whelk at 8:01 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by The Whelk at 8:01 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
I thought I played LSL in high school, but that would have been around 1983, so it must have been Softporn Adventure. But looking at the LSL graphics on the video, that opening bar setting and bathroom look real familiar, so now I'm even more confused. If I recall correctly if you flush the toilet it overflows and you die of infection.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 8:06 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 8:06 PM on December 7, 2011
aclevername: If it was 1990, the VGA version of LSL1 hadn't been released yet
(ref). I had a megacool 386 with an svga card a few years later but I didn't even know there was a VGA version -- we only had an EGA version.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 8:07 PM on December 7, 2011
(ref). I had a megacool 386 with an svga card a few years later but I didn't even know there was a VGA version -- we only had an EGA version.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 8:07 PM on December 7, 2011
A friend of Al Lowe, Pau Trowe recently bought back the rights to Leisture Suit Larry, and is now working with him on a remake (the first in a series, if it sells well), due for release in Q4 2012.
It was so unlikely that this would ever happen that if the world ends in December 2012, we'll know what to blame.
posted by BiggerJ at 8:17 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
It was so unlikely that this would ever happen that if the world ends in December 2012, we'll know what to blame.
posted by BiggerJ at 8:17 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
When my best friend and I were in junior high, I would stay over at her house, and we would wait until her parents were in bed so we could sneak onto the computer and fire up her dad's copy of LSL. Our goal as we whisper-giggled hysterically was always to get the black censored box to show up. We must have tried fifty different variations of HAVE SEX WITH HOOKER.
I downloaded a new copy of the game onto my phone a couple of years ago for old time's sake and was horrified to learn that the worst thing Larry does anymore is flirt with a waitress.
posted by katillathehun at 8:19 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
I downloaded a new copy of the game onto my phone a couple of years ago for old time's sake and was horrified to learn that the worst thing Larry does anymore is flirt with a waitress.
posted by katillathehun at 8:19 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
Katillathehun: I believe you may be talking about the mobile version of Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail. It's undoubtedly terrible compared to the original and the rest of the classic series, as were the newer Larry Lovage games.
Paul Trowe, new owner of the franchise, well never rerelease those games. The tables are turned!
posted by BiggerJ at 8:24 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
Paul Trowe, new owner of the franchise, well never rerelease those games. The tables are turned!
posted by BiggerJ at 8:24 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
I love you guys.
posted by stratastar at 8:39 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by stratastar at 8:39 PM on December 7, 2011
> KEN SENT ME
For years this was my password on systems I didn't care about.
posted by madajb at 8:42 PM on December 7, 2011
For years this was my password on systems I didn't care about.
posted by madajb at 8:42 PM on December 7, 2011
Metafilter, for instance.
posted by kingbenny at 8:45 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by kingbenny at 8:45 PM on December 7, 2011 [2 favorites]
I am astonished to learn they made LSL games this century. LSL was the closest thing I had to porn on my IIC.
posted by middleclasstool at 8:47 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by middleclasstool at 8:47 PM on December 7, 2011
Well, I poked around a little, and flushed a toilet. The room filled with water, and I drowned. From flushing a toilet.
God, no wonder LucasArts kicked Sierra's ass.
posted by Malor at 8:52 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
God, no wonder LucasArts kicked Sierra's ass.
posted by Malor at 8:52 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
I emailed Al Lowe, congratulating him on getting the series back and asking him some questions. He said that the upcoming remakes will NOT feature unwinnable states. There will however, be sudden deaths up the wazoo, as always.
posted by BiggerJ at 8:58 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by BiggerJ at 8:58 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
A friend of Al Lowe, Pau Trowe
Also, Mike Rowe and Gordie Howe are involved.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:07 PM on December 7, 2011 [8 favorites]
Also, Mike Rowe and Gordie Howe are involved.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:07 PM on December 7, 2011 [8 favorites]
I had a roommate. He had an authentic 286 his grandparents bought him. I had an 8088.
LSL would not run on my machine, but ran flawlessly, in EGA, on his. My machine was HGA, monochrome.
When I was home, he was usually home and needed his computer for school.
Thanksgiving, 1990?, he spent the weekend at his parents, I spent the weekend home alone, getting high, drinking rum and eggnog and playing LSL on his machine - All. The. Way. To. The. End.
Holidays just don't get much better than that.
Well, except for the ones with food and people who love you and all that crap... but stilll.
posted by mmrtnt at 9:33 PM on December 7, 2011 [4 favorites]
LSL would not run on my machine, but ran flawlessly, in EGA, on his. My machine was HGA, monochrome.
When I was home, he was usually home and needed his computer for school.
Thanksgiving, 1990?, he spent the weekend at his parents, I spent the weekend home alone, getting high, drinking rum and eggnog and playing LSL on his machine - All. The. Way. To. The. End.
Holidays just don't get much better than that.
Well, except for the ones with food and people who love you and all that crap... but stilll.
posted by mmrtnt at 9:33 PM on December 7, 2011 [4 favorites]
After copying several pages of questions from the game to determine which answers I had already tried, I felt a rather curious mixture of anger, frustration, happiness and glee when I discovered the questions could be skipped by pressing Alt-X.
posted by Pyrogenesis at 10:15 PM on December 7, 2011
posted by Pyrogenesis at 10:15 PM on December 7, 2011
Wow, that age verification question about O.J. is eerily prescient!
Also, that's some hard core casual racism for 1987 in the Nixon question.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:00 PM on December 7, 2011
Also, that's some hard core casual racism for 1987 in the Nixon question.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:00 PM on December 7, 2011
Was this playable on an Amiga 500? Or did I have to wait until I got the 286?
I had lsl and two 16 color dithered pictures of naked ladies in a set of floppies I hid under my printer.
The adolescent human male is stupidly easy to turn on.
posted by Ayn Rand and God at 11:31 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
I had lsl and two 16 color dithered pictures of naked ladies in a set of floppies I hid under my printer.
The adolescent human male is stupidly easy to turn on.
posted by Ayn Rand and God at 11:31 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
Also, that's some hard core casual racism for 1987 in the Nixon question.
Sincere question: Was "negro" a racist usage in 1987? Or is the implication just that who the hell wants to be associated with Richard Nixon? I was, like, 6, so I don't actually remember.
(On the other hand, from what I do remember of the late 1980s, the casual racism got a fair piece more hardcore than that.)
posted by brennen at 12:14 AM on December 8, 2011
Sincere question: Was "negro" a racist usage in 1987? Or is the implication just that who the hell wants to be associated with Richard Nixon? I was, like, 6, so I don't actually remember.
(On the other hand, from what I do remember of the late 1980s, the casual racism got a fair piece more hardcore than that.)
posted by brennen at 12:14 AM on December 8, 2011
Well, I poked around a little, and flushed a toilet. The room filled with water, and I drowned. From flushing a toilet.
God, no wonder LucasArts kicked Sierra's ass.
Sierra did have some design excesses yes, but LucasArts wouldn't have been possible without them, they were a necessary intermediate step between Infocom-style text adventures and later LucasArts wonders like Monkey Island.
Anyway, some of the funniest scenes in Sierra games are death animations. The one I enjoyed especially was the CD-ROM version of Space Quest IV, which had a wonderfully sarcastic, and instantly recognizable, Gary Owens as narrator. King's Quest has pretty much run its course, and Police Quest lives on in network television as CSI: Who Honestly Cares, but Space Quest could be revived now, and do excellently. The fact that whoever owns the property hasn't actively sought out Telltale to remake it serves as just another proof that, really, "rational actors" are often anything but.
posted by JHarris at 12:22 AM on December 8, 2011
God, no wonder LucasArts kicked Sierra's ass.
Sierra did have some design excesses yes, but LucasArts wouldn't have been possible without them, they were a necessary intermediate step between Infocom-style text adventures and later LucasArts wonders like Monkey Island.
Anyway, some of the funniest scenes in Sierra games are death animations. The one I enjoyed especially was the CD-ROM version of Space Quest IV, which had a wonderfully sarcastic, and instantly recognizable, Gary Owens as narrator. King's Quest has pretty much run its course, and Police Quest lives on in network television as CSI: Who Honestly Cares, but Space Quest could be revived now, and do excellently. The fact that whoever owns the property hasn't actively sought out Telltale to remake it serves as just another proof that, really, "rational actors" are often anything but.
posted by JHarris at 12:22 AM on December 8, 2011
Um, but I digressed. Since death was so laughably common in Sierra adventures, the player got conditioned to save frequently. In other circles I've made a lot about "permadeath" as a play mechanic and how useful it can be, but its reverse, cheap and easy saving, can be useful too. It's just that the latter thing has become so pervasive now.
Keep in mind, that save-every-turn mindset could just be made automatic by offering an undo command upon death, or some other form of autosaving. And if you save over the same file frequently it presents definite problems if you get the game in an winnable state. So there are other problems there, but cut them a bit of slack, adventure games were still finding their way.
And I can't be the only one who, at times, has found the plexiglass, impossible-to-lose nature of LucasArts games itself a little offputting. They literally (except in the case of bugs) won't let you take an action that will make the game unwinnable or cause you to die, and that is sometimes a powerful spoiler if you think about it.
posted by JHarris at 12:28 AM on December 8, 2011
Keep in mind, that save-every-turn mindset could just be made automatic by offering an undo command upon death, or some other form of autosaving. And if you save over the same file frequently it presents definite problems if you get the game in an winnable state. So there are other problems there, but cut them a bit of slack, adventure games were still finding their way.
And I can't be the only one who, at times, has found the plexiglass, impossible-to-lose nature of LucasArts games itself a little offputting. They literally (except in the case of bugs) won't let you take an action that will make the game unwinnable or cause you to die, and that is sometimes a powerful spoiler if you think about it.
posted by JHarris at 12:28 AM on December 8, 2011
Actually, Telltale going to make a King's Quest reboot.
posted by BiggerJ at 12:29 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by BiggerJ at 12:29 AM on December 8, 2011
I remember friends and I playing LSL but everybody being slightly disappointed. We had a hard core porn and drug dealing spectrum game [nsfw] years before this in Portugal and LSL seemed like kid's play compared to it. Odd that LSL would look softie for 13 years olds. How things change.
posted by lucia__is__dada at 12:31 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by lucia__is__dada at 12:31 AM on December 8, 2011
Afroblanco:: Someday I am going to makeI dream about this.a moviean MMO out of Autoduel, and it's going to fucking rock.
posted by Doofus Magoo at 2:48 AM on December 8, 2011
Autoduel MMO
Someone did that! (sort of) It was not successful.
posted by curious nu at 4:08 AM on December 8, 2011
Someone did that! (sort of) It was not successful.
posted by curious nu at 4:08 AM on December 8, 2011
I'll take a holiday by myself playing computer games over one surrounded by family and friends any time.
posted by Renoroc at 5:10 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by Renoroc at 5:10 AM on December 8, 2011
8088
Sigh. I'm ok with my computer (even if it is a laptop) being ever more powerful than my* Zaxxon-playing computer but when you think that my bloody phone is magnitudesmore powerful, let alone that it's a mobile phone, it makes me wonder what tech we might have in 30 years. And let me tell you, it'd better be ScummVM compatible!
*set= {dad}
posted by ersatz at 5:27 AM on December 8, 2011
Sigh. I'm ok with my computer (even if it is a laptop) being ever more powerful than my* Zaxxon-playing computer but when you think that my bloody phone is magnitudesmore powerful, let alone that it's a mobile phone, it makes me wonder what tech we might have in 30 years. And let me tell you, it'd better be ScummVM compatible!
*set= {dad}
posted by ersatz at 5:27 AM on December 8, 2011
Unlike many, I played LSL 1 as an adult. Never got into the later versions (probably because I got a job).
Don't recall the age verification questions, probably because I was old enough - but the Alt-X thing does come to mind because I didn't want to waste my time proving I was old enough.
Now I have that silly song stuck in my head and if I whistle it (at work) I'm sure I'll be busted.
Thanks for the memories.
posted by Man with Lantern at 5:46 AM on December 8, 2011
Don't recall the age verification questions, probably because I was old enough - but the Alt-X thing does come to mind because I didn't want to waste my time proving I was old enough.
Now I have that silly song stuck in my head and if I whistle it (at work) I'm sure I'll be busted.
Thanks for the memories.
posted by Man with Lantern at 5:46 AM on December 8, 2011
I played and loved the first one on my Atari ST. the age check question were kind of tricky, as they hadn't changed them for the UK release, so I had no idea about half of them.
posted by Z303 at 5:47 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by Z303 at 5:47 AM on December 8, 2011
Was this playable on an Amiga 500?
Most of the Sierra "Quest" games were available on the Amiga including the Leisure Suit Larry series.
posted by pashdown at 6:19 AM on December 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
Most of the Sierra "Quest" games were available on the Amiga including the Leisure Suit Larry series.
posted by pashdown at 6:19 AM on December 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
Well, I poked around a little, and flushed a toilet. The room filled with water, and I drowned. From flushing a toilet.
God, no wonder LucasArts kicked Sierra's ass.
Whatever. You people with your sexy games about lovable perverts. In the Gold Rush! we didn't even have toilets. We had scurvy, and poisonous snakes, and an old timey prospector who would hang you for claim jumping if you missed the copy protection question. Shit was real. It built character.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:23 AM on December 8, 2011
God, no wonder LucasArts kicked Sierra's ass.
Whatever. You people with your sexy games about lovable perverts. In the Gold Rush! we didn't even have toilets. We had scurvy, and poisonous snakes, and an old timey prospector who would hang you for claim jumping if you missed the copy protection question. Shit was real. It built character.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:23 AM on December 8, 2011
Holy cow between this and the Commander Keen post, it is middle school all over again.
My stepbrother and I played these (and many other Sierra adventure games) together. I remember that we actually bought LSL at the game store at the mall with Great Trepidation because we were not old enough to be buying it (was it 16?). I had to complete the actual transaction because I was a year older and a girl and could presumably better fake the wisdom and maturity needed to be allowed to buy a copy of a dirty Sierra game.
I remember them not being that scandalous, but boy how we HOPED they would be. The anticipation was worth all the disappointment.
posted by little cow make small moo at 6:42 AM on December 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
My stepbrother and I played these (and many other Sierra adventure games) together. I remember that we actually bought LSL at the game store at the mall with Great Trepidation because we were not old enough to be buying it (was it 16?). I had to complete the actual transaction because I was a year older and a girl and could presumably better fake the wisdom and maturity needed to be allowed to buy a copy of a dirty Sierra game.
I remember them not being that scandalous, but boy how we HOPED they would be. The anticipation was worth all the disappointment.
posted by little cow make small moo at 6:42 AM on December 8, 2011 [1 favorite]
I hope the Leisure Suit Larry remake is all gritty. The Dark Knight of Sierra game reimaginings.
posted by frenetic at 6:43 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by frenetic at 6:43 AM on December 8, 2011
I still can't imagine ever finishing a Sierra adventure without cheating. From the internet I now know that there are people out there who can, but I am not one of them. LSL2 in particular was utterly ridiculous - even after reading walkthroughs I still often got it wrong.
Still love them though. Even if it took me a number of years to get the "nontoonyt" joke.
On preview:
frenetic: "I hope the Leisure Suit Larry remake is all gritty. The Dark Knight of Sierra game reimaginings."
Oh god no please no. Fortunately, a quick glance at Al Lowe's website should remove any concern that his sense of humour or outlook on life has changed (for better or worse).
posted by vanar sena at 6:49 AM on December 8, 2011
Still love them though. Even if it took me a number of years to get the "nontoonyt" joke.
On preview:
frenetic: "I hope the Leisure Suit Larry remake is all gritty. The Dark Knight of Sierra game reimaginings."
Oh god no please no. Fortunately, a quick glance at Al Lowe's website should remove any concern that his sense of humour or outlook on life has changed (for better or worse).
posted by vanar sena at 6:49 AM on December 8, 2011
I learned the word "prophylactic" from LSL. Good times.
posted by Kabanos at 7:18 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by Kabanos at 7:18 AM on December 8, 2011
I still can't imagine ever finishing a Sierra adventure without cheating....
Sierra made some games near impossible to get without "cheating", in a blatant ploy to sell game guides.
I can't remember exactly which King's Quest it was, but there was some point in the story where the character had to find a horse bridle to continue. The bridle was "hidden" in a broken rowboat on a deserted island. The bridle was not visible on the screen, nor would it be listed with a "look boat" or "look inside boat". There was no way you could find it via the gaming interface - you had to already know it was there and type "get bridle" while inside the boat.
Don't know how many days I spent in fruitless searches trying to find the effing bridle until I finally hitched a ride with older friends who could drive me to the mall so I could sneak a peak at the game guide for sale in the book store.
That was the day my love of Sierra games died.
posted by de void at 8:04 AM on December 8, 2011 [6 favorites]
Sierra made some games near impossible to get without "cheating", in a blatant ploy to sell game guides.
I can't remember exactly which King's Quest it was, but there was some point in the story where the character had to find a horse bridle to continue. The bridle was "hidden" in a broken rowboat on a deserted island. The bridle was not visible on the screen, nor would it be listed with a "look boat" or "look inside boat". There was no way you could find it via the gaming interface - you had to already know it was there and type "get bridle" while inside the boat.
Don't know how many days I spent in fruitless searches trying to find the effing bridle until I finally hitched a ride with older friends who could drive me to the mall so I could sneak a peak at the game guide for sale in the book store.
That was the day my love of Sierra games died.
posted by de void at 8:04 AM on December 8, 2011 [6 favorites]
I distinctly remember playing LSL on my dad's first (x286! $4000!) computer at home and playing Kings Quest at school (earned for good behavior, 10 minutes at a time).
posted by Twicketface at 9:55 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by Twicketface at 9:55 AM on December 8, 2011
That may be, but Doctor Who proves that those who heard and loved the original "franchise" and have went on to write and produce the new episodes, can making a steaming pile of shit as well.
juiceCake, YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!!
/ PDP-11/70 + Dungeon.exe, represent!
posted by IAmBroom at 11:42 AM on December 8, 2011
juiceCake, YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!!
/ PDP-11/70 + Dungeon.exe, represent!
posted by IAmBroom at 11:42 AM on December 8, 2011
I played them on the Amiga though I wasn't particularly fond of LSL I did quite enjoy the Space Quest games.
posted by juiceCake at 11:42 AM on December 8, 2011
posted by juiceCake at 11:42 AM on December 8, 2011
juiceCake, YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!!
Would that I could. It would take blowing away the entirely of the current series into a "that was the mediocre universe, and we're done with that, now back to good Doctor Who". That isn't going to happen, it will continue to be utter shit.
posted by juiceCake at 1:02 PM on December 8, 2011
Would that I could. It would take blowing away the entirely of the current series into a "that was the mediocre universe, and we're done with that, now back to good Doctor Who". That isn't going to happen, it will continue to be utter shit.
posted by juiceCake at 1:02 PM on December 8, 2011
"Sincere question: Was "negro" a racist usage in 1987?"
YES. It began its slide from acceptability in the 60s or so.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 1:41 PM on December 8, 2011
YES. It began its slide from acceptability in the 60s or so.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 1:41 PM on December 8, 2011
The bridle was not visible on the screen, nor would it be listed with a "look boat" or "look inside boat".
I think...think...that look in boat or look inside boat would also work. But I seriously cannot be bothered trying to get that game up and running again to find out. It was horrible for many, many reasons.
posted by Sparx at 2:43 PM on December 8, 2011
I think...think...that look in boat or look inside boat would also work. But I seriously cannot be bothered trying to get that game up and running again to find out. It was horrible for many, many reasons.
posted by Sparx at 2:43 PM on December 8, 2011
Video game death scenes (youtube playlist)
About half this list is just Sierra deaths!
posted by jcruelty at 10:46 PM on December 8, 2011
About half this list is just Sierra deaths!
posted by jcruelty at 10:46 PM on December 8, 2011
This is kinda long, but shows how unexpectedly educational Leisure Suit Larry could be sometimes. Back in college, one of my pals was a Polish guy we'll call Jacek. He came to the States when he was 15 or so; really smart guy, but had one glaring area of ignorance: American pop culture.
Late one night, he, another friend named Steven, and I were eating together in the student union, and Jacek asked "who's Johnny Carson?" He frequently asked these sorts of questions, and this was long before Wikipedia would have had quick semi-definitive answers to these sorts of picayune questions for him. I decided to have a bit of fun, and answered "Hmm ... I think he was a minor diplomat during Nixon's administration under Henry Kissinger, if I recall correctly, and was instrumental in Nixon going to China."
Steven sputtered "Absolutely not. Absolutely, absolutely not. He hosted a TV show, that's it." Steven and I went back and forth for quite a while on this, neither of us quite convincing Jacek one way or the other. Finally, I said "OK, let's settle it like this. When we get back to the dorms, we'll ask Kevin who Johnny Carson is, and that'll be the answer." Kevin was Steven's roommate. This seemed like a good solution, and we packed up to walk back to the dorms.
On the way out, I said "Hey, Jacek, didn't you say you were going to check your mail while you were here?" He nodded, and Jacek and Steven went down to the student union basement to the mailroom. As soon as they were out of sight, I grabbed the lobby courtesy phone and called Kevin. "If anyone asks you who Johnny Carson is, he's a minor Nixon-era diplomat. Worked under Henry Kissinger, instrumental in getting Nixon to China." I hung up the phone, hearing Jacek and Steven coming back up the stairs.
Kevin did a masterful job when we got back. Jacek pounded on Kevin's door; when Kevin came to the door, he looked like he'd been asleep for hours. Jacek demanded to know who Johnny Carson was. Kevin stood for a moment or two, thinking. "I think he worked for ... Henry Kissinger? Something about arranging for Nixon's trip to China, something like that." Jacek looked at Steven reprovingly.
Jacek believed Johnny Carson was a diplomat for several months -- that is, until the day he downloaded Leisure Suit Larry from some warez site, started to play, and the age verification question demanded to know who Johnny Carson was. None of the possible answers was even close to diplomat.
posted by orthicon halo at 8:04 AM on December 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
Late one night, he, another friend named Steven, and I were eating together in the student union, and Jacek asked "who's Johnny Carson?" He frequently asked these sorts of questions, and this was long before Wikipedia would have had quick semi-definitive answers to these sorts of picayune questions for him. I decided to have a bit of fun, and answered "Hmm ... I think he was a minor diplomat during Nixon's administration under Henry Kissinger, if I recall correctly, and was instrumental in Nixon going to China."
Steven sputtered "Absolutely not. Absolutely, absolutely not. He hosted a TV show, that's it." Steven and I went back and forth for quite a while on this, neither of us quite convincing Jacek one way or the other. Finally, I said "OK, let's settle it like this. When we get back to the dorms, we'll ask Kevin who Johnny Carson is, and that'll be the answer." Kevin was Steven's roommate. This seemed like a good solution, and we packed up to walk back to the dorms.
On the way out, I said "Hey, Jacek, didn't you say you were going to check your mail while you were here?" He nodded, and Jacek and Steven went down to the student union basement to the mailroom. As soon as they were out of sight, I grabbed the lobby courtesy phone and called Kevin. "If anyone asks you who Johnny Carson is, he's a minor Nixon-era diplomat. Worked under Henry Kissinger, instrumental in getting Nixon to China." I hung up the phone, hearing Jacek and Steven coming back up the stairs.
Kevin did a masterful job when we got back. Jacek pounded on Kevin's door; when Kevin came to the door, he looked like he'd been asleep for hours. Jacek demanded to know who Johnny Carson was. Kevin stood for a moment or two, thinking. "I think he worked for ... Henry Kissinger? Something about arranging for Nixon's trip to China, something like that." Jacek looked at Steven reprovingly.
Jacek believed Johnny Carson was a diplomat for several months -- that is, until the day he downloaded Leisure Suit Larry from some warez site, started to play, and the age verification question demanded to know who Johnny Carson was. None of the possible answers was even close to diplomat.
posted by orthicon halo at 8:04 AM on December 9, 2011 [3 favorites]
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