JimmyTwoBucks

For me, SQ6 started off really really strong, maybe the strongest of all the SQ games, or at least on a par with the openings of SQ4 and SQ3... When we move to the ship, it was ok too, only a bit of step down from the opening on Polysorbate. But then it all just went awry, in my opinion. The stuff in the computer I found pretty dull, especially the filing place. And then going inside the body I found dull as well, I just didn't really like the idea. If we HAD to go inside someone, I thought they could have least made it an alien we had to go in, so that it would at least have been more alien-like... instead it just reminded me of some kind of biology program used in schools. It was well executed, I just found the ideas got less and less interesting. I like Space Quest because it's SPACE quest... not "Computer Filing Quest" or "Internal Organs Quest".

I'm personally fine with SQ not having any more sequels and it just being the six already existing games... I think SpaceVenture can just take over the niche that SQ used to fill... you don't need two separate franchises on the same niche, especially if it's the exact same team behind both! And the SpaceVenture game (and hopefully games) have the potential to outdo the SQ games because: --they don't have to worry about the company making a SpaceVenture without them or with just one of them or trying to change the game without their consent or anything like, they have full control --they can just go off what they want and what fans want, not what the company wants --technology now makes it easier to make really advanced adventure games like this, while back then they were constantly fighting with the evolving technology of the time For me the ONLY reason I would like to see more SQ games would be so that we could finally get to the SQs seen in SQ4 and see the SQ4 Roger pop up in them, etc.

My favorite parts are probably both in SQ4 -- the beginning, including the whole opening sequence and realizing you're in a future SQ, and then when you get sent back to SQ1 was a laugh-out-loud moment as well as a clever idea and intriguing to see what it would be like looking around SQ1 with the Roger from SQ4.

Let's hope there isn't an interview in the future where the two guys go, "well we knew everyone loved the tunnels from SQ2, so we designed most of Space Venture around that location..." I think many of my new favorite areas will be from Space Venture from what I've seen so far... the ship looks phenomenal, I especially liked the science lab room thing where the one containment thing had broken...

Took some time to put together my top SQ locations, as well as some of my least favorite (and even those are pretty cool really). Where there are similar areas, I've grouped them together (otherwise my list would look different, I'd probably give Monolith Burger its own spot at no. 3, etc. if I separated them all out). I would love to see what other people's favorite SQ locations are! Most Favorite Areas 1. Polysorbate LX in SQ6 Now, SQ6 is not my favorite SQ game, but the beginning location is probably my single favorite place from all the games. It feels the most like a fully realized alien location to me and it makes me think, “what other cities and alien societies are in the SQ world to explore?” While I enjoy the rest of SQ6 overall, I wish it had gone more in this direction... I'd have loved to have explored other seedy areas of other planets, or just other planets in general. Being in someone's stomach and the filing cabinets, etc. felt kinda un-Space-Questy to me and was just a bit dull in comparison. 2. Galaxy Galleria in SQ4 SUCH a good idea... lots of funny alien shops, characters, lots of spoofs to fit in, perfect. Also have to mention the Monolith Burger in SQ3, which is like a prototype of the mall to me... I feel like the mall expands on the idea of the SQ3 Monolith Burger and improves it. Also the Space Bar in SQ5 is cool, but I don't think it competes with the Galaxy Galleria or Monolith Burger... The only improvement I can think of with the Galaxy Galleria would be if it had a Space Bar in it. And maybe an alien cinema. 3. Ulence Flats in SQ1 + 4 This and Phleebhut in SQ3 are what I'd call “populated desert areas” and I think Ulence Flats wins out here because it has more to see and do. Just a really fun area in a relatively alien landscape with great ideas in it. 4. SCS DeepShip 86 in SQ6 Probably my favorite ship in the series, mainly because it's got many parts to it... the only critique I would have is that the rooms all seem kind of disconnected, like they're random unrelated rooms rather than the feel of one continuous place. S.S. Eureka in SQ5 is also a very nice ship... if it had a few more rooms, I think it would trump the SQ6 ship, as it feels more together and flows better. Arcada in SQ1 is a great opening ship to be on, though there are limited things to do on it, but it serves its purpose well, same as the Deltaur in SQ1... mostly a place to try to get through. Orbital Station 4 in SQ2 is ok, but it's just a small area really... I like the general vibe of it though. What we see of the Goliath in SQ5 (not including the tunnels) is ok, but we don't see that much. 5. War-torn Xenon in SQ4 Awesome idea. I probably like the idea of this location more so than how it actually came out... I wish it had been more expansive and had more to explore. I'd have loved to have gone into burnt out buildings/shops to pick up some more items and seen more of the ruined city. 6. Kerona Desert in SQ1 The SQ series has several areas that I'd call “dangerous desert areas” and I think Kerona is probably the best and most fully realized (probably because it is the biggest and has the underground complex as well). The only problem I have with this kind of location is there is often not that much to see or do there as other areas... it's a cool contrast to the more populated areas though. Kiz Urazgubi in SQ5 and Klorox II in SQ5 have a sort of similar feel, though both are pretty limited in scope and the Canyon in SQ4 is also similar, but there is even less to do there. I guess I can also lump Ortega in SQ3 in here as well... it's not technically a desert, but it's barren and there isn't that much to do in it. So for me Kerona captures the “barren” planet vibe the best and it creates a contrast to the more populated areas in the SQ games. 7. Junk Freighter in SQ3 This one was hard to judge, because I remember finding this area tough when I first played it, so maybe I'm biased against it, but it is a really nicely put together location with interesting parts to it. I don't know if this is correct, but I get the impression this is some people's favorite location? To me it's a solid location, a little underwhelming as far as its "alien-ness", but well crafted. 8. Labion Forest in SQ2 The good thing about this area is that it is vast and so there is a lot of exploring to do. Unfortunately though, there isn't THAT much to see or do really, compared to other SQ locations, but they really went all out to make it an explorable place. I think it is a bit of a disappointment in SQ2 that it takes up so much of the game just in one place though, but if it had been part of a game with 4-5 more big locations, then I think it would fit in really well. I think it may be judged more harshly by some due to it taking up so much of the game just in one area. Thrakus in SQ5 is a similar sort of environment, though it's kind of underdeveloped (I think several of the locations in SQ5 have a bit of that problem). 9. Genetix Envirodome in SQ5 It's intriguing, but feels like a lot of SQ5, where different planets feel underdeveloped... it should be a really, really interesting area, but I think it falls a little flat. Still give it points for being an interesting idea though. Least Favorite Areas 1. Subterranean Tunnels in SQ2 Not really got much to say about this area because there isn't much to it... there are a few similar areas in other SQ games which are like neither here-nor-there, but this one stands out because it takes up time without really adding any interest or enjoyment. 2. Goliath Service Tunnels in SQ5 Same problem as the tunnels in SQ2. I get the idea that tunnels can break up the rest of the game play to add variety, but I don't find them much fun! 3. Computer and Filing System in SQ6 On the one hand, some of the computer area is very nicely realized, I just found it a dull idea overall and I really didn't like messing about in the filing cabinet area... with all the alien planets we could be exploring, we're stuck doing filing work! Should have maybe been a very quick mini game thing at the most, not a whole fully-realized section of the game, in my opinion. 4. Inside Stellar in SQ6 Not a terrible idea and it's well realized, but again, just kind of uninspired when we should be out exploring the galaxy. I think because it also comes after the computer/filing system part, it felt SQ6 went further and further away from the great beginning. If we are going to go inside a stomach, it should have been an alien stomach at least! 5. Pestulon in SQ3 It's an ok area... it's at the end of an awesome game, so I have a fondness for it, but the office part is another one of those areas where it felt like it could be in any game really. It's humorous, so it's got that going for it, but it feels a bit mundane in a sci-fi adventure. 6. Vohaul's Asteroid Base in SQ2 It's not awful or anything, just a bit repetitive I guess, same with Vohaul's Base in SQ4. In both cases the games are winding down to their conclusions and so I think it's more concerned with creating a sense of dread and “uh oh, nearly at the final bad guy” feeling, which they do well.

Pardon my ignorance on this, but what are alpha and beta builds?

Ha! I didn't spot that first time round, awesome! And yeah, excellent music too.

Loved the stuff in the kickstarter video! Highlights for me: - TACO NOVA!!!! Yessss, tacos in space are what I'm all about! - Landfill and gas station!!! Great place for lots of cool things, especially liked the gas station part of it. - Ace's cool van-shaped ship! Awesome idea... - Drop-down icon things! Walk! Hand! Look! Talk! WRENCH! Can't wait to get ta pressing! - Rooter transforming! Nuff said... - Drain-snake and blender! Amazing. - Guy who looks like Watto! A spoof of Episode 1 in there maybe? Some people seemed concerned at the main site that it's taking a long time and that the video suggested not much has been done so far? I'm not really bothered as long as at the end all of these great ideas come together fully formed and done the justice they deserve... I know projects like this can take a long time, so I'd rather wait than have them rush it. Also, hard to tell if the video really represents how far along they actually are if they don't want to show too much stuff just yet.

I was thinking... it may actually be a really good thing that it has taken this long to get adventure games up and running again, because although I really enjoyed games like SQ4 and SQ6, I think at the time games were always trying to make use of cutting edge developments in graphics, sound, 3D, etc., and that was sometimes a pain! I enjoyed SQ6, but my computer at the time sure didn't! I remember having some trouble loading things on it and it being sluggish because of my computer... it wasn't even an old computer for the time, it's just I didn't have a brand spanking new machine that would play the game 100% smoothly. And I remember SQ4 used to crash when I was trying to leave SQXII... it would usually hang and then crash. So the great thing with going back to adventure games today is that the developers don't have to chase technology to make sure their games are "up to date," they can use things that are tried and tested and will run smoothly and look good, etc. because computers are so much faster today and adventure games don't require the kind of processing power that a lot of the first-person shooters do... So although something like SQ4 is really difficult to top, I think there is a good chance of doing it, just because you don't need to fight against the rapid changes in the graphics, sound, etc. that were going on when the SQ games were made.

Dang! As usual, I've been a real pantload.

Yeah, they seem "fuller" to me, if that makes sense, like there is a weight to them. I think the shots came with the caveat that they hadn't added items into the shots yet, etc. Me personally, the type of environments I'd like to see are: Obviously some spaceship type of things, whether they're large sprawling ships or smaller craft Shops/bars to explore... like Ulence Flats, World O' Wonders, Monolith Burger, Galaxy Galleria mall, and Polysorbate LX.I think these are my favorite kind of SQ location. I think one of the reasons SQ2 is probably my least favorite of the series is because it doesn't have this kind of location in it... And I think my favorite thing about SQ6 is the planet and then the rest of the game disappointed me a little, with going inside the body thing rather than a "real" planet or location. Been a long time since I played SQ5 so I can't remember if it has a location like this either, I can't recall one... After that, I guess more obviously "alien" planets, whether they are deserted, barren, jungley, etc. I would like to see something that hasn't appeared in a SQ game, maybe like a gangster's palace (Jabba the Hutt style) or an arena or whatever...

I can't wait to stroll along one of those corridors clicking on things...

Haha, having seen the couple of screenshots from the facebook page, I am COMPLETELY sold now on the look... I assumed the look would be slightly different to the test version with the dome, but the difference really is night and day, I think they've totally nailed it! Can't wait to see other characters, locations, etc.

Anyone heard any news on how far along (roughly) things are with the game? Are they still designing stuff, or is all being programming, etc. now?

To me, if SpaceVenture is successful or not, I'm not sure if that would lead to more SQ, and I'm feeling kinda happy about that in a way... If SpaceVenture isn't successful, then I think it would be very hard to convince Activision to put out another SQ game... But if SpaceVenture IS successful, and I truly hope it is amazingly successful, then it means the Two Guys own outright something that is more valuable to them than SQ... they own SpaceVenture and can do what they like with it, it would have fans and paying customers, so no money needs to be put into "relaunching" SQ, and they can get on with making sequels for SpaceVenture making healthy profits on each one due to owning the company and idea... which can be reinvested in making even more SpaceVentures! To me, this would be excellent... as much as I love SQ, I think we've had 6 great entries now, and the Two Guys may not even get FULL control of it even if they came to some agreement... to me it seems better to put the series to bed and properly do the NEW series, SpaceVenture and make it a 6-7 episode series, all done amazingly with voice acting, etc. The only reason I can think of them wanting to do another SQ even when SpaceVenture if successful, is if Activision can really push a new SQ game hard and put a big budget, particularly marketing budget, behind it. That would make some sense -- they may not have full control, and they may not get paid as well per copy as SpaceVenture, but if Activision can reach a much bigger market, then it may be worth doing... plus maybe getting some of that shine onto SpaceVenture in the process... But if I were them, I'd just make sure the new game is amazing, get some sales, then do another kickstarter for episode 2, plus maybe use some of the money made from SpaceVenture 1 to make the sequel even bigger and get better marketing/publicity, and grow it into a really popular series of their own, with no need to deal with other companies... The cool thing is, SQ was amazing from the beginning, but I think it really hit its stride a few episodes in - III and IV, so we may get really, really mindblowing SpaceVenture III and IV if it follows the same pattern...

Having thought about the SpaceVenture graphic style some more, I think I'm getting more comfortable with it... I think I was just basing it off what I saw in the short demo thing they did, in the dome... But if I start to imagine Ace in a fully finished world where he can go to different planets and a bar and run into different aliens, etc., it starts making more "sense" in my head, how it will work with the the graphic style they've gone for... Eg. aliens will get to have the same exaggerated-photo look as Ace's head, and I think that will really work and be interesting... I think it would be hard pulling off the SQIV "feel" and look with more detailed graphics, the level of graphics then were probably perfect for making it look sort of "real", but being just "blurry" enough that they didn't have to show you too much, like detailed faces, etc.

I definitely agree with you in regards to how you described Space Quest, that's how I felt about it, like I was watching/playing in a real-life universe that happened to have crazy stuff going on in it, and narration "outside" of what was happening. And although I understand the points you make with Leisure Suit Larry, I have to admit that when I was playing LSL1, I always felt the cool thing about it was that it was like a "real" world, where you could go to a bar, a hotel, a store, and you were this actual person. I never thought I was playing as a cartoon character... and I think the series lost a lot of appeal to me when it became cartoonier... Having said that, I think it was a LOT easier to come across as more "real" with those early graphics (funnily enough), because you could project onto them what you wanted them to be, while as graphics got "better" you had to have more detail and it made the creators have to choose one way or the other, and if you liked the realistic take, then it was tough-luck in some cases... But even if the creators say they weren't going for any style in particular, I think it was clear they weren't going for an exaggerated cartoony style... Like if you look at the close-ups, no one has like a massive chin or nose or anything... eg. this is meant to look like a "real" woman -- Yeah, I'm very excited about the new game, I think the overall look, from what I've seen so far, is my only slight concern.

Thanks for your reply! Great to be able to talk to other Space Quest fans... I know what you mean as far it not being like 100% realistic... probably the wrong wording from me there, because yeah, it's always like a comic book style in some way... What I mean more accurately then is that previous ones had fewer exaggerated features... For example in something like Space Quest 4, in the main gameplay and in the cut scene parts, his body is always in proportion... he never has like a giant head compared to a small body, or like an impossibly large cartoon jaw or anything like that. While I think Ace Hardway has more of those kind of exaggerated cartoon features... Not that that's a bad thing, but I was surprised that it seemed be drawn in that direction. It reminds me a bit of Monkey Island, where in the later installments he became more cartoony, while in close-ups in the first couple of games and on the box art, etc. he was drawn as if he was more of a "real" person. I guess I mean the difference between this -- ...where that could be pretty much a scene from a movie, but just drawn as an illustration, and this -- ...where he seems less like a "normal" proportioned person... Or during the game, this -- ...where again, he looks pretty much like "normal" person, compared to -- ...where he looks more like a cartoon to me... Again, I don't think it's like a totally bad thing... I guess I'll have to wait until I see Ace in other environments and everything until I can get a real feel for what the overall style is like... seeing him in a few grimy bars will probably make me more at ease with the style!

Hi... long time Space Quest fan, this is my first time posting... I'm really looking forward to the new game, and I'm sure it'll be amazing. Though one thing makes me uneasy, though just in a small way and I wondered if anyone else felt the same... One of the reasons I really liked Space Quest, was that the characters and environments all were done in a sort of "realistic" style, like Roger looked like he could be a "real" person and the places he went looked like they were done seriously. I thought that made the game really involving and also made the humor even funnier, because it was contrasted with a "real" and "lived-in" sci-fi world that had all this cool stuff like space malls and space fast food, etc. While the new game, just from the style of the artwork, seems to have moved away from that a bit? Like Ace Hardway seems more "cartoony" in his look, like he has a really exaggerated neck and everything. I just hope the new world that's being created still has a sort of grimy, lived-in feel, rather than a more cartoony one... I know Space Quest 6 had a slightly more cartoony feel than the previous ones, though I felt it still had enough solid environments that made it feel like a real place...