BlockMaster

Stuff like that also gets me riled up. Again, you can almost hear someone go "Pah, no one will notice." Trouble is that the adventure game community is arguably one of the most anal ones out there. Of course we're gonna notice; the games we play require us to notice because shitty German grammar could easily be a story clue.

That is so supremely fucked up! I absolutely love the idea!
 
(As a side note: I find it amazing how one of the most nightmarish scenes in any video game I've ever played is actually in a comedy game. Kudos to suejak for somehow finding a way to make that sequence even more terrifying.)

Unrelated, but on the topic of the zombie: I don't know how I got this into my head, but I've always just assumed everybody knew that the zombie was actually future-Roger in the SQXII timeline. Did I just make that up? Did anybody else think that?

MIND, BLOWN.

I wholeheartedly agree on SQ5 being pretty creepy stuff in places. The brief sequence on Clorox II is particularly memorable. I'm repeating myself here, but it's amazing how a comedy game somehow manages to do horror better than most horror games. The deserted colony, the foreboding music... the whole place just oozes eerie. Also, props to the makers for introducing the "Oh God, we're getting slaughtered!"-logs as a horror element some time before System Shock made those fashionable!
 
Come to think of it, this may be one of the reasons why SQ5 might be my favourite: If you took the comedy out of the game, you'd still have a pretty exciting, pulpy space adventure with some heavy horror undertones. But as it stands, the tense parts and the comedy work excellently off each other - the jokes are just that more funny when they also serve to relieve the tension.
 
 
As for other scary Sierra stuff: There's obviously the original Gabriel Knight. That had a bunch of good stuff in it (the ending and the deaths of various side characters are pretty memorable).
 
The Manhunter games had some icky EGA-close ups of corpses.
 
Then there are the Phantasmagoria games. The first one is at its scariest when it's being subtle (the best part about it is exploring the house every day to see what has changed) instead of being gross.
 
The second one is actually quite chilling as long as it's about some Joe Schmo who is gradually loosing his grip on reality. Unfortunately, the game goes about halfway through by introducing some truly demented sci-fi-shit. It could've been so much better...

Improved version:
 

 
;)

Mother Mary and Joseph! I just laughed out loud at that. That is brilliant. I'd heard about it, but I've never seen it until now. That face is some twisted shit for sure.
 
I don't know if it's "scary" as such, but the alternate Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers ending which plays out if you forget to summon Mosely to the voodoo hounfour is incredibly disturbing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hoVRI1MG4I. Dr. John practically bashes Grace's skull in. This was the first ending I got when I played the game, and I don't think I'm alone in that regard. It's really easy to get to the hounfour without alerting Mosely. Something is just off about the way this version of the scene plays out. The game has some pretty grim moments, but few of them compare to DJ destroying Grace's head with one single punch. And that relentless chanting...
 
And, of course, when speaking about Gabriel Knight, there's no ignoring this classic moment from The Beast Within: http://youtu.be/i-Gis_JqFRU?t=9m57s
 
In the third place, from the beginning of Police Quest 4, we have the most depressing dumpster of all time, coupled with the very effective sound of an AdLib card throwing up: http://youtu.be/U-G7C48efH0?t=5m38s.
 
Yeah, now that you mention it, Sierra did have some truly scary/disturbing moments. Looking forward to the ensuing discussion  :D
 
EDIT: I have decided to change my avatar so you can all get to enjoy it several times a day, and my signature because I thought it was a nice fit. Enjoy.

Hey all! Long time no posting! I am still checking the forums regularly, but I was lacking of interesting things to post, until now. I was thinking about Halloween that is coming soon, and when I looked at some decorations, I said to myself : "Hey! Some stuff in Sierra games are scarier than that!". When I was still playing them for the first time, I found some of the scenes or pictures pretty frightening for a pixelized game. Sierra's artists did a pretty good job at that. Jump scares were pretty common in some of the games, and sometimes in the night, I was imagining the death state of Roger, in the state where I left him, haunting me, especially for some games like Space Quest I VGA. So the question that I have for you is : what is, of your point of view, the scariest scenes among all Sierra games, not just Space Quest, and I'll start with my top 3...
 
Number 1 : In King's Quest V, the death music is really well done, but the ways to die aren't all that scary, except for one : the Innkeeper always creeped me out in that game. "Don't worry Graham, the Innkeeper will soon take care of your misery." Gosh, I always found him creepy, but he became even creepier when I found this video, where someone hacked the game animation to reinplement the unused Innkeeper death animation : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niJZ4Z1cEEI. I can see why this got removed from the game : it is the scariest pixelised animation I have ever seen in a Sierra game, period.
 
Number 2 : The zombie in Space Quest IV, without a doubt. "GHIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!". I was not used to the "newer" sound effects, and this totally suprised me the first time when this creature came to me with his skeletic face, eyelids maintained open permanently, and screams at the screen. Next thing I know, I'm dead, and the statement that recently appeared in a recent topic about it being future Roger is making it even more morbid.
 
Number 3 : It was hard to decide, but I think my number 3 is the little animation at the end of the transmission between the Eureka and the Goliath in Space Quest V, where it shows Quirk after he turned into a Pukoid, with the creepy sound effect too. I think overall, from my opinion, Space Quest V is the scariest Space Quest game. The Pukoid affair is really morbid, and Genetix just reminds me of the genetic manipulations in today's life.
 
So that's my top 3, I hope to see your feedback soon and see what's the scariest scenes in Sierra games from your point of view. Stay tuned!
 
BlockMaster

I'll try to do that. ;) It might be on my Flickr soon. I'll tell you when I will post it.
 
By the way, there is a Lego piece for a mohawk : https://www.firestartoys.com/ProductImages/7132/BIG/BIG/BIG/7132.jpg I have one like that, but it's not the right color and I need two, for the Two Guys. Their printed face is not my best work either.
 
For Steve's request, I can't find anything to make an orat. The closest that I found is this : http://www.toytalk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Lego_trolls_fortress_figures.jpg and it doesn't seems right for it. I might build one out of normal Lego pieces, but it will be in some time, because I can't access the rest of my Legos, only what's in the box.

I updated my Flickr with Capn_Ascii's request : http://www.flickr.com/photos/106016985@N05/11465813496/ Tell me what do you think. :)

I doubt it was an edit consciously done in the name of "good taste." I mean, why leave Singent's "what the phu--" line in, but not the fish? :)
 
More likely it was an oversight brought on by bad project management.

And, as Akril pointed out in one of my podcast episodes, the fish DOES actually have inventory descriptions -- they were recorded and are in the resource file on the CD. They just weren't implemented in the game.

Space Quest 1 EGA holds a special place in my heart as my first Space Quest (and my second adventure game after King's Quest II). When I think "Space Quest," Roger wandering through the 16-color corridors of the Arcada is still one of the first images that springs to my mind.

That said, I like the B-movie style of the VGA remake quite a bit; it always seemed like a good fit for the overall tone of the series. It also made the remake feel markedly different from the original, which I would argue is a good thing. The rather unfortunate King's Quest I remake didn't achieve that. Also, as others have mentioned, the SQ1VGA soundtrack is outstanding.

If you asked me to choose a favorite, SQ1EGA is the obvious choice. I think it's bogus that Sierra didn't involve the Two Guys in the VGA remake, but I can still appreciate it as a new spin on an old favorite.
 
Also, I wanted to come back to my favorite quote from this entire thread:
 
 
The Wilco World Wide Web: European and Confused Since 1995.
 
Jess

Hmm. There seems to be a bit of vitrol bubbling up in this thread. I was afraid of this; I still remember some of the same things being thrown around back in the old days. SRS BZNS and all. ;)
 
For what it's worth, I prefer SQ1 VGA. There's a few reasons for this, but by far the biggest one is this one:
Simple fact of the matter is, IMHO, Space Quest didn't really hit its stride writing-wise until SQ3. There's nothing *wrong* with SQ1EGA and SQ2, but like many of the other adventure game greats (especially Sierra's own AGI games), the writing was a bit tame compared to what they started coming up with in later games. Most of the written humor in SQ1EGA and SQ2 is either expospeak gags or dry wit; nothing bad about either of those, but it does make for less 'punchy', laugh-out-loud humor. Right around SQ3 is when the smartassery quotient (towards both the player and the sci-fi material they were mocking) really took off, which is easily the series' strong point. SQ1 VGA, being a later release, incorporated that more developed sense of humor - add Josh "Reward exploration! More random messages! MORE!" Mandel into the mix, and you get a game that gets me laughing as much as SQ4 and SQ5. :lol:
 
Another reason: The music. Good god, the music. :blink: Easily my favorite score in the entire series. The bombastic new version of the SQ theme alone won my heart, and much of the rest of the soundtrack seems to be a loving homage to Star Wars's similar style of orchestral epic-ness. I mean, heck, go back and listen to the end-credits medley, and tell me they're not ripping off A New Hope. But, that's a good thing. ;)
 
As for the art style...I'll admit, I think I like Mark's unique sci-fi designs (not just in SQ1, but in general) more than the raygun gothic look VGA went for. But like someone else said earlier in this thread, it's not unlike someone writing a cover of your favorite song. It's *different*, sure, but not necessarily worse than the original. Just...different.  ;)  I like the occasional foray into 'what if' scenarios, just for the sake of variety.
 
As for the behind-the-scenes aspects of development...I'm not going to get into that. I make it a point to judge games based on their own merit, not because of its pedigree.

VGA is in the lead again.
 

Objectively, it is indeed a very pretty game to look at. But, again, I think it's a bit too colourful. Much like SQ6 is a bit too cartoony for me. SQ5 remains my favourite game, but I've really grown to think of the high-res (compared to AGI, at least) EGA of SQ3 as the definitive look for the series.

"Hey, Scott! A whooping  have said they prefer the VGA remake of SQ1!" :D
 
Yup, WilcoGate coming!

I dread what's going to happen when Scott Murphy hears about the results of this poll.
 

Stop thinking about it as the same game. Even if they're both called "Space Quest I", there are so many differences that it's like comparing two versions of a super-hero movie with different directors and actors. They're different. I prefer the VGA version for more than one reason. First, for young boys like I was at the time, a point-and-click interface was easier to control than a parsed interface. Space Quest I VGA is the first Space Quest game that I played, and the just-enough-detail trick of VGAs always caught my eye. The images give you enough details for you to be able to recognize your surroundings, but still leaves you with possibilities to imagine behind the scenes. The narration is absolutely excellent, and the death messages in the VGA version are so hilarious, that it makes me want to find more ways to kill Roger just to see them. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing; it gives a great ambiance to the gaming experience.
 
I totally agree about the arcade sequences in VGA games. If I could name one thing that I dislike with VGA games, it would be that. On the other hand, EGAs can be really frustrating (don't ask me how many hours it took me to realize that I needed to type "HOLD BREATH" before diving in the swamp hole in Space Quest II). I understand that a lot of you played the EGA first, and therefore you like it more. I played the VGA first, so I see it from a different angle. Right from the start with the amazing soundtrack, passing in the part where a ship shaped like a chicken is chased by an interstellar mantis, to the abandoned amusement park of Ulence Flats (I caught that joke later), finishing with escaping from the Deltaur after self-detonating the Star Generator, everything seemed so cool, from the beginning to the end. Unlike other ones, I do not think that it stands out from the rest of the series. Instead, I see it as an intergrated part, an expansion, with new graphics and soundtrack, to the wonderful world or Roger Wilco.
 
BlockMaster

Stop thinking about it as the same game. Even if they're both called "Space Quest I", there are so many differences that it's like comparing two versions of a super-hero movie with different directors and actors. They're different. I prefer the VGA version for more than one reason. First, for young boys like I was at the time, a point-and-click interface was easier to control than a parsed interface. Space Quest I VGA is the first Space Quest game that I played, and the just-enough-detail trick of VGAs always caught my eye. The images give you enough details for you to be able to recognize your surroundings, but still leaves you with possibilities to imagine behind the scenes. The narration is absolutely excellent, and the death messages in the VGA version are so hilarious, that it makes me want to find more ways to kill Roger just to see them. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing; it gives a great ambiance to the gaming experience.
 
I totally agree about the arcade sequences in VGA games. If I could name one thing that I dislike with VGA games, it would be that. On the other hand, EGAs can be really frustrating (don't ask me how many hours it took me to realize that I needed to type "HOLD BREATH" before diving in the swamp hole in Space Quest II). I understand that a lot of you played the EGA first, and therefore you like it more. I played the VGA first, so I see it from a different angle. Right from the start with the amazing soundtrack, passing in the part where a ship shaped like a chicken is chased by an interstellar mantis, to the abandoned amusement park of Ulence Flats (I caught that joke later), finishing with escaping from the Deltaur after self-detonating the Star Generator, everything seemed so cool, from the beginning to the end. Unlike other ones, I do not think that it stands out from the rest of the series. Instead, I see it as an intergrated part, an expansion, with new graphics and soundtrack, to the wonderful world or Roger Wilco.
 
BlockMaster

*takes a look at the poll results*
 
I did not expect this.

All I know is I miss the color cycling logo.

Yeah, there's this flippant idea that outsourcing causes a loss of artistic legitimacy. Maybe it's hard to suss out in explicit terms from individual people, but it's obviously there.
 
I suppose I also disagree (as a separate issue) with the premises that it matters what the Two Guys wanted, that it matters what "the original team" (?) would have done with a VGA version that had far more staff than just 2, or that it matters what the "consistent style" of the series is, which again I would argue has never existed. Space Quest 4 and Space Quest 5 feel like night and day stylistically -- probably, and crucially to this discussion, due to the change in teams for each game since Space Quest stopped being a two-man show. Taking Space Quest 4 as the VGA standard of the series, you're left having to explain why everything about Space Quest 5 was a parody of Star Trek TOS, why it was so cute and bouncy, why it suddenly adopted this comic book (and cutscene-heavy) style, etc. The answer is pretty obviously: Dynamix. Interface aside, Space Quest 5's art style has a lot more in common with Willy Beamish than it does with SQ4.
 
One point that probably sets me apart from others on this forum is that I don't especially respect the artistic will of Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe. I'm really not a Guys from Andromeda fan, per se; I'm a fan of Space Quest in all its incarnations, including fan games, remakes, riffs, etc. In my opinion, some of the fan games are better than some of the canon titles.

Which is fine, and your prerogative. Nobody is saying you have to dislike it because it isn't a Two Guys game. We're just saying it's one of a handful of reasons why we might prefer the EGA version.

A while ago, I was watching Back to the Future for the first time. Like any of their movies, at the start, you can see the Universal Studios logo. In that movie, I saw an older version of their logo that I never saw before. Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kx7JGbeqOI The first thing I thought was : "Hey! That reminds me of Space Quest 6 Sierra logo!" 
 
I'm pretty sure the Two Guys got inspired by the other one : They're both black and white, the're both representing a planet with a flying ship circling around. This is just a supposition though. Do you know anything about this?
 
BlockMaster