Hardest Space Quest

[Tawmis]

I thought SQ6 was the least difficult. First, I didn't care too much for the animation. The animation was a huge, HUGE, HUGE step back. It looked like someone who was three years old drew Roger Wilco in the game. It looked very flat - and made the rest of the game feel very flat. (It literally reminded me of a 256 color version of SQ1 - but just adding color, and keeping that same flat figure). As a result, SQ6 was the most difficult for me, because I didn't feel emersed into the game.

 

It lacked the same parody feel that the previous ones had.

[Johnathon]

I thought SQ6 had a great sense of parody/humor. I outright loved that game. Though the plot was quite disjointed/force-fed.

[Dat Engineer]

Josh Mandel's writing style is very drastically different from that of the Two Guys... But I don't think that necessarily makes it bad.

[jocolloman]

The WD-40 puzzles in SQ5 seemed natural to me when I played because the answers were on the test you take at Starcon.

[Tawmis]

Josh Mandel's writing style is very drastically different from that of the Two Guys... But I don't think that necessarily makes it bad.

 

Oh, it's not that it was bad - but it felt distinctly different than the previous SQ games (even those that were missing One Guy From Andromeda; it still felt like SQ).

 

It's that expectation of one thing; and getting something entirely different.

[Cosmic Castaway]

@ Johnathon and Datadog: Yes, the digits you enter are the degrees. So entering 90 will rotate the lasers 90 degrees. There's three keypads, one for each laser bank, allowing you to choose which ones to rotate.

[Troels Pleimert]

Josh would (probably) defend SQ6 saying he tried to inject some actual plot and characters into the SQ world. And he'd be right. I think SQ6 takes some undeserved bops on the head for continuing a tradition that, really, was started with SQ5.

 

 

The WD-40 puzzles in SQ5 seemed natural to me when I played because the answers were on the test you take at Starcon.

 

Yeah, that's true. But you gotta admit, that's one well-buried hint. ;)

[Troels Pleimert]

Rather surprising performance from the custodian of the Virtual Broomcloset. ;)

 

Just because we misspent our youths obsessively playing these games doesn't mean we're actually any good at them. ;)

 

Except for pcj. But he's a machine.

[Dat Engineer]

I did quite well on the Skate-O-Rama considering that I hadn't played Space Quest 4 fully for a good six years. Only four or five deaths! My solution was a bit different from the last time I played it, too. Honestly, I think that section of the game is totally luck-dependent (assuming no outstanding timer issues). Imagine if something like the root monster was a timer-based puzzle.

 

That might be a good idea for a puzzle for a Space Quest: Lost Chapter Two. The root monster maze from Space Quest 2, combined with the crest-scrubbing puzzle from Space Quest 5, the Skate-O-Rama dodging sequence from Space Quest 4, and the acid drops sequence from Space Quest 1. In other words, scrub every pixel surrounding the root monster's roots on a difficult-to-handle Scrub-O-Matic, being careful not to touch the roots, all the while dodging Sequel Police laser bullets. Oh, and watch out for falling acid.

 

:wacko: Actually, that sounds more like Touhou or Ikaruga than Space Quest.

[Troels Pleimert]

That might be a good idea for a puzzle for a Space Quest: Lost Chapter Two. The root monster maze from Space Quest 2, combined with the crest-scrubbing puzzle from Space Quest 5, the Skate-O-Rama dodging sequence from Space Quest 4, and the acid drops sequence from Space Quest 1. In other words, scrub every pixel surrounding the root monster's roots on a difficult-to-handle Scrub-O-Matic, being careful not to touch the roots, all the while dodging Sequel Police laser bullets. Oh, and watch out for falling acid.

 

*can't talk; foaming at the mouth*

[MusicallyInspired]

That...is...amazing.

 

We need fanart of this nao

[Cosmic Castaway]

Oh, what, that ****ing octopus maze in Lost Chapter wasn't hard enough for you? Sheesh, I'll bet even the world's highest paid dominatrix wouldn't be enough to satisfy you lot. ;)

[Dat Engineer]

Oh, what, that ****ing octopus maze in Lost Chapter wasn't hard enough for you? Sheesh, I'll bet even the world's highest paid dominatrix wouldn't be enough to satisfy you lot. ;)

 

I think, based on Troels' reaction anyway, that what I described is what some of us least want to happen... ;)

 

(Though secretly I am hoping that Scott and Mark put a sequence like that in SpaceVenture anyway... just for infamy's sake!)

[Jared]

Josh would (probably) defend SQ6 saying he tried to inject some actual plot and characters into the SQ world. And he'd be right. I think SQ6 takes some undeserved bops on the head for continuing a tradition that, really, was started with SQ5.

 

Okay, this is actually my issue with SQ6... not the new characters in Starcon. They're all fine (as much as I got to interact with them anyway) The way they're handled. Yes, SQ5 brought in character interaction with the other games hadn't had - notably lacking in SQ4. But... and this is the important but.. you were properly introduced to the entire cast. The player gets introduced to Quirk, Bea, Drool, Flo, WD40 and Cliffy in ways that make perfect sense and we get to know them along with Roger.

 

In SQ6 Roger is sent to the Deep Ship and... erm. Stuff happens. Off screen. He knows who Kielbasa, Stellar, the robot dude, the doctor, the hologram, those two guards are. Wow. Great for him. I have NO IDEA. All the introduction I get is basically Roger saying "Hey, what's up?" It baffles me entirely - especially with Stellar. Josh took issue with Roger having a girlfriend character looming over the series. So he ditches her and then introduces ANOTHER girlfriend character that he's gotten involved with before the game starts?

 

That's what I meant when I called it an alienating game. I have to wonder if some sequence on the Deep Ship was meant to precede Polysorbate VX because I can't imagine anyone could have thought giving so many characters no introduction whatsoever was a good idea .

[Decaffeinated Jedi]

I think Jared makes an excellent point regarding the lack of development in SQ6's supporting cast. Stellar is probably handled the best, but even then, her history with Roger is mostly implied. Were they former academy buddies? Crew mates? Lovers? Stellar is given enough attention to make it clear that she's important to Roger (and vice versa), but I wouldn't say we know as much about her actual personality as we do about, say, Cliffy.

 

Similarly, we have hints that Roger and Circuit Sydney share a Data/Geordi-style friendship. In-game, however, Sydney isn't so much a character that sheds light on some facet of our protagonist's personality as he is the solution to a puzzle.

 

Granted, it's safe to assume that SQ5 and SQ6 intentionally set out to do very different things with their respective supporting casts. Personally, I just prefer SQ5's approach.

 

Jess

[Dat Engineer]

All of these things sound like symptoms of a game that was rushed through development, which SQ6 was.

[billybob476]

I always enjoyed SQ6 despite some of the story issues. When it comes to difiuclty however, I have to say SQ2 by far, a lot of logic leaps that have already been covered.

 

While I didn't find SQ3 particularly hard, I never really felt like the story was communicated super well. I never really felt a compelling reason to go rescue the two guys. I need cutscenes!

[Johnathon]

Jared, Jess,

 

I agree with these points. I'll admit we can't scrutinize SQ6 (being a computer game), purely based upon looking through the lense of character development and creative writing (I mean, it had alot going for it that other games in the series didn't, and it WAS quite a funny and enjoyable game). Though, it is quite clear that Stellar's (and others') character(s) were desperately forced.

 

If we are to believe that Roger knows/knew Stellar before we did, we are pretty much required to believe that he spent quite a bit of time with her between the end of SQ4 and the beginning of SQ5 (and additionally, for whatever reason, did not see her at all at the academy in SQ5 before getting onto the Garbage Scow; because SQ6 opens up with Roger immediately being tried for his "crimes" post SQ5 (he's still in his uniform). Unless, that is, there was an extensive waiting period and he met her via brig visits. That's taking us pretty far back, and making alot of 'convenient' assumptions.

[Cosmic Castaway]

I agree with Jess completely in regards to how the supporting cast is handled far better in SQ5 than SQ6. Additionally, the introduction of the "talk" vs. "command" options means that there's plenty of opportunity to strike up conversations with the crew and learn something about them.

 

I reckon all of the plot holes and convenient assumptions could be part of the reason why there will never be an official Space Quest 7.

[Troels Pleimert]

I have to agree; the Stellar relationship threw me when I first played SQ6, too. In a sort of "er, I don't remember her from the previous games ... was I not paying attention?" kind of way.

 

That said, one could argue that the SQ5 supporting cast didn't really fill any significant roles except to act as foils or deux ex machinas for Roger. Sure, Flo was married and Droole hates his bosses, but these character traits never really come into play, plot-wise.

 

Of course, we have no idea why Roger wants to risk his life for Stellar, either, but at least the characters interact in a meaningful way. Then there's the whole argument about whether us Space Quest fans, sad husks of sarcasm that we are, really want that in a game. Jury's out on that one.

[MusicallyInspired]

Mmmm

[Cosmic Castaway]

Honestly? No. I don't care too much if they ever wrap up Space Quest. It's lost its magic over the years, and the more I read and participate in these types of discussions, the more it becomes apparent that Space Quest would never survive in this day and age as a commercial product, not if it intended to stay true to its point-and-click roots.

 

Space Quest started as a parody, and that's why it worked so well. It was simplistic and extremely derivative. If you want to obsess over the story and dissect the characters and all the minutiae, you really wind up looking at the latter half of the series simply because the original entries were little more than common sci-fi tropes and pop culture references mashed together. The later entries attempted to meld that to an actual story, to varying degrees of success. But as this discussion has pointed out, the writers tried to have it both ways, and it didn't work out.

 

Space Quest 6 drives that point home. It attempts to add more layers to the Space Quest formula, and it winds up falling short. The story's convoluted, and it's hard to take it seriously when it starts throwing seemingly important characters at us from nowhere. As much as I'd like to explore a deeper story, Space Quest simply is not the vehicle to do it in, and I'm fine with that. I think the fans have proven time and again that they can write a deeper, more meaningful story than the developers of Space Quest ever could. And that's fine.

 

Don't get me wrong: I enjoy Space Quest. I have many fond memories of playing these games and laughing at their jokes. But I think that Space Quest's time has come and gone, and that happened well before Space Quest 6 was made.

[vonsterdmonster]

Many things to apologize for regarding SQ:TLC, so I might as well add an apology for the Octopus Maze.

 

So Sorry folks.

 

My vote for hardest game would have to go to SQ4, that sucker ripped more than time from me, I think I am still scarred in a few places.

 

May the Janitor Gods Sauté the next space ‘pus to block your path.

 

Vonster D Monster

[Johnathon]

Honestly? No. I don't care too much if they ever wrap up Space Quest. It's lost its magic over the years, and the more I read and participate in these types of discussions, the more it becomes apparent that Space Quest would never survive in this day and age as a commercial product, not if it intended to stay true to its point-and-click roots.

 

Space Quest started as a parody, and that's why it worked so well. It was simplistic and extremely derivative. If you want to obsess over the story and dissect the characters and all the minutiae, you really wind up looking at the latter half of the series simply because the original entries were little more than common sci-fi tropes and pop culture references mashed together. The later entries attempted to meld that to an actual story, to varying degrees of success. But as this discussion has pointed out, the writers tried to have it both ways, and it didn't work out.

 

Space Quest 6 drives that point home. It attempts to add more layers to the Space Quest formula, and it winds up falling short. The story's convoluted, and it's hard to take it seriously when it starts throwing seemingly important characters at us from nowhere. As much as I'd like to explore a deeper story, Space Quest simply is not the vehicle to do it in, and I'm fine with that. I think the fans have proven time and again that they can write a deeper, more meaningful story than the developers of Space Quest ever could. And that's fine.

 

Don't get me wrong: I enjoy Space Quest. I have many fond memories of playing these games and laughing at their jokes. But I think that Space Quest's time has come and gone, and that happened well before Space Quest 6 was made.

 

Hey hey there,

 

I think, if I may share my feelings on the matter (not that there's anything wrong with what you've said, I respect your opinion, I just have some quite opposite views on it, and would like to share them), I think you're making some conclusions that are a bit too... "absolute," and they don't need to be.

 

When we pick apart the elements of the games that we liked or didn't like (at least when I do so) we[/i] are only critiquing, not criticizing. I personally love EVERY single one of those Space Quest games. Just because some aspect of the game didn't fly well, doesn't mean the game itself failed. After all, computer games are not novels (I just like to see when novelistic elements are handled as such.) It is arguable indeed that perhaps some fans may be better at writing more... 'credible' creative fiction than the game designer(s) had, but then; how many of us here are professional novelists...? When Space Quest had it's day, we played it because we loved it as a comedic computer/gaming puzzling experience above all. It goes without saying that some of us enjoyed/took the stories more seriously than others; but overall, I'd say the game's delivered in due portions. Which really would have been more important: the plotline/character interactions, or the jokes and the special effects, and the puzzles? Furthermore, these game designers worked under a tight schedule in a fast-paced evolving market. I don't really beleive it's possible to compare or judge their writing abilities, for better or for worse, because these games aren't necessarily a representative sample in that regard.

 

While you very well may be correct that the games wouldn't survive today's market, I don't necessarily believe that's true. I haven't seen it. All I saw was SQ 7 getting cancelled AGAINST the will of the fans, I would love nothing more than to see the Two Guys acquire the SQ IP back, and for them to allow Josh Mandel and his fan crew release that SQ7 that has been collecting virtual dust.

 

I will also add the very fact that SpaceVenture (while not EXACTLY Space Quest), because of it's ability to be successfully funded, despite the odds, and despite the longer-than-a-decade that Space Quest fans have had to wait - demonstrates that Space Quest's time is not necessarily over. I mean, the kickstarter was only run for one month, and not everybody uses the internet that much, and out of those who do, not everyone who uses the internet necessarily thinks to look for spaceventure or space quest. How are we to know how many people there are out there, who remember Space Quest since 1998 and before, whom wouldn't be overjoyed to find a copy of SQ7 sitting on the shelf at their local Walmart...?

[MusicallyInspired]

Vonster! Nice to see you!