Arcade sequences in new Guys from Andromeda game.

[Collector]

I'm sure that the emphasis was more on "buy our new game" than to have people continue playing the same games over and over that they had already purchased. Not really suggesting that it was deliberate, but it does explain why Sierra often only provided save games as workarounds for old game speed bugs instead of developing proper patches. Pity, as that the source is now lost. It would probably be easier to develop patches that had fewer side effects than what NRS did.

[Akril]

I'd certainly welcome an arcade sequence.* I thought they acted as sort of a "palette-cleanser" in the SQ games, and the sequences that weren't essential to progressing in the game (like Ms. Astro Chicken) gave the player something to do if they had gotten hopelessly stuck in the puzzle-solving department.

 

 

*Although, I first played the CD version of SQ4 on Windows 3.11, so I didn't come to know the horror of the Skate-O-Rama timer issues until years later...so I may be a little biased.

[Grappa's Hammer]

QUICKLY SMASH RANDOM BUTTONS TO DODGE THE BULLETS - That kind of stuff got incredibly ridiculous during the past years in some games, I wouldn't be too surprised to see some reference to that.

 

Or even better: Slow-Motion for no apparent reason. Cruising through the latest Hollywood game in style might be cool, but a die-hard Space Quest fan most definitly needs Fast-Motion (best viewed with those Death Ray Glasses).

[lukeman3000]

Personally, I belive that arcade sequences, as frustrating as they can sometimes be, are an integral part of a good Space Quest game.

[Lunchbox]

Man I was just thinking Astro Chicken would be a blast to play on the iPhone.

[Dat Engineer]

Man I was just thinking Astro Chicken would be a blast to play on the iPhone.

 

People would take one glance at it and call it an Angry Birds ripoff.

[jocolloman]

As long as they offer the "cop out" button like the Monolith Burger sequence in SQ4, I won't mind. Always fun to try, if you suck... well you suck... skip it!

[Akril]

 

Man I was just thinking Astro Chicken would be a blast to play on the iPhone.

 

People would take one glance at it and call it an Angry Birds ripoff.

 

Sorry for the brief tangent, but since I may not get this opportunity again anytime soon, I hereby call dibs on the "Angry Astrochickens" idea.

 

Because I'm working on...something. :ph34r:

[Monolith_Pig]

Compared to when I originally played Space Quest IV on the Amiga 500 (About 8 Disks and no hard drive!), The hoverboard part was impossible because of how slow the game ran and reacted. If I play my PC CDROM edition now on dosbox, it's relativly easy. I even completed Ms Astro Chicken for the first time the other day! Another excellent arcade sequence was in the fan game "Incinarations". So yes they do need to keep the arcade seqences in. Just make sure they are bug free!

[DeepFriedOrat]

Arcade sequences are a must in my opinion! They just make the game that much more fleshed out and interesting. It's good to mix it up a bit now and again for a change! :)

[Dat Engineer]

hoverboard part was impossible

 

:huh:

[Monolith_Pig]

:huh:

 

Umm I meant the skate-o-rama escape from the sequel police. Somehow I had Back To The Future in my head! :)

[Capn_Ascii]

Ah, yes, the dreaded arcade sequence. What was that disclaimer from Space Quest 4 again? Something like...

 

Warning! The following sequence contains arcade action, and should not be attempted by die-hard adventure gamers, the arcade-squeamish, or those with poor-to-non-existent motor skills.

Between that and the cop-out button, it was clear that they had become aware of how many people seemed to dislike them. Which I never understood, because I for one enjoyed them - but then, I play a lot more action games than some of the...ahem, 'reflex challenged' around here. ;)

 

It's not just arcade sequences, though - the SQ games are infamous for having unexpected genre shifts, unintuitive and/or nonsensical gameplay segments, ever-annoying maze sections, and otherwise parts that are just plain argh-inducing. To wit:

 

--SQ1: The skimmer sequence, the plot-mandated gambling minigame (with instant death chance, no less), the quick-draw shooting on the Deltaur

--SQ2: The root monster, the underground tunnel maze

--SQ3: Nukem-Dukem Robots, the dramatic dogfight escape

--SQ4: The Skate-O-Rama escape, the Monolith Burger sequence

--SQ5: The EVA pod rescue, the Goliath airvent maze

--SQ6: The Datacorder logic puzzle in the manual - some of us suck at those... <_<

 

...and a number of others I've probably forgotten off the top of my head. The point is, as frustrating as they may be, they're still an integral part of the Two Guys experience. Besides, as Akril mentioned, they make for good 'palatte cleansers' - a refreshing change of pace to break up the monotony of brain-wracking puzzles and feats of MacGyver-esque ingenuity.

 

Personally, I like a game that throws you a curveball at times without warning - keeps you on your toes. B) I both expect and fully endorse arcade sequences and other forms of player-frustrating nonsense in whatever the Two Guys manage to come up with - I wouldn't have it any other way. :D

[Troels Pleimert]

Here's my list of things adventure games can do to piss me off:

• Throw in a quick-reflexes arcade sequences without letting me skip it (or adjust the difficulty at least!).
• Throw in a timed puzzle, where I have very limited time to do something. (Access' "Countdown" nearly gave me panic attacks, and I didn't even get out of the hospital!)
  • THIS INCLUDES having the whole game running on a timer! "Freddy Pharkas," I'm looking at YOU!
• Throw in a maze. Any maze. ("Shadow of the Comet," you devious bastard you -- making a maze where the dead ends teleport you to random other rooms is just sadistic!)
• Throw in a 7th Guest/Myst-style logic puzzle that grinds the game to an absolute halt while you claw at your hair for hours, trying to work out which damned levers cause which damned colorful crystrals to align themselves just right, or some crap. ("Longest Journey," you get an honorable mention for not having the imagination to make YOUR logic puzzles hard! ;) But "Black Dahlia" can go to hell for all I care.)
• Throw in situations where I have to be at a specific spot at a specific time in order to catch vital information, and not have the decency to tell me ahead of time. (I know everyone loves "The Last Express," but that thing just makes me stressed as hell! "Colonel's Bequest," too.)
• Throwing in a puzzle with a solution so obscure, it could only be the result of a programming error. Or whatever Jane Jensen was smoking when she wrote the mustache-disguise puzzle in GK3. ;)

--SQ1: The skimmer sequence, the plot-mandated gambling minigame (with instant death chance, no less), the quick-draw shooting on the Deltaur

Nice list, but you left out the acid drops. Man; I hated those. :D

[Decaffeinated Jedi]

Throw in situations where I have to be at a specific spot at a specific time in order to catch vital information, and not have the decency to tell me ahead of time. (I know everyone loves "The Last Express," but that thing just makes me stressed as hell! "Colonel's Bequest," too.)

He speaks ill of the Colonel's Bequest. Shun! Shun! ;)

 

The only arcade sequences from the Space Quest series that I really loved were Astro Chicken and the "escaping Pestulon" dogfight. In all fairness, though, both are from SQ3, and I'm completely biased in favor of all things SQ3.

 

The "Angry Astro Chickens" idea upthread is pure genius. I'd love to see the Two Guys incorporate something like that into the SPACEVENTURE.

 

Jess

[billybob476]

As long as there's no jumping puzzles or gambling where you NEED to make X amount of money (Larry style) I'm fine for whatever. Maybe something where you're manning a gun turret. I love that SQ throws curve balls with regard to game mechanics.

[MusicallyInspired]

Most everything everyone's saying I wish would stay, so far. I actually like timed puzzles. Not a whole timed game, though. I also liked the acid drips. They weren't that difficult to avoid. The gambling machine would be the only thing. I rather liked the remake's approach to this by adding an extra item that helped you to cheat.