Most frequently-replayed Space Quest title?

[suejak]

Sorry for the vewwy-first-forum style of poll questions. :D I went back to 2012 or so, and I didn't see a post on this topic... I'm genuinely curious!  

 

Note that this isn't necessarily your FAVOURITE game, per se. I probably prefer SQ1-2 and 4, but I always find myself returning to 5... I think probably because it comes out of my favourite era in Sierra history, when they hit the perfect mix of graphical style/technology, audio, interface, genre savviness, etc. I'm definitely a no-voiceover VGA kinda guy.

 

However, contradicting myself immediately, I also find myself really enjoying the SCI0 engine recently. Oddly, if I had to pick a favourite Sierra engine, it would probably be SCI0 -- SQ3, QfG 1-2, PQ2, LSL 2-3... Hmm... 

 

But I guess I don't enjoy those games themselves as much as the 93-94 VGA titles? I seem confused myself.  :wub:

[MusicallyInspired]

This is really tough....I love replaying SQ4 to experience the atmosphere of the backgrounds and music, I love the isolation and DIY feel of fizimg the ship and escaping the trash freighter in SQ3, I also love exploring the exotic Labion planet with dangers everywhere. Think I'm going to have to go with SQ1 AGI, though. Such a feeling of adventure journeying through one crazy situation to the next. It feels like it's the game that covers the most distance so it feels longer, even though it probably isn't. Great atmosphere, too.

[JimmyTwoBucks]

Gotta admit that I've never done a replay of any of the SQ games (though finished all of them once)...

 

If I was going to replay one, I'd probably go with either 4, 5, or 6 as I don't really want to put myself through

playing a parser game at the moment.

 

Probably would be 5, as that's the one I remember the least about, or maybe 6 (but I'd stop before the

filing system parts and the end section inside the body).

 

I guess the thing that stops me replaying them is that while I LOVE certain parts of all the games,

all the games also have parts where I think, "eh, I don't really want to go through that part again," and

that puts me off. 

[MusicallyInspired]

I know what you mean. I usually get through KQ5 until the desert maze and then I'm like.....no. And that's is fairly early in the game. But if I get through that, then the rest of the game is a breeze. KQ6 I stop around the Cliffs of Logic I guess. It's not that I hate mazes or logic puzzles or anything. If I'm seriously wanting to go through a game I'll do it all, but if I'm just playing casually I have a breaking point. I don't think any of the original AGI games have this point.

 

The only exception would be maybe the Skimmer sequence in SQ1. Or the dripping acid from the cavern. I like to be able to go through the game entirely without saving if I can. Those two points are the worst hurdles for that style of play. Or on the Deltaur where Sariens appear out of no where and you have to have quick reflexes. SQ2 doesn't have any of those things. SQ3 doesn't either. Oh no wait, the Astro Chicken game...but you can skip it, but then you don't get full points do you? The real reason I don't replay SQ3 is because it's so short, though. SQ5 is pretty good until the Rescue Cliffy minigame. SQ6 is good until the Datacorder. If you get past that then the next part would be the filing system I guess.

[pcj]

SQ2 doesn't have any of those things.

 

Uh, root maze.

[MusicallyInspired]

Nah. That's easy. :p

[tomimt]

In can say what's my least replayed and that's the Spinal Frontier. But my most replayed would be either 3 or 4, I can't really say which, but they are my two favourites.

[pcj]

Nah. That's easy. :P

The acid drips are easy :P

[MusicallyInspired]

Touche. lol

[Frede]

Whenever I get that "I want to play some Space Quest!"-feeling, I'm most likely to go for SQ3. It is also one of my favourites of the series - probably an extremely close second to SQ5 - but I think it's because it just kinda has the right mix of everything. It looks great, it's funny, it lets you control your own spaceship and the narrative is relatively simple without feeling dumbed down. Perfect for when I want a slice of more-or-less "casual" vintage gaming.

[drdrslashvohaul]

When Spaceventure was announced, I bought the SQ collection off Steam and played them back-to-back. The first four are where it's at for me. SQ5 amd SQ6 were good, but (for obvious reasons) didn't have the same feeling. SQ2 was the first I ever played as a kid in the early 90s, so I've probably played that most. And SQ4 least because of the timing bugs.

Not sure on my "favourite". It's either SQ4 or Incinerations, but my moods change over time.

[suejak]

I loved all the meta stuff (file system and all) in SQ6... That one always crashes on me on Polysorbate LX, making a replay difficult, but I really want to get back to the Information Superhighway and whatnot.

 

SQ as a series doesn't often deal with cool metaphors like that, so I'm curious to see if SQ6's metaphors hold up as being as cool to my adult brain. I thought it was pretty deep when I was 10, haha -- probably the last time I played.

 

Random side-topic, but I enjoy classic adventure games that have metaphors like that. This includes my favourite Sierra (family) game, Woodruff, which was full of metaphors / themes on real-world topics like war, racism, environmentalism, youth, rebellion, capitalism, power, etc. I'd sorta like to replay the Space Quest series again with a mind for looking past the basic entertainment aspect to find the Scott Murphy angst underneath it all... ;)

[Fronzel Neekburm]

SQ6, by virtue of being my first PC game. I replayed that one quite a few times back in the day.

[drdrslashvohaul]

I don't quite get the hate for SQ6. It's a game with loads of great set pieces (Polysorbate LX, the DeepShip, etc.), it just lacks the narrative to draw it all together. It's far from my least favourite.

[MusicallyInspired]

I don't hate it. In fact I think it's probably the funniest in the series. I just think it's the least faithful to the series in terms of tone and presentation. It's a great funny science fiction adventure. Going inside a body is not very interesting. I never liked the characters either. Or the locations. It has this air of boredom around it. The jokes are funny, but I don't care about the story or the characters. It's just not interesting and not Space Quest enough for me. It's a decent game on its own, but as part of the SQ series it suffers.

 

Not to knock on Josh's design too much, he's a great designer, but the Two Guys do SQ better.

[JimmyTwoBucks]

I don't quite get the hate for SQ6. It's a game with loads of great set pieces (Polysorbate LX, the DeepShip, etc.), it just lacks the narrative to draw it all together. It's far from my least favourite.

 

For me it starts amazingly, and then just gets more boring in terms of locations as it goes on...

I think it's not necessarily that the computer system and inside-the-body areas are horrible, they're ok,

it's just that they take up too much of the game and it means the game winds down really

unsatisfactorily for me. Those areas feel like "filler" areas rather than main events.

 

I think if there had been even just ONE more big area at the end that was maybe on an alien

planet or something like that, then I think SQ6 might have been my favorite of the series.

 

I just get a sense of disappointment when I think about it though, with the way it progresses as it is.

[suejak]

I distinctly remember starting to wash my hands religiously before every meal due to learning about tape worms in SQ 6... Continues to this day...

[JimmyTwoBucks]

I distinctly remember starting to wash my hands religiously before every meal due to learning about tape worms in SQ 6... Continues to this day...

 

I've had a tape worm... not so bad really lol

[Capn_Ascii]

While I make it a point to *not* choose a favorite SQ game (that's like asking me to choose which child I love the most!), the one I've *played* the most often is SQ6. There's a few reasons for this, but they all ultimately boil down to the same thing: immersion.

 

To me, SQ6 is the game in the series that feels the most 'real', for lack of a better term. The earlier games are all quite good, and even though SQ6 is...less good in ways, it makes up for it by being the one game in the series that best brings the SQ world to life. Why, you ask?

 

--Voice acting. SQ6 was the first SQ game I had that actually had it. :P I didn't get SQ4 until years later. Moreover, the voice acting in SQ6 is far and away superior to SQ4, IMHO¹. I particularly like Mr. Hall's portrayal of Roger...it has just the right balance of good-natured likeableness, ignorant oafishness, well-meaning-but-poorly-timed screwupishness, repressed cynicism, and the occasional bit of heroic resolve.

 

--Art style. Personally, I liked the art style of SQ6. The 'cartoonish actors on detailed backgrounds' style really seems to suit the series, for some reason. Also, it's far more high-res, which means more detailed character models and more lively animations for them. SQ5's muddy, low-res digitized actors just don't do it for me. <_<

 

--The story and setting. More than any other SQ game, SQ6 gives us a look at Roger as a *person* instead of as a game character. We see where he lives (and the deplorable conditions therein). We see how he interacts with his co-workers, both on the job and on casual time. We meet one of the few real friends he's ever had, see his interactions with her, and then see the lengths he's willing to go to when she needs his help. All of this can be attributed to the fact that, unlike the other games in the series (which more or less throw Roger right into the middle of Plot), SQ6's plot doesn't really kick in until around the halfway mark...until that point, it's basically a day in the life of Roger Wilco. That may not be everyone's cup of tea, but to a gaming immersionist like myself, it's a golden opportunity to *experience* the game world instead of just casually peek in on it.

 

 

Also, for the record, I rather liked the journy into Innard Space. It was a nice departure from the usual 'space' setting, and yet still entirely appropriate in a science-fictiony sort of way.

 

I like to be able to go through the game entirely without saving if I can.

 

 

You, sir, are either insane, or a certified masochist. :blink: I save constantly, if for no other reason that you never know when a rogue power outage, system crash, or feline-keyboard intersection might catch you by surprise. Nothing ruins your day like having your progress shot to hell by a random act of God².

 

 

 

 

1) Probably because they had a more professional setup audio-wise. Also, they didn't use Sierra's own staff for the voice actors. No offense, guys, but stick to your day jobs. ;)

 

2) Or other applicable patron deity.

[pcj]

You, sir, are either insane, or a certified masochist. :blink: I save constantly, if for no other reason that you never know when a rogue power outage, system crash, or feline-keyboard intersection might catch you by surprise. Nothing ruins your day like having your progress shot to hell by a random act of God².

SQ1 is so short that basically this is just added replay value.

[Troels Pleimert]

I will second the sentiment of immersion of SQ6. Once I hit the Innard Space bit, I was glued to the screen. Maybe it was the moody music (which I'll confess I actually liked!); maybe it was all the gooeyness around me; maybe it was just the omnipresent sense of dread and isolation. I really loved this part of the game. Too bad it took for-fucking-ever to get to that part.

[Fronzel Neekburm]

I have no regrets about SQ6 being my most played SQ game either. Polysorbate gave me a love for cyberpunk settings long before I ever knew what cyberpunk was. Deepship and parts of Delka Burksilon are filled to the brim with Mandellian awesomeness ("Hi, Draulics!"). The Information Superhighway is also great stuff. Who could forget the interactions between Roger and Sis Inny?

Since Troels brought up the music, I have to admit that SQ6 probably has my overall favourite soundtrack in the series. And that‘s a tough choice to make, since all the SQ soundtracks are excellent.

Now for the embarrassing part: Remember that episode of Space Quest historian where they played a bit of the German version of SQ6? While I do understand the look of horror on everyone‘s face upon hearing the German narrator, personally, I prefer the German version. Now, by any rational standard, the German voice work is complete shit done by a bunch of amateurs. Even from the brief clip played on the show you can clearly tell that the people who did the German version couldn‘t possibly sound any more bored and disinterested - almost to the point of sounding world-weary. The deadpan delivery in the German version in some weird way added a great deal to the sarcastic nature of the game.

[MusicallyInspired]

I don't like any of the locations or the atmosphere in SQ6, except for maybe the shuttle which is pretty neat. I just think it's really really funny. I also think the voice actors are top notch. I love Roger's portrayal. I dislike the portrayals of Roger as being so dimwitted he can't even talk right. He's not a neanderthal, he's just very very clueless. Perfect representation in SQ6.

 

Roger: "Hey, what the-....!"
Gary Owens: "While we await a fully formed thought from Roger, it should be noted that there is some kind of toxic gas filling the room."
Roger: "Hey! There's some kind of toxic gas filling the room!"

 

The writing, the delivery....comedy gold.

[Troels Pleimert]

"While we await a fully formed thought from Roger" ... I love this line. :)

[tomimt]

I really should play SQ6 through again just to see if my take on it has changed. I didn't hate it, but I also did find it a bit lazy overall. Like it was out of steam.