Question re: SQ series

[Rath Darkblade]

I just noticed that over at GOG, loads of Activision (aka Sierra after the notorious take-over) games are on sale again, including the KQ series and the SQ series. (Probably others too).

I've never played SQ6, or KQ7 or KQ8. From what I've seen, SQ6 seems to be the least recommended of the series, KQ7 appears to be "Disney KQ", and KQ8 has never been too popular ... hmm. So I'm confused as to whether they're worth a try - what's your view?

So at the moment, I'm tossing up between these and a choice between Vohaul Strikes Back and Space Quest: Incinerations (haven't played either, but that's only because I wasn't into space games at the time).

So, what's the verdict? SQ6? KQ7? VSB? or SQ: Incinerations? (Or all four?)

[BBP]

I like KQ7 actually, and I think it has more fans here. It has its flaws here and there but is also very funny.

SQ6 starts out great but at the 2/3 point turns sickening. And educational.

The other two I'm not sure of, maybe for completion's sake the Sierra games would be a good idea, but since they're on sale you might as well scoop them both up.

[Datadog]

Play all of them! It's Sierra, so take the good with the bad and see what happens. Worst case scenario, you get stuck on an exploding dynamite timer bug in one of them.

As for those last two, they're always free, and I can give you my honest, unbiased opinion that they are the second greatest games ever made and will change your life.

[MusicallyInspired]

All Sierra games are worth playing.

Except maybe Codename ICEMAN.

[Rath Darkblade]

Err, BBP - why do you say that SQ6 turns sickening? (Ugh). I don't mind educational, but why sickening?

Datadog, what do you mean by "those last two" - do you mean "Vohaul Strikes Back" and "SQ: Incinerations"? (Yep, I know you created SQ:I. It looks good, from what I can see).

[BBP]

The last section of SQ6 is spent travelling down the body of the woman you're trying to save. There's lots to learn about the human body but there's also some yucky stuff I'd rather not describe.

[MusicallyInspired]

SQ6's end section never bothered me that much. It was just rather uninteresting and rushed. It didn't really feel like Space Quest. Even the fantastic humour in the first 2/3 of the game disappears in that last section. You can tell they were rushing it out and that Josh Mandel was missing.

[Tawmis]

All Sierra games are worth playing.

Except maybe Codename ICEMAN.

+1. But Codename: Iceman is now beatable if you follow my guide in the codename iceman thread I made

[JasefWisener]

SQ6 and KQ7 are my two favorite of those series actually

[Tawmis]

If I had to rank the two franchises...

KQ4
KQ6
KQ3 (Yes, despite my hatred of Manahahahahahahananannaan)
KQ7
KQ5
KQ2
KQ1

And for Space Quest...

SQ3
SQ4
SQ5
SQ6
SQ2
SQ1

Game play wise, for SQ, I'd probably prefer 2 and 1 over 6, but the narrator is too incredible in SQ6 to let it sit at the bottom.

[MusicallyInspired]

Hmm for me it'd be:

1. KQ5
2. KQ6
3. KQ3
4. KQ4
5. KQ2
6. MOE
7. KQ1
8. KQ7

Space Quest:

1. SQ4
2. SQ3
3. SQ1
4. SQ2
5. SQ5
6. SQ6

I love SQ6 it's one of the funniest, but it just feels the least like Space Quest of the whole series. The lowest on these lists are not even hardly close to be the "worst" things ever either. They're just the lowest rating of the best games I've ever played.

[Tawmis]

Hmm for me it'd be:

1. KQ5
2. KQ6
3. KQ3
4. KQ4
5. KQ2
6. MOE
7. KQ1
8. KQ7

Wait a minute. Wait. Wait. Wait. WAIT.

I won't knock someone for .... enjoying... Mask of Eternity.

But you would rank that over KQ7?

Aside from the horrid eye sore that is Mask of Eternity (amazing that "advanced" graphics can look worse than AGI/SCI, but they did it!) - the over all... clunkiness of the game... is... painful.

I am surprised you, or anyone, would rank it above KQ7. (Even KQ1...)

So I have to ask - what is it about Mask of Eternity that would rank higher than KQ7 for you? (KQ1, I can get, because of minimal "story"... But KQ7 had "pretty" art... and a good, if not, a bit fun, Disney-esque, story...)

EDIT: Hopefully it's clear I am not actually upset. I am, however, insanely curious. I didn't even bother listing Mask of Eternity; because to me, it doesn't even feel like part of the King's Quest series; sure it's Daventry and all of that stuff... but like those other Leisure Suit Larry games that came (heh) without Al Lowe... or Wizardry: Nemesis... I don't include that as a part of the original Wizardry series... things like that where a game is a "part" of the franchise officially, but feels so drastically different (to me), that I don't "acknowledge it."

[MusicallyInspired]

I like it. Fight me.

No, but really ever since it came out and my dad bought it brand new I thought it was a really neat direction to take King's Quest in. It's still largely adventure-oriented. You have an inventory, there are puzzles to solve. Sure they're simplistic by comparison, but I still enjoyed it. I don't agree at all that it looks worse than AGI/SCI. You won't convince me there. I tend not to blame games for their graphics quality being a product of their times (and 3D graphics were still in their toddler phase). I also thought the music was great, which is a huge factor in me enjoying games (big surprise).

I thought KQ7's animation was pretty bad, actually. Not nearly as refined as cel-shaded animation from LucasArts at the time. And I didn't like the switch from KQ5/KQ6-styled art to the Disney-fied cel-shaded style anyway. So it already left a bad taste in my mouth. SQ6's animation was far better in that regard. And I didn't like ANY music in KQ7. I enjoy chapter 1 because it reminds me of Myst-like puzzles. After that....meh. The overall story I don't care for or the locations or the characters or anything. MOE does appeal to me though and I consider it compelling. More compelling than KQ7.

MOE has been ragged on for years and I feel like it's just a kneejerk reaction now. Like hating on Escape From Monkey Island or something (which I do hate on). But I never did dislike it.

[Rath Darkblade]

Well, I won't get into the KQ7/MOE controversy, since I never played either.

But I went ahead and got SQ4, 5 and 6, as well as Conquests of the Longbow (yay Christy Marx! ) and GK2. I've never completed any of these games (except for SQ4), and I haven't played SQ6 before. So I'm curious.

Speaking of Christy Marx, I tried playing Conquests of Camelot too, back in the day, and was always stuck in the duel with the Black Knight. It was painful. So I gave up. It was too bad, but I just couldn't get through it.

Same thing happened to me with CotL ... I kept getting stuck in the board game with the monk, which is why I gave up, back in the day. Anyway, I'm going to give it another try. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more! Lay on, MacDuff!

(And yes, I know CotL is Robin Hood, which was centuries before Shakespeare. I've just done lots of research and annotations for a Shakespeare song, so I was on a major Shakespeare bender).

[Collector]

If I had to rank the two franchises...

KQ4
KQ6
KQ3 (Yes, despite my hatred of Manahahahahahahananannaan)
KQ7
KQ5
KQ2
KQ1

And for Space Quest...

SQ3
SQ4
SQ5
SQ6
SQ2
SQ1

Game play wise, for SQ, I'd probably prefer 2 and 1 over 6, but the narrator is too incredible in SQ6 to let it sit at the bottom.

Not too far off of where I would rate them, but I would place KQ2 at the bottom and KQ6 at the top. Though I do not dislike MoE, I don't include it in any such list as I do not think of it as a true KQ. As to SQ, invert 5 and 4 and we are good. Sacrilege to some certainly, but I just plain got more enjoyment out of 5.

Such lists are not just personal tastes, but fist exposure to these games and how they struck you at the time is a big factor. And often the fist game played in the series is the favorite for many. There is no love like your first love, after all.