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Positive thinking time!

Started by GrahamRocks!, December 06, 2014, 05:30:07 PM

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Lambonius

KQ3 Redux was so good.  I think I may just have to download it again and give it another playthrough.

Numbers

KQ3 Redux has the best music and visuals of any King's Quest game, canon or no. Period. KQ2+ is still my favorite of the three AGDI games overall, mostly because it fixed a (relatively) broken game, but its music is really not memorable for the most part, and its backgrounds, while quite nice, just don't reach the soaring heights Redux's backgrounds do. That scene during the end credits showing the minstrel strumming his lute in Tamir was both very nostalgic and very saddening, knowing that we'll never get a remake of KQ4 that looks as good as that one screen alone.

And before people start accusing me of ripping on TSL here, I should note that I like TSL's music quite a bit too, I just happen to like Redux's more. I wonder how MusicallyInspired is doing. He hasn't been on here for ages. I think the last time he came on here was to make a post about his soundtrack for Redux being re-orchestrated with higher quality instruments. I don't know if he'll ever complete it, but here's hoping.
I have no mouth, and I must scream.

GrahamRocks!

Cheers, Numbers! :) For once, I agree.

Lambonius

MusicallyInspired is still around, though he's not as active on forums anymore.  I see him on Facebook all the time though; he's pretty active in the Sierra Gamers and Sierra Chest facebook groups.  Those groups have really replaced forums for a lot of people; you'll see a lot of familiar faces from the community active there.  Anyway, it's worth checking out if you're interested.

I don't know if he ever did finish his KQ3Redux soundtrack updates, though.

GrahamRocks!

Just joined Sierra Gamers myself, as I'm sure Lamb has noticed. Don't know why I didn't do this right away.

Lambonius

Quote from: GrahamRocks! on December 13, 2014, 06:29:06 PM
Just joined Sierra Gamers myself, as I'm sure Lamb has noticed. Don't know why I didn't do this right away.

Oh?  What's your FB name?

GrahamRocks!

#66
My actual name. Taylor Martin. Look for the flaming monkey (Infernape with Blaze ability from the Pokemon anime) avatar. I've been on Sierra Chest for awhile too!

The only reason I'm assuming you knew I was on there is because I've seen a guy there named Jason Lamb who just so happens to have a QFI cover photo. If that's you, then your little girl is ADORABLE!!! :D

stika

I see I arrived late to the party. I was just about to suggest Legend of Kyrandia 2 should be split into episodes. For the low fee of $0.99 you unlock a new screen to explore! Now multiply this by the game's 50 or so screens and you got yourself a full price purchase!  ;D

JDHJANUS

Space Quest Incinerations is a great game. I just finished it this past weekend. A very different perspective of the story, but Chris Ushko did an amazing job, especially considering he made most of the game by himself.

I liked Vohaul Strikes Back, but not as much as Incinerations and the Space Quest II remake, which are by far my favorite Space Quest fan games.

I have yet to play KQIII Redux, but I do hope to play it soon! :) My next game to play, though, is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I'm starting to play through all of the LucasArts adventure games. I've finished Labyrinth, Maniac Mansion, and Zak McKracken so far. I liked Maniac Mansion, but not so much the other two. Looking forward to playing them!

Quest for Infamy is definitely on my list to play as well. I'm waiting to get my physical copy, though. Looking forward to playing it. From what I've seen, it looks incredible! :D

If you have trouble contacting Musically Inspired on Facebook or Twitter, he's also pretty active on the SpaceQuest.net forums as well.

Talk to you later!

JDHJANUS
Josh
Please tell me the answer. Is fate unchangeable? Even at his most powerless, man's existence is never without meaning. - Suikoden's Intro

Numbers

The interesting thing is, Vohaul Strikes Back does have legitimately funny stuff in it, it's just not the same type of humor we've come to expect from the SQ series, and I'm sure we would've loved it if we didn't have the SQ2 remake and Incinerations to compare it to.
I have no mouth, and I must scream.

GrahamRocks!

*nods* Heck, speaking of biased opinions, I never really did like IA's remake of KQ3. One reason for that is the voice acting, which is awful imo. Sorry, Lamb. Another reason is, like Numbers said, the visuals of KQ3Redux by AGDI are fantastic and... that's what I was introduced to first, so when I saw IA's version, I naturally turned my nose up at it in disapproval because it just wasn't good to me. Though I think it's most likely the voice acting that does it for me... dear GOD does Manannan sound dull! I know he's supposed to be serious and strict, but he sounds so flat and dull that he ceases to be a threatening presence to me. Also, after seeing the infamous Fly Wings Death in the tower, I can't even take his bombastic organ theme with his teleport seriously anymore.

Lambonius

I take no offense to criticisms of IA's KQ3.  That was before my time with IA, so I never worked on it.  In fact, my first ever post at the IA forums was to complain about the simplified spell-crafting system in that game!  ;)

That said, it was very much IA's virgin, learn-as-we-go game, and so much of it was put together with shoestring, bubblegum, and a prayer.  At the time, it was the only "VGA" KQ3 available, which definitely made it cool.  But yeah, KQ3Redux's production values definitely surpass it in just about every way.

Numbers

The voice actor for Manannan in IA's KQ3 is the same voice actor who did Mordack in the original KQ5. And as we now know, he still has no gravitas or charisma in his performances all these years later. I remember that the voice actor for Manannan in KQ3Redux is also the narrator. Apparently, he was the oldest voice actor in the crew, so he was the most fitting for the part.

What got me in IA's KQ3 was the chickens outside Manannan's house when Alexander listens to them for the first time. One of them basically says, "Did you know Manannan's servant isn't really named Gwydion?" The other, who sounds like an 18-year-old girl, replies, "Yeah, he's really Prince Alexander of Daventry."

Well, if that isn't the best foreshadowing in the world, I don't know what is.

That said, Alexander has consistently had poor voice acting throughout the series. The Alexander in IA's KQ3 sounds so bored all the time. The voice for him in KQ3Redux sounds even more bored.

Then of course we have KQ5 Alexander, with the old "I ACCIDENTALLY turned your brother into a cat!"

Then KQ6 Alexander: "ZOUNDS! A TRAP FLOOR!"

And finally TSL's Alexander, who, at the end of episode 2, calls out Cassima's name thusly: "Cuh-SEEM-UHHH!" That actor put way too much energy into that one line.
I have no mouth, and I must scream.

Lambonius

Aren't the lines about Alexander's true birth in the original game, too?  I know you can at least get clues to it by listening to the various animals, but I don't remember any specific lines.

And yes, the KQ3Redux Alexander voice is probably my least favorite thing about that game.  They were going for the soft-spoken voice of Robbie Benson, and although the tone was close, the performance ended up falling flat.  I think since the voice actor was intentionally TRYING to deliver his lines in a soft-spoken manner, he ultimately lost a lot of the emotional impact as a result.

GrahamRocks!

Well, I learned something new today. Yep, you are correct, Lamb! From the birds in the forest, actually. 

*rolls eyes* I like Alex's voice in Redux, TSL and 6. You have to remember, he was a slave. He probably wasn't allowed to sound like he was emotional to his master, lest he start eyeballing him and start thinking he's a threat if he raises his voice or puts energy into it. Heck, if you try to talk in Manannan's house (just to the environment in general) it says something along the lines of, "You learned not to raise your voice a long time ago." He probably wasn't really meant to say anything much to his master, other than "Yes, Master." "No, Master." enc. And I know it wasn't you, but someone said a long time ago that Alex spoke "barely above a whisper" in 6. Uh, maybe it's because I have really good hearing, but I can hear him just fine. He's softspoken, yes, but he's not whispering.

And as for why he still presumedly speaks that way after freeing himself, it could just be his mentality of still thinking himself a slave and keeping his voice soft and flat like he'd been told to do.

Numbers

...or you could just accept the fact that Alexander's at his best when his mouth is shut and leave it at that.
I have no mouth, and I must scream.

GrahamRocks!

*chuckles*

Though that is making me wonder the possibility of a story where Alex actually IS mute...

Dammit, Numbers! I got enough story ideas on my plate! Stop giving me more!

Numbers

"And then, Alexander, in a fit of passion, began expressing his desire for Cassima via interpretive dance."
I have no mouth, and I must scream.

GrahamRocks!


Numbers

What the narrative doesn't tell us is that this is what his dance looked like:



Fortunately, after it was all said and done, Alexander wrote an apology letter to a hysterical Cassima saying "I couldn't think of a good dance move! I panicked!"
I have no mouth, and I must scream.