Continuing my series of retrospective reviews and opinions on each KQ game, how do you feel about King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow? Upon release in 1992, it pushed the series into new heights in terms of critical acclaim and continued the King's Quest tradition of pushing new technology as far as it could be taken, featuring a stunning 3D introduction, Hollywood voice actors, scaled sprites, motion capture animations for sprites and for cutscenes along with blue screen technology and also was the last King's Quest which could for size reasons be released on floppy disks. It was the first game KQ to not be solely written, directed and designed by Roberta and the last KQ game developed at Oakhurst.
I really liked this game. To me, it's my favorite out of all the King's Quest. Yeah, I know that's the expected answer.
I think the thing I like about the game is the locations. All off the islands had their own specific feel. I don't think there's a single part of the game that I didn't enjoy. Specifically I loved the Isle of the Sacred Mountain and its catacombs, the Isle of the Mists, and of course, the Realm of the Dead. The artwork was very pretty and the music was nice. And the voice acting was outstanding. To think they went from KQ5 voicework to what we heard in KQ6 was shocking. It's just an all around great game. Yes, the premise has been done to death (hero rescues a damsel in distress) but it's really the locations that make the game. This game never gets old for me.
KQ6^ is teh suxxxorz!!!
OMG nO Its NOT! UR TEH SUXXORS!!!@!
KQ6 IS TEH AWESOME AND CAssimA IS HOTS!1221 SHE LOOKS like my GirLFRIENDS EXCEPT LESS hoTS!!21 LOLOLOLOLOLOMG@!@3! KQ6 ROX OMGOMGOMG!!!32!1!
Very good game. Second best in the series even! I love the multiple paths and the intertwined storyline. And it's a love story. It's very powerful and emotional. Something I also took home from Gabriel Knight. Jane Jensen knows her pen well.
In all seriousness--I love KQ6. A true classic. Just not nearly as classic as KQ5. :)
If it wasn't for King's Quest VI I wouldn't care about this series at all. :P
Quote from: Bludshot on October 01, 2011, 04:38:01 PM
If it wasn't for King's Quest VI I wouldn't care about this series at all. :P
That just kind of makes you solely a KQ6 fan...Not really a KQ fan, per se. If I only like Die Hard with a Vengeance, I can't really be called a Die Hard fan.
Quote from: Sir Perceval of Daventry on October 01, 2011, 05:12:03 PM
Quote from: Bludshot on October 01, 2011, 04:38:01 PM
If it wasn't for King's Quest VI I wouldn't care about this series at all. :P
That just kind of makes you solely a KQ6 fan...Not really a KQ fan, per se. If I only like Die Hard with a Vengeance, I can't really be called a Die Hard fan.
I suppose what I meant to say is that I don't think I would have made myself play the others. I enjoyed 3 and 4 and 5 is good fun if you have the right attitude. But all the other games haven't aged too well and I stuck with him to see what else the series had to offer.
KQVI got me into the series, then I played KQV and went from there. But KQVI will always be my fave for sentimental reasons - and because there was no Cedric equivalent. ;)
Eh, I can play other games in the series repeatedly. But I have only ever, from start to completion, played KQVI through two times in my life. Once in 1994 and once again a couple years ago.
Just doesn't have the replay value for me.... the game annoys me after a while. Don't care for the story.
Bt
Quote from: Blackthorne on October 02, 2011, 11:17:49 AM
Eh, I can play other games in the series repeatedly. But I have only ever, from start to completion, played KQVI through two times in my life. Once in 1994 and once again a couple years ago.
Just doesn't have the replay value for me.... the game annoys me after a while. Don't care for the story.
Bt
"Alexander pulls out his magic map."
It's fascinating to me, Bt, your dis-fascination with KQ6. It's not exactly that you hate it on principle, but yet you don't really have a good reason beyond opinion either. Many other people at IA even share this opinion and it goes to other games and things as well. I just don't understand it. I'm with you that people overrate it far too much as a glorious gem that it really isn't, but it was quite good. I guess I'm just trying to figure out that part of your personality that just gets rubbed the wrong way about it. :) I don't see what you and others find so boring or distasteful about it other than people praise it too much, but yet I know that's not the reason...
Eh, I from when I was a teen in 1994 and I played it, the game - even though it had a bunch of "whimsy" in some of the islands, it just seemed to lack that spark that peremated the other King's Quest games. I remember at the time, one of the biggest promotions about it was the opening movie - that was made by the same people that did Effects for Batman Returns.... I just played it, and the more I got into, the more cliched I felt it became - but in a different direction than previous games. Alhazred seemed more like a buffoon, and the Genie too.... but Alexander came off like a real wimp to me, even at the age of 15. He just seemed so....whiny.
As an adult, I really came to dis-like that. He's the main character - you really have to like your Player Character to enjoy a game.... as such, the game just doesn't hold that fascination and fun-factor for me. Let me put it this way - if I wanted a Soap Opera Adventure, I'd watch Days of our Lives in a Biker Bar while wearing a "Bo and Hope 4-Ever" T-shirt while playing "Wham's Careless Whisper" on the Juke Box. It just wasn't my style of adventure game. What can I say? I'm a dude. I felt like KQ6 was made for chicks. Teenage chicks.
The art is beautiful, and the game itself is technologically sound. I just felt it moved King's Quest into a realm it didn't belong in. King's Quest 7 just solidified it to me. Then you had MoE which took it in the complete OPPOSITE direction.... heh.
Bt
Quote from: Blackthorne on October 02, 2011, 01:13:03 PM
Eh, I from when I was a teen in 1994 and I played it, the game - even though it had a bunch of "whimsy" in some of the islands, it just seemed to lack that spark that peremated the other King's Quest games. I remember at the time, one of the biggest promotions about it was the opening movie - that was made by the same people that did Effects for Batman Returns.... I just played it, and the more I got into, the more cliched I felt it became - but in a different direction than previous games. Alhazred seemed more like a buffoon, and the Genie too.... but Alexander came off like a real wimp to me, even at the age of 15. He just seemed so....whiny.
As an adult, I really came to dis-like that. He's the main character - you really have to like your Player Character to enjoy a game.... as such, the game just doesn't hold that fascination and fun-factor for me. Let me put it this way - if I wanted a Soap Opera Adventure, I'd watch Days of our Lives in a Biker Bar while wearing a "Bo and Hope 4-Ever" T-shirt while playing "Wham's Careless Whisper" on the Juke Box. It just wasn't my style of adventure game. What can I say? I'm a dude. I felt like KQ6 was made for chicks. Teenage chicks.
The art is beautiful, and the game itself is technologically sound. I just felt it moved King's Quest into a realm it didn't belong in. King's Quest 7 just solidified it to me. Then you had MoE which took it in the complete OPPOSITE direction.... heh.
Bt
Yeah I have to admit Alhazred came off as more of a fop than a menacing villain. Not someone I could picture sneaking into someone's bedroom and stabbing them to death like Allaria said he did to she and Caliphim. The Genie was just an utterly ridiculous character.
The game also takes itself much too seriously. And I agree with you on Alex coming off like a wimp, especially in comparison to Graham. Agree on that it felt like it was made for teenage girls...Really, a pre-Emo era emo sort of game.
Fascinating.
I think Alhazred was much more menacing than Mordack, for one example--Mordack was the overdone melodramatic one to me. Alhazred you actually saw taking action, you discovered how deep his treachery truly was, he was a solid villain!
I will say, the most menacing villain was still Mannanan. As someone has said before, maybe in KQ3 discussion, when he just shows up on-screen and stands there, glaring at you? I still jump every time!
Quote from: KatieHal on October 02, 2011, 05:21:56 PM
I think Alhazred was much more menacing than Mordack, for one example--Mordack was the overdone melodramatic one to me. Alhazred you actually saw taking action, you discovered how deep his treachery truly was, he was a solid villain!
I will say, the most menacing villain was still Mannanan. As someone has said before, maybe in KQ3 discussion, when he just shows up on-screen and stands there, glaring at you? I still jump every time!
Mannanan is for sure menacing. The only thing I feel is that no game--not even KQ5 or any fan game--got his voice right. A voice lends a lot to a character and I always felt he should sound sort of old, wizardly, but wicked. A disturbing sort of tone to his voice. A little bit of a deep rasp to his voice, reflecting his old age. Slow in speech manner.
Quote from: Sir Perceval of Daventry on October 02, 2011, 05:49:43 PM
Mannanan is for sure menacing. The only thing I feel is that no game--not even KQ5 or any fan game--got his voice right. A voice lends a lot to a character and I always felt he should sound sort of old, wizardly, but wicked. A disturbing sort of tone to his voice. A little bit of a deep rasp to his voice, reflecting his old age. Slow in speech manner.
Christopher Lee. No question.
I thought Alexander's personality reflected more of a flip in gender stereotypes typically associated with a romantic rescue story. Cassima has a more confident role in the whole affair while Alexander is far more polite and reserved.
I always found it pretty amusing and done in good taste, Alexander can be direct when he wants to be, his conversation with the archdruid and his challenge to Samhain come to mind, and as the rest of the royal family he is still clever and noble.
Quote from: Bludshot on October 02, 2011, 07:21:18 PM
I thought Alexander's personality reflected more of a flip in gender stereotypes typically associated with a romantic rescue story. Cassima has a more confident role in the whole affair while Alexander is far more polite and reserved.
I always found it pretty amusing and done in good taste, Alexander can be direct when he wants to be, his conversation with the archdruid and his challenge to Samhain come to mind, and as the rest of the royal family he is still clever and noble.
Yeah but his tough moments kind of don't jive with his overall character. Also, his voice actor doesn't really have a commanding sort of voice--so when he's being "tough" it doesn't really come off it. A person's voice matters A LOT. Maybe that's my issue with his character--how he's voiced. Consider how for some the voice actress for Rosella in KQ7 challenged or altered the perception of her character. Well, Alex's voice actor does that for me. He comes off overly timid and I don't really want that in an adventure game hero.
Consider, OT, for example that it was between Tom Selleck and Harrison Ford for the role of Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford is known for his deep, commanding voice--And it's a big part of what made the character a badass.
Quote from: Sir Perceval of Daventry on October 02, 2011, 08:31:32 PM
Quote from: Bludshot on October 02, 2011, 07:21:18 PM
I thought Alexander's personality reflected more of a flip in gender stereotypes typically associated with a romantic rescue story. Cassima has a more confident role in the whole affair while Alexander is far more polite and reserved.
I always found it pretty amusing and done in good taste, Alexander can be direct when he wants to be, his conversation with the archdruid and his challenge to Samhain come to mind, and as the rest of the royal family he is still clever and noble.
Yeah but his tough moments kind of don't jive with his overall character. Also, his voice actor doesn't really have a commanding sort of voice--so when he's being "tough" it doesn't really come off it. A person's voice matters A LOT. Maybe that's my issue with his character--how he's voiced. Consider how for some the voice actress for Rosella in KQ7 challenged or altered the perception of her character. Well, Alex's voice actor does that for me. He comes off overly timid and I don't really want that in an adventure game hero.
Consider, OT, for example that it was between Tom Selleck and Harrison Ford for the role of Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford is known for his deep, commanding voice--And it's a big part of what made the character a badass.
You do know that you are talking about the guy that played the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, right? :)
Quote from: Cez on October 02, 2011, 10:46:52 PM
You do know that you are talking about the guy that played the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, right? :)
You do know that Disney used pitch manipulation to deepen his voice for that part, right? :)
Yeah, we're talking about the dude from "Ice Castles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Castles)"!
I thought Benson did a great job voicing Alexander. As the part was written, he was perfect for it.
Bt
I find it interesting that the people who liked Josh Mandel's voice as Graham (which I couldn't stand) don't like Benson as Alexander (who I think was awesome.) I don't see Alexander being any more wimpy than Graham has been written. If anything, I think he showed more strength in his dialogue than Graham ever did in 5. Alexander got snippy with the Winged One's guards and with the vizier. He was strong in his challenge to Samhain. He sounded desperate with the Druids. By comparison Graham was all please and thank yous through the entire game. Maybe he showed a bit more backbone to Mordack. Slightly. Personally, I always thought KQ5 made Graham too wimpy. I never thought that KQ6 did that to Alexander.
Different tastes I guess.
I liked both actors.
I personally don't believe that the acting ability in these games has ever been all that spectacular; as long as the voices match up with the faces, though, I don't really mind. However, you have to admit that Josh Mandel got stuck with some pretty stupid lines in some parts.
"Thanks again for all your help!" --Graham when ordered to talk to the sleeping bandit
"Excuse me...can we talk...?" --Graham when ordered to talk to the Yeti
And my favorite:
"Uh...nice birdie...good birdie...heh, heh...gootchie gootchie goo!" --Graham trying to calm down the baby Roc
But then there's his complete and utter sarcasm to the witch of the Dark Forest, his smooth way of handling the Gnome, and his shrewd handling of the Elf.
"Oh, I didn't know this was a PRIVATE forest. ::) Do you own it?"
"I DON'T THINK YOU NEED TO KNOW!"
"If I let you go, what will you do for me?"
Graham, you shrewd negotiator, you.
And then there's one of my favorite parts in the game...
Cedric: "Look out, Graham--there's a hole in the boat!"
(The boat, which had been working fine until Cedric pointed out the hole, spontaneously sinks.)
Graham: "Help, hel-blururb!" *wheezes, splutters*
Cedric: (flies away, leaving Graham to die)
Narrator: Thanks for playing King's Quest V.
That death scene may have been a d!ck move on the part of the developers, but it was a funny one. KQVI is noticeably absent of those kinds of scenes. Unless you have really bad timing and save immediately before you turn into a beast. That kinda sucks.
Best game ever.
Quote from: crayauchtin on October 16, 2011, 04:23:28 PM
Best game ever.
Sharp, succinct and to the point! Excellent review!
Bt
Quote from: Sir Perceval of Daventry on October 07, 2011, 05:07:27 PM
"Oh, I didn't know this was a PRIVATE forest. ::) Do you own it?"
Heh, I remember this line very well. This actually influenced me on how I wrote some of Graham's lines in TSL. I remember when I wrote a description of him to go by, one of the things I wrote is that he could have a sense of sarcasm when talking to people "of evil", or that performed deeds he disagreed with. In a sense, that's where his reply to Black Widow comes from when she mentions where all good men have gone to and he says, playing off her own dialog: "Maybe that's because you've eaten them all-- I mean, overwhelmed them all!". In Ep4, he plays with Azure's sense of superiority as well.
When he faces the main evil, however, he's very different. Always showing the strength of a hero.