Sierra Revived by Activision. Good? Bad?

[BogusMeatFactory]

So Activision is opening the adventure game crypt known as Sierra and starting work on a new King's Quest game, handing it over to a team who developed, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom.

Supposedly, Sierra will be a haven for indie developers to make their own games as well as take on some of Sierra's prized properties. Is this good or bad for the Sierra franchises?

I kind of have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I would love to see new entries in these franchises. Nothing would please me more than to see a new Space Quest or Quest for Glory. These franchises had rich worlds that were funny, colorful and inventive.

What I fear is that they will come out wrong. That developers may not get what made the games endearing. It isn't really the genre that made the Sierra games enjoyable, as we all know, random and illogical puzzles can be frustrating... I'm looking at you King's Quest V and your cream pie to the Yeti's face puzzle.

What makes them enjoyable is that charm, color and story. It really was about the character. We know Roger Wilco and Leisure Suit Larry because those characters were ridiculous characters to be. In Quest for Glory, they put you in the hot seat and provided you a cast of characters that were full of life. Keapon Laffin, Rakeesh, Erana, Erasmus etc. are what made those games truly enjoyable...that and the horrible puns!

Will we see that with Activisions move? I hope so, only time will tell!

[Metal Jesus]

So many of those classic Sierra games were infused with the personality and passion of their original creators. Leisure Suit Larry was Al Lowe! Corey & Lori Cole were the Quest for Glory series... Jane Jensen made Gabriel Knight what it was... Without those original creators, it's like Dean Kootz re-writing Stephen King's The Stand... or a bunch of indie musicians creating new Led Zeppelin records. They may be decent in their own right in the end... but they will never be the same.

[BogusMeatFactory]

So many of those classic Sierra games were infused with the personality and passion of their original creators. Leisure Suit Larry was Al Lowe! Corey & Lori Cole were the Quest for Glory series... Jane Jensen made Gabriel Knight what it was... Without those original creators, it's like Dean Kootz re-writing Stephen King's The Stand... or a bunch of indie musicians creating new Led Zeppelin records. They may be decent in their own right in the end... but they will never be the same.

Especially with Quest for Glory, I really feel that Lori and Corey were that world. You can tell their heart and soul are in it, which is why they tried to novelize the series and why their Hero U game will still take place in that world.

King's Quest is the one title that I feel had the most identity crisis of all the, "Quest," games. It relied on fairy tales, but had no cohesive world or vision. Things just constantly were changing on a game-by-game basis. That is why I enjoyed the Anonymous Game Developer's work on King's Quest 2 & 3 remake. They took some of those concepts like the Black Cloak magicians that were only referenced in 3, 5 & 6 and took that in a great direction.

I think that it is still possible to capture the feel of those games, but it may never be the same... Quest for Glory and Gabriel Knight especially.

[noiseredux]

It's good. I'd rather the potential of new good games than no chance at all.

[MrPopo]

Sierra means more Incredible Machine games, right?

[BogusMeatFactory]

Sierra means more Incredible Machine games, right?

No...just more Dr. Brain games.

There are actually some games that I would LOVE to see more of that are lesser known. I would love to see more of the Manhunter franchise, even though I do believe the original rights are still held by the creators. That series, I felt, was insanely good, albeit very unorthodox for the time.

Also would love to see another, The Bizarre Adventures of Woodruff and the Schnibble. You can't go wrong with a deranged, post-apocalyptic world with an even more deranged art style. Game was great!

[retrosportsgamer]

The original Quest for Glory was so influential for me growing up. Really kicked my imagination into gear on what kinds of possibilities there were in gaming. Have those games ever been re-released?

[BogusMeatFactory]

The original Quest for Glory was so influential for me growing up. Really kicked my imagination into gear on what kinds of possibilities there were in gaming. Have those games ever been re-released?

You can get them digitally through GoG, but sadly, the last physical copy was the Quest for Glory Collection Series released in 1997.

You can play Quest for Glory 2's VGA remake by the Anonymous Game Developer's for free and it is phenomenal. Those guys seriously did an amazing job on it and even allows for the character import and export.

[Metal Jesus]

Sierra means more Incredible Machine games, right?

Hey, if we're talking Incredible Machine games...then let's just open it up to Dynamix:

Earthsiege
Tribes
Red Baron
Stellar 7
Skyfox
Aces of the Pacific/Aces over Europe
Betrayal at Krondor
Rise of the Dragon

....etc...etc...etc...

So many awesome games!

[fastbilly1]

Im with Noise on this one.

But if Sierra is revived, maybe they will publish a new Half Life...