Leisure Suit Larry [E3 2004]
- May 12, 2004 00:00 AM PST
Ladies your long awaited Leisure Suit Larry is here!
With the cancellation of Sam & Max 2 and Full Throttle, it seems that graphic adventures have all but gone the way of the dodo. So will an old-time Sierra �hero� be able to bring the genre back from the dead? Maybe. But even if it does, it won�t ever be the same again.Leisure Suit Larry was, at one time, the king of PC point-and-click adventures�funny jokes, crazy puzzles, countless sequels, and (*gasp*) bare breasts everywhere. Now VU Games is bringing Larry back, but in a slightly different (i.e. �more casual�) form. While the game still has lots of exploring and talking, the old puzzle-driven gameplay is being supplanted by a more easy-to-access mini-game structure.
Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. The demo build we played was tons of fun, even without the classic point-and-click puzzle-solving. Conversations are handed with a sort of miniature action-game, as you try to navigate a happy little sperm icon into different iconic targets (happy faces, beer mugs, mad faces, squids) on a scrolling bar. Whatever icon you hit indicates what Larry will say next, and you never really know what that�s gonna be. While purists may be disappointed by this approach, it seems to be a lot of fun in practice since unpredictability plays a big role in the affair.
In addition to holding conversations, you�ll also take part in little mini-games to try to win over whatever girl you�re talking to. The mini-games we saw included variations on the classic bartending game Tapper, timing-based dance games like Parappa, games of virtual Quarters, and frantic �chases� around the campus as you tried to escape immigration officers trying to deport exchange students or mafia henchman looking out for the Boss�s daughter.
The graphics and control aren�t really all that exciting, the setting, voice acting, and sense of humor seem to be taking up the slack. And if you�re worried that Larry�s sense of humor has been dulled by the ages (and the fact that he�s now on consoles), it seems you can put those worries to rest. The demo we saw was loaded with some of the most raunchy, sick, and hilarious scenes we�ve ever seen in a Larry game, including one particularly nutty sequence involving full-frontal nudity and Larry in a school mascot suit. VU Games spokesperson warned us that what we saw has not yet been approved by the ESRB�so who knows, exactly, what�s going to make in through.
Look for Larry to make his return this fall on PS2 and Xbox.
