See screens, video from canceled 3D Space Quest *platformer*
by Jason Dobson 
{ Apr 5th 2009 at 7:30PM } 
The long-rumored sequel looked to sweep its PC roots under the rug, trading pointing and clicking for running and jumping as a 3D platformer for the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox. In fact, the game, which was being helmed by developer Escape Factory, bore little resemblance at all to the Space Quest that series fans had grown to love. Still, it's somewhat interesting to look at the Space Quest game that might have been, but like the Labion Terror Beast, it's best appreciated from a distance.
[Via superannuation]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jeivindr @ Apr 5th 2009 7:42PM
Good for you?
xenocidic @ Apr 6th 2009 1:19PM
Just FYI I found a point-n-click adventure game under the Community Games section called "Writer's Block".
Haven't bought it yet, so I can't really comment, but I really miss adventure games =)
Zephyr @ Apr 5th 2009 7:43PM
Wow, that looks....terrible. Glad they had the sense to bury it.
Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 6th 2009 4:46AM
Yup. Looks terrifyingly awful.
MystileArmor @ Apr 5th 2009 7:44PM
Vivendi: "Roger Wilco,.. .why don't you go stand next to Larry and bend over"
Larry: "It gets a little better after the first time.........................No.. no not really."
NineT9 @ Apr 6th 2009 2:54AM
haha nice!
sad how they completly ruined Larry :/ Theres no coming back
I'm not sure if people realize this, but Space Quest is one of the only games from Sierra that didn't quiet go 3D...
Leisure Suit Larry turned into 3D on the Xbox
Police Quest turned into 3D by changing into S.W.A.T.
Kings Quest turned into 3D with their last sequel (Which was actually pretty good... this was about 7 years ago I believe)
So Space Quest is one of the last remaining 'popular' Sierra games that hasn't transformed yet!
Man those games rocked :(
Llama_egg @ Apr 5th 2009 7:50PM
One day...one day I'll have my oh so delicious Space Quest back!
Great Golem+ @ Apr 5th 2009 8:54PM
Hey just get an iphone and play all your favs on ScummVM instead of dreaming about it. :)
Damn, now I sound like an annoying ad again...
zuburi @ Apr 5th 2009 9:33PM
*SCUMMVM also available (and a bazillion times better) on PC. SCUMMVM does not endorse purchasing an iphone.
**SCUMMVM only supports Space Quest I and II.
***For erections lasting longer than 4 hours, consult a physician.
Sly (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ Apr 5th 2009 10:29PM
replace iphone with psp. tactile buttons FTW.
Tyler @ Apr 5th 2009 7:57PM
I heard the moon was made out of spare ribs...
Linkario @ Apr 5th 2009 10:43PM
Not possible, Spare ribs are made out of the moon.
Mabui @ Apr 5th 2009 8:09PM
3d was a crime - a horrible crime committed onto adventure games.
MystileArmor @ Apr 5th 2009 8:14PM
So you didn't like Zelda: Ocarina Of Time?
The horrible crime here isn't 3D, but taking franchises and making crappy sequals to classics, without the input of any of the original creators.
Cosmo @ Apr 5th 2009 9:03PM
"The horrible crime here isn't 3D, but taking franchises and making crappy sequals to classics, without the input of any of the original creators."
Like Fallout 3? ; )
MystileArmor @ Apr 5th 2009 9:09PM
Ok well lol, let me rephrase it:
"The horrible crime here isn't 3D, but taking franchises and raping them to death"
Sly (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ Apr 5th 2009 9:33PM
"The horrible crime here isn't 3D, but taking franchises and raping them to death"
mario (not in a bad way), halo, guitar hero...
Markez @ Apr 5th 2009 9:36PM
Sounds like a job for handbanana
Linkario @ Apr 5th 2009 10:45PM
Escape Factory to Space Quest: "You sure do have a purdy mouth. Let me hear you squeal like a pig"
Mabui @ Apr 6th 2009 12:08AM
I don't really see Zelda as a Adventure game in the same vein as say Monkey Island or Space Quest.
If the next Zelda is the bastard child of Hotel Dusk - maybe I'll feel abit better in that regard.
Popfrogs @ Apr 6th 2009 2:59AM
Speaking of the old Lucasarts pointy-clickey-typey games, aren't games like Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle kinda tailor-made for the DS and other touchscreen devices? You'd think they'd try to port them with updated graphics or something.
BlackBeltJones @ Apr 5th 2009 8:14PM
All I can say after watching that is thank goodness.
sam @ Apr 6th 2009 5:47AM
And all I can say is thank goodness real adventure games are still being (re)made. For anyone who hasn't played it before on the 17 previous platforms it released on over the last decade, I'd recommend the new Wii version of Broken Sword. (If you have played it before, I presume it's not worth it.) Right back to the classic graphic-adventure style and at least for the first few hours, it's great fun. (I expect it's probably pretty short but whatever - worth it.).
Okay, I said classic, but I admit, I kind of preferred it before they got rid of the text parser ;) And then pure text adventures too... so it's not quite THAT classic. But point-and-click level classic is still a good thing.
I'm hoping Broken Sword is a success (presumably the development costs weren't that high so it doesn't need to sell a million...) and we get some completely new games in that vein (in addition to the others such as Telltale's releases on various platforms, Cing's new game if it ever comes out in English, etc).
Rein @ Apr 5th 2009 8:21PM
I'm guessing I'm the only one who thought that looked like fun... It makes me want to play a really good current-gen platformer but I don't think any exist for the 360. D:
The only thing I didn't like about the video were the super violent deaths. They seemed really out of place with the rest of the footage.
Wes @ Apr 5th 2009 8:46PM
Honestly, it looked like a pretty decent kids game. At $19.99, I think it would have sold decently? I recall another game for the xbox ...or maybe xbox 360? called 'Grabbed by the Ghoulies' which didn't look half as fun and it made it to release. I tried the game's demo and it wasn't so bad once you got used to it.
Though, there was something about the gardener in Grabbed by the Ghoulies that seemed off. He had sayings like 'Mow My Meadow', 'Twist my turnips' and I swear at least 6 other phrases with double-sexual connotations.
lordwindowlicker @ Apr 5th 2009 9:06PM
I'm going to guess that neither of you have played the original games...
StrangeBum @ Apr 6th 2009 3:48AM
@ Wes
"Grabbed by the Ghoulies" is itself innuendo as well.
Think about it.
Markez @ Apr 5th 2009 8:29PM
Gah, my childhood love of Sierra will never die. SQ 1 through 5 were some of my favorite games ever, not too mention all the other goodies that came out of there. Without a doubt, my faves of all time were those in the Quest for Glory series, SPLENDIFEROUS!
*nostalgia swoon
Biggie @ Apr 5th 2009 8:40PM
Sweet I love that BRA song. I think pulling the plug was the right decision.
Paviel @ Apr 5th 2009 8:41PM
It is probably a good thing that this never went through. What they did to King's Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, and even (to a degree) Quest for Glory was bad enough.
Didn't Roberta Williams resign in protest when they insisted on adding action-RPG elements to King's Quest 8? And even if not, I sure would... King's Quest was NEVER supposed to be an action-RPG type series, if the first seven games are anything to go by.
Pausanius @ Apr 5th 2009 8:56PM
You beat me to it :)
QFG4 wasn't too bad but definitely felt like a break from the others in the series... not nearly as great as 1-3.
It simply felt like a different game, although this may have been because of the graphics overhaul or simply that Greek mythology is much more familiar than Germanic/Middle Eastern/Slavic. It was ultimately playable though despite the changes, hence my comment below that this series might be capable of being 're-envisioned' for the gaming systems of today.
MystileArmor @ Apr 5th 2009 9:21PM
It would've been great if they did take all this next-gen technology and make a new Larry or Kings Quest or whatever, but stick to the old mechanics of it.
Go here, pick this up, use this on that, talk to such and such. etc. etc.
It's what made those games so great,you had to use your brain on every next move. Thinking logically to solve puzzles. Those games were so hard and clever at times, but so rewarding when you got past a point.
We don't want to play silly minigames to see a pair of breasts. We have google for that one.
zuburi @ Apr 5th 2009 9:38PM
Mystiel:
I wouldn't call most of the puzzles in classic adventure games as "logical." The main thing I liked about those games was having to think outside of the box. I think the best example of that is the puzzles from Day of the Tentacle - not too logical, but you really had to think to come up with the solutions.
Everyone that posted here:
There is still a small, dedicated community working on "classic" adventure games. Start here (http://www.bigbluecup.com/games.php) for a bunch of good stuff.
MystileArmor @ Apr 5th 2009 9:53PM
Yeah, you're right Zuburi. I guess "logical" wasn't the right choice of words, an error on my part.
Day Of The Tentacle was great as well. Everything about that game was fantastic.
I loved the fact that everything you did in the future, past or present had an effect on each other.
I'm going to hunt that game down and play it, it's been a while. Thanks for mentioning it. Oh and on a sidenote: Anyone ever played Woodruff And The Schnibble of Azimuth?
Markez @ Apr 5th 2009 10:03PM
Wow man, Day of the Tentacle was absolutely fantastic. I loved QFG4, thought it had more character and a more unique vibe than 3.
Given the age I played them at, the old Sierra games really gave me the 'it's a secret to everyone' magic that I felt from Zelda, that I was exploring things in games that others weren't. Specifically in So you want to be a hero? when playing the thief and finding all the secret things you could do. Ahhhh, the golden days...
hunter @ Apr 5th 2009 10:52PM
you are wrong here dude. As far as i can tell you roberta DID designed that king´s quest 8, there even was an interview where she explained how each designer from sierra, would have to find a way to make a 3d game of their respective creations that worked on a 3d enviroment. She even commented that al lowe creator of larry asked her if larry now would have to run all over the stage catching stars and jumping over turtles. Sadly at the end we finded out that she wasn´t able to create an adventure as charming as the first ones on 3d. Oh and that thing about resigning well, remember that she was the wife of the owner of sierra back in those times, that guy ken williams, so a resign would have ended with ken having to sleep in the garage for the rest of his life so i can tell you that never happened.
gaddes @ Apr 5th 2009 11:09PM
I'd say that Quest for Glory got shafted the least, if at all. The fact that the 5th one was made because of fan demand was something I appreciated... and even though they obviously felt the need to quasi-3Dify it to be more popular, the content of the game stayed true to the prior titles: story continuity, dialogue, plot, customizability, and the beloved multiple ending structure.
Though I would've preferred QFG V to have been fully 2D, I still think it was a good ending to a great series. I definitely had some gripes with the whole 3D-character-fighting-in-2D-landscapes though... nothing more frustrating than firing a blast or attacking an enemy only to find that the enemy isn't totally lined up with yours because you're running on a flat landscape that's trying to simulate 3D space. But then again, the series always tried to experiment with its fighting system.
Also, @ Pausanius, according to Lori Cole, QFG 4 was originally supposed to be QFG 3 but they changed their minds at one point and wanted content to fill in the gap between Shapeir and Mordavia, so they took Rakeesh and Uhura and expanded on the idea of Tarna. So, ironically, even though QFG 4 might've felt like a departure, it had been planned that way from when QFG 2 had been developed.
I agree that King's Quest definitely lost its way with the last title... a 3D action game with a character that wasn't even one of King Graham's family?
And thank god this new "Space Quest" title never got greenlit... it in no way resembles ANYTHING Space Quest was, and looks more like some generic Ratchet and Clank / Banjo Kazooie kind of game than anything else.
If anyone ever tries to resuscitate any of these series, let's hope the company stays true to the source material... hell, why not give it to Telltale Games to try out? They did a decent job with Sam and Max. I wouldn't be surprised if they hired the original creators as consultants to at least try and get the games right.
Gehodra @ Apr 6th 2009 1:19AM
I didn't play the first 7 KQ games, so I guessing that's why I didn't find 8 to be a travesty. I thought it was pretty good, with a bitchin theme song.
But isn't this kinda like what RE4 did? The first games were Survival-Horror, but RE4 turned it to 3rd person shooter. People didn't seem to mind.
Courtney @ Apr 6th 2009 1:26AM
It's been a long time in the making, but there is a fan made King's Quest that follows in the same vein as the original KQ's:
http://www.tsl-game.com/
They actually had a news update recently that said it could be finished by this summer.
Pausanius @ Apr 6th 2009 1:41AM
@ Gaddes
I appreciate the correction -- my post should have read QFG5, not QFG4 (hence, my reference to Greek mythology :)
Also, with all this talk of Space Quest and Quest for Glory, it may be a good time to plug AGD Interactive's remake of Quest for Glory II. They've updated the game to VGA-grade graphics and provide the option of text parser-based or point and click (a la QFG3 system). It's good quality and no bugs that I've found.
If you like those, they also have re-made KQ1 and KQ2 -- complete with voice work by the original King Graham, Josh Mandel.
gaddes @ Apr 6th 2009 2:44AM
@ Pausanius
Ah, whoops, I should've noticed the stuff about the greek influence!
Yes, I've also played the AGD version of QFG 2 and I have to say it's a fantastic job. I had been a little impatient with them because it took forever for it to come out, but I can see a lot of love and care went into making it feel like it fit in perfectly with 1 and 3. I highly recommend it to other QFG fans.
I've also played the remade KQ games as well... I loved that they got Graham's voice in there.
Pausanius @ Apr 5th 2009 8:47PM
I still play Kings/Police/Space/Hero's Quest games every so often... I'm going to pretend I never saw the contents of that video. It reminds me how King's Quest 8 and Leisure Suit Larry's returns were horrible (blasphemous in many opinions) and killed off any potential return to the adventure genre for Sierra.
Hero's Quest/Quest for Glory may be capable of 'bring up to date' given its RPG characteristics... but I'd rather let the childhood memories rest in peace.
AwesomeTown @ Apr 6th 2009 6:14PM
So true.
I'm OK with changing up a series if you make it a spin off, but that video had nothing remotely Space Quest in it. Disgusting.
lordwindowlicker @ Apr 5th 2009 9:03PM
I'm glad this never came to be. They've already fucked up Leisure Suit Larry.. as much as I'd love to see a new Space Quest, this would have been terrible.
As much as I love the series, I think it should stay dead. If they brought back (at least) the guy who made 6... then perhaps. Otherwise, let it rest. Although we'll never have closure on the ending to the last game.
finalgearsolid @ Apr 5th 2009 9:21PM
Oh man. The Two Guys From Andromeda would SO not approve
obo @ Apr 5th 2009 10:48PM
They didn't even approve of one another, way before the end of the series. Crowe jumped to Dynamix without telling Murphy, who felt betrayed; Crowe turned around a badmouthed SQ5 and SQ6, which were primarily Murphy's projects. (Crowe says he didn't even play SQ6.)
Then Sierra fired Murphy while working on SQ7, a year before the company fired everybody and became a license-holding shell. (They actually rehired him about a month before "Chainsaw Monday.")
Considering that Murphy wanted the old text parser in every SQ game, I'd say he wouldn't approve of an action platformer. Considering Crowe didn't even care about SQ6, I doubt he'd've even paid attention.
finalgearsolid @ Apr 5th 2009 11:37PM
Yeah, I heard there was some bad blood between the two after the fourth one and I heard about what happened during the seventh one, but had no idea about everything else, especially about SQ6. I'm still thankful an action platformer didn't become of my favorite plumber (despite my stock profile picture). I played every single one like crazy and was able to beat each one in under 45 minutes from start to finish except 4. The mall in 4 still remains one of my most memorable locales in gaming. Damn I miss that series, but I'd rather have nothing than what I just saw.
doom saber @ Apr 7th 2009 1:07PM
To Obo,
Actually, Crowe made SQV when he went to Dynamix, a company that was formed by the original Sierra co; Space Quest 5 is the only Space Quest title that wasn't made by the main sierra branch.
Murphy went and finished Space Quest 6, a game both Crowe and Murphy badmouthed despite the latter took over in designing the game. This game was originally made by the "third" guy from Andromeda. Josh Mendal, a programmer in sierra who worked on Freddy Pharkas and the original voice of Kq's King Garaham was the main guy behind Space Quest 6 but left at the end of the project. Therefore, Sierra got Murphy to finish Space Quest 6.
ice~ @ Apr 5th 2009 10:06PM
All these games you people are talking about....never heard of a single one of them! I feel so deprived :(
Sly (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ Apr 5th 2009 10:31PM
you are not alone, brother.