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Lagomorph · 04-09-2011, 11:25 AM

Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) (1988)

Though the second SCI game, Larry 2 deserves the credit for taking Sierra games to the next level. Whereas King’s Quest IV hesitantly carried with it all of its antiquated baggage, Larry 2 leaps to new terrain with confidence.

While Larry 2 departs from the series-defining goals of the first game and adopts a more conventional and tamed-down plot, the sophistication of the writing elevates it above the original. Dropping Larry into a more standard adventure is really a rather clever approach. The game plays up the difference between the player and the player character in an intriguing manner. You are privileged to knowledge that Larry doesn’t have. The conflict derives from the disparity between these two perspectives. While having to die to figure out a puzzle is generally frowned upon in adventure game theory, here it brings humor to the relation between the player and the character.

The game also plays with aspects of the first game and with Sierra conventions in general. For example, in the first game money was a big concern. You had to constantly work the casino to maintain funds. Here, however, the concern is reversed to a ridiculous extreme. Early on, Larry wins a million dollars without hardly having to do anything. The challenge becomes how to get less money, as Larry’s bills are too large. The negative consequence of sleeping with girls also presents a reversal from the previous game. In another scene, the classic Sierra cliff walk is encountered, except you can’t actually fall off (anticipating the later parody in The Secret of Monkey Island). However, it subjects you to another typical Sierra challenge:

Spoiler:
You will almost inevitably hit a dead end after completing the section.

The artwork is a step up from King’s Quest IV, with a lot of detail and variety of locations. The music is also quite good (I particularly like the love theme). The sections of the game are arranged in a linear manner, resulting in many dead ends (the most I’ve seen in a Sierra game thus far). It is one of the longer and harder Sierra games I’ve played. It also feels like it has more depth in regards to various responses given and the overall large number of text.

Larry 2 really is a step forward for Sierra. For the first time, a Sierra game begins to match the depth and humor offered by the LucasArts games I grew up with.

Additional Notes

Hardest puzzle:

Spoiler:
Getting breasts. There’s little indication that you need to stuff the bra in the changing area.

Dead ends encountered:

Six, at least.

Spoiler:
*Pulling switch too early.
*Left before getting drink.
*Changed too late (an intentional dead end).
*Not picking up the pamphlet.
*Not getting the pin (if you type in the wrong thing, it says “there’s nothing worth buying here”); the puzzle also plays with the “fault” of having to die to figure out a puzzle.
*Not getting the sand.

Best part:

Spoiler:
*Game show sequence
*Breaking the million dollar bill

Worst part:

Spoiler:
Throwing sand on ice? That doesn’t make much sense.

My final score: 496/500

04-09-2011, 11:25 AM	#27
Lagomorph Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 51	Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) (1988) Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) (1988) Though the second SCI game, Larry 2 deserves the credit for taking Sierra games to the next level. Whereas King’s Quest IV hesitantly carried with it all of its antiquated baggage, Larry 2 leaps to new terrain with confidence. While Larry 2 departs from the series-defining goals of the first game and adopts a more conventional and tamed-down plot, the sophistication of the writing elevates it above the original. Dropping Larry into a more standard adventure is really a rather clever approach. The game plays up the difference between the player and the player character in an intriguing manner. You are privileged to knowledge that Larry doesn’t have. The conflict derives from the disparity between these two perspectives. While having to die to figure out a puzzle is generally frowned upon in adventure game theory, here it brings humor to the relation between the player and the character. The game also plays with aspects of the first game and with Sierra conventions in general. For example, in the first game money was a big concern. You had to constantly work the casino to maintain funds. Here, however, the concern is reversed to a ridiculous extreme. Early on, Larry wins a million dollars without hardly having to do anything. The challenge becomes how to get less money, as Larry’s bills are too large. The negative consequence of sleeping with girls also presents a reversal from the previous game. In another scene, the classic Sierra cliff walk is encountered, except you can’t actually fall off (anticipating the later parody in The Secret of Monkey Island). However, it subjects you to another typical Sierra challenge: Spoiler: You will almost inevitably hit a dead end after completing the section. The artwork is a step up from King’s Quest IV, with a lot of detail and variety of locations. The music is also quite good (I particularly like the love theme). The sections of the game are arranged in a linear manner, resulting in many dead ends (the most I’ve seen in a Sierra game thus far). It is one of the longer and harder Sierra games I’ve played. It also feels like it has more depth in regards to various responses given and the overall large number of text. Larry 2 really is a step forward for Sierra. For the first time, a Sierra game begins to match the depth and humor offered by the LucasArts games I grew up with. Additional Notes Hardest puzzle: Spoiler: Getting breasts. There’s little indication that you need to stuff the bra in the changing area. Dead ends encountered: Six, at least. Spoiler: Pulling switch too early. Left before getting drink. Changed too late (an intentional dead end). Not picking up the pamphlet. Not getting the pin (if you type in the wrong thing, it says “there’s nothing worth buying here”); the puzzle also plays with the “fault” of having to die to figure out a puzzle. Not getting the sand. Best part: Spoiler: Game show sequence Breaking the million dollar bill Worst part: Spoiler: Throwing sand on ice? That doesn’t make much sense. My final score: 496/500 __________________ Lagomorph Plays Sierra Games Last edited by Lagomorph; 04-10-2011 at 07:57 AM.