[Arkay]

I'm sure there are a ton of these posted every week, but...

Recently I have been sticking my 10th anniversary cds in for the classic Space and King's Quest games, in light of the new compilations and increased discussion about the games, and have decided to post my personal top 5 of the games, in the hopes of getting other peoples opinions. These are the games that introduced me to the adventure game genre, starting with KQ3 when I was a very young kid...and they really defined my gaming experiences throughout my childhood (I've found I somehow had more patience back then for these games than I do now...adult ADD is a bitch):

1) King's Quest 6 - One of the most engaging and innovative storylines to grace any adventure game, with beautiful hand-drawn backgrounds and solid voice acting for the time. Can trigger emotion in the player more frequently and better than most other games. I think what I love the most about the game, apart from the bright, colorful, and truly enjoyable world is all the allusions and references to fairy tales and classic mythology. Some puzzles are solved within the confines of the game world, but others require the gamer to have some background knowledge about classic literature, and I think that's the kind of gameplay that can completely immerse someone into an adventure.

2) Space Quest 4 - A truly epic game in scope, though perhaps executed no better than any other Sierra adventure game overall (and with some very frustratingly difficult timing sequences...even with accurate timer emulation in dosbox its hard not to die...alot), the excellent Gary Owens narration coupled with a very entertaining time-jumping storyline and a great sense of humor makes this the best of the Space Quest series IMO. My personal favorite is the sequence in Space Quest X in the shopping mall...there are just so many hilarious parodies and funny moments, with my nod going to the video game store and the bargain bin titles.

3) Space Quest 3 - While not open-ended by any means, this was the first game in the series that let you get a ship and then choose where you wanted to go. Although you were really limited to only 3 locations, and had to still do things in order, it was quite a thrill to sit in the cockpit of your own ship and set a course. While SQ5 might have had a slightly better storyline, it unfortunately lacked a lot of the creativity in the humor and diversity in the parodies that made SQ3 a more entertaining adventure.

4) Space Quest 5 - I really wish this one could have had Gary Owens back to narrate, because I love the look and feel of it, maybe more so than any of the other SQ games, but without the luxuries of voice acting and cd enhancements, it could very easily be mistaken for having preceded SQ4. While I really love the story of 4, SQ5 leans heavier on the Star Trek spoofs, and subsequently, is a brighter and more colorful adventure. That's not to say I didn't like SQ4's at times darker tone...just that some locations scared the crap out of me (SQXII). A lot of great characters and dialogue in this one.

5) King's Quest 5 - I know purists argue that this one isn't that good of a game, but I feel it deserves consideration above other Sierra titles because of what it stands for in the timeline of the genre. So many things were done first in KQ5 and became a mainstay of both Sierra games, but in many ways the adventure genre as a whole, and while nothing about this game really stands out, and the plot is decent at best, it is a very well put together package. Still, I'm tempted to put another game in its place because of some of the obscenely difficult puzzles or situations (don't do one thing, and when you end up in a cellar, the game is over). At times more frustrating than fun.

[eriq]

Ahh I agree with all of your choices. Love Love Loved all of these.

[Jobabob]

I liked all the ones where you couldnt die

[QFG]

I loved KQ5, but it housed the most fiendish puzzle Sierra ever devised - the custard pie / Yeti one. That literally took me hours in my youth to get right. Yet I've never talked to anyone else who had trouble with it. I wonder if I had the speed up too high and didn't know it...?

My 5 from those series would be:

KQ4
SQ4
KQ5
SQ5
KQ6

[MdaG]

Which games in the compilations had "speech" ?

[Wimli]

I've only played part of Space Quest 1, so I can't rate those. My top 5 of the King's Quest series would be:

1. King's Quest VI
2. King's Quest IV
3. King's Quest VII
4. King's Quest V
5. King's Quest III

[Arkay]

Originally Posted by MdaG

Which games in the compilations had "speech" ?

Well, only SQ4, SQ6, KQ5, KQ6, KQ7, and KQ8 had speech out of their entire series'...and in the new compilations I believe its only through KQ6 so there are 2 in there with speech (KQ5,6), and the Space Quest compilation, if it has SQ6, would also have 2 (SQ4,6).

[Sotaria]

Well, I for one agree that KQ V is one of the best KQ games. As for Space Quest, I am also probably the only one who thinks that SQ II is tops. It was frustrating having to replay the whole game because of that Alien Kiss thing, but how many other games would I have really replayed? A lot of games I never even get all the way through.

My list:

SQ V
SQ II
SQ VI
KQ V
KQ III

[littleguybrush]

1. King's quest VI
2. Space quest V
3. King's quest V
4. Space quest IV
5. King's quest III

[Gonchi]

Originally Posted by Arkay

the Space Quest compilation, if it has SQ6, would also have 2 (SQ4,6).

Mine didn't. I own the Unclogged release though, and I think there was another compilation released afterwards (not the XP bunch) that might of had it.