(re: LSL 8 – Confirmation!) This news about a possible LSL8 is interesting, but I still haven’t made up my mind if I like it or not.
On the plus side, this is a sign that Sierra hasn’t completely forgot about its past and may be willing to back up an adventure game again. It’s a big deal if Vivendi publishes a pure adventure and it sells well.
That they’re aiming for consoles is logical, and we have reached the point where adventure games can actually be very good on consoles. Every new console adventure will introduce the genre to new players, and what the adventure genre needs above all is more fans, so the publishers dares to put their money in adventure games again.
Then again, we don’t know what this new game is going to be about. For all we know, it could be an action shooter or an RPG, although it doesn’t seem very probable.
As for Al not being involved, this is a major setback. The series is so tightly connected to Al that I cannot imagine a Larry game without his involvement. If they go ahead and make LSL8 without Al, it will have to be extremely good if I’m going to buy it. If it’s a bad game and Al wasn’t involved, people are going to trash it so completely that Sierra won’t know what hit them. And I see this situation as a clear possibility.
However, if the game is axed by the fans, how likely is Sierra to make any more adventure games like it? It’s a delicate situation. In my opinion, there is nothing connecting Sierra today to the company that made those classic adventure games except for the name. We have been disappointed time and time again by the new Sierra. And I won’t hope for much this time either, out of fear of another disappointment. Remember that LSL8 was already cancelled once, and Space Quest 7 twice. In such an early development stage as this it’s still in the air if LSL8 is going to be a reality this time.
