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Ken, when I read that Phantasmagoria was the first game that used actors, I must admit that I couldn’t contain the chuckles.
The first game that had actors in it (which I know of), was Myst (only two, and not professional but hey, they’re people) and it came out in 1993. http://www.mobygames.com/game/macintosh/mystI liked Phantasmagoria becuase it took the horror genre which was all ready done by the movie industry by that point in time and the gaming industry barley touched phase with it with the alone in the dark games if those were horror. Phantamagoria really touched the adventure horror genre with its surprises ect (when I first played the game I got really scared by the deamon near the end of chapter 7 beacuase it was so suddenly). and I think it was one of Roberta’s best games. Man I wish that Roberta could have done a Phantasmagoria 3 either with both charcters from the 1st two or just the one from the 1st.
Yes,both games are sealed like a present.Thanx for your response,you answered a question that I forgot to add,its important to know how to recognize boxed games that have the factory or “bogus”seal,which sellers sell off,as factory sealed, and rip off the uninformed.
Yeah, these games are more on the rare side I would say. You have to make sure they’re really originally sealed though, and not re-sealed. Both of these games should be sealed with wrap that looks like a present on top. You can see pictures of this type of wrap on the Vintage Sierra website:
i remember being amazed at phantasmagoria when it came out. i’ve been gaming since the mid 80’s, and i’ve seen a lot of ‘wow’ games, but that one probably impressed me the most of any PC game. it’s by far not my favorite, but i was extremely impressed with it at the time. it is strange that the industry didn’t go in that direction. it was a huge hit and usually their are tons of copy cats when that happens. maybe if phantas 2 was as big as 1 then the industry would have taken more notice.
To really understand why Phantasmagoria was such a big hit (one million copies sold, back in the days when the industry was a lot smaller), you need to view it in a historical context.
It was “ahead of its time” in many areas:
– First game with live actors
– New user interface
– Controversial subject matter not previously seen in computer games (a rape scene, and it was shot with a nude scene that we later became chicken and yanked)
– We were trying to build a game that could reach beyond the classic “gamers” and bring a new tier of buyers into the market. Specifically, we were saying “is this a game my mom could (or, would want to) play. This worked.
– First experiment with a huge budget.Phantasmagoria should have been the start of something, but for some reason, the industry didn’t evolve beyond it. If viewed as the first step in an interesting direction, it is interesting.I think that if we had taken the direction we were moving with Phantasmagoria, and evolved it by another 10 years, you would be looking at some very interesting games now.
-Ken W
What? “Post Sierra Party”
I saw this person at a store who was talking away about some fantasy game. I asked him what it was and he said it was Fable. In a attempt to break off the conversation, he followed me around making comments about hurting my family. I don’t think he was all there and I don’t think his parents should have let him play Fable if they knew how he reacted to it. Different effect on different people. (ie Dungeons & Dragons)
Do you encourage the updating of old Sierra games to the new Super VGA format? I would like to see the artist and programmers of “Syberia” update some of the Sierra games! But, I also like the nostalgia of the old format.
I don’t believe there are too many programmers on this site that could make a Sierra game. I believe I have heard Ken suggest we make a new game that we can own.Ken,
I was trying out a fan made installer for Phantasmagoria to run under winxp. Which worked flawlessly by the way. Any way I came accross a Making of Phatasmagoria clip. I was wondering where the clip came from? If you dont know maybe Roberta might.
That has to be either Space Quest 1 or 2, judging by the three-legged creature in one of the stalls.
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/9799/1316gu9.png
Need title of this game. Thanks.
i cant believe there are so many people who remember this game series…i did think i was the only one..none of my friends here in england remember it!!
I agree totaly,LB2 was a PHENOMENALLY, amazing fun game!A remake would most likely suck!NOTHING,and I mean NOTHING compares to the older SIERRA,classic adventure games!!!!!!.Sneaking around in a museum at night,1920’s era,priceless!It almost brings me to tears that we’ll never see games like that again,even todays flashier graphics dont cut it for me.Sierra’s cartoonish graphics in the older games are, and will always be my favorite.
It would be cool if there was a remake, seeing that there are still fans out there but if you think about it, even if a remake was made, the original just still captures that special nostalgia. It was one series that definitely deserved many more sequels.
I loved the whole idea of sneaking around and spying on everyone and their conversations. Having and reviewing your notebook greatly added to the replayability factor. Finding dead bodies kept you at the edge of your chair! Also, the subtle humor really really put the finishing touches to it, not making it TOO serious of a game.
One pun that always made me laugh was when Laura breaks the dagger case in the Egyptian room. It then says, “Congratulations, Laura. You’ve just cracked the case of the Dagger of Amon Ra!” 😛
As you may or may not know that some dude posted on the fourms that dosbox support uses has posted a link to a german website that has an xp installer for phantasmagoria. Which has 3 videos in it 2 teaser videos one thats on the kq7 plus another one. and A making of Phantasmagoria video clip which shocked me I didnt know that sierra made one. I think that this was neat. Note that this installer was desgined for the german version but It might work with other versions and then again it may not. It worked for me so I dont see why it shouldnt work with any other versions. and Mine was only a standalone english copy. heres the link.
. Phantasmagoria InstallerHi,I found 2 factory sealed games today,MIXED UP MOTHER GOOSE&THE ADVENTURES OF WILLY BEAMISH.Are these games on the rare side?,dont know if I should open them or sell them.Thanx
i agree with your points.. thinking about it.. your right.. remaking it would spoil the atmosphere the original created. the graphics do add to the game
what was the highest level of completion did u guys get to on the thermometer?i tried playing LB2 but didnt really get on with it very well.
i think the whole playing experience of the game made it so good. the story is really strong. the characters are great. u have to get to know them throuigh out the game. there is more to the house than meets the eye. the story changes depending were u are when the clock chimes. you can play the game again once u completed it and discover new bits of the story.. there are two different endings. the music is great….. the list goes on
Many of the early games are around, but they are pretty much all “non-pc” games and require emulation. I’ve had pretty good luck tracking down “disk images”, especially for the apple ii versions.
You could always buy the Roberta Williams Anthology. It contains all pre-King’s Quest games. Unfortunately, be prepared to pay around $100 for the collection. The collection contains an Apple Emulator on which you can play the games. Check e-bay for the collection.
If you are fortunate enough to come across the original games than be prepared to pay alot more for them…
The more you guys talk about BeQuest the more I wish I stuck with the game and played it through. What are some of the things that made it so great!?
Looking into Dagger of Amon Ra, I can see why these games took years to create. The dialogue alone would take several pages. A programmer could set a default response on a case/switch statement but that wouldn’t make for a great game interaction.
I noticed that the image of Laura Bow seems to change throughout LB2. If you take the face shot, the supprise look, and her in the train they all are very different people.
Another comment. It is funny that in the days we would always buy the latest technology to run the next Sierra game, but now we try to down grade or hold onto the old technology to run the Sierra games. : )I agree with Maxor. To me, it doesn’t really matter whether Colonel’s Bequest looks outdated or not, because the graphics are really quite beautiful and they actually add something to the game’s atmosphere – it’s EASILY one of the most atmospheric games I’ve ever played.
Besides, I’m not sure whether remaking any of the classic Sierra games would improve on the originals. Take a classic movie – say, Citizen Kane. Great film, but old. Looks old. Black and white. Quite grainy in places. The sound isn’t all that clear on occasions. Yet nobody in their right mind would ever dream of suggesting that we re-film it, in colour, using digital film stock, and better sound. The same principle applies to classic games like Laura Bow, I think.
Posting here is the only way I can think of to “get a message” to Roberta.
We’re in Ireland now, where she is doing research for a book she is working on.. When she focuses on something, she REALLY focuses. When I see an interesting message, I talk her into reading it over my shoulder, but generally, she isn’t thinking any thoughts except about her current project.
Colonel’s Bequest was also one of her favorite projects.
-Ken W
I don’t think Colonel’s Bequest should be remade. I usually end up liking the older versions more since better graphics don’t really make a better game. I would like to see more games with that style of gameplay and those mystery elements where it’s like an interactive Clue game. I like whodunits and the trial and error of solving a mystery.
Infocom made some good mystery games if you ever want to check those out. They’re text adventures. Suspect, Witness, and Deadline all involve solving crimes, and they’re my favorites. Moonmist is another mystery game but I don’t remember much about it except that it may have involved a haunted house. The crime games are more like a cross between Police Quest and Laura Bow, though.
