Episode 23 – King’s Quest
February 18, 2013Hello Blockers!
Welcome to episode 23. This time around we’re talking about the huge Sierra adventure series that started back in 1984, King’s Quest.
Before we get into this huge topic, we have a few small items of news to cover:
Ken Allen put out a very interesting podcast where he discusses how he came up with the music for Space Quest 4. Also, it turns out that he will be able to rearrange his own creations despite the fact the rights are owned by Activision through mechanical licensing.
Secondly, big news on the GoG.com front. System Shock 2 is now available for purchase for 9.99 USD. I definitely need to give this one a whirl since I didn’t get a chance to play it when it originally came out.
So that’s that for the news, now we get on to our main topic, Roberta Williams’ King’s Quest series. I talk about the history of the series and cover some interesting points of each of the eight games in the series.
Buy King’s Quest 1, 2 and 3 on GoG:
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/kings_quest_1_2_3
Buy King’s Quest 4, 5 and 6 on GoG:
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/kings_quest_4_5_6
Buy King’s Quest 7 and 8 on GoG:
http://www.gog.com/gamecard/kings_quest_7_8
Next time around, I’ll be covering my first puzzle type game, Dynamix’s The Incredible Machine.
Enjoy the show!
Stream the show live:
Direct download:
http://umbcast.com/podcast/023-UMBCast-Kings-Quest.mp3
Interesting that you say that today’s gamers should start with KQ4, bypassing the first 3. Well, the first 3 games have been remade with VGA graphics, the icon interface instead of text entering, and voice acting. They are available for free at http://www.agdinteractive.com
Also, there is a fan made sequel to the entire series available at http://www.tsl-game.com
As far as enjoying the ridiculously difficult puzzles in some games, I’m tempted to ask if you did the babel fish puzzle in the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy text adventure. But instead I will ask if you were able to get Through the guessing of the Rumpelstiltskin type character’s name in The original version of King’s Quest: Quest For The Crown.
I just discovered there is yet another remake of King’s Quest 3: To Heir Is Human, over at http://www.infamous-adventures.com
I initially came here to comment about the fan-made remakes of King’s Quest, particularly AGDI’s King’s Quest 2 (which they tweaking to be subtitles “Romancing the Stones”, a nice touch), but I see I was beat to the punch! I really recommend the KQ2 remake in particular because it expands so much on the original. There’s a lot more content, new characters, playing the original won’t be enough, you’re going to have to figure some stuff out! Definitely give it a try if you get the opportunity. The KQ3 is stellar with voicing, and gorgeous art. The content is pretty much the same, but it’s well worth it (and there’s an Easter egg after the credits if you get a perfect score). Also… that darn cat! 😉 Never tried the fan-made sequel myself, I think I’m nervous it won’t hold up to my expectations of it.
A great podcast, certainly one of my favorites!!! The King’s Quest series holds a very, very special place in my heart, being on the major game series of my childhood, above all others. I believe I started with KQ4 then my father brought home KQ1VGA, KQ5 and the rest. I only got to play KQ2 and KQ3 (in their original versions) a bit later. The series really resonated with me, and playing as a female character (and I believe you are correct, I think it was the first time a game had a female protagonist, absolutely groundbreaking for the times) really resonated with the young girl I was. I love that you played Rosella’s organ song in the podcast, my sister and I would type “play sheet music” over and over just to hear that tune!! I remember each and everyone of those games, I had even gotten the King’s Quest Companion (second edition) which served as as both hint book and contained complete novelization of the games (that’s how I came to know the stories of the second and third game). I carried that hefty tome to school and read it during recess!
I’ll agree with you that the King’s Quest series were really quite unique, as they sparked the imagination by mixing up the old fairy tales with elements taken from mythology. They also honed my typing skills and taught me a whole bunch of synonyms. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, the King’s Quest series are the games that made me the gamer I made today, and I’m thrilled that you gave them a fitting tribute in this awesome podcast. Keep up the good work!!! 😀