Where should I start?

[Jwab]

Now whilst I spent a lonely geeky teenagehood obsessively playing almost all the classics of the point and click genre, the one notable exception was always the King's Quest series. I'm sure given its reputation and Telltale's involvement that I'll pick this up but I was wondering if there were 1/2 games most typical of the series that might be worth me playing to get a feel for what to expect?

[der_ketzer]

Play the fan-Remake of the first King's Quest.
http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/games.html

[MusicallyInspired]

The KQ1 remake by AGDI is absolutely the best way to first experience King's Quest. It's a completely faithful reproduction of the Sierra original (actually, the Sierra remake) but in the style of Sierra's most popular and favoured graphics style. The best way to be introduced to Sierra period, really.

[Sinaz20]

I concur-- I've been revisiting the games via the AGDI remakes.

I personally liked KQ6 the best... so... maybe give that a gander.

[Irishmile]

5 and 6 are my faves in the series.

[coolguy721]

erm are these uh.....legal?

[doggans]

Agreed with everyone who says to start off with AGDI's KQ1. After that, I suggest playing through the original games in order, though if you're completely new to Sierra, you may want a browser window open to UHS for some of the less forgiving puzzles.

[MusicallyInspired]

Yes, they are legal. They are authorized and licensed by Activision, the current copyright holders of the IP.

[coolguy721]

Originally Posted by MusicallyInspired

Yes, they are legal. They are authorized and licensed by Activision, the current copyright holders of the IP.

really? What the purpose of owning the rights if they aren't going to make any money of them?

[chucklas]

Originally Posted by coolguy721

really? What the purpose of owning the rights if they aren't going to make any money of them?

So no one else does either. Also if they were to want to, they could use any of the artwork...etc. for anything they choose.

[Lambonius]

Originally Posted by coolguy721

really? What the purpose of owning the rights if they aren't going to make any money of them?

You mean, aside from reselling them like they are already doing?

[wilco64256]

I think he may be referring to AGDI having the rights to make the games (maybe not, but that was my initial impression from that post). If that's what you're wondering, there's a tremendous amount to be learned both from working with a big company like that to get this type of license, and it's great experience getting started in the game industry. AGDI is now going fully commercial, and Phoenix Online Studios is also going into full commercial production after we finish The Silver Lining.

[MusicallyInspired]

It started out as a hobby. A lot of knowledge was gained and enough of an audience interested in the work until it came to a point where commercial original projects were actually a feasible success. AGDI aren't doing anything more for free. KQ3 Redux was our last free project. We're continuing on with more original titles under the Himalaya Studios banner.

[DAISHI]

I do thank God I didn't have to play KQII in its original version again.

[MusicallyInspired]

Well, the KQ2 remake is really quite different as opposed to the KQ1 remake which is a straight duplicate basically (with the added option to remove dead ends). You probably know this, I'm just mentioning it for others who don't.

But there's also this to look forward to at some point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goGXW2hzUVI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf09eXkZiNo

[Jon NA]

Finding the old AGI versions from eBay and playing them using ScummVM.org is the way I think is the proper way, Then play the Sierra Remake then play the AGDI remakes.

[MusicallyInspired]

But we're talking newcomers. Newcomers generally don't want to look at ugly graphics and type in commands.

Also, you don't need eBay, you can buy the AGI original on Good Old Games.

[Simo Sakari Aaltonen]

I disagree about the AGI graphics being ugly. To me it is just another style. It was the result of technological limitations, but the same is true of all art. Films were made in black and white before technology became available to film in colour, yet many of us now find great value in the aesthetic that came about because of that limitation.

I think it is not valid to assume that a newcomer will automatically prefer the products of newer technology. I am an old hand at computer games, so cannot use that as an example, but whenever I start investigating a whole new thing in other areas, I still like to start at the very beginning, which in this case would be the Sierra originals. I am sure there are others like me out there.

Obviously it is a different story if the newcomer in question has in fact expressed a preference for later graphical (or aural or whatever) styles. But most importantly, apart from and in addition to the graphics and audio, I think the whole experience is different when playing the remakes. Or at least 90% different. Consider the huge difference in the very personality of the original and the ("faithful") remake version of Psycho.

This is not intended to disparage the KQ remakes - I think highly of them - but to point out that the experience of playing a remake actually bears very little resemblance to playing the original, because not only is the sensory data received even more different from one to the other than when interacting with any two human beings (with people, at least the visual focus and level of detail will be nearly identical, for example), but the very feel is different because both the engine and interface are different.

Obviously both experiences can be equally rewarding in their own right; none of this means that one or the other is any worse or better. But with respect to the remakes, none of them are the Sierra games, just like the remake of Psycho is not the Hitchcock film. They are more like cover versions of a song, perhaps.

[MusicallyInspired]

I never said it was the same experience. In fact I specifically said that it is a faithful representation of the original game in Sierra's most popular adventure style. I agree with you. It's a reasonable facsimile of what Sierra adventure experience is like. I'm just being realistic. Usually people don't play old games because...they're too old. Typing is a huge turn off to a lot of people as well. Some maybe not, but mostly, yes it is.

[Simo Sakari Aaltonen]

I was just continuing the line of thought after I got thinking about this. I didn't mean to address all of this only to you, Brandon, though it was your message that got me thinking.

In any case, I went on too damn long. Again.

Oh, but I adore what I have seen of the KQII SCI remake. It really does look like authentic vintage Sierra.