Game 33: Space Quest III - Final Rating
I'm back! The wife and I had a wonderful short break in Tasmania, with a thick layer of snow covering the beautiful forest surrounding our cabin on Cradle Mountain for most of our stay. A lot of our time was spent reading in front the fire and eating quality cuisine, which is just what we needed after three years of child rearing, working and...well...gaming! Anyway, there are still countless games to play and blog about, so let's finish up Space Quest III and get stuck into game 34!
Puzzles and Solvability
I’m not going to sugar coat things here. Space Quest III is too short and too easy! That being said, it’s true that I was challenged a couple of times (mostly by the ladder puzzle on the freighter), and it’s also true that I’ve played the game before so aren’t in the best position to judge. I do feel though that reader comments have confirmed my overall view of the game, so will run with it. One of the major factors that make things so easy is the fact there are so few items in your inventory throughout the game. Confronting a puzzle when you only have four or five things, three of which you’ve already used, isn’t overly challenging. The trick of course is to figure out what is and what isn’t a puzzle that needs solving, but that’s normally pretty telegraphed. The space combat towards the end was also stupidly easy, as was the giant robot combat in the arena. I would normally criticise unavoidable deaths, but since the death scenes make up some of the game’s highlights, I'll be forgiving there. I’ve been pretty negative here, so why am I still giving the game a 4? Well, there’s nothing overly offensive here, such as dead ends or parser affected puzzles, and readers tell me there are some alternate solutions which deserve credit. In the end, Space Quest III is a fun experience that chooses not to bog the player down with brain testing stuff, but I just can’t give it the same rating as even Larry III or Police Quest II, both of which had more puzzles that were way more satisfying.
Rating: 4
Interface and Inventory
Let’s start with the inventory, as there’s not a lot to say about it. It’s stock standard stuff, being a list of items the player can scroll through with the keys or select items from with the cursor. Doing so brings up an image and description of the selected item. In other words, it works, without being anything special. The interface is also as you would expect for an SCI0 game. I can’t recall having any movement issues (apart from Astro Chicken but we’ll get to that in a minute) and while the parser tripped me up a couple of times, there were no serious flaws to mention. It’s all professionally done, as you would expect from a 1989 Sierra game, particularly the third one in a popular series. The mini-games are less praiseworthy, although once again I can’t be too harsh. The robot fight and the space combat controls were so simplistic it could hardly go wrong, yet I didn’t find punching in the robot suit particularly responsive. I was going to tear into Astro Chicken, as the controls in that damn thing were incredibly frustrating for me, but I’ve since been informed that I was simply doing it wrong! My immediate tendency was to press the up button over and over again to make the chicken flap its wings, but now I realise pressing up once makes it continually fly! I don’t even know how I got through it the way I was playing it.
Rating: 6
Story and Setting
I can’t complain about the setting, as it’s perfect for a Space Quest game. Where else should Roger be other than out in space, visiting strange alien worlds!? The story however does leave a fair bit to be desired though. I mean let’s face it! What is the story here? Roger awakes onboard a rubbish freighter and must escape. Everything that happens after that gives the player little actual motivation, unless they're fortunate enough to find and decode the Two Guys from Andromeda’s message on Astro Chicken. It would be very easy to miss that message, meaning many players would reach the climax with no real idea why they’re even there in the first place! However, fans will know that story really isn’t what Space Quest is all about, at least not at this stage of the series. It’s about humour and entertainment, and there are plenty of those qualities to be found in this game. I have to be a little bit harsh on this category here though, as other games had advanced much further down the path of good storytelling by this stage.
Rating: 5
Sound and Graphics
I was worried when I saw that Supertramp drummer Bob Siebenberg was taking on music duties above the tried and tested Mark Seibert, but I think he did a really good job. The Space Quest theme was already memorable, but it received a huge upgrade for game 3 in the series (yes, I checked out the beautiful Roland MT-32 version), improving the end result. There’s even a Monkey Island-sounding version when the player is at Monolith Burger that is very enjoyable too, and the music at World o’ Wonders needs to be heard to be believed. I was also happy to find low-key yet moody pieces of music used throughout most locations, which sure beats the long periods of silence that filled previous games in the series (there’s still quite a bit of silence though it must be said). The sound effects are merely adequate, being irregular and at times a little grating. Let’s talk about the graphics. I really like what Mark Crowe did in this game! Sure, there’s a lot of bright pink, green and blue going around, making it all pretty in your face, but I think Mark did an awesome job with what he had to work with. The environments on the planets look suitably alien and dangerous, the little cut scenes and death images a very cool, and the vehicles and buildings are both convincing and attractive. Compared to Hero’s Quest and Indiana Jones it falls short in both sound and graphics departments, but it’s still worthy of a 6.
Rating: 6
Environment and Atmosphere
The environments in Space Quest III are varied and graphically striking, ranging from the volcanic Ortega to the suitably named Monolith Burger. Almost all of the locations are highly dangerous, with many screens seemingly there only to kill you. Phleebhut is a good example of this, as the only place you actually need to discover is World o’ Wonders. Every other screen has nothing of use and likely something to cause you a quick and horribly painful death. For this reason I have to say that the planets all feel too small for my liking. In fact, the biggest location of all is the rubbish freighter, which feels massive compared to the restricted environments found elsewhere. The inclusion of the Space Quest headquarters was a very nice touch though, and true to the overall feeling of the series. The resulting atmosphere is a combination of sheer entertainment and wonder, and I’m going to use this category to reward the game for simply keeping a smile on my face for almost the entire (albeit short) running time.
Rating: 6
Dialogue and Acting
I’ve given healthy 6’s to both Space Quest I and II, due to how damn funny the dialogue was in those games. It’s no different here, with knowing silliness and plenty of references for science fiction geeks (like me) to get their teeth into (this is not the first or last time Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Trek will be referenced in an adventure game). The self-referential humour seems to irk some, but I think Sierra made that part of their formula right back in King’s Quest I (it used to be limited to advertisements for other Sierra games but it was still there). The Two Guys from Andromeda merely took it to a level not reached previously, topping even Al Lowe's Comedy Club scene in Larry III. Whether that level is high or low probably depends on the sense of humour of the player, but I appreciate it. I think I’ll have to complete the devil’s number here and go with another 6.
Rating: 6
• Legend Award – 20 CAPs – For playing the game with me and finishing it without assistance
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on Steam
• Legend Award – 20 CAPs – For playing the game with me and finishing it without assistance
• Ren and Stimpy Award – 5 CAPs – For simply knowing it
• Makka Pakka Award – 5 CAPs – He knows why
• Twin Distraction Award – 10 CAPs – For playing along with screaming twins fighting for his attention
• Haggle Award – 10 CAPs – For explaining how to get more buckazoids and points for the gem
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on GOG
• Missing Points Award – 18 CAPs – For telling me that my missing points were just hidden under my seat!
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on Steam
• Vasectomy Award – 5 CAPs – For having his priorities right
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game on GOG
• SCUMM Award – 5 CAPs – For letting us know that using SCUMMVM for the game means no audio problems
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on GOG
• Space Quest Podcast Award – 10 CAPs – For telling us about a Space Quest related podcast
• Child Leverage Award – 5 CAPs – I shouldn’t fall for it, but it was just so heartfelt!
Puzzles and Solvability
I’m not going to sugar coat things here. Space Quest III is too short and too easy! That being said, it’s true that I was challenged a couple of times (mostly by the ladder puzzle on the freighter), and it’s also true that I’ve played the game before so aren’t in the best position to judge. I do feel though that reader comments have confirmed my overall view of the game, so will run with it. One of the major factors that make things so easy is the fact there are so few items in your inventory throughout the game. Confronting a puzzle when you only have four or five things, three of which you’ve already used, isn’t overly challenging. The trick of course is to figure out what is and what isn’t a puzzle that needs solving, but that’s normally pretty telegraphed. The space combat towards the end was also stupidly easy, as was the giant robot combat in the arena. I would normally criticise unavoidable deaths, but since the death scenes make up some of the game’s highlights, I'll be forgiving there. I’ve been pretty negative here, so why am I still giving the game a 4? Well, there’s nothing overly offensive here, such as dead ends or parser affected puzzles, and readers tell me there are some alternate solutions which deserve credit. In the end, Space Quest III is a fun experience that chooses not to bog the player down with brain testing stuff, but I just can’t give it the same rating as even Larry III or Police Quest II, both of which had more puzzles that were way more satisfying.
Rating: 4
So what is the alternate solution to this?
Interface and Inventory
Let’s start with the inventory, as there’s not a lot to say about it. It’s stock standard stuff, being a list of items the player can scroll through with the keys or select items from with the cursor. Doing so brings up an image and description of the selected item. In other words, it works, without being anything special. The interface is also as you would expect for an SCI0 game. I can’t recall having any movement issues (apart from Astro Chicken but we’ll get to that in a minute) and while the parser tripped me up a couple of times, there were no serious flaws to mention. It’s all professionally done, as you would expect from a 1989 Sierra game, particularly the third one in a popular series. The mini-games are less praiseworthy, although once again I can’t be too harsh. The robot fight and the space combat controls were so simplistic it could hardly go wrong, yet I didn’t find punching in the robot suit particularly responsive. I was going to tear into Astro Chicken, as the controls in that damn thing were incredibly frustrating for me, but I’ve since been informed that I was simply doing it wrong! My immediate tendency was to press the up button over and over again to make the chicken flap its wings, but now I realise pressing up once makes it continually fly! I don’t even know how I got through it the way I was playing it.
Rating: 6
I'm sure I would have seen less of this screen if I'd not been so trigger happy
Story and Setting
I can’t complain about the setting, as it’s perfect for a Space Quest game. Where else should Roger be other than out in space, visiting strange alien worlds!? The story however does leave a fair bit to be desired though. I mean let’s face it! What is the story here? Roger awakes onboard a rubbish freighter and must escape. Everything that happens after that gives the player little actual motivation, unless they're fortunate enough to find and decode the Two Guys from Andromeda’s message on Astro Chicken. It would be very easy to miss that message, meaning many players would reach the climax with no real idea why they’re even there in the first place! However, fans will know that story really isn’t what Space Quest is all about, at least not at this stage of the series. It’s about humour and entertainment, and there are plenty of those qualities to be found in this game. I have to be a little bit harsh on this category here though, as other games had advanced much further down the path of good storytelling by this stage.
Rating: 5
With nothing else to do, I'll set my course to home and leave this adventuring behind me! Or will I!?
Sound and Graphics
I was worried when I saw that Supertramp drummer Bob Siebenberg was taking on music duties above the tried and tested Mark Seibert, but I think he did a really good job. The Space Quest theme was already memorable, but it received a huge upgrade for game 3 in the series (yes, I checked out the beautiful Roland MT-32 version), improving the end result. There’s even a Monkey Island-sounding version when the player is at Monolith Burger that is very enjoyable too, and the music at World o’ Wonders needs to be heard to be believed. I was also happy to find low-key yet moody pieces of music used throughout most locations, which sure beats the long periods of silence that filled previous games in the series (there’s still quite a bit of silence though it must be said). The sound effects are merely adequate, being irregular and at times a little grating. Let’s talk about the graphics. I really like what Mark Crowe did in this game! Sure, there’s a lot of bright pink, green and blue going around, making it all pretty in your face, but I think Mark did an awesome job with what he had to work with. The environments on the planets look suitably alien and dangerous, the little cut scenes and death images a very cool, and the vehicles and buildings are both convincing and attractive. Compared to Hero’s Quest and Indiana Jones it falls short in both sound and graphics departments, but it’s still worthy of a 6.
Rating: 6
The death scenes...
...are very violent...
...yet still remain...
...highly enjoyable!
Environment and Atmosphere
The environments in Space Quest III are varied and graphically striking, ranging from the volcanic Ortega to the suitably named Monolith Burger. Almost all of the locations are highly dangerous, with many screens seemingly there only to kill you. Phleebhut is a good example of this, as the only place you actually need to discover is World o’ Wonders. Every other screen has nothing of use and likely something to cause you a quick and horribly painful death. For this reason I have to say that the planets all feel too small for my liking. In fact, the biggest location of all is the rubbish freighter, which feels massive compared to the restricted environments found elsewhere. The inclusion of the Space Quest headquarters was a very nice touch though, and true to the overall feeling of the series. The resulting atmosphere is a combination of sheer entertainment and wonder, and I’m going to use this category to reward the game for simply keeping a smile on my face for almost the entire (albeit short) running time.
Rating: 6
It gets a bit weird at times, but who says what you can and can't do when designing alien planets!?
Dialogue and Acting
I’ve given healthy 6’s to both Space Quest I and II, due to how damn funny the dialogue was in those games. It’s no different here, with knowing silliness and plenty of references for science fiction geeks (like me) to get their teeth into (this is not the first or last time Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Trek will be referenced in an adventure game). The self-referential humour seems to irk some, but I think Sierra made that part of their formula right back in King’s Quest I (it used to be limited to advertisements for other Sierra games but it was still there). The Two Guys from Andromeda merely took it to a level not reached previously, topping even Al Lowe's Comedy Club scene in Larry III. Whether that level is high or low probably depends on the sense of humour of the player, but I appreciate it. I think I’ll have to complete the devil’s number here and go with another 6.
Rating: 6
And then there was Kickstarter!
So that's 4 + 6 + 5 + 6 + 6 + 6, which equals 33, divided by 60 equals .55, which means Space Quest III gets 55. That's exactly what the first Space Quest game received, and somehow that seems fitting. The third game is undoubtedly more polished and has less potential for frustration, but the first one was groundbreaking and offered more in the way of actual puzzle solving. I'm going to keep it at 55!
Did anyone predict that score? Yes! In fact, two veterans of the blog got it bang on, being Ilmari and Charles! I'm going to have to use the Random Number Generator to separate them, so if it comes up odd, Ilmari wins. If it's even, Charles wins. And the number is... 85, so Ilmari wins! There's every chance that Ilmari already owns Loom, so I'll leave it up to him as to what he does with the prize (if indeed he does own it). Congratulations and see you all for Colonel's Bequest!
50 CAPs for Lars-Erik
• Sponsor Award - 20 CAPs - For sponsoring the blog with free games• Legend Award – 20 CAPs – For playing the game with me and finishing it without assistance
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on Steam
50 CAPs for Aperama
• Discworld Award – 20 CAPs – For solving my Discworld Noir riddle• Legend Award – 20 CAPs – For playing the game with me and finishing it without assistance
• Ren and Stimpy Award – 5 CAPs – For simply knowing it
• Makka Pakka Award – 5 CAPs – He knows why
45 CAPs for Draconius
• Legend Award – 20 CAPs – For playing the game with me and finishing it without assistance• Twin Distraction Award – 10 CAPs – For playing along with screaming twins fighting for his attention
• Haggle Award – 10 CAPs – For explaining how to get more buckazoids and points for the gem
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on GOG
38 CAPs for Jarikith
• Legend Award – 20 CAPs – For playing the game with me and finishing it without assistance• Missing Points Award – 18 CAPs – For telling me that my missing points were just hidden under my seat!
30 CAPS for Canageek
• Kickstarter Roundup Award – 10 CAPs – For a fine Kickstarter wrap• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on Steam
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on Steam
• Vasectomy Award – 5 CAPs – For having his priorities right
25 CAPs for TBD
• True Companion Award – 10 CAPs – For playing the game with me and finishing it• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game on GOG
• SCUMM Award – 5 CAPs – For letting us know that using SCUMMVM for the game means no audio problems
• Genre Support Award – 5 CAPs – For commenting about a new adventure game sale on GOG
20 CAPs for Ilmari
• Psychic Prediction Award – 10 CAPs – For predicting what score I would give Space Quest III• Space Quest Podcast Award – 10 CAPs – For telling us about a Space Quest related podcast
20 CAPs for Kenny McCormick
• What’s Your Story Award – 20 CAPs – For answering the What’s Your Story questionnaire20 CAPs for Andy_Panthro
• Legend Award – 20 CAPs – For playing the game with me and finishing it without assistance20 CAPs for JosephCurwen
• Legend Award – 20 CAPs – For playing the game with me and finishing it without assistance14 CAPs for Charles
• Psychic Prediction Award – 9 CAPs – For being the second to predict what score I would give Space Quest III• Child Leverage Award – 5 CAPs – I shouldn’t fall for it, but it was just so heartfelt!
10 CAPs for Laukku
• Techy Award – 10 CAPs – For sharing his vast audio knowledge with us…again10 CAPs for Josh
• Sierra Article Award – 10 CAPs – For alerting us to a very fitting Sierra article10 CAPs for Lupus Yonderboy
• Astro Chicken Award – 10 CAPs – For telling me how I was supposed to play Astro Chicken10 CAPs for The Java Monkey
• Mark Crowe Worship Award – 10 CAPs – For linking to a great Mark Crowe video5 CAPs for Olivier Galibert
• Anemometer Award – 5 CAPs – For telling me what it is
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