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+--- Thread: Sierra is back! (as an Activision label of course) (/showthread.php?tid=6763)
Sierra is back! (as an Activision label of course) - A Black Falcon - 14th August 2014
http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/12/die-triangles-sierra-is-back-with-new-kings-quest-and-geometry-wars/
http://www.sierra.com/
Yeah, Activision has decided to resurrect Sierra as a new label for games which will mostly be digitally-distributed only. They announced the details at Gamescom this week, and the first announced games are Geometry Wars 3, being made by Lucid Games since Bizarre Creations is dead, and a new King's Quest game from The Odd Gentlemen. I haven't heard of that team before, but apparently they've done some adventure games, so we'll see. As for Geometry Wars 3, it's not a Sierra property, but it is an outstanding one! It's great to see it return, I just hope it's good... I really liked the first Geometry Wars a lot.
I know this isn't the real Sierra, that died when the Williamses retired young, but still, it's cool to see some kind of Sierra back. I wonder how long it lasts this time?
Oh... and this Sierra is called Sierra Games, not Sierra On-Line. So the name is slightly different. I love that Sierra logo animation on the site, though! Very nice.
Sierra is back! (as an Activision label of course) - Dark Jaguar - 16th August 2014
I miss the old "dun dun dun duuuuuuun" theme for the sierra logo. Also, that guy marching up to it? It's not... I mean... that's a bit extreme for the specific location the logo is based on.
Anyway, all I can say is "we'll see". If the studios they outsource this to are good, it'll be good. I really don't know enough. I DO hope this means that all those former Sierra employees that branched off into their own studios can "come home" to the franchises they created. That'd be nice.
Sierra is back! (as an Activision label of course) - A Black Falcon - 18th August 2014
Yeah, a lot will depend on if the games are good or not. Some of Sierra's later downloadable titles before they got shut down were average at best -- Aces of the Galaxy, for example...
As for games by ex-Sierra (adventure game) people, though, of course there have been some in recent years, all backed by Kickstarters. (Yes, all four are Kickstarter-funded.)
-Jane Jensen did a new adventure game from Kickstarter. The game released this year I believe. It got average at best reviews, but I never played her games (Gabriel Knight), so I didn't follow this one too closely.
-Al Lowe worked with some other team on a remake of the first Leisure Suit Larry. This one's out too. This is another series I've never really played, but this new one got poor reviews. I don't really know if it deserved them or not.
-The 'Two Guys from Andromeda' reunited, and are working on 'Two Guys SpaceVenture', a space comedy adventure game that I hope will be at least somewhat reminiscent of Space Quest. The game's not done yet and is long overdue versus the original too-optimistic release estimate of "early 2013", but at least they publish regular updates about development. I backed this one at a level to get a download copy of the game. I hope it's good, whenever it finally releases.
-And last and hopefully best, Corey and Lori Cole, the couple behind the Quest for Glory series (my favorite Sierra series, of course!), are working on a fantasy adventure-RPG game, Hero-U. It's been massively expanded on versus the relatively limited 2d puzzle-action-adventure game that was kickstarted, and as with the previous one it's long overdue, but it's looking a lot better, and a lot more ambitious, than the original design. I just really hope that it pays off and is a good game... there has been some drama in development, with the original game concept being abandoned, changing staff, greatly expanding the scope, etc., and funding is apparently tight, but based on how great the Quest for Glory games are, I think they can do it. I backed this one of course.
Sierra is back! (as an Activision label of course) - Dark Jaguar - 19th August 2014
I'm aware of those projects, I'm talking more about putting those developers in charge of the original IPs. I'm still looking forward to the new ones though.
Anyway, I just checked out their description of the new King's Quest game: "King Graham -- revered as the greatest adventurer to ever live -- shares his life's adventures with his curious granddaughter, Gwendolyn. It is through these tales that Gwendolyn discovers the true greatness of her grandfather."
I have this idea in my head for how this could go. What if what that means is that Graham is telling his granddaughter stories about his past adventures, and THAT is the adventure game! Basically, as Graham tells the stories, Gwendolyn is inserting herself into the story in her imagination. Better, as the story goes on, she asks, nay, DEMANDS for big changes to the story, turning it into her story, as kids are wont to do. For example, Graham says (narrating from outside the game) "As I walked on top of the clouds, I had to deal with a giant here", and then Gwen interjects (your character turning directly towards the camera and talking to it) "No wait, a giant... snake! No, a giant 3 headed snake, made of fire! Also the clouds are on fire!" To this, Graham responds "Okay then, a HUUUGE 3 headed snake made of fire sets the clouds on fire with it's fire breath. Alright, so what do you think? How did I deal with that?" and then you've got yourself a puzzle to solve.
That could be the greatest thing ever...
Sierra is back! (as an Activision label of course) - A Black Falcon - 19th August 2014
Dark Jaguar Wrote:I'm aware of those projects, I'm talking more about putting those developers in charge of the original IPs. I'm still looking forward to the new ones though.Oh right, there was also that new game from the Police Quest guy; that kickstarter didn't fund, so I'm not sure if it's still in development... but yeah, I agree, it'd be pretty great if they could work on their original IPs again.
Quote:Anyway, I just checked out their description of the new King's Quest game: "King Graham -- revered as the greatest adventurer to ever live -- shares his life's adventures with his curious granddaughter, Gwendolyn. It is through these tales that Gwendolyn discovers the true greatness of her grandfather."I'm not expecting anything as interesting as that, but if it actually is, that could be pretty cool, yeah.
I have this idea in my head for how this could go. What if what that means is that Graham is telling his granddaughter stories about his past adventures, and THAT is the adventure game! Basically, as Graham tells the stories, Gwendolyn is inserting herself into the story in her imagination. Better, as the story goes on, she asks, nay, DEMANDS for big changes to the story, turning it into her story, as kids are wont to do. For example, Graham says (narrating from outside the game) "As I walked on top of the clouds, I had to deal with a giant here", and then Gwen interjects (your character turning directly towards the camera and talking to it) "No wait, a giant... snake! No, a giant 3 headed snake, made of fire! Also the clouds are on fire!" (In-game, we'd see these changes happen, something like Duck-a-Muck.) To this, Graham responds "Okay then, a HUUUGE 3 headed snake made of fire sets the clouds on fire with it's fire breath. Alright, so what do you think? How did I deal with that?" and then you've got yourself a puzzle to solve.
That could be the greatest thing ever...
Sierra is back! (as an Activision label of course) - A Black Falcon - 6th December 2014
New trailer of the KQ game from The Game Awards 2014. Also, a long tribute to Ken & Roberta Williams. If you weren't watching live on Friday, definitely watch the video below, DJ! :) (The tribute is first; the new KQ trailer is at the end.)
I mostly like it, but I don't know about King Graham's character model... otherwise it looks pretty good, though!
Sierra is back! (as an Activision label of course) - A Black Falcon - 28th January 2015
More info on the game: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=981365 Sounds like a modern adventure-ish game. Hopefully it's decent.