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Which KQ game is best to introduce a new player to?

Anakin SkywalkerAnakin Skywalker
edited March 2013 in Kings Quest Game
What do you feel is the best game to introduce a totally new player to KQ, like a totally green player who has NO idea what KQ is even about?

I'd say KQ5...If one enjoys KQ5, I find it likely they'd love the others as well. I think it's the best introductory game.

Comments

  • Chyron8472Chyron8472
    edited March 2013
    mmm... You's have to watch it with KQ5, as there are a number of ways to dead-end yourself. My mom was turned off to KQ5 when I told her she had to restore her game after having missed saving the rat. She seemed to think that it occurring just once and happening so quickly was unfair, as there would be no way to know that that is what she missed had I not told her.

    Personally, I would introduce a newcomer to the AGDI remakes, as they don't dead-end the player. (KQ1VGA only does if you want it to.) Plus, they're free.


    KQ6 does have dead-ends, but it's generally more obvious what you missed.



    EDIT: Perhaps if it was your goal to introduce said newcomer to the series, you ought not to start them off with the best game, as it basically would be all downhill from there. Perhaps you should get them started with the second best game first, then give them the best game afterward, so by that time they are hooked.

    Makes me wish there was a VGA remake of KQ4.
  • exoexo
    edited March 2013
    not to mention cedric could run people off by himself. I know we are all used to it by now, and it is a running joke - but seriously, bad voice acting can really turn some people away. An example, I was really looking forward to Vampyre Story. I loved all the art I had seen. I finally got the game, installed it and got going only to have this bat with the most ridiuclous voice start talking nonstop. After about 10 minutes of him, I just turned the game off and I have been reluctant to go back since. With so many good games out there, I don't see why I should have to grit my teeth to get through that one.

    Al Emmo was pretty bad as well. So bad, they re-recorded all of his lines with a whole new voice actor and released an updated version 3. Kq5 is a difficult but fun game, but I'd be inclined to suggest the floppy, non-voiced version, to any new players.

    That said, I would probably start someone with the KQ1 VGA remake or AGDI Remake. It has the simplest story, and provides a solid introduction to the KQ world, imho.
  • JenniferJennifer Moderator
    edited March 2013
    I'd say King's Quest VI. I actually think that might be my first introduction to the series (or at least the one I remember most from my childhood).

    It has the best puzzles of the series (in my opinion), and is among the best as far as background images and music is concerned as well. The story is really entertaining in this one too.

    If it ends up being something that they enjoy, then they'll want to play through the other games too in order to find out about the rest of the royal family of Daventry. That's the way it worked for me. :)
  • RAnthonyMahanRAnthonyMahan
    edited March 2013
    With its many dead-ends and cryptic puzzles, the King's Quest series as a whole is very noob-unfriendly. I suppose the AGD remakes would be the best to introduce a new player, since they don't have unwinnable situations.

    If it has to be an official game, then either 1 or 6.

    5 is arguably the worst game to introduce a new player with, as it's easily the most merciless game in the series. Also Cedric. :p
  • jonathanfrisbyjonathanfrisby
    edited March 2013
    Roberta_001-300x294.jpg

    I think at this point it's pretty difficult to introduce someone that's completely unfamiliar with the adventure thing... The wonderful slower-pace and difficulty is hard for me to adjust to,.. maybe rent them a cabin in the woods, without internet, and leave them the collection to deal with.
  • BagginsKQBagginsKQ
    edited March 2013
    Get them the KQ bundle from gog, $20 bucks for all the official games, and let them play in any order, that they feel like it.

    Although I think its best to start at the beginning and work your way up. Just to see how the series evolved, and get the stories in the right order.
  • Chyron8472Chyron8472
    edited March 2013
    I think that to start off with the first game first could turn some people off as to how antiquated it might seem. It really depends on the person, but in many case it probably is better to start with a more recent game.

    Perhaps KQ4 would work because it's middle-of-the-road as far as the difference in graphics between 1 and 6. Not to mention that the game pauses whenever you use the parser.
  • Anakin SkywalkerAnakin Skywalker
    edited March 2013
    I say KQ5 because if someone accepts the worst parts of the game, they will likely love the rest of the series. I was 5 in '95 when introduced to KQ via KQ5 and...well..the rest is history! My father and I completed it together sometime during '95 and my ongoing obsession with the series began.

    I introduced my niece to King's Quest through KQ5 as well--she was around 4 at the time, born in 2006. She was raised in the age of 3D movies and 3D games and beforehand had only played modern Xbox 360 games, yet she LOVED KQ5. For whatever reason, KQ5 seems to be very "kid friendly". She was obsessed, for a while, with anything King's Quest and we completed KQ5 and KQ6 together, but my lack of contact with her after that and her mom HATING all things fantasy made her forget about the series
  • exoexo
    edited March 2013
    I agree with Jennifer that KQ6 is the most polished in the series, and even though I played 4 and 5 before it, 6 was the one that is the most memorable for me. I hesitated to recommend it as a starting point however, because to me - that is like eating dessert before dinner. In the sense, I'd be afraid the rest would seem like a disappointment to them.

    If the question was, if someone could only play one KQ game, which would it be, then my answer is kq6 hands down. But if the goal is to introduce someone to the series, then I stand by my pick of KQ1 VGA or KQ1 remake. Anakin seems to think the game is antiquated, but that is only true if you play the original agi version. The remakes are much friendlier to modern interfaces.
  • ZeruisZeruis
    edited March 2013
    I have no clue what King's Quest is, probably due to me having a mac.

    Has there been a KQ release for mac users?
  • JenniferJennifer Moderator
    edited March 2013
    Zeruis wrote: »
    I have no clue what King's Quest is, probably due to me having a mac.

    Has there been a KQ release for mac users?
    The first seven King's Quest games were all released for the Mac. The only one that was Windows only was King's Quest 8: Mask of Eternity.

    I don't know of any sites that sell the Mac versions now, but you can pick up the series at GOG.com or Steam and play 1-7 through DOSBox or ScummVM on your Mac. That would probably be your best bet any way, since more often than not MacOS Classic games don't run happily when you try to play them natively in OS X.
  • MtnPeakMtnPeak
    edited March 2013
    Depends on the player. What's their age, how smart are they, what is their experience with gaming and adventure gaming in particular, what are their expectations from games, etc.

    These things would all influence which game I'd pick. I'd also have the Roland MT-32 set up before playing. Need the full effect, after all.

    Some of my favorites are KQ4, KQ1 SCI, KQ5 and KQ6. And I'd also throw in AGDI's KQ2+ and their KQ3.

    The text parser would be fun for new players to fool around with, so I listed KQ4 and KQ1 SCI first.
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