Any Simon the Sorcerer fans?
HG101 recently did a writeup on the Simon the Sorcerer series (http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/simon/simon.htm) , and they basically describe it as the British answer to Monkey Island. That's quite a lofty comparison, and it has me curious since I love comedy point 'n click games like Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, Goblins, Space Quest, etc. Does anybody here have any experience with the series? Is there a preferred version? I'm thinking about getting the "talkie" version for the Amiga CD32
The pricing's a bit nutty, but you know you can buy it right here:
http://www.adventuresoft.com/acatalo...rer_games.html
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)
16 bucks for a boxed copy of the game isn't that bad, especially if it'll run natively under XP/Vista. I may still get the CD32 version just so I have something worth playing for the stupid thing.
As it was one of the earliest games in ScummVM, technically any copy can run natively under XP/Vista.Originally Posted by blue lander
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)
Cool, I didn't know that. In that case, maybe I'll get the CD32 version and rip the files to ScummVM if I want to play on the PC.
It was released on the iTouch/iPhone as well - I think it was on sale for like $2 awhile back.
<Sothy> its the internet <Sothy> who cares
i have been applauding and advertising this game here for a while. it is awesome (i have only played the first two - first tried it like 15 years ago).
i HIGHLY recommend it. especially the 2nd one. i found it to be much more mature (as in smarter, more adult innuendo/jokes. definitely not an elitist game) and funnier than Monkey Island.
as was mentioned, it is SCUMM engine. in fact i think its one of hte only non lucasarts SCUMM games out. it will work on the SCUMMVM emulator on any console that thing was ported to, so you can buy any version of the first 2 games (preferrably a talkie one, so look for cd copies). they are cheaper on ebay.co.uk by the way. just make sure its not hte german version (youll be able to tell lol). unless you have some crazy afinity for amiga, get the original PC versions. like i said any version will do (adventuresoft has the xp patch on their website for free).
edit: i read that article, and it mentions repeatedly that is its british humor, that is of course undeniable (with the game being british and all) but i have to say that i never got the feeling that it was, seemed standard stuff to me (i dont normally like british humor)
Last edited by Poofta!; 10-22-2009 at 01:38 AM.
No, no, no. It is supported by ScummVM and it uses an engine very similar to SCUMM - that's why it was included in ScummVM so early - but it is definitely not Lucasarts' SCUMM engine.
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)
are you sure about that? its sooooo similar in its code and build. i am not 100% on it so i will accept that you are right, but i couldve swore it used lucasart's engine. perhaps i just believed it since it was supported in scummVM from like the getgo.
Obviously the best place to ask would be on the ScummVM forums.
"There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." --Bertrand Russel (attributed)
The engine is not Scumm, it's AGOS.
http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/AGOS
I've been wanting to play the Simon the Sorcerer games for awhile now, I just haven't found any copies locally yet. I'll find them eventually and then I'll have a great time, I've heard nothing but great things about the games(the early games at least).
I played through the demos for 1 and 2, and they're both very similar to Monkey Island. It's hard to judge the quality of the writing and puzzles from a short demo, but I was impressed with what I saw.
The only thing I didn't like about Simon the Sorcerer 2 is that he's an unrelenting asshole to everyone. Virtually every conversation boils down to insulting the other person as much as possible, to the point where nobody can have an intelligent conversation with you. Granted they're funny insults, but a little more depth to Simon's character would have been appreciated. Someone who only interacts with other people to put them down gets boring pretty quick, no matter how good he is at it. In some ways he reminds me of a message board troll...
You should just buy them on ebay. The first and second games in two pack shouldnt be more than 20, 25$ shipped. I dont think you'll ever find them locally. They were never rereleased (in the newer incarnations) in the states and even the initial releases saw very limited runs in the states. And yeah, stay away from 3. Ive yet to play 4, but i heard its not too bad.
I love the asshole part of simon. Its frightingly blunt and honest. Why does everyone in these games have to want to be a hero? Heres a guy whos pissed hes stuck in a land filled with imbeciles and freaks and doesnt care about anything other than getting home. The dialog is hilarious, its so much fun to me watching him abuse the denizens. To each his own i suppose. Lol.
I guess I prefer heroes like Roger Wilco or Guybrush Threepwood, dim guys who are thrown into humorous situations. You're the one being insulted all the time, not the one doing all the insulting!
I still have a big backlog of games to play so I'm not desperate to get them right now, plus I've never dealt with shipping anything before and I'm kind of proud of that. I've managed to build my entire collection locally or by buying stuff in person(a couple games while on vacation but really not much). The only exceptions would be contest winnings like the DP contest I won when I joined here. You'd be surprised at the type of stuff I managed to find locally over the years, for now I'll just be keeping my eyes open for it locally. In a way I like the challenge.
I bought a download Simon the Sorcerer II from gog.com for 6 bucks, and it runs great on a modern computer with ScummVM. I decided against beating around the bush and just bought most convenient version.
I did, however, order the CD32 version of Simon the Sorcerer 1, so I'm going to play the second one while I'm waiting for the first one. I may also buy the Archimedes version just to have in my collection, too. I think there's a Disc and CD version, but my Acorn A3010 doesn't have a CD drive.
I have a spare box for the PC version of this game (no game disks). I saw it at thrift and I had to pick it up since I was hoping someone could use it. I hate to see stuff like this tossed. It's up on eBay now for $5. Bid on it or just contact me and I'll pull it if you want it. $5 is my bottom line to make it worthwhile to send something usually, but I just want to see this go to someone who can use it. My username is ianoid ...
I'll add my two pence worth.
I've played Simon the Sorcerer (1), and it really is an excellent game. It's good to hear that the second is even better. I'll get around to that one day.
Comparing it to Monkey Island is tricky. If you compare it to my favourite MI, that's Secret of Monkey Island, I'd say it will certainly appeal to the same type of players, but the humour is not a whacky, and the story is far more fairytale-ish and quaint. But, that's just my opinion. It certainly has a more 'British' feel to it than the MI games.
My copies are for DOS and Windows PC.
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