How do the designers of classic games feel when their babies are given a modern-day overhaul... without their input?
I wrote just such a story for Wired magazine, featuring Al Lowe (Leisure Suit Larry), Jordan Mechner (Prince of Persia), and Eugene Jarvis (NARC). It was finally given life in the latest issue, and you can read it online right now.
Once you're done clicking on that link, reading the finished piece, and buying two copies of the magazine, click the cut tag below for exclusive snippets of interview that were left on the cutting room floor, as well as a chat with Pitfall! creator David Crane!
Al Lowe, designer of Leisure Suit Larry, on new entry Magna Cum Laude:
They made many choices that I would not have made.
The original games were a result of my personality. My personality is very similar to the game's, and I don't mean Larry – I mean the narrator. I'm the guy who's making fun of Larry. I've been happily married for a long time and I have two kids – I never go to bars and pick up girls. This was my take on that scene.
I didn't want to go a game that was pornographic or that was over the top, sexually and explicitly. Because that's not me, I'm not that kind of guy. I drew a line in the sand and said: I'm not going to cross that. There was always tittilation and innuendo, but nothing you couldn't show a teenager. I think I defined the "Teen" rating for games.
I was frankly shocked at Magna Cum Laude. They were trying too hard to be modern and edgy. The first thought I had was, well, they didn't draw a line.
The games were always supposed to be about laughing at the odd situations that Larry got himself into. The women were always superior in my games. The joke was about this bumbling guy who went after hot gals, mostly getting humiliated, but eventually getting lucky. But Magna Cum Laude was about date rape. "Can you get the girl drunk enough that she'll go to bed with you?" And that's not funny, man.
Lowe's Current Projects:
Runs a humor site, allowe.com, and is currently putting the finishing touches on "You've Got Laughs!: Al Lowe's Big Book of Internet Humor."
Eugene Jarvis on the new NARC (Midway):
Game fans being the fanatics we are, we just can’t get enough of the classic titles that we cut our teeth on. We always want more, more, more. But too often more is less. A lot less. If I had a nickel for every piece of shovelware masquerading as an updated classic... well, you get the point.
But I could see the high concept guys at Midway salivating. Mix one part ‘80s cult classic + 1 part Grand Theft Auto + $19.95 price point = Surefire Hit!
And who can complain about the free PR from the controversy? The downside is that it doubles the challenge for the game team, and may turn off some fans of the original "Say No or Die!" classic.
Jarvis' Current Projects:
Currently with Raw Thrills doing arcade games, including "The Fast and the Furious" and "Target: Terror".
David Crane on the new Pitfall! series
From the publisher’s perspective, a classic license can help the game. If the original game is remembered fondly, its use for marketing purposes can be beneficial. The game business is a tough market to crack, and anything that helps get a game on the shelves should be used.
The platform game has gone the way of the dinosaur, and is not a viable game play mechanism for today’s players or today’s game systems. So ironically, the real essence of the original Pitfall!? game cannot be captured today.
I have followed the evolution of the Pitfall sequels through their various versions. Each version has shown some neat feature or cool animation sequence that I have liked. I have found them all to be fine looking games that should not disappoint the buyer once he got them home.
The fact is that if they know what’s good for them, the designers of a modern game based on a classic license should virtually ignore the classic game. No game player wants a game that has been shoehorned into an existing mold. The designers should simply design a brand-new, custom game using the characters and their capabilities, personalities, and tendencies. Then even though the player may have bought the game because of the license, he or she will judge the game on its own merits.
Crane's current projects:
Crane's company Skyworks is a leading provider of web-based "advergames." Their clients include BMW, CNN/Sports Illustrated, Comedy Central, ESPN, MTV, and Pepsi.
