In which I indulge my inner old fart and reminisce about the games that made me the man I am today. It's Dusty Old Stuff!
Oh Larry Laffer, you had it all didn't you? King of Vegas, risque TV production assistant, you won a trip on some cruise, even solved mysteries with that Passionate Patti dame. The burlesque romps, the double entendres, the d*ldos! Who could resist that kind of charm? I know it had me looking up inane 70's political trivia in hopes of cracking the entry code into LSL1 during my younger years.
But as titilating as it was to type "pork the waitress" into the parser and actually get a response, somewhere it all went wrong. I'll reluctantly admit the Leisure Suit Larry titles were not exactly shining examples of exceptional gaming. The puzzles were confusing, you died constantly, and I rarely laughed out loud at the "jokes." There's wasn't even all that much of the dirty filthy to be found, though Al Lowe always included some most excellent easter eggs. (And admit it, those Love for Sail girls were kind of hot.)
In fact there's only one Larry game that I would consider an honest to goodness awesome adventure, and that's 1993's LSL6: Shape Up or Slip Out! from, as always, Sierra On-Line (R.I.P.). Partly it was the crisp and colorful SVGA graphics that made Larry's world and it's inhabitants come alive with character and visual humor. Partly it was the swanky music and quality voice over work, which coupled with the punny writing elicited some honest to goodness laughs. Mostly it was everything good about LSL games rolled up into one defining offering that surprisingly stands the test of time.
The story, while standard LSL stuff (try and get with any hot girl that will talk to you, watch the hijinks ensue!) was actually entertaining as each girl came rife with interesting and intricate puzzles, sticky situations and even satisfying endings (without the happy ending). The setting was also the best yet, with an expansive resort spa to explore and interact with that was bursting with personality. Plus it's full of the usual LSL gimmicks you've come to know and love. Protip: Try using the toilet in Larry's bathroom! Now try it again! *snicker*
All in all LSL6 was an improvement over every other game in the series from both a gameplay and a humor standpoint. By simply being the best LSL game it deserves recognition for fans of the genre, and it's quality is right up there with the top Sierra adventures.
If your only real exposure to the leading lover in all of gaming is the unfortunate abortion known as Magna Cum Laude, well, you aren't really missing out on all that much. But this game was awesome for what it's worth. I highly reccomend it for anyone with an MS-DOS based computer, a hint of sophistication and a burning desire to use the "hand" icon with some boobies or the "zipper" icon with that decorative plant. So naughty.
Go on.. offer her the towel..