King's Quest Collection
by VIVENDI JEUX PC
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List Price: Our Price: $15.45 You Save: $4.54 (23%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Video Games See more product details |
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Video Game Reviews of King's Quest Collection
Customer Review: Not perfect, but still great fun!
Summary: 4 Stars
This IS simply the old games formatted to work on XP, so don't expect anything new--but to those of us who are in it purely for the nostalgia, that's perfect! I had the compilations made for Windows 95, and was disappointed when they wouldn't work properly on XP, even after downloading numerous patches, so this was the perfect solution. There are a few minor annoyances--mostly visual ones, like a bit of screen flickering during animation-heavy sequences and the fact that the game screen doesn't QUITE align correctly on the monitor--but people who have missed the games and want to relive of a bit of nostalgia will be able to overlook these flaws.
Pros: They haven't reworked the games, so anyone who was a fan of the original will be getting the same game in this set. It installs all the games onto your computer at once, and installation is less tedious than older versions. The fact that the manuals are a built-in .pdf file is both a pro and a con--it's a pain to have to print them off if you want paper copies, but on the other hand it helps keep the cost down.
Cons: A bit of jerkiness and other minor visual issues shows that they haven't QUITE conquered modern video cards, but it's fine most of the time. And Kings Quest 5 STILL has no option to switch to text, despite our highest hopes.
Customer Review: You can never go back (At least on XP)
Summary: 2 Stars
I remember the King's Quest series with fondness. It was the first set of games I had for my first computer. I played it over and over again. I loved the fairy tale aspect.
I was ecstatic to get it when Sierra released it for XP systems. But I just wish they had actually fixed the games to work with today's graphics cards and processors. Having my graphics at the lowest level, having to play in a window instead of full screen, having the timing go way too fast for the game (I don't know how to describe it, but a character has to carry a firecracker to a tomb. But my processer is so fast, the character would blow up immediately each time she picked it up). It was all too much and I wound up uninstalling it. There's only so much frustration I can take.
I loved the games, when I had an older computer. Now, they just don't work for me. They may work for others, but for me, King's Quest will have to stay a memory.
Customer Review: These games are absolutely great.
Summary: 5 Stars
Anyone who played these as a kid will have fond memories when revisiting them, anyone who is now a kid will think this is absolutely stupid.
I played is as a kid, so i loved it!
best games are 5 and 6.
worst are 1 2 and 3
Customer Review: Kings Quest Compilation....just the old one on a CD rather than a floppy!
Summary: 1 Stars
I expected this to be the old game stories, but re-done with nicer graphics. Unfortunately it was only the really old Apple Computer games, which can't even use a mouse, and require you to write in what you want the character to do. Plus, it takes forever for the guy/girl to even move across the screen. It didn't say Anywhere on the box that it was the old game just put on a CD. I still have those on floppy discs somewhere. I wouldn't have had to buy this if I just wanted the old ones!! Stacy >^.,.^<Customer Review: Vivendi cashes in on the classics...
Summary: 2 Stars
Fans of the classic King's Quest series have been clamoring for a re-release compatible on today's computers for a long time. Enter Sierra (Vivendi), who's ears clearly perked at the prospect of cashing in on a zero-effort package that their loyal fans would eat up anyway.
There's not a lot of good I can say for this package, except that it's exactly what you expected, and little else. You get King's Quest 1-7, complete with a launcher that allows you to play these ancient gems in Windows XP, and you won't have to insert their respective CDs again. That's all well and good.
What you don't get is a manual, which would have been nice seeing as they didn't bother to take the copy protection out of King's Quest IV. You instead have to sift through PDF copies of all the games' literature.
Seeing as this is a relatively new release, it's ironic that it's just now Windows XP compatible, just as Vista is becoming the standard. To get it to work on XP, they used amateur 3rd-party software, which you can get for free on the internet. I experienced some annoying speech stuttering with King's Quest 5-7. If you've got the games, don't buy them again expecting something different.
For a 'compilation,' it's sorely lacking one major thing: the last game in the series. Many series vets probably don't care, but there's really no other context Vivendi could still rightfully sell this game in today, and many fans still would have been appreciative. Also, the original King's Quest has been completely replaced by the 1990 remake -- not a phenomenal loss, but far from the 'complete series.'
There's no jewel case or liner notes or anything; just two cds in paper sleeves with a little piece of paper with installation instructions, made even more ironic by the fact that the install program doesn't work and you'll have to open the setup manually.
Instead of forking over 20 bucks with shipping, consider some alternatives: the previous edition, King's Quest: Collection 2, although hard to come by, is a fantastic product, featuring KQ 1-7, Laura Bow 1 & 2, Mixed Up Mother Goose, the old apple games that led up to KQ, including Mystery House, some trivia and arcade games, and some other nice bonus features.
If you're looking to breathe new life into the series, play through AGD Interactive's phenomenal remakes of King's Quest 1 & 2, as well as Infamous Adventures' similarly great remake of King's Quest 3, and wait until the fan-made KQIX is released. It's clear that their development have way more reverence for this classic series than Sierra does.