Looking back to my previous post, I did promise to try to write every week. I like writing because I can express what I am thinking...but I'm not going to saddle you with excuses, so I'll just move to the part where I share my experiences with what I've played of Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel these last few weeks, which isn't much. I guess I've become spoiled with the auto saving system of Mass Effect 2 and the reach-a-certain-point-and-then-save systems of bygone consoles, because I didn't save in Police Quest . A few seconds later my avatar, Sonny Bonds, had a most horrendous car accident...I have to admit that I'm horrible virtual driver (although I'm not too bad at driving in real life, even though I do make a quite a few mistakes..hmmm-hmm). I luckily did make some notes before the accident, so I can share a few details. This does mean that I'll have to restart game, but I guess that's part of the fun...
Police Quest Map
Image found here
Mild spoilers may follow...
After a colourful introduction filled to the brim with the colour blue and a larger-than-life badge that apparently houses the names of the all the people who was responsible for the Pursuit of the Death Angel, Sonny Bonds finds himself in the foyer of a police station. It is now up to you to decide what he has to do for the rest of the day. Does he take a shower for the whole day (while everyone in the bathroom stands completely still and the only sign of life is a 8-bit sprinkle of water - which was cutting edge for its time) and watch the whole go past him (because he apparently has something better to do than pursue the angel of death), or do his duty, follow the rules, and arrive on time for the briefing that's scheduled for 13:00. The other two options aren't really viable, because that ends the game and our insight into the life of Sonny Bonds. It is also wise not to over-abuse the Fast option, because that increases the speed of time as well (if only that worked in real life), also resulting in a missed briefing.
Before the Sergeant reminds you of your daily task, you can allow Sonny to delight in reading the morning newspaper (which include some quirky references to other Sierra games, including King's Quest). Apparently a dragon invaded Daventry (which is where King's Quest is set). I thought that was an ingenious way of marketing, which was also creatively implemented in the other Sierra games as well.
The closest reference I could find - from Police Quest 2
Image found here
While I was listening to the Sergeant, I discovered something that I didn't know before - you take notes within the game (I usually wrote clues down on paper or use a walkthrough)! The notes feature also had solid foundation within the game's world - the notes would be written in Sonny Bond's notebook (which I thought was pretty cool).
After the meeting it is time to hit the streets, but you can't just climb in the car and drive out of the parking lot. The car's tires might have a puncture and that could be catastrophic while following suspects. Imagine that Sonny is about to make the bust of the century, but a few seconds later, you find out that he has a flat tire. What will his superiors say when they find out you haven't done the required safety check...which is basically just a walk around the car. It's simple, but effective and it feels genuine. After the escaping the parking lot, you can drive around on the streets (yes, you do have to stop at a red traffic light and the road can be deadly), until dispatch asks for Bond's assistance with an apparent accident. And off we go...
Police Quest accident
Image found here
Even though I lost all my progress, I enjoyed my nostalgic romp through Lytton. Police Quest opened my eyes to what computer games can achieve - it can create an entire fictional world that could be based on the rules of the real world and that a game host and build its story through traditional narrative techniques combined with gameplay mechanics.
It was also a rude awakening to how easy it was to die in 8-bit games, games definitely didn't hold your hand. If you didn't use the right syntax (with adventure games) or didn't save, then tough luck. I enjoyed and was irritated by all the police policies that had to be followed within the game. It gave some substance to the world, but if certain rule is missed or the player forgets about it, then it is game over.
I find it really difficult to complete adventure games without a walkthrough - puzzles are not usually that difficult, but the solution is sometimes so straight forward, that it is easy to miss or misunderstand the path to the solution (e.g. walking around a car to do a safety check).
Lastly, the title is an inside joke...
It was also a rude awakening to how easy it was to die in 8-bit games, games definitely didn't hold your hand. If you didn't use the right syntax (with adventure games) or didn't save, then tough luck. I enjoyed and was irritated by all the police policies that had to be followed within the game. It gave some substance to the world, but if certain rule is missed or the player forgets about it, then it is game over.
I find it really difficult to complete adventure games without a walkthrough - puzzles are not usually that difficult, but the solution is sometimes so straight forward, that it is easy to miss or misunderstand the path to the solution (e.g. walking around a car to do a safety check).
Lastly, the title is an inside joke...
