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Quest for Glory developers only approached once for a remake photo

Sierra (now owned by Activision Blizzard) only approached Lori and Corey Cole, designer and programmer respectively, to remake a Quest for Glory game once since the game was released in March 1989 even though the tandem desires to “make upgraded versions” of the games. The reason for the lack of remakes, apparently, is due to ancient Sierra’s stance that remakes didn’t make money.

“Only once -- when Sierra had us remake the original [Hero's Quest],” Corey Cole told me via e-mail when asked if Sierra ever approached him. “They envisioned it as a faster, cheaper alternative to creating an entire new game. However, it actually cost more to make than the original, and almost as much as a full game.”

“Interestingly, although most of Sierra's VGA remakes were unprofitable, QG1 VGA was a notable exception. I believe it actually sold more units than the original game. However, by that point, Sierra management had a picture that remakes did not make money, so ours was one of the last.”

Naturally, the Coles are interested in making more Quest for Glory games. Hit the break for the full interview (questions answered by Corey Cole) and learn about how they envision the upgraded versions, how they wanted to do expansion packs for Quest for Glory 5, what they change if they could Quest for Glory all over again and their thoughts on current adventure games.

Would you like to go back to Quest for Glory?

Yes. We'd love to make upgraded versions of the first three games as Lucas is doing with The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition. It would be even more exciting to have the opportunity to create additional games in the series. In our Sierra days, we discussed three possible directions that could go - expansion packs to QG5 set in the Mediterranean, an entirely new series set in Asia, or a massively multiplayer online game.  Since then, World of Warcraft has demonstrated that an MMO based on a popular game can be hugely successful, but we would not have been able to get that level of budget while we were at Sierra.  Except for Quest for Glory 5, all of our Sierra games cost well under $1 million to develop.  An MMO can cost $10-$20 million or more and has no guarantee of earning that investment back.

Is there anything you would change about Quest for Glory?

We would have spent more time on each game to ensure it was entirely bug-free before release. Most of the games in the series were developed in under a year, which did not leave enough time for testing.

Given the mythical unlimited budget, we might have developed the series the way Peter Jackson filmed Lord of the Rings -- by filming all three movies at the same time, he managed to get perfect continuity between them. Because the QG games were developed over a period of 10 years, the first two seem dated and need special software to run properly on current computers. We always intended that players would play the same character through all of the games, beginning to end. Together they tell a bigger story than we could fit in a single game.

Do you enjoy current adventure games?

Actually, we don't play them. The only game we both play regularly is World of Warcraft.  The last adventure games we played were LucasArt's Monkey Island and Indiana Jones series.  We tried the demo version of a recent episodic adventure game and got stuck very quickly.  On the whole, we prefer role-playing games to traditional adventure games, which is why we made Quest for Glory a hybrid of the two types.  I (Corey) also like some strategy games, such as Heroes of Might and Magic, Civilization, and so on, although I haven't been playing those recently. I still regularly play live bridge and online poker. Those games are timeless.





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22 comments | showing # 1 to 22

Technophile's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/08/2009 23:05
Technophile
This is the sad truth. I never understood why the "Quest" games were never remade.
Methos's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/08/2009 23:27
Methos
The Hero's Quest (later Quest for Glory) were my personal favorites out of all the Sierra games. I have many fond memories of making maps with graph paper back in the Dark Ages of PC Gaming.
Tyson The Tool's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/08/2009 23:49
Tyson The Tool
I played the hell out of that VGA remake! I will remember that final gauntlet run through that brigand fortress forever.
liquidcola's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 00:47
liquidcola
One of the best series of games ever created EVER! A remake would be incredible. A new game in the series would be earth shattering. Please, oh great gods of the video game abyss, let this happen!!
Omikron's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 00:59
Omikron
I loved these games, and would pick up a remake as soon as it hit the market on any system. (Playing this on my 360 would be nice or better yet on a DS) Seriously anyone who hasn't tried these games yet, play them fucking ASAP probably one of the greatest line of games I've ever played. Just make sure you play them in order cause you actually tranfer your character from game to game, keeping all experience/skills and most items and money.

RPG + A funny and well written graphic adventure = Win concentrate

(pouring water on the disk maybe required as the vitamin win contained within the game may be to potent)
Paviel's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 02:09
Paviel
I am very pleased to know that people here think so highly of this game. Back when I was growing up, I thought I was the only one.
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 03:02
Im OK
Quest for Glory was totally my favorite of the Sierra game series. Well, maybe tied with Gabriel Knight, but it probably even beats that out, primarily because A) there were five games versus just three for GK and B) the QFG series didn't "end" on a god damn cliffhanger. (Of course, QFG3 did end on a similar cliffhanger, so if the series had stopped at that point it would be in the same predicament, so... eh.)

As for the remake issue, if they really want to do it, they should totally hook up with AGDInteractive or maybe Infamous Adventures and give Activision Blizzard a big ol' double deuce, Stinkoman style.

Or else, perhaps if this Monkey Island remake sells well (pleaseohpleaseohplease) then these other companies may pull their heads out of their asses and realize that, hey, despite what everyone seems to think, there actually are still people who give a shit about old-school adventure games and will gladly still pay money for them.

With that said, however, I really really really hope, if by some miracle this does somehow come to pass, that the QFG series doesn't go the Leisure Suit Larry route. May that series rest in peace after being murdered by Magna Cum Laude and then having its moldy corpse dug up and raped in the nostril by Box Office Bust.

Er, and speaking of Leisure Suit Larry, you guys should totally try to interview Al Lowe next. Just a suggestion.
Perry Simm's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 03:31
Perry Simm
There was a beautiful remake of Quest for Glory II just recently, so I don't really get the complaining about the lack of remakes...
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 03:38
Im OK
@Perry Simm

Yeah, that'd be one of the things I linked to in my previous comment. The thing is, awesome as it was, it was not an official remake, done by the Coles themselves.

But, speaking of the Coles' involvement with AGDI, there was this, at least.
Quiotu's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 08:24
Quiotu
The QFG series was a great time for me in gaming. I remember getting the games when I was young and literally having to go to my mother's work after school to play it, because we didn't have a PC fast enough to play 3 at the time.

The remake of 1 was more expensive because they used claymation. With today's technology, it'd be a lot easier and cheaper. The unofficial remake of 2 was nice, but the fighting system was incredibly complex compared to every other game.

It'd be really cool if some of the Quest series could be remade for PC and consoles. King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest (not SWAT)... they would all still work wonderfully. Hell, bring back the Manhunter series and I'll kiss Sierra's ass; maybe the biggest mindfuck of a game at the time. Sadly, Sierra abandoned these series a long time ago, and I doubt the douches at Activision will feel any differently.
Eve's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 09:11
Eve
I loved the QFC series. So pleased there are others that remember them as fondly as I do...

Sure #3 was a bit on the crapola side...and #4 depsite being amazing had game-destroying glitches...and #5...let's just say I hated having to choose between Erana and Katrina (particularly given that after having been hyped up for four games Erana was totally not hot once resurrected...)

Anyhoo...I too would love to relive these agonising decisions once more. It would be great to see these games in the very least re-released on a platform such as the DS, as others have mentioned. C'mon Coles!
bluemeep's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 09:30
bluemeep
Fun fact: I'd be greenmeep right now if that handle hadn't been taken on Napster. That's good dispel potion.

QFG stands as my favorite series amongst adventure games. Hands down. It was what really turned me on to the genre, really. Before then, my youthful experiences were primarily in getting frustrated at Zork. The humor of the series and the multiple solutins to almost every puzzle really stand out even today. I can't begin to recommend them highly enough.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to dig out my QFG Anthology CD...
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 14:39
Chronic Logic
I have a hard time understanding why remaking old games cost so much money.
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/09/2009 18:04
Im OK
@Eve

When I first played QFG3, my first impression was that it was pretty bad compared to the previous two as well, but after playing through it a few times, it kind of grew on me. It is still the weak link in the series though, definitely. And yeah, those glitches in QFG4 suck hard, though luckily there are workarounds for most of them. And the choice between Erana and Katrina in QFG5... well, did they ever get around to fixing Katrina? If I recall correctly, she was broken or some such, like you were supposed to be able to marry her as you could Erana (or the others) but couldn't, I think.

@Chronic Logic

It doesn't, given that there are groups like the above linked AGDI and Infamous who do it for free, more or less.
Eve's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/12/2009 02:21
Eve
Im OK

QF3 admittedly grew on me too, once I discovered all the game had to offer. Waiting around for random encounters with that Leopardman girl are what really annoyed me on my first playthrough...I think I clocked up like 50 days or something ridiculous haha.

And re: Katrina. When I played QF5 marrying her worked just fine as far as I can remember...I think it was supposedly the 'evil' option though. Never got around to marrying Elsa or that chick that worked at the bar though...

Also, did anyone else attain "Paladin" status at the end of QF2? I've played that game like, 100 times, getting 500/500 each time...then on my last play through all of a sudden "bam!". Awesome.

Man I love QFG
Im OK's Avatar - Comment posted on 06/13/2009 17:49
Im OK
I played Fighter from the start, primarily because I could put at least the minimum amount of points into all skills but one, if I minimized all of his primary skills. It was tough trying to decide which skill to leave out, because if you don't give your character at least the minimum points in a skill, you can never use that skill at all ever, but I ultimately settled on sneaking (and have done so on all subsequent playthroughs as well). Imagine my delight when I found out in my first playthrough that, in QFG2, you can use the djinn to wish for skills. I used two of my three wishes to wish for sneaking skill, so that my guy would have all skills, and I spent most of the rest of the series perpetually in sneak mode, even if I didn't really need to be.

Also, yes, only with the Fighter can you get the Paladin status, which is another reason it's awesome. With my tricked out fighter, who also had magic and now all of the sneaking skills, I was able to do all pretty much all of the magic (making it through WIT, etc.) and thief quests as well. Well... I kinda had to cheat a bit with the Maltese Falcon, since you don't get to the djinn until after that, and without sneaking skill my guy couldn't do it (even though the game will certainly let you try and fail). So on the first playthrough I sadly skipped it, but on subsequent playthroughs I'd use the cheats to temporarily give my fighter some sneak skill, and then take it away when I'd finished the quest, knowing that I'd be able to give him back the skills legit soon after that. It's fudging a bit, but eh.

However, from QFG3 on, there were some quests that only true Magic Users or Thieves could do. If you were a Fighter/Paladin, even if you technically had more than enough skill to do it, you were SOL. However, for some reason (and right now looking back on it, it seems really strange that this is indeed the case), I have yet to actually play through the series as a true Magic User or Thief though, even though I've played it through at least three times now, so I still haven't actually done any these quests. I guess I can think of this as "giving me something to look forward to" when I eventually go back and play through these games again, which I definitely will at some point, especially now after this article has got me all fired up about them again.
inter4522's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:42
inter4522
i just love everything about this game. They need to make a remake for this. this will make tons of money.
inter4522's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/23/2009 13:47
inter4522
i just love everything about this game. They need to make a remake for this. this will make tons of money.
Yorkshire Chair Covers
professional pc gamer's Avatar - Comment posted on 07/31/2009 03:59
professional pc gamer
guys, I love MMO games. hope they will make this one. recently I've also started to play virtual stock market games, but it's boring one. please advice me some new pc game!
RyanMarshall's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/26/2009 19:01
RyanMarshall
You might also like <a target="_blank" href="http://www.marketquake.net/digibizpro-digibizpro-review">Digibizpro</a>. It was created by Jamie Lewis and Letian Liu. They're the guys behind CopyNProfit so you should take a look.
RyanMarshall's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/26/2009 19:03
RyanMarshall
You might also like Digibizpro. It was created by Jamie Lewis and Letian Liu. They're the guys behind CopyNProfit so you should take a look.
RyanMarshall's Avatar - Comment posted on 11/02/2009 18:10
RyanMarshall
Nice review thanks.

Take a look at Affiliate X. Its the latest from Chris X of Google Assassin.
You might like Bulletproof Business Blueprint too from Todd Perkins.
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