SPACE QUEST IV
ROGER WILCO AND THE TIME RIPPERS
CD REVIEW
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YEAR: 1991
SIZE: 108 MB
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PLATFORMS: SCUMM
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+ Exciting story
+ Lots of humour
+ Gorgeous VGA graphics
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- Tricky arcade mini-game
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STORY
Picture the scene: A busy space bar in Magmetheus. Drinks flowing.
Loud chatter. And a young man recounting tales of bravery.
Yes, Roger Wilco is trying to relax and unwind, during his long trip back
home to Xenon, so he decides to drop in at this delightful bar for a bit
of cheerful company. After everything he’s been through in the last
few games, he deserves a break. And he’ll happily tell anyone who’ll
listen, how he rescued The Two Guys From Andromeda from the evil
ScumSoft corporation, and how he was the only one that could defeat
Sludge Vohaul. But his heroic deeds become more… heroic… with each
telling - not that Roger would ever exaggerate, you understand!
But Roger’s good mood is not to last. Two ‘Sequel Police’ barge into
the bar, and drag poor Roger outside, where they proceed to play him a
hologram message from… VOHAUL??? But… But isn’t Vohaul dead?
Didn’t Roger defeat him, back in Space Quest II, when he pulled out his
life-support system? What on earth is going on here???
Well, yes and no. Roger DID defeat Vohaul. But unknown to Roger,
Vohaul managed to download himself (or at least, his consciousness)
onto disk, before he died. So now he’s back, and he’s rather ticked off
at Roger for ruining his plans for world domination AGAIN. He wants
revenge!
So just as Vohaul orders his Sequel Police to open fire on Roger… two
mysterious strangers appear from nowhere, and save our favourite
janitor. They open a time-rip for Roger to jump through, thus escaping
Vohual’s clutches.
But what’s on the other side of the time-rip? Why, it’s Roger’s own
planet - Xenon. He’s finally home again! Except… it’s not quite how he
remembers it. The place is rather desolate. And when he looks at the
status bar (yes, he really does look at the status bar), he sees he’s in
the future. And what’s the deal with those cyborg-zombies?
After a bit of exploring, he discovers that Vohaul implemented a virus,
which brought about the destruction of his beloved Xenon. And now, in
the future, Vohaul is somehow supreme leader.
So that’s where Roger’s adventure begins. He has to travel back and
forth in time, figuring out how to stop Vohaul, and put things back how
they’re supposed to be. But he can’t do it without your help.
And the stakes get a whole lot more personal for Roger in his final
showdown with Vohaul, when he discovers that one of the strangers
that rescued him at the start… is actually his son! A son that hasn’t
been born yet. With a wife he hasn’t even met yet.
Time travel is a confusing business!
HANDY TIP
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Pay careful attention to any time-codes you see in the time pod, or
anywhere else. Make sure you take a note of these codes - you will
need them to return to certain time-periods of the game. And the
codes change with each play through.
　
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GAMEPLAY
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Some big changes have occurred in Space Quest IV, and it looks and
plays very differently to the previous Space Quest games.
Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers continues the
adventures of Roger. But the introduction of the Point & Click interface
makes things significantly easier.
The first thing you’ll notice, is that the text parser that lets you type in
commands has gone. Instead, it’s been replaced with icons that you
can click on to interact with Roger’s world. What’s more, those icons
are safely tucked away at the top of the screen, so it doesn’t get in the
way of what’s happening on-screen. To access them, just move your
mouse cursor up there.
The icons are: Walk, Look, Pick Up, and Talk. There is also 2 additional
icons - Smell, and Taste. And while these icons are not really necessary
to the game, you’ll have a LOT of fun trying them out on everything!
Your inventory is stored in a handy bag, also accessible from the menu
at top of the screen. The Eye icon gives a more detailed description of
any of your items, while the Hand icon allows you to manipulate items
in your Inventory. The Slider Bar brings you to the Game Menu, and
from there, you can Save, Restore, Restart, or Quit your game. There is
also sliding scales, allowing you to adjust Detail, Volume, and Speed, to
your own preference. In this CD version, you can choose if you want
Voice, Text, or both. Your score is also shown in the Game Menu, so
you can keep an eye on how well you’re doing.
Additionally, as you use the mouse to control Roger now, you can click
on part of the screen, and Roger will walk there, automatically walking
AROUND obstacles, rather than stopping at each little hurdle.
We take these things for granted today, but back it 1991, it was all very
new and exciting.
The humour is this game is top-notch. It breaks the fourth wall, and
isn’t afraid to make fun of itself (as well as everything else). As
mentioned above, Roger looks at his status bar to see that he’s in
Space Quest XII (if only that game really existed!). And of course, the
infamous Death Messages are here. But my favourite part is when
Roger has to buy a ‘Space Quest IV Hintbook’, so that you (the player)
can get some tips, and some crucial information, in solving the puzzles.
I should mention that there is a tricky arcade mini-game in Monolith
Burger, where you have to make burgers on a conveyor belt, using
ingredients in the correct order. Luckily, this mini-game is skippable.
There is also a point later in the game, that due to modern computers
being faster than old computers, it’s very hard to escape the droid
chasing you. But that’s easily overcome, by slowing your speed right
down, allowing yourself more time to act.
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It should also be noted that this CD version doesn't have the extra layer of Copy Protection when you first use the Time Pod, that the Floppy version had.
　
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GRAPHICS
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Graphics are another improvement over the previous Space Quest
games, showing that Sierra strived to make each game better than the
last. Space Quest IV boast stunning VGA graphics, which are just
gorgeous to look at!
The game begins with a cinematic intro (skippable), showing Roger
relaxing in the space bar, and the Sequel Police coming for him, then
Roger jumping through the (very colourful) time-rip, and ending up in
the future.
Conversations are shown in nice little text boxes, with the Narrator‘s
text box being slightly different to anyone else‘s, so it stands out.
Inventory items are shown as icons, so you can easily see what you’re
carrying. Clicking the Eye icon on an inventory item gives you more
details about it, while clicking the Hand icon on an inventory item lets
you manipulate it. The inventory box automatically expands as Roger
collects more things, rather than scrolling.
Even NPCs are beautifully animated, and get on with their own lives
regardless of whether Roger is there or not. For example, aliens in the
arcade are so engrossed in their arcade games, they don’t care who else
is around. And I love how the green alien wiggles his hand frantically,
as he tries to beat his arcade game. Or shoppers in the mall go about
their business. I’m impressed how view from the time-pod cockpit
changes, depending on where Roger is. Ulence Flats was an
interesting place, with Roger in VGA style, while the rest of the place
was old EGA. There are some really lovely touches, like that cute wee
alien outside the bar in the intro. Or the way the tall alien comes
crashing through the shop sign as she leaves the shop, because she is
so tall. And the variety of different alien species just amazes me!
There is so much to explore and love about Space Quest IV!
　
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SOUND AND MUSIC
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Space Quest IV is the first game in the series to boast a proper sound-
track, rather than just beeps through the computer speaker. And wow,
we are treated to some really beautiful music throughout the game.
Everything from the spooky ‘Careful You Don’t Get Caught’ music at
start of the game, to the fanfare as Roger travels through time, to the
funky music in Sacks Clothes Shop, and everything in between, is a
pleasure to listen to.
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This CD version is fully voiced, and the voices are just superb! Every
character sounds just like I imagined them too. What's even more
impressive, is that the voice actors are not professional voice actors -
they're Sierra employees.
Sound Effects are equally impressive. A satisfying ‘tinkle’ is heard is
Roger picks up a new item. The cyborg-zombie screaming at you sends
chills down my spine. Thunder crashes realistically in the distance, in
SQXII. The sea slug in Estros lets out a frightening roar. But special
mention goes to the arcade! It sounds just like an arcade should, with
different noises coming from different arcade machines, and all of
them clashing with each other. It’s just wonderful!
Give the game a try - you won’t be disappointed!
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