Leisure Suit Larry Returns

Way back in 1987, the original Leisure Suit Larry appeared for personal computers in all its 320 x 240, 256-color glory. I remember it was the first R-rated game that emulated the gross-out/sex comedies of the Eighties. There had been X-rated games for the Atari 2600 but the graphics were crude and the game play was even cruder (see Custer’s Revenge courtesy of the Video Game Museum).

Larry was different though. It played like many of the adventure games Sierra published yet the goal was to score instead of saving the kingdom. The other revolutionary elements to it were the responses it would give to certain four-letter words, the consequences to unsafe sex, the hazards of being broke in Lost Wages and the game breaking the fourth wall with the players. Even if the cheesecake was insipid, Larry was still a hiliarious, amusing and challenging game. Four sequels followed and then the franchise died away in the Nineties as it had become an MS compatible-PC-only title. Thanks to the technical advancements in consoles and the Grand Theft Auto franchise, the libidinous adventure continues through Larry’s nephew, Larry. The premise is the same, score with women that normally wouldn’t give a schlub like Larry the time of day. All this trouble just to be a contestant on the Swingles game show taping at his college campus.

As a game, this pretty much flows like GTA with the wandering mode. You can interact with the various inhabitants of the campus and connecting town but instead of mugging them for cash, Larry hits on the women and receives hostile replies to his rather dated pick-up lines. The non-females and non-living objects elicit different answers, most of them are rude too. Due to the limitations of my PS2 the game is frequently bogged down with numerous loading screens. The publisher tries to keep the player’s interest with loading screens of cheescake. These would be interesting if I were 16 and dying to watch Showgirls. Otherwise, they’re annoying and make me hope that the PS3 will have a built-in hard drive. When it comes to the task parts of the game—how Larry will woo the various co-eds—the execution is funny but the means are redundant. For example, when he converses with the women, you can control the outcome by navigating a sperm cell through traffic. Hitting the green objects elicits a positive response from the lady; hitting red objects makes Larry say something negative, stare at their chests or fart; hitting beers/martinis makes him drunker, thus navigating through the obstacles becomes more difficult; but hitting cups of coffee sobers him up. There are other redundant games representing the tasks needed for him to have his way; making drinks, giving someone a make over, playing strip quarters for money, strip trampoline contests, etc. You get the idea. If you buy the special unlock codes from a guy named Nigel, you can see some of the women topless or in their underwear when Larry wanders around. Again, this would be exciting if I were 16.

Don’t let these criticisms about which audience will be excited over this game be the deciding factor. It is still an amusing, humorous game in the same vein as Beavis & Butt-Head, South Park and Tripping the Rift. It is more forgiving than challenging though. If you fail at a certain sub-game three times in a row (in one session), such as beating Analisa at strip quarters, it will ask you if you need the difficulty reduced. Why not. The game is paid for and this isn’t a title you can rent at Blockbuster. Besides, there’s more free and nastier pornographic material on the Internet.

The Bottom Line: If you can get this game cheaper than $30 or less (as I did) and you enjoy the vulgar humor, it’s worth buying. If you’re nostalgic for the games portraying the misadventures of Larry’s infamous uncle (who has a cameo in this), definitely buy it, it’s a worthy successor to the franchise. If you’re looking for perverse thrills, go to the Internet or buy the uncensored PC-only version. If you’re looking for a challenging platform game, you’ll be disappointed. Overall, I think it’s a great game despite it being easy.

Nov. 2, 2005 Update: I got a bit farther in the game and there was a hilarious sequence of Larry explaining why Ione is now gay, set to the Grease song “Summer Nights.”

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