Laura Bow games on GOG

[kjorteo]

I keep forgetting to mention this. Thanks to xyzzysqrl alerting me to it.

GOG now has both Laura Bow Games--The Colonel's Bequest and The Dagger of Amon Ra--for $5.99 each. There's even a bundle link so you can get them together for $11.98, which is a whopping $0.00 savings but it saves you from having to follow two different links to add them both to your cart I guess. *Fwee*

You may recall I semi-recently completed an LP of Amon Ra after having worked on it since what feels like about fifty years before the game was even actually made. The game was abandonware at that point, so I just took it from some abandonware site. The LP itself makes numerous jokes about this, mostly about how the copy protection was altered to accept literally any answer I picked as correct.

However, if there's one consistent theme I've always tried to emphasize in all of our Team Hatoful videos, I always advocate for supporting the official release. The only reason I didn't when doing my Amon Ra LP is because there wasn't one at the time, but now there is. In fact, I went and purchased both games from GOG--not because I'm particularly inclined to replay Amon Ra or start Colonel's Bequest anytime soon, but because I'd be a massive hypocrite for not giving them my money after having played and derived entertainment from their games.

I'm not going to guilt trip you beyond just this one LJ post, but I do have to say it at least once: Please consider doing the same. Even if you thought Amon Ra was a garbage fire and you enjoyed my LP because I was making fun of it or something (which would be... unfortunate; I mellowed out over the years and really tried to curb that later on,) the fact remains that they made a product, we derived entertainment from that product, and therefore we should support the official release.

We should always support the official release.

I also edited the index entry in the LP with a condensed version of this sentiment. I will not be changing the actual copy protection jokes, because 1) the preface explaining the context they were in is probably enough, 2) going back and editing all those entries feels like work and I thought I was finally done with Amon Ra, and 3) they were funny. So yeah, I'm just gonna leave those as-is. But I do have to mention this.

Edit: Oh, also, I forgot to mention, but like many GOG releases, these have feelies included as well! Like, decent-quality scans of the instruction manual and hint/companion book everything! The hintbook even contains an ARG about trying to identify the "Sierra Killer" who murdered the entire Amon Ra design team, though I don't need to dig for clues and solve crosswords and word jumbles to figure it was probably davidn.

Comments

[davidn]

I should have hidden my plans better!

I wouldn't have called Amon Ra a garbage fire despite not moving on my thought that it is overall a bad game - it's more of a classy museum burning to the ground, or perhaps the better metaphor is a well-organized bonfire. I definitely appreciate its strengths more thanks to your write-up, but it makes incredible missteps in both gameplay (timer/exploration competition) and narrative (plaster statue) - it's on fire in many ways but it is entertaining and you can toast marshmallows on it.

I'm not totally sure where that money's eventually going these days, but you're right that I should get a genuine copy. Over the last while I've gradually been working through the potential millions of dollars of piracy that I built up in my DOS directory and making them legitimate.

[spiveyloo.livejournal.com]

I often go back and read books or watch movies that I enjoyed, and I want you to know this whole LP has made it onto my list. :)
I just wanted to say that I don't think your tone is as harsh as you might think. There are some frustrating aspects to the game, and I honestly didn't even understand it until you made it a narrative. Someday, when the game burnout fades and since you now own the talkie version, you should give playing it just for funsies a shot... the narrator is hilarious, and they throw a few extra things in to improve the experience.
I especially enjoyed the little references to the Chzo Mythos... maybe a Laura Bow/Chzo crossover? "And the detective's team of criminals knew the name of the king!"
... I need to stop. I'm such a nerd.
Also, I love the name Celine... good luck with everything! :D

[kjorteo]

Oh my goodness, sorry for the delayed response (life, busyness, etc) but thank you so much for all of this! I'm flattered and honored that my silly little LP made it onto anyone's repeat viewing list. And thank you so much for the kind words and support!