Gather around and I’ll
tell you the tale of a loveable loser named Larry Laffer. Larry is what you
might call an aging hipster, a ladies man that doesn’t quite score with the
ladies because–let’s face it–John Travolta he’s not (some guys just know how
to wear polyester suits) and those pick-up lines he uses are as cheesy as a
jumbo nacho platter. Yet somehow Larry’s exploits have fascinated PC gamers for
quite some time mostly because it’s fun to see a likeable loser hilariously
crash and burn when it comes to wooing gorgeous ladies. Now Larry has taken a
backseat and the spotlight now falls on his nephew, Larry Lovage, in Leisure
Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude. Does this game bring the same semi-raunchy fun
of the PC games of old? Like young Larry, let’s give it the old college try.
Having never played a
Leisure Suit Larry game, I managed to track down his entire exploits in a
box set edition. Larry has come a long way since his original beginnings as an
early text adventures and then as a point-and-click games. Magna Cum Laude,
though, centers on nephew Larry who is attending Walnut Log Community College
when the dating show Swingles comes strolling into campus looking for
contestants in an on-campus event. Determined to be on that show, Larry
auditions but, of course, the producers smell a zero and turn him down. In
order to prove he’s got what it takes to be on the show, Larry sets out to prove
himself by bringing the show’s attractive host, Uma, tokens of affection various
ladies on campus bestow him.
Of course, this means
Larry has to actually go out and win their affections first and that’s
something that won’t come easy because Larry–while occasionally charming–isn’t
much of a stud muffin. Still, you have to respect the little guy for trying and
try he does. With a little help from his Uncle Laffer, he begins his conquests
of the many ladies on campus. While Larry can hit on every girl he encounters
during his exploration of the campus, there are key ladies that catch his eye.
First Larry must approach the girl and instigate a conversation. Key
conversations are interactive since a box on the lower half of the screen
appears. The basic idea is simple: you must steer a, um, DNA icon hitting green
heart icons while avoiding red ones. The trick, of course, is to get as many
green icons as possible to make a good impression on the girl in question.
The key girls in question
are laughable stereotypes like Analisa (the foul-mouthed Italian Jersey girl who
happens to come from a mobster family) or country bumpkin Sally Mae (who
incidentally is not what she really seems). So how does Larry win their hearts
and receive the tokens of affection he needs to get on the show? Larry will
have to pass a series of conversations as well as a variety of mini-games with
flying colors. The mini-games vary from girl to girl but they usually end up
being the same familiar ones . . . but more on that later. One such mini-game
is the drinking game called Quarters. Basically Larry tosses a coin into an
empty beer mug to win the game. Miss and Larry or the girl he’s playing against
takes a swig of alcohol. Other mini-games involve dancing and bouncing on the
trampoline, which is PaRappa the Rapper-style timed games. A girl calls off
some directional instructions and Larry has to follow it by hitting the
appropriate button in time. It’s kind of fun . . . until you do it for the
fourth time.
But there are mini-games
that do separate themselves from the dancing and quarters games. At one point
Larry shows his school spirit by donning the school’s mascot costume and run
around campus getting students all fired up about a football game. You’ll even
be slinging leaflets at a die-hard animal rights babe, making sure everyone gets
a copy before they eventually reach you. Some mini-games are both funny and
dumb, such as the time when Analisa’s mobster dad sends goons to beat you with
baseball bats. You’ll be chased around campus while a half undressed Analisa is
chasing after you while pleading for them to leave you alone . . . it’s like
watching the ending of a Benny Hill episode.
For a game that’s pretty
much determined to provide mini-game after mini-game to move the story along,
the variety isn’t fulfilling because they end up resembling the last mini-game
you just finished awhile ago while attempting to win the last girl’s
affections. Repetitive as the mini-games are, though, the exploration and
Larry’s interaction with the various locales on campus and outside is what make
the game bearable. Exploring the sorority houses and the strip club leads to
finding secret tokens you can use to buy unlockable extras and money to spend on
clothes or beer is actually a blast. As for Magna Cum Laude’s
raunchiness, it can get pretty graphic at times but it doesn’t really cross the
line because it’s all handled with plenty of humor.
Visually, Magna Cum
Laude is graphically easy on the eyes. It’s a colorful game with
environments that stand out thanks to the nice amount of detail. Dorm halls are
adorned with posters, there are vending machines with unusual items and empty
beer cans scattered throughout the place (hmm, sound a lot like the dorm hall I
stayed in, actually). The characters aren’t as detailed–that is, until you
focus your attention on the key ladies. Which brings us to nudity . . . it’s
all-topless when it comes to the ladies so do keep in mind that things can get
that raunchy.
Where the game really
excels, though, is its dialogue. Larry’s bad at the smooth talk making him seem
like an annoyance to the ladies than a suave swinging bachelor. The “Did it
hurt when you fell from Heaven” pick-up line should be outlawed in all fifty
States, but young Larry uses it quite often. Still, bad pick-up lines aside,
Larry really comes to life during conversations and these are hilarious. He
sometimes tends to ramble on but when he does it’s the funniest bits of dialogue
you’ll hear in a game.
Magna Cum Laude
is a raunchy, hilarious romp that does the
old Larry games proud when it comes to humor and sexy situations, but that’s
still not enough to make this one worth the price tag. Let’s face it,
mini-games are fun but when they’re familiar irritations of the last mini-game
you just finished a minute ago, it becomes way too repetitive. Its humor wins
out, though, so if you’re looking for a decent laugh then this is the perfect
rental for those who remember the old PC games fondly.
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#Review |
Gameplay: 6.0
Apparently the only way Larry can
score with a babe is to get them drunk. The mini-games become too repetitive to
be fun for very long and this is what drags the game down. What really works,
though, is the exploration and other little activities. Larry can make money by
taking pictures of girls much like Beyond Good & Evil’s Jade takes
pictures of creatures.
Graphics: 8.0
The environments are wonderfully
detailed and the character animation is done to perfection. Larry himself is
quite funny to look at . . . even more so when he’s incredibly drunk or when his
confidence level is really low.
Sound: 8.2
The dialogue is particularly great
and you’ll laugh out loud many times throughout the game. Occasionally the
dialogue can get a bit crude, childish, unfunny and filled with unnecessary
profanity but what did you expect from a game filled with bad stereotypes.
Still, there’s something funny about a funny-looking guy stripping to Right Said
Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy.”
Difficulty: Easy
By the third try you’ll be champion
of Quarters, a master of the Slapping game and a true drink mixing pro. The
game’s puzzles are super easy to solve thanks to indicators that practically
slap you in the face and point arrows at your destination. The dancing and the
trampoline mini-game, though, are not for the rhythmically challenged.
Concept: 7.0
Playing through the old PC games,
I’ve discovered something. Young Larry Lovage is a lot more likeable than his
uncle and watching him go through all that trouble to be on a dating show is
just too funny. Sometimes it’s just great to cheer for the underdog, even if
that underdog is soaking girl’s t-shirts in a wet t-shirt contest and urinating
in public.
Overall: 7.2
Magna Cum Laude
is an outrageously funny and extremely naughty
game that bends the rules but still falls a bit flat due to its repetitive
nature. There’s some pretty fun moments in the game and if you can stomach the
lame fart jokes and profanity, it’s even worth playing this one all the way
through to the end. Rent this one if you’re old enough and want a laugh or two.
