Set your wayback machine to June 6, 2011. That was the day that we gleefully broke the news that not only was Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards getting a re-release, but that it would be coming in a matter of weeks. Those weeks turned to months, and still, not a peep was heard… until now.
Set your wayback machine to June 6, 2011. That was the day that we gleefully broke the news that not only was Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards getting a re-release, but that it would be coming in a matter of weeks. Those weeks turned to months, and still, not a peep was heard… until now.
Today’s news on the remake’s progress is something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the game is now slated for a Q4 2012 release – that’s nearly a year away. On the other hand, there are finally plenty of screens and details to help us pass that time as we wait.
EGM is reporting that Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards will be hitting every console you can imagine – PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, OnLive, Steam… if they could figure out a way to put it on your toaster, it would be there.
More than a simple re-release, Lounge Lizards seems to be getting a complete overhaul in terms of visuals, sound, and controls. Think the sort of revision we saw when LucasArts revisited Monkey Island a few years back, and you’ll have a good idea of what we mean.
As Replay Games now has the rights to the franchise, they’re hoping to bring the remaining Al Lowe classics back in remastered fashion, but only if this first release proves successful. Still, given the success of other classic point’n’click remakes and the resurgence of the genre in recent years, Larry’s return seems primed for success.
“Al and I are working very closely on this,” Replay CEO Paul Trowes tells EGM, “to make sure every Larry game is the best. The remake of the original Leisure Suit Larry is going to kick so much ass, the entire world will have to play it standing up. And buy new pants. And a cushion. Seriously, we’re really excited about this.”
Q4 2012 is still a long ways away, but that just means there’s plenty of time for more details to leak out. Be sure to follow the game here on Gamezebo to keep abreast on all of the latest Larry news as it surfaces!
As much as the original Leisure Suit Larry games tickled our (slightly perverse) funny bones back in the day, it’s been awhile since there’s been a game in the series worth crowing about. Modern releases in the franchise like Magna Cum Laude and Box Office Bust were among the worst of the worst. Thankfully series creator Al Lowe has taken back the reigns, and with the help of Replay Games, will be re-releasing Larry’s original adventure to desktops, tablets, and smartphones this summer.
“It’s no fun telling people who want to play your games that their only recourse is to pirate them,” says Al Lowe. “Finally, Larry leaves his digital dungeon to delight those too young (or too smart) to play it way back when.”
This re-release will be more than a simple cut and paste port job. Based on the 1991 remake of the original 1987 classic Leisure Suit Larry in The Land of the Lounge Lizards, this new version will improve upon the superior version of an already well-polished game.
For those too young to remember Larry’s heyday, the Leisure Suit Larry franchise was a tongue-in-cheek adventure game series from Sierra aimed at a clearly adult audience. Lovable loser Larry spends all his time looking for love (even if it’s only of the ever so brief variety), and finds himself in all sorts of comical and risqué situations.
“Men love the games because no matter how much of a loser they are, they’re not as big a loser as Larry,” says Lowe. “And women love the games because, well, they’ve all dated a jerk like Larry.”
“So many people enjoyed and were influenced by Larry’s original adventure that it’s an absolute pleasure to bring the smooth-talking charmer back to his legions of fans, a whole new generation of players and unimpressed women in bars and nightclubs everywhere,” says Reply Games CEO Paul Trowe. “Working with Al means you can be sure the game is exactly how he intended it to be seen. It plays as smoothly as one of Larry’s pick up lines.”
There’s no specific mention of which platforms will be welcoming Larry back into the fold, but with “desktops, tablets, and smartphones” confirmed, you should have no problem getting reacquainted with Larry Laffer on your favourite device of choice.
Expect this one to hit over the next few weeks. Larry’s first stop? Mr. Laffer has been confirmed as making his initial appearance on the Intel AppUp Store.
