Space Quest V: The Next Mutation
DOS version
Had its moments, but the series starts its decline with this game.
The Good
The plot was mildly interesting in this game (despite being a Trek spoof), and there were a number of funny moments. Most of the puzzles made sense. But other than that...
The Bad
Unfortunatly, the graphics were horrid - they seemed to be drawn sloppily, and there were a number of problems with scaling (when Roger walks to the front or rear of the screen, his size changes a bit too drastically, and he becomes a pixelated mess in either case). Looking at the blurry, somewhat messy landscapes was disappointing, after the previous game in the series.
And while the plot itself had its funny moments, it quickly became dull, uninteresting, and somehow, not very Space Quest-like.
The Bottom Line
In my opinion, Sierra should have stopped with SQ4. But they knocked out this game, seemingly half-heartedly. I wouldn't recommend it, except for the die-hard Sierra/Space Quest fan. Even then, it's only fairly enjoyable.
Stick a fork in the series; it's done now.
by Dave Schenet (134) on March 26, 2001