Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude

The Good
This is a fun 3D running and chasing game, full of mini-games that range from whack-a-mole types, to tapper-like games, to quarters against beautiful ladies, and the most original of all, the conversation game, where a little sperm chases green icons, and every time it misses, Larry says something really hilarious. Two things that are noticed immediately is the cartoony look of Larry and the sexy look of the girls, and the voice acting is just excellent, the jokes are really good and memorable.

The Bad
As said before, it is very repetitive mini-games, and THOSE loading screens! about 10 secs on the PC version, they are nice, but every time you change of scenario, you have to wait about 10 secs on a loading screen, and the difficulty gets very high as you advance, considering the little difference between games, it gets a little boring after a while, for that you have the option to 'wimp out' at the cost of some 'secret tokens'

The Bottom Line
This time it's not about Laffer, but about Lovage, Larry Lovage, the original swinger's nephew. Larry learns about a new show called 'Swingles' and decide to stop being a lousy loser and take a chance for himself scoring with various ladies. There are the typical college girls: the band geek, the cheerleader, the rock chick, the country chick, the slutty chick, etc, every one with her own set of mini games with hilarious consequences.

The Good
The use of minigames breaks up the gameplay, giving some fast-paced action. The environments are well drawn and highly interactive, with a lot of secrets hidden all around. The secret token system for unlocking extras adds a bit more playtime.

The Bad
The minigames get very repetitive, especially near the game when you must accumulate money to move along the story. Since money, confidence, and drunkeness are all a factor, they eased up on the difficulty of the main quests. The game is almost too easy when compared to the older counterparts. There really aren't any puzzles in this one, you just follow where the game tells you to go, and play a few minigames to advance the story.

The Bottom Line
This game may be one to rent and play through, but it also may be a big disappointment to fans of older Sierra adventures who crave the puzzle-solving of Larrys past.

The Good
I was so pleased when I first heard that Larry Laffer would be back. One of my favorite hero from the cherished 2D adventure games era to hit the shelves again ? I WANT IT ! I was even ready to accept that the main character was Larry's nephew and not THE Laffer himself. When I did play this game, the first feelings were positive : the campus background was a nice setting to exploit and was filled with promises of hilarious sex jokes, the vocabulary used was clearly adult-oriented, and the nostalgia-effect was working at full throttle. But... because there's a but (no pun intended) (really?)...

The Bad
...but Al Lowe, the creator of Larry Laffer, wasn't involved at all in this game. And instead of hiring great writers to come up with clever jokes, High Voltage Software/Vivendi tried to mimic the humor of the series without getting even close to it. It's crude, weighty, but not funny. And the gameplay is miles away from any enjoyable entertainment. It's basically a collection of painfully repetitive mini-games, where you have to press a pattern of buttons correctly, like in a musical game : it gets frustrating when you fail a hundred times just because you mixed up the A and B buttons. I'd rather not imagine how it turned out on PC without a gamepad. A gamepad... for a Leisure Suit Larry game... sigh. The dialogues, which were the very essence of Larry's games, are just displeasing sequences where you're supposed to guide a spermatozoon through a path filled with obstacles. Thrilling. The girls, who used to be, during the 2D era, beautifully drawn and gorgeous women, now looks like cartoon inflatable dolls. Not even a turn on. And the loading screens... If you still wanted to give this game a chance, despite the lousy gameplay and so-so jokes, the loading screens will definitely turn you off. Alright, the babes pictured next to the "Please Wait..." are (quite) hot, but when you see them for 10 or 30 seconds each time you open a door, it's just pure boredom.

The Bottom Line
It would be unfair to burn the game : it has its good moments, and it'll make you giggle from time to time. However, the spirit of Leisure Suit Larry is completely missing, and the repetitive gameplay will make you regret your 60 bucks. Get the complete LSL collection instead : it's cheaper, and way better.

For those who are interested in Al Lowe's view about Magna Cum Laude, check this out : http://www.allowe.com/Larry/MCL.htm