Leisure Suit Larry Magna Cum Laude

Back in the old days of gaming when computers were made of wood, rock, and Windows 95, there was a game series that was pretty much universally considered the ?adult? side of the gaming world. Leisure Suit Larry, one of the few games (at the time) that catered to adult gamers, was about Larry Laffer, a 40 year old balding loser who wears a Leisure suit and spends most of his time trying to get in bed with any woman that will bear his bad pickup lines and greasy look. Leisure Suit Larry became one of Sierra's biggest franchises not only because the games were insanely fun, but because Leisure Suit Larry was the only game Sierra ever produced with outright nudity.

Of course, Leisure Suit Larry has come a long way. From his very basic graphical output to high VGA graphics, Leisure Suit Larry has been hitting and failing on computers from the Apple II to the PS2. And, of course, with that in mind (and being a big fan of the series, despite originally playing it when I really should not have), I had to get my hands on the game Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, the first 3D Leisure Suit Larry ever- and the first game in a very long time from Sierra featuring lovable Larry.

Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude shipped under a lot of radars (even mine), and on virtually every system. This time featuring Larry Laffer's college-age nephew (also called Larry), the plot in Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude has not fundamentally changed since the old days: nephew Larry Lovage wants to get laid, and that means he is going to try to do everything in his power in order to make sure that happens. Fresh in Community College, Larry must go through many different schemes and plans (all now based around mini games) to get himself on the TV show ?Swingles? to let three hot co-eds fight all over his small, big headed self.



Of course, the game is almost the polar opposite of the old Leisure Suit Larry games- and that's unfortunate. Instead of sticking with the SCUMM-like third person adventure style that made the Leisure Suit Larry games what they were, the game now features something along the lines of a very sexual Grand Theft Auto- roam around the campus, find girls, play mini games, find money- the works. Items do not play a part in this game whatsoever (other than to get Larry drunk or change his clothing), and everything is based around an almost mission-like system in order to pick up women in systematic ways.

The mini games in Leisure Suit Larry is really where the game simultaneously shines and pales- and really what makes the game a tossup overall. During dialog with one of the many women, the player is challenged to move a sperm in what amounts to a bullet less shooter game- diving and weaving around different ?bad? icons and picking up ?good? icons in order to affect the conversation in different ways. For example, a ?bad? icon of a camera may result in Larry looking at the wrong place- whereas a smiling ?good? icon can result in a clever joke, or a well done ploy to get the young female's heart. Other mini games generally involve Dance Dance Revolution-like rhythm games, or even so far as a ?Pantie Raid? game where Larry must avoid guards and collect items in a set period of time. Nothing quite original in the gaming world, but, at least in the world of Magna Cum Laude, naughty nonetheless.

And, I must note, the dialog is where this game shines. While the mini game system is a hassle, the absolutely hilarious dialog makes the game really what it turns out to be. While some plots are stereotypical (the bookworm girl, etc), some of the plots (the gawky band geek) are side splitting, because of the kind of off-the-cuff remarks Larry makes, especially when he goes ?bad?. The kind of lines that Larry uses to get his girl (such as specifically mentioning Willie Nelson around a country girl) is always rather clever, and makes you wonder if this geeky little man has more up his sleeve than just a game to be in.

However, Leisure Suit Larry is not all about old memories and good jokes. The game is somewhat repetitive- all of the women having quite similar paths, the game turns into being something of a bore after the first few women. While the graphics are good and certainly not cheap, one could wish for more detail in some spots, as well as general upgrade ability for the PC version. The sound sometimes has occasional issues (and the music certainly tends to be repetitive), but the extensive dialog makes up for it on the average.



The real kicker about Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude is not so much the quality of the game, but the lack of the old engine. While the old style of Larry was intuitive and entertaining (and sometimes really made you think), this version seems more of a ?time kill? kind of game, not really putting up any kind of challenge other than little finger exercise. This is really a game killer, almost, because if developer High Voltage Software had put the effort into it, this would have been an unbeatable game. But alas, much like 7 Sins, the repetitive aspect and mindless gameplay get in the way of what could be a really fun time.

So, if you're looking for something to kill time on or just to horn out on, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude is the game for you. However, it is nothing like it's predecessor, and that kinds kills the buzz, especially from my perspective as an old school Leisure Suit Larry fan. With a cheap price tag on this game now, you could do much worse than to purchase this game- just don't admit to your friends you're enjoying hitting on pixellated women.

3.5 star(s) out of 5

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