What first got you interested in Space Quest?

Well, once upon a time in 1987, a little blonde 7-year-old Dane sat down to play some computer games. The first game he was shown was called Space Quest II, and to this little 7-year-old kid, it looked startlingly fantastic. Of course, he never managed to get to the airlock screen, but it still looked great to him. A few years later, this little kid (whom the brainiacs amongst you have probably figured out is ME) got the game under somewhat shady circumstances and played it through with a friend of mine, using a handy-dandy solution document. (We were ten years old! Give us a break!)

Ok, so years later again, I ordered Sam & Max Hit the Road. (I can hear Brad going "Woo-hoo" right now.) The mail-order company screwed up, and sent me a free game as compensation, which turned out to be the VGA-remake of Space Quest I. I played it through, and was immediately hooked. A week later, I was holding the Space Quest Collection CD in my eager hands, and since then, the party began for real.

A note to all Sierra-employees: All SQ-games, or Sierra-games for that matter, that I acquired "under shady circumstances", have now been erased and the supplier has been reported to the authorities. (Phew. That was a close one.)

What is it in the Space Quest series that has captivated your attention for so long?

Actually, my attention hasn't been captivated for that long. When I played SQ2 in 87, I didn't understand half of it. Or any of it, for that matter. It was not until I got the SQ1VGA game for free that the attention really grabbed hold of me.

But anyway, that's beside the point. I think the idea of a science fiction comedy is what kept me hooked -- scifi and comedy are my two favorite genres, and I'll soak up anything combining the two. Also, the idea of generally parodizing everything and making fun of so-called "reputable" movies/games/series/whatever, was really something. And the character of Roger had me there too. And the ingenuity of the puzz-- oh what the hell, just write "everything", ok?! ;)

What are your reactions to the sudden onslaught of Space Quest web sites popping up everywhere?

In three words: "Go for it!" More specifically, I enjoy to see a new webpage spring up. Roger Wilco is not just a game character to me, he's a part of my life. (And yes, I have a collection of singing potatoes, but let's not get into that right now.) To see something that I like so much being so popular on something so global and easily accessed as the Internet is just fantastic. In the words of the Riddler: "Joygasm." Of course, not everything is equally dazzling, and I have to admit, there are certain sites out there that seem to just copy everybody else, or be completely void of content in general. However, if it wasn't for people who liked SQ enough to dedicate their precious webspace to a certain Mr. Wilco, Space Quest just wouldn't be the most popular Sierra-game on the Web. (Or the most popular ADVENTURE game in general on the Web -- who's counting?)

How do you stand on the issues of Full Motion Video and 3d-ness in games? Would you enjoy a Space Quest with either of these?

I'd enjoy any Space Quest game (what kind of a sick question was that?!). But seriously, there are certain things which SQ is famous for, and should not be changed. For instance, SQ's general appearance is supposed to be that of a comic book. Take the SQ5 artwork as example. It's a graphic comic book adventure...! Therefore, it'd be a pretty drastic, and I'm sure unpopular, move to introduce FMV to the world of Roger Wilco. As for 3D, I could probably live with it. However, I'm afraid we might be looking at some kind of Nintendo-64/adventure hybrid, which doesn't seem appropriate for SQ, or ANY adventure game for that matter. Anyway, the exploration of 3D-environments are best for games like the Tex Murphy-series, where it's important to search every location thoroughly, rifle through drawers and look behind desks and such -- you're playing a private detective. In Space Quest, you're playing a naive janitor. The game is supposed to make you laugh, and that's basically it. Of course, exploration is a key element in SQ, just like any adventure game, but one has to differentiate SOMEWHERE, and gosh-darn-it, I've always loved the sideways-view over ANY alternative adventure engine, haven't you?

Would you still buy Space Quest games if they were ever written without any help at all from the original Two Guys from Andromeda?

Buy it, of course! Enjoy it, now that's a different story. Okay, consider this: Josh Mandel takes on the Space Quest 6 project, with help from Scott Murphy. But what would happen if Josh had taken the SQ6 project and ran it through completely on his own? Answer: The game probably wouldn't have changed dramatically, because Josh is very much like Scott, and they're basically two bodies with one mind when it comes to humor. If people like Josh took the SQ series and ran with it, I'd say we could expect something very "Two-Guy-ish" to come out of it. However, putting somebody like, say, Roberta Williams in to take the SQ projects, would be an entirely different, and I'm sure catastrophical, move. As long as the designer, whoever it may be, has an in-depth understanding of Roger's nature and the world of SQ in general, and has a gosh-darn satirical/sarcastic/parodizing sense of humor, I don't see any reason why it shouldn't turn out to be a good game. However, if we turn our eyes to upcoming Monkey Island 3, which is designed without any help from former MI-veteran Ron Gilbert, it seems like a cheap attempt to cash in on the previous two successes. We're still talking LeChuck and his insane wish to marry Governor Marley, and we're still talking Guybrush and his everlasting quest to become a "real" pirate. I'll leave the interpretation of that up to you... :)

Which is your favorite Space Quest and why?

#3 - The Pirates of Pestulon, like any other SQ nut on the planet, I guess... ;) The humor is unbeatable, Roger is behaving the way I always imagined Roger would behave, and the story itself is so far out it's a stroke of genius. I have yet to find a thing about this game that contains a flaw.

Who is your favorite character who is NOT a main character?

Oh gosh... well, when I'm writing short stories, I always have a tendency to bring in Dorff -- the DeepShip's nearsighted and relatively clueless security chief -- because his IQ is basically as low as room temperature, but he still considers himself superior to people like Roger, so seeing the two act together is a unique setting in its own way. Unfortunately, Dorff has a very VERY small part in SQ6, and he's not starring in any other game, so choosing him seems unwise. Beatrice is a cool person, although it's hard to say whether she's a main character or not.

Ok, the horrible conclusion is: There isn't any. All characters in SQ have their own unique personality, and they're all fantastic to interact with. So why choose? :) (Ok, lousy excuse for not making up my mind, but bear with me, ok?)

I'll bet you were trying to make me say "Fester Blatz", right? :D

Do you enjoy the new Space Quest oriented games by Chris Geroux of Scumsoft?

Enjoy 'em? Hell, I'm involved in their production -- I *have* to enjoy them! It's in the contract! :) Seriously, though, it's a nice change of pace while waiting for the big "numero VII" to come out. Besides, I've never had a chance to write music for any computer game before, so that's an extra personal bonus for me... I just wish more people would create more unique fan-made material about SQ, like programming games or something like that. For instance, I'm involved in creating a text-adventure with Roger right now.

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