Leisure Suit Larry was a game that adored early home computers way back yonder where sprites and were the order of the day. With its adult themes and quirky play it soon gained a kind of gaming cult status. Well fast forward several years and into present day gaming as Larry makes a return to consoles of this generation. Brought to you by Vivendi and developed by High Voltage the king of smut returns in this latest adult themed game, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Lauder.

Gameplay:

Life for Larry begins on campus in his dorm, waking up from some self delusional dream the realisation that the all new, all singing “Swingles” dating TV show is on campus and is looking for more contestants. This is a perfect opportunity for Larry to bust some moves and perhaps more importantly get “jiggy” with some fine chicks.

Playing the game is rather simple and with the guidance of Larry’s uncle, players will find no problems controlling Larry as he wanders the dorms and surrounding areas. Players can click on items to view them or interact, the same goes for any characters that are minding there own business. It seems that for Larry to take part in the “Swingles” he’s going to need proof that he is in fact God’s gift to women, well maybe not quite God’s gift but you get the point. To do this Larry needs to talk to and then bed various females. Doing so will earn him their possible respect and an Item to show how much they really care, (not).

Well I suppose this sounds rather easy like real life. See a hot chick, chat her up and then take her home to bed. Well actually Larry isn’t so lucky and has to partake in a wide variety of mini games before he can even get passed first base. These games begin even whilst you are talking to the chicks where by players guide a smiley sperm through an assault course of obstacles. Hit the correct icons and Larry’s conversation will take a better turn, fail or hit too many wrong icons and the conversation could hit rock bottom.

Other mini games featured are mixing drinks to earn cash, which requires quick reflexes. Trampoline jumping which requires matching buttons in time with the music. There is also a drinking game where you must try to flip a coin into a glass whilst avoiding getting too drunk to aim properly. In fact there are loads of mini games to play which are all themed perfectly for student life and a necessity for getting girls in the mood and into bed.

Once Larry has bedded enough girls then he can move onto the next area and onto more girls in his quest to be a “Swingles” contestant. Whilst the mini games are fairly simple in their design they do remain reasonably fun. Couple this with Larry’s smutty student humour and some genuinely outrageous cut scenes and you have a very funny game.

Graphics:

Graphics in Leisure Suit Larry are bold colourful and bright opting for a very cartoon inspired and looking game. The character models are all very simple looking with little attention to detail, however they are animated and interact able. I think for the type of game that it is this works well, however if I were to be picky then I could say that there is no way that the graphics even remotely push the Xbox hardware in any shape or form, but I don’t think in this case that this is a requirement at all.

Sound:

Sound is a little more polished compared to the graphics as Larry has a wide range of comments and remarks to make as do the various chicks and other characters that Larry interacts with. These are voice acted quite well and as long as you can put up with Larry’s squeaky voice then you should be ok. Other sound effects are present including farts, burps and the odd groan and moan as well as ambient sounds (like the muffled sounds of a couple “doing it” from behind a closed door).

Longevity:

This is where Larry’s adventure begins to wane as its no epic by any means. Its also one of those games that once seen there is no need to revisit as everything remains the same as when you first played. There are a number of in game cheats which can be purchased but these add very little (well maybe some semi-nudity) to the game itself.

Overall:

Leisure Suit Larry is a fun and humorous game which will appeal a lot more to pre-pubescent teens and Americans. If you are simply tired of the same old seriousness of saving the World or fighting terrorists in the many first person shooters on offer or perhaps you are looking for something different then perhaps Larry could brighten up your console and more importantly yourself. The tongue in cheek nature will definitely make you smile or perhaps weep depending on your humour level . If I were to make any major complaints then it would have to be the overall simplicity level of the game and the horrendous loading that occurs after every activity. Rent first and see what the fuss is about as for some these girls on offer maybe the only girls they get to bed this year. Ouch!!