I finished “Police Quest 1 (VGA)” in 4,5 hours!

Well, not really… I got tired of the poker games after an hour, so I reloaded and let the game win them for me so I could get my final screenshots for this playthrough post! Then I went back and spent another half hour to finally win the first poker game on my own! Now I still should play and win the SECOND poker game; I’m stubborn like that… I think I got a handle on it now, so I’m sure that will only take me another half hour or so…

Also, this was a replay for me, people! I’m no speedrunner, but it wasn’t a normal playthrough either. I know this game almost inside out – though I did only get 191 out of 225 Sierra points in the end…

I love how the walking cursor changes depending on your outfit

But anyway, how did I end up in these poker games to begin with? Well, after returning to the station, my boss had devised a complete plan where I had to go undercover and team up with my high school sweetheart turned “courtesan”. Of course when you go undercover, you need to make sure people don’t recognize you. So I had to dye my hair blonde (5th time in the locker room? I lost count...) and wear a white leisure suit. But I’m perfectly fine driving the car I’ve done all my previous police errands in to the hotel.

Lytton PD does have some fancy cars...

Once there I booked a room and met up with Marie in the bar. She introduced me to the bartender and we played our part to get me invited to the late night poker game. But first I return with Marie to my hotel room. Basically she wants to jump you, but you have to call her a cab. And this is where I was stuck for years in my childhood, because 411 isn’t common knowledge outside of the USA, people! I restarted the game dozens of times, looking for that phone number for the cab company all over the place. Only years later, when the internet came into existence and brought us online walkthroughs, did I figure out what the idea was.

This phone is the cause of YEARS of being stuck in this room...

So I call the cab, inform my boss about the situation, and return to the poker game. Which I lost. And kept losing. Seriously, if you’re looking for some easy money, invite me for a poker game. I’ll bring the pizza. Anyways, after a successful poker game (at the start you can actually choose to play yourself, not to play and lose, or not to play and win) you’re invited to ANOTHER game later on, with higher stakes. So I head back to my room to inform my boss by phone, and he sends a backup team with extra cash and a transmitter so they can find me. I head back to the bar, of course win that second game, and the big shot at the table takes me up to his penthouse suite and shoots me.

Yep, poker definitely isn't my game... Uno, anyone?

Okay, I got a little time before he does so, but I’m not immediately sure how I can prevent him from shooting me after he’s informed of my true identity with a phone call in the back. Didn’t I have a backup team somewhere? Where are they? Is my transmitter malfunctioning? No, turns out I have to tell them exactly where I am myself, and then the game’s finale plays out. I’m hero of the city, but I don’t really know why. Basically I was just following orders all the time, I don’t really had to solve any puzzles, and all the plans to take down the Death Angel were made by my superiors, I didn’t really have an active part in that, I was just a pawn.

Yay, the big finish!

I'll definitely be playing the other games in this series, but first some other things. "A Twisted Tale" will be released tomorrow, so I'll be posting about my playthrough. Then I'll be leaving Sierra for a bit to "crack my whip" at Lucasfilm Games! for my next classic playthrough!

You can find the Police Quest Collection here!

I'm 2 hours into "Police Quest 1 (VGA)" and things are picking up!

I'm not completely sure they're pointing their guns in the right direction....

During my second shift as officer Sonny Bonds, patrolling the streets of the city of Lytton, I ran into a stolen vehicle driving by a guy who was up to no good. So I arrested him and arranged a no bail warrant at the court house.

 

Objection!

 

Suddenly my new partner Laura takes me to the scene of a drug deal we've been informed about by anonymous tip. After arresting these guys, I get a message that Jack wanted to talk to me. Turns out his daughter Kathy took an overdose...

 

He he, I'm in the bushes and they don't know I'm here!!!

 

After my boss asked me to review some evidence, he apparently came up with a plan to infiltrate a hotel where some shady business is being done. I need to drive to the jail (for the 5th time in this game by now!) to make a deal with Marie Wilkans, the girl I saw at Wino Willy's, who has been arrested as well.

 

I always love in-game computer systems...

 

Driving back to the station, I'm called to a park where they found a dead body. Turns out it's the guy from the stolen vehicle, who escaped jail but has now been killed himself.

 

This ain't Lake Ponchartrain...

I have a bad feeling about this...

You can find the Police Quest Collection here!

Classic time: "Police Quest 1: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (VGA)" playthrough

New game! And showing off my big box ;)

I’ve started playing “Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel” and I’m 1 hour into it!

 

This is one of the first adventure games I ever played when I was a teenager, probably the first Sierra game too. I remember back then I was stuck for ages in the hotel room, because I didn’t know the number to call a taxi. Apparently you need to call Information, which is 411, a well-known number in the United States, like 911 for emergencies, but living in Belgium I had absolutely no idea. I replayed the game, scouring every corner of very location for any sign of a phone number, but without luck. It was only years later, when the internet came and online walkthroughs, that I could finally complete this game.

 

So I started another playthrough! As a beginning adventurer, I always liked this game because of its linearity, where you just have to follow orders, go where you’re told to go, there’s not much exploring involved, not much actual puzzling either. Of course later I progressed to more elaborate adventure games taking place in larger worlds, but replaying “Police Quest” is like watching a favorite cop movie, it only takes a couple of hours.

Ah, the driving interface! Crank it up to 55, then manually brake just in time to 35 before you take the corner, otherwise the game automatically lowers it to 30.

 

I’m Sonny Bonds, and I start my shift at the Lytton Police Department. First I have to go change in the locker room. It’s amazing how many times you have to change clothes and take a shower in this game… Then I attended the morning briefing. Apparently there’s a huge problem with drugs in this city (like everywhere in the world…) and we have to be on the lookout for suspicious activity. Then I’m send onto the streets, but not before I notice a notice on the noticeboard stating I can request a transfer from Traffic to Narcotics. Since drugs seems to be the theme in this game, I decide that’s a good decision, so I fill out a form before heading outside.

Deanna's very lucky that pole was there...

So I’m driving around when suddenly I get the call there’s been an accident somewhere. I look up where I’m supposed to go on the paper map that came in the big box of the game, and find the victim of a drive-by. The case is quickly taken out of my hands by my superiors, though, and they send me to continue my patrol. It doesn’t take long before dispatch reminds me I’m supposed to meet Steve at a Café somewhere. So I go there, chew the fat with Steve, until I get a call informing me of the identity of the drive-by victim, which turns out to be a low-level dealer.

Oh, you know how it is, Steve. I showered, I changed, I drove around some...

Then it’s back to the streets. While I wait for dispatch to send me somewhere, Sonny automatically slams on the brakes when a red convertible shoots past a stop sign right in front of me. I flick on the siren and start the chase. The woman driving tries to flirt with me, but no cigar, here’s your ticket, ma’am! I’m one who writes out imaginary tickets in real life as well, noticing all kinds of traffic inflictions, so yeah, warnings my rear bumper!

Two against one, eh? That calls for the extendable baton! Oh wait, it's the 90s, the medieval-like "nightstick" then...

After letting her yell at me some, I get back on the streets when suddenly Carol, the owner of the café where I met Steve, calls in a complaint. Turns out some bikers park their rides right in front of her door, so I seek them out and gently persuade them to move. After they’re gone, I chat a bit with Marie, who was some info on the local drug trade as well though she can’t really recall the correct names. Looks like she meets LOTS of men, can’t expect her to remember all their names…

Looks like he's here for comic relief or something. Where I live, a drunk driver just killed two cyclists. And he was already driving without a licence even; they'd revoked that a while back for a previous offence...

Anyways, back on the streets, I encounter a drunk driver, who I take in to jail. I have to resort to the newspaper that came with the box again, with all the penal codes I need to register him. Turns out I’m called back to the station after this, where Lieutenant Dooley, whose office is being vandalized by a chicken, tells me my shift is over. So I go change, again, and drive to another bar for the birthday party of another colleague. The guy is depressed, however, and he tells me he thinks his daughter is on drugs.

I never had such a girl dance on any of MY birthdays...

Okay, I get it now. Drugs are bad. And this game is all about finding and stopping the people responsible for getting it out there.

 

One of my other colleagues at the party suddenly tells me I promised I’d take over his shift, so it’s high time to return to the station and try to keep the streets safe! I wonder if they already processed my transfer request…

You can find the Police Quest Collection here!