Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
Lucasfilm Games
Released: 1989
Today, we’re used to being disappointed by games that are tied to big movie releases. In fact, we kind of expect it. But that just wasn’t the case with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure. The game was overwhelmingly well-received and praised for the way it followed and expanded upon the story of the film.
It introduced a scoring system called the “Indy Quotient” (or IQ for short). When you finished the game, you could start a new one with your old score, which encouraged you to experiment during your second play through in order to find alternate solutions to puzzles. Although previous Sierra titles had employed scoring systems, the IQ system was unique in that it managed to add a lot of replay value, addressing a common complaint of the genre.
Hero’s Quest: So You Want to Be a Hero
Sierra
Released: 1989
Sierra’s Hero’s Quest was famous for adding role-playing elements to the mix, allowing you to play as a fighter, magic user, or thief. Performing class specific activities, like fighting or casting spells would allow you to improve your stats and proficiency with your class – and how you progressed past the game’s puzzles would vary greatly depending on what type of character you created.
Hero’s Quest was later renamed as Quest for Glory due to legal issues regarding Milton Bradley and GamesWorkshop’s trademarked board game, HeroQuest.
Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals
Sierra
Released: 1989
The third installment in the Leisure Suit Larry series marked a return to the original’s dating sim-like design, allowing you to have a go at wooing a variety of women with gifts before something inevitably went wrong. The game also offered some role reversal, allowing you to play as Passionate Patti for a bit.
Above: Larry and Patti eventually find themselves on movie sets, where other famous Sierra series are being filmed
Above: In the end, Larry gets a job at Sierra, creating games based on his adventures with a very topless Patti
Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon
Sierra
Released: 1989
Roger Wilco’s quest for truth, justice, and really clean floors kept the laughs coming in Sierra’s third sci-fi comedy adventure. This time, the hapless janitor must uncover and stop the insidious plans of an evil videogame company, ScumSoft.
