Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude Preview

Some games refer to material of an adult nature as containing sexual themes, or adult mischief.

Then there is Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude. This Xbox title from Sierra and High Voltage Software doesn’t have themes, of mischief – this game is all about Larry Laffer’s nephew in college, who has the single-minded goal of scoring with the campus babes.

Nope, no crib sheets here, no notepads with the score of card games or other athletic endeavors. This game features stereotypical bimbos, a nerdy babe-magnet-wannabe, and the sole purpose of getting Larry into bed with as many as you can.

Consider the cutscene that starts off this game. It lays it all out for prospective gamers.

Larry is walking across campus in his dream, received the accolades of his adoring classmates. He receives an invite to the coming beer blast and acknowledges the preppy type who extends it when a demon-like dean appears and tells Larry he is about to be expelled for having sex in the classroom, and all his beer parties. It looks bad – until a giant safe comes down from the heavens to crush the dean.

Larry looks up, appreciatively, and thanks God. He is rewarded with a big thumbs-up from the heavens. Then two “babes” materialize and start asking where Larry wants to “do it.” One suggests the library, the other the planetarium. “How about right here?” Larry asks, and the assembled crowd is hushed. “Ok,” comes the reply and the campus goes wild with delight.

Larry, moaning with pleasure, wakes up from this dream, and confronts the reality that he is little more than …

“Are you a loser?” asks the gleaming-toothed spokesman on the commercial on Larry’s TV. Swingles, the televised dating service is coming to the campus, and Larry needs to make it on the show. But first he has to make it on campus.

The game begins with Larry, the nephew patrolling the halls, and meeting Sally Mae, the country girl. As he begins to talk with her, you are treated to a mini-game, one in which a little sperm-like object is moving across the screen. Avoid the hazards and you get to move on to the next mini-game, which is to mix up a “panty-peeling” drink for her.

Let’s make it perfectly clear – there is nothing implied about this title and its dialogue; it is all there, upfront and in the open. From the wet t-shirt contests to the openly suggestive dialogue, Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude is a sex-filled game that will certainly draw the ire of anyone who adheres to a reasonable politically correct-way of thinking. The game is likely to have a very small target audience as well – say 18- to 19-year-old freshman male college students who have lived a sheltered life and are away from home for the first time, and have had too much to drink before slumping in front of the console system.

This is a game, though, that will require a clear head and quick reflexes. Some of the games will require players to react quickly to a rapid “hit the corresponding hotkey button” game. Early on, Larry has to mix that drink and does so by hitting 30 of 35 hotkeys right as they flash on the screen. The entire game may last 10-15 seconds.

Each mini-game has ulterior motives in regards to what Larry will accomplish, and each is scored. If you win, you advance in the game. If you lose the mini-game, it’s basically game over, try again.

The sound of this game, and the graphics are solid. The game features that campy musical score that Leisure Suit fans have come to know and tolerate, while the three-dimensional look of the game does well for the type of game this is.

Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude will likely carry a mature rating. The game is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek laughfest, but the humor seems forced at times. This is a game not geared for anyone with any sensibilities. Check your morals and brain at the door – this game requires neither.