In case you didn't know, this week marks the release of the first few seasons of Duckman on DVD; and if you wish to plead further ignorance, Duckman was a brilliantly cynical cartoon that had a surprisingly long run (70 episodes) on the USA network in the mid-90s. So what does this have to do with video games? Aside from giving me a chance to promote one of my favorite TV shows, this week's monumental media event is also the perfect time to talk about the series' PC adventure game, Duckman: The Legend of the Fall.
Along with Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity, Legend of the Fall was one of the few non-LucasArts adventure games to nearly capture that same LucasArts magic. Unfortunately, Duckman was not nearly as popular of a franchise; also, Legend of the Fall's 1997 release date missed the genre's height of popularity by nearly 3-4 years, and came at the tail-end of the show's run. Hence the game's "lost" status; for being as uniquely American in its own "hell in a handbasket" take on the modern world, Duckman: Legend of the Fall was released everywhere but America.
It's kind of a shame, too, because the rapid-fire dialogue of Duckman is perfect for a style of game that's almost completely reliant on dialogue for entertainment. I surely would have appreciated Legend of the Fall as a surly, late-90s American teenager--and I actually did much later in life thanks to the seemingly-defunct online freeware cavern, Home of the Underdogs. As much as I hate "If you love X, you'll love Y" comparisons, the game is semi-perfect for fans of adventure games, and perfect if you also happen to like Duckman. Much like Virtual Stupidity, Legend of the Fall came from a time where licensed games started to remain very faithful to their source material--so don't expect Duckman to fight space mutants or skateboard down the great wall of China.
Incidentally, I've always thought The Simpsons would have been PERFECT for a PC adventure game, but that time has passed.
The biggest problem with Legend of the Fall is the complete and total lack of Jason Alexander, who was the voice of Duckman on the TV show. His sound-alike is eerily competent, but, as with any sound-alike, he gives you this weird, alienating feeling that the character you love is an impostor; when Billy West took over the voice of Ren from John K. in the early 90s, I didn't come out of my room for weeks. But overall, Legend of the Fall is worth playing--if you can find it; and I doubt legality matter much at this point. Oh, and if you'll allow me to speak of DVDs once more, you should probably go watch Duckman now that it's available again--for research.
Related Links
LucasArts Classics On Nintendo DS?
Will Games Ever Be Funny?
Whatcha Playing: The Thirst For Adventure, Pointing At Things, and Not Knowing What to Say