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Adventure game portal Sarien back with Activision's approval
In a lengthy post on the personal blog of Martin Kool, proprietor of the recently cease-and-desisted Sierra adventure game portal Sarien.net, the lengthy history of the site's development was recounted. We assumed said history would end with the site's closure earlier this week -- but luckily, it looks like a new chapter is set to unfold, as Activision has given Sarien approval to continue running, albeit in a limited fashion. Kool explained, "Activision proposed to officially authorize Sarien.net to publish the first game of any series in its multiplayer HTML5 form." The portal will include a link from each of these free-to-play first chapters to the series' full collections on Steam. The publisher also demanded that the iPad versions of the titles be removed, on the off chance that they ever decide to drop their own adventure game Apps. Seems like a pretty reasonable response from Activision -- especially when compared to most publishers' policy of "Hey, that's ours, cut that out right away, young man."
Griffin McElroy01.29.2011
Unauthorized Sierra adventure games portal Sarien.net ceases upon Activision order
Sarien.net, "the portal that once stood for reliving classic Sierra On-Line adventure games" (for free), has been shut down following a cease-and-desist order issued by IP owner Activision. The site's creator, Mr. Kool (real name!), has posted the letter from Activision's legal counsel on the Sarien homepage. "While we appreciate your dedication to the Sierra classic library and understand that you are a fan of these games, Activision has not authorized the development or distribution of these games via your Website," the order reads. "Accordingly, we must demand that you immediately cease any further distribution or exploitation of the Sierra Games on your Website." Kool launched Sarien way back in April 2009, but it seemingly took this month's implementation of iPhone and iPad browser support (for all of the site's AGI-powered games) for Activision to take notice. "Wait till you see my new World of Warcraft in javascript," Kool quipped in a tweet. "Oh wait, that's Activision too..." [Thanks, Ryan; image source: MobyGames]
James Ransom-Wiley01.27.2011
Sierra On-Line games playable on iPad via web app (for now)
It's almost certainly a matter of time before the subject of this post is struck down with an Activision-branded cease and desist, so listen up: Using a bit of sorcery, Sarien.net has made its catalog of Sierra On-Line adventure games (including hits like Space Quest, King's Quest and Leisure Suit Larry) playable on the iPad. To access the games, just visit Sarien's website, pick your game and bookmark it. It's alarmingly easy. Again, we can't imagine Activision smiles upon any of its IPs being distributed so freely and simply, so the games probably won't be available for long. We suggest you get to perp-busting/galaxy-saving/womanizing at your earliest convenience.
Griffin McElroy01.15.2011
Sierra On-Line games hit iPad via web app, those old enough to remember them rejoice
You may or may not be old enough to remember Sierra On-Line, makers of such fine games as Leisure Suit Larry, the King's Quest, and Police Quest, but none of that matters anymore. Thanks to the folks over at Sarien, you now have access to these glorious titles via your iPad's web browser. The entire catalog has been ported over, and the games which were previously available via the web only are now there on your Apple tablet! The whole shebang is now hosted on Amazon's content distribution network, and the games have been extensively tweaked for that multitouch interface. Sarien hasn't apparently been issued a cease and desist from Activision -- owners of the catalog -- yet, so get these free gems of yesteryear while you can.
Laura June Dziuban01.14.2011
Play classic Sierra adventures for free -- with multiplayer
Hopefully this gets to you before the inevitable cease-and-desist: right now, a site called Sarien (named after the antagonists in the original Space Quest) is offering a selection of vintage Sierra adventure games, playable right in your browser. If you've never known Leisure Suit Larry to be anything but a terrible minigame collection, you can check out the real game here, along with Police Quest, The Black Cauldron, and the first two wonderful Space Quest games.As if a free, simple interface for enjoying these games weren't enough, Sarien adds a bizarre twist: (optional) multiplayer. When you go into a game, you'll be surrounded by identical avatars, all playing their own adventures. You can watch them explore and type commands (that's right, typing), or you can provide tips to your fellow players. It can be pretty disorienting to adventure game fans (and creators) but once you get used to the crowd, it's an interesting variation on these old games.[Via What They Play, Offworld]
JC Fletcher04.22.2009