Police Quest IV: Open Season
Encyclopedia
Daryl F. Gates' Police Quest: Open Season is the fourth installment of Sierra Entertainment
's popular Police Quest
computer game series. Released in 1993, it was created by retired Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, who was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department
(LAPD) from 1978 to 1992. He replaced ex-California Highway Patrol officer Jim Walls
as the designer of the Police Quest
franchise.
The game is listed as Police Quest 4 (PQ4) in the manual. It is also shown in the file names and the credits, and when exiting the game in DOS, "Thank you for playing Police Quest IV: Open Season". The number does not appear on the title screen.
rather than the fiction
al Lytton. Backgrounds for the game are scanned photograph
s rather than painted scenery, and depict real locations in Los Angeles. The Parker Center
is a location used in the game, and is virtually unchanged from when the game was made. Written text is replaced by audible narration and dialogues on the CD version, released in 1996.
The entire game, like Police Quest III and the 1991 re-make of Police Quest 1, is based on a mouse-controlled user-interface system. Icons such as "walk", "speak to", "touch", "use", and "look at" are used rather than the old-fashioned text-parsing
system used in the first two games.
Homages to Sonny Bonds appear in two places: the name of the police server is "SONNY", and "Sonny Bonds" also appears on the high score screens of the two arcade games in the Short Stop Bar (CD version only).
After 5 people are murdered, mutilated and found in public places, Carey finally closes in on the killer
. He stumbled across the proprietor of a second-rate movie theatre, who has a stuttering problem. The owner offers him some tea and invites him into the theatre to watch a film. Carey passes out and hallucinates that the proprietor is the cross-dresser seen near the body of Hickman. The owner wakes Carey up and throws him out of the theatre. Carey finds the killer's house (led there by his dog), only to find a severed head
in a fridge
. Carey finds a hidden passage that leads back to the theatre, and finds a woman passed out in the seats. When he returns, he sees the owner dragging the unconscious woman into a back room. Carey is subsequently knocked unconscious. However, Carey manages to scrounge up some hairspray and a lighter, finds the woman covered in blood with the killer looming over her, and torches the killer. Although the woman is limp and covered in blood, we can assume that Carey saved her because the mayor mentions that only 5 people were killed, as he presents Carey with the Medal of Valor
.
At the beginning of the game, an eight-year-old boy is found murdered from gunshot wounds in a dumpster, close-ups of Hickman's body are revealed, and towards the end of the game, the player will find a severed head in a refrigerator before ultimately stumbling upon the killer, who is fondling a victim's corpse. It is believed the killer in the game is based on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer
, noted for keeping body parts from his victims inside his house. The game, like several other Sierra games of the era, is also notable for the fact that the main character can be killed by many hazards; the game ends if a player constantly harasses
female employees at the Parker Center, or if he shoots non-threatening people.
Open Season also featured mature sexual themes. At one point, the player visits a transgender nightclub in West Hollywood, and learns about his friend's secret life. The realism is complemented by a unique reaction for inappropriate use of items in the player's inventory, rather than a generic "I can't do that" statement.
released a very similar game called Blue Force
. Although Blue Force is graphically more similar to Police Quest III, the storyline and completion time are shorter.
Also, for the 1996 release of the game, a two minute promotional video was included.
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
's popular Police Quest
Police Quest
Police Quest is a series of computer games produced and published by Sierra On-Line between 1987 and 1993. The original series was composed of four adventure games, the first three of which were designed by former policeman Jim Walls, with the fourth title designed by former LAPD Chief Daryl F....
computer game series. Released in 1993, it was created by retired Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, who was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
(LAPD) from 1978 to 1992. He replaced ex-California Highway Patrol officer Jim Walls
Jim Walls
Jim Walls is a retired police officer, who in 1971 joined the California Highway Patrol. He retired after 15 years on the force after a shooting incident that left him traumatized....
as the designer of the Police Quest
Police Quest
Police Quest is a series of computer games produced and published by Sierra On-Line between 1987 and 1993. The original series was composed of four adventure games, the first three of which were designed by former policeman Jim Walls, with the fourth title designed by former LAPD Chief Daryl F....
franchise.
The game is listed as Police Quest 4 (PQ4) in the manual. It is also shown in the file names and the credits, and when exiting the game in DOS, "Thank you for playing Police Quest IV: Open Season". The number does not appear on the title screen.
Gameplay
Police Quest IV differs significantly from the first three games, in both game engine and story. The player plays the character of homicide detective John Carey, rather than officer Sonny Bonds, and the game is set in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
rather than the fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al Lytton. Backgrounds for the game are scanned photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s rather than painted scenery, and depict real locations in Los Angeles. The Parker Center
Parker Center
Parker Center was the headquarters for the Los Angeles Police Department from 1954 until October 2009, and is located in Downtown LA. It is named for former LAPD chief William H. Parker. Originally with the prosaic name, the Police Administration Building, ground for the center was broken on...
is a location used in the game, and is virtually unchanged from when the game was made. Written text is replaced by audible narration and dialogues on the CD version, released in 1996.
The entire game, like Police Quest III and the 1991 re-make of Police Quest 1, is based on a mouse-controlled user-interface system. Icons such as "walk", "speak to", "touch", "use", and "look at" are used rather than the old-fashioned text-parsing
Parsing
In computer science and linguistics, parsing, or, more formally, syntactic analysis, is the process of analyzing a text, made of a sequence of tokens , to determine its grammatical structure with respect to a given formal grammar...
system used in the first two games.
Homages to Sonny Bonds appear in two places: the name of the police server is "SONNY", and "Sonny Bonds" also appears on the high score screens of the two arcade games in the Short Stop Bar (CD version only).
Plot
The game starts in a South Central Los Angeles alley at around 3:00 AM. Carey finds his best friend and ex-partner, Officer Bob Hickman, murdered on the scene, alongside eight-year-old Bobby Washington. The seemingly random string of gang-related murders continues along, providing Carey with clues to find his killer(s).After 5 people are murdered, mutilated and found in public places, Carey finally closes in on the killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. He stumbled across the proprietor of a second-rate movie theatre, who has a stuttering problem. The owner offers him some tea and invites him into the theatre to watch a film. Carey passes out and hallucinates that the proprietor is the cross-dresser seen near the body of Hickman. The owner wakes Carey up and throws him out of the theatre. Carey finds the killer's house (led there by his dog), only to find a severed head
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
in a fridge
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a common household appliance that consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room...
. Carey finds a hidden passage that leads back to the theatre, and finds a woman passed out in the seats. When he returns, he sees the owner dragging the unconscious woman into a back room. Carey is subsequently knocked unconscious. However, Carey manages to scrounge up some hairspray and a lighter, finds the woman covered in blood with the killer looming over her, and torches the killer. Although the woman is limp and covered in blood, we can assume that Carey saved her because the mayor mentions that only 5 people were killed, as he presents Carey with the Medal of Valor
Los Angeles Police Medal of Valor
The Los Angeles Police Department Medal of Valor is the highest law enforcement medal given by the Los Angeles Police Department.The Medal of Valor is an award for bravery, usually given for individual acts of extraordinary bravery or heroism performed in the line of duty at extreme,...
.
Realism
The game's gritty realism greatly emphasizes a homicide detective's line of work, requiring the player to follow standard police procedures and thoroughly investigate crime scenes to every extent. As such realism is presented in the form of working to find and link clues, the game also depicts a gruesome photo-realistic nature. The CD version of the game contained copies of official LA police department employee and community relation polices.At the beginning of the game, an eight-year-old boy is found murdered from gunshot wounds in a dumpster, close-ups of Hickman's body are revealed, and towards the end of the game, the player will find a severed head in a refrigerator before ultimately stumbling upon the killer, who is fondling a victim's corpse. It is believed the killer in the game is based on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders involved rape, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism...
, noted for keeping body parts from his victims inside his house. The game, like several other Sierra games of the era, is also notable for the fact that the main character can be killed by many hazards; the game ends if a player constantly harasses
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
female employees at the Parker Center, or if he shoots non-threatening people.
Open Season also featured mature sexual themes. At one point, the player visits a transgender nightclub in West Hollywood, and learns about his friend's secret life. The realism is complemented by a unique reaction for inappropriate use of items in the player's inventory, rather than a generic "I can't do that" statement.
Development and Release
The same year Police Quest: Open Season was released, ex-Police Quest developer Jim WallsJim Walls
Jim Walls is a retired police officer, who in 1971 joined the California Highway Patrol. He retired after 15 years on the force after a shooting incident that left him traumatized....
released a very similar game called Blue Force
Blue Force
Blue Force is a computer game released in 1993 by former Police Quest designer Jim Walls.-Synopsis:The player is a rookie police officer named Jake Ryan. Jake's father was a police officer, which prompted Jake to join the force. Jake's father was killed in the line of duty and his case has not yet...
. Although Blue Force is graphically more similar to Police Quest III, the storyline and completion time are shorter.
Also, for the 1996 release of the game, a two minute promotional video was included.