[E3 09] Return To Monkey Island!

[Telefrog]

Compared to whatever big news will come out of E3, the official announcement of the rumored Monkey Island revival is small potatoes, but it's something many gamers can rejoice over!

Back by popular demand, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition faithfully re-imagines the internationally-acclaimed classic game (originally released in 1990) for original and new audiences alike. The development team at LucasArts is bringing the game into the modern era with all-new HD graphics, a re-mastered musical score, full voiceover, and an in-depth hint system has been added to help players through the game’s side-splitting puzzles. Purists will also delight in the ability to seamlessly switch between the updated HD graphics and the original’s classic look.

Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island brings the adventures of pirate Guybrush Threepwood into a new era with an explosive storyline that becomes deeper and more entangled during the course of the five-episode saga. While battling his nemesis, the evil pirate LeChuck, Guybrush accidentally unleashes an insidious voodoo pox that threatens to transform the buccaneers of the Caribbean into unruly pirate monsters. Players will experience the humor, romance, and swashbuckling action the Monkey Island games are famous for and unravel an insidious plot which is revealed across the course of the series. Tales of Monkey Island is set to premiere on PC and WiiWare in the coming weeks.

This is awesome! Redone original AND a new episodic game? Wow.

[Nameless]

Neat! I hope they can get Dominic Armato for the voice-overs for Guybrush in both the re-make and Telltale Games' new episodes. I'm wondering, though, how involved Ron Gilbert will be (or Tim Schafer, for that matter).

I suspect Schafer won't be involved (as he's pretty busy these days), but I hope Gilbert has some input here.

Telltale's the studio that makes the Sam & Max episodic games, right?

I remain cautiously optimistic!

[WhyThree]

Color me excited!

[Banacek]

I hope this really works out, as I love the Monkey Island series and would love to see a revival.

[DoctorFinger]

If any studio out there can do it justice, it's Telltale.

[Ink Asylum]

I will be cautiously optimistic. I just hope they can get the same voice actors.

[crazyD]

Goddamnit. Episodic gaming just doesn't work for Adventure Games in my mind. And if it can possibly work, Telltale has shown that they can't do it. The grand adventures that make up the genre, and more specifically this series, does not work in small pieces. Any inventory puzzle is going to be easy if you only have 5 items in your inventory. Plus, Telltale's shitty untextured graphic style just never looked good in my mind.

[menage]

he grand adventures that make up the genre, and more specifically this series, does not work in small pieces

I kinda agree on that. But to be honest I'm there for the comedy, not the 2 hours of back and forthing between statue A with vase B glued with chewinggum C. It's fun if it makes sense, most of the time it ends up just clicking everything to get a result.

[Telefrog]

Originally Posted by Nameless

Neat! I hope they can get Dominic Armato for the voice-overs for Guybrush in both the re-make and Telltale Games' new episodes.

One of the videos on the site shows Dominic Armato back in action recording the dialogue. They mention that it wouldn't be the same without him.

[crazyD]

Originally Posted by menage

I kinda agree on that. But to be honest I'm there for the comedy, not the 2 hours of back and forthing between statue A with vase B glued with chewinggum C. It's fun if it makes sense, most of the time it ends up just clicking everything to get a result.

I prefer clever puzzles that make sense but require abstract thought. Humor is another big part of it, but I haven't been a big fan of Telltale on that front either. I didn't find their Sam and Max episodes to be all that funny. A big part of that is due to the limited number of characters to play off of, and their making some pretty generic characters to begin with.

[Savok]

I was going to get the puppy choking box out again but the grahpics look kinda ok. Though Guybrush looks fucking wrong, how hard is it to emulate Curse's style? It was the best looking of the series dammit.

[Nameless]

Originally Posted by Telefrog

One of the videos on the site shows Dominic Armato back in action recording the dialogue. They mention that it wouldn't be the same without him.

Awesome! I will check out those videos as soon as I get home.

I am now entirely optimistic!

[Hotcod]

The new look isn't as good as i might have been but it's also not bad and knowing that they are just making a pure remake then doing new stuff makes me happy, in my pants, which i may need to go change after reading this.

I still remember being a little kid and working out, at last, how to get off the boat on to the island i ran around all excited 'cus i'd been stuck there for ages. One of my classic gaming moments. Monkey Island really dose sit in a very special list for me, with wing commander doom red alert and half life as a very special game to me and i'm stupidly excited for this

[Spigot]

Originally Posted by Telefrog

One of the videos on the site shows Dominic Armato back in action recording the dialogue. They mention that it wouldn't be the same without him.

Now THIS is great news. Was Murray in the first game? I think that Curse was the first game that I played to completion (having finished it many, many times since) and Murray was the high point in that game for me. A Monkey Island game with less Murray just isn't the same for me.

Originally Posted by Savok

I was going to get the puppy choking box out again but the grahpics look kinda ok. Though Guybrush looks fucking wrong, how hard is it to emulate Curse's style? It was the best looking of the series dammit.

No kidding. I don't want the 3D abomination that was Escape. I want more pretty cel-animation a la Curse.

[Jackel]

Gotta say this is pretty exciting news.

[Nameless]

Originally Posted by Spigot

Now THIS is great news. Was Murray in the first game? I think that Curse was the first game that I played to completion (having finished it many, many times since) and Murray was the high point in that game for me. A Monkey Island game with less Murray just isn't the same for me.

He was introduced in Curse, so it's unlikely he'll be in the remake; but he'll probably be in the episodes.

[crazyD]

The graphics for the episodes, by the way, look pretty crap. Like, sub-Escape crap.

[Kelegacy]

Originally Posted by crazyD

Goddamnit. Episodic gaming just doesn't work for Adventure Games in my mind. And if it can possibly work, Telltale has shown that they can't do it. The grand adventures that make up the genre, and more specifically this series, does not work in small pieces. Any inventory puzzle is going to be easy if you only have 5 items in your inventory. Plus, Telltale's shitty untextured graphic style just never looked good in my mind.

The new Wallace and Gromit game is tiny, with just a few areas, and I read a review that rejoiced at that because you aren't faced with as complicated puzzles. When they said the adventure is just a couple areas my eyes glazed over and I stopped reading. No sale.

I too don't like episodic adventure games and hope they stop. Unfortunately I think it's all Telltale can do.

[Heretic Machine]

Well, the music is as good as you'd expect, and they seem to have at least gotten Guybrush's voice actor on board, so consider me sold. I'd love to comment on the graphics, but the "screenshots" and video are so fucking tiny that I couldn't tell you whether they were awesome or terrible.

[Spigot]

Originally Posted by Heretic Machine

Well, the music is as good as you'd expect, and they seem to have at least gotten Guybrush's voice actor on board, so consider me sold. I'd love to comment on the graphics, but the "screenshots" and video are so fucking tiny that I couldn't tell you whether they were awesome or terrible.

They're not tiny. That is how big the game will run when you play it. It's true!