Yep, TMI looks much worse than EMI. </sarcasm>

[HoppyDragon]

I keep reading in comments on some of the news stories about Tales of Monkey Island that the graphics look worse than Escape from Monkey Island. I wouldn't care if they really did, but just for the sake of proving them wrong, let's compare.

"Escape from Monkey Island": Guybrush & Elaine
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2741/mi4profilelarge.jpg (http://img223.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mi4profilelarge.jpg)

"Tales of Monkey Island": Guybrush & Elaine
http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/7522/talesofmiguybrushandela.jpg (http://img223.imageshack.us/my.php?image=talesofmiguybrushandela.jpg)

[xChri5x]

Is that an image from the "secret forum" ?

[HoppyDragon]

Is that an image from the "secret forum" ?
I believe it's from the secret wallpaper Jake posted there, heh. Just realized that too, but it was the only thing I could find that had the two of them together.

[Secret Fawful]

Some gameplay shots as well, just to erase any doubt.

http://www.mobygames.com/images/i/20/38/106938.jpeg

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/990/990268/tales-of-monkey-island-episode-1-20090602090738216_640w.jpg

Whereas EMI is bland and drab, with horrid textures, TMI is bright and colorful, with much nicer texturing.

[Armakuni]

If we look at CMI, though...
http://www.mobygames.com/images/i/41/14/126314.jpeg

But yeah, that's an unfair comparison... 2D is a thing of the past.

I think TMI looks pretty damn good, better than I would have expected. Telltale did a very good job on that, I don't know where people get the "EMI looks better" from.. makes no sense.

[xChri5x]

2D is a thing of the past.



http://adventuregamers.com/gallery.php?id=1489

[HoppyDragon]

I think TMI looks pretty damn good, better than I would have expected. Telltale did a very good job on that, I don't know where people get the "EMI looks better" from.. makes no sense.

People just want to complain I guess. Some of the textures in Telltale's games aren't of the highest quality, but the advances in 3D since EMI's release really shine through and make a difference for TMI. Plus, it's fricken' widescreen!

I really like the way TMI looks. I'll admit the trailer for it at first seems a bit underwhelming, but from the screenshots, footage from the rest of the trailer, and some small bits of gameplay I saw during a interview with Dave Grossman at E3, it looks really good, and I dig Guybrush's look.

[HoppyDragon]

http://adventuregamers.com/gallery.php?id=1489

Don't forget
http://www.the-whispered-world.com/
and
http://www.book-of-unwritten-tales.com/

[mithrandiryod]

Some gameplay shots as well, just to erase any doubt.

http://www.mobygames.com/images/i/20/38/106938.jpeg

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/990/990268/tales-of-monkey-island-episode-1-20090602090738216_640w.jpg

Whereas EMI is bland and drab, with horrid textures, TMI is bright and colorful, with much nicer texturing.

Do bare in mind that Melee island itself is dark and dreary (at all times) so to compare another island as being bright and colorful doesn't quite fit to compare the two games together....though I quite agree that TMI does look better from what I've seen than EMI....though nothing can beat MI2 in my mind...give me that any day of the week it looked awesome...and never let it be said that the artistic value of CMI was any less.

[turingmachine604]

All the 2D Monkey Island games (1,2,3) look a billion times better than EMI and TMI combined.

[HoppyDragon]

All the 2D Monkey Island games (1,2,3) look a billion times better than EMI and TMI combined.

It's all a matter of preference, and given how timeless 2D has become in this 3D world, it's a given that people will like the 2D more.

[Secret Fawful]

Do bare in mind that Melee island itself is dark and dreary (at all times) so to compare another island as being bright and colorful doesn't quite fit to compare the two games together....though I quite agree that TMI does look better from what I've seen than EMI....though nothing can beat MI2 in my mind...give me that any day of the week it looked awesome...and never let it be said that the artistic value of CMI was any less.

http://www.pirates-privateers.com/img/escape-from-monkey-island-44.jpg

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/article/990/990268/tales-of-monkey-island-episode-1-20090602090738216_640w.jpg

There ya go.

SOMI doesn't look better art wise than TMI except for the closeups, but MI2 and CMI do, in my opinion.

[turingmachine604]

It's all a matter of preference, and given how timeless 2D has become in this 3D world, it's a given that people will like the 2D more.

Yeah, 2D ages better than 3D.

However, I do admit to being biased in that I'd take top notch 2D over 3D any day. You can't deny that CMI has some absolutely gorgeous artwork. MI 2 will always be my favorite, though.

EDIT:
I should add, I really do like the TMI art style and graphics.

[HoppyDragon]

Yeah, 2D ages better than 3D.

However, I do admit to being biased in that I'd take top notch 2D over 3D any day. You can't deny that CMI has some absolutely gorgeous artwork. MI 2 will always be my favorite, though.

EDIT:
I should add, I really do like the TMI art style and graphics.
If you want to see some new 2D adventure games that even blow CMI away, look up a few posts at the two links I posted. :)

[LuigiHann]

If we look at CMI, though...
http://www.mobygames.com/images/i/41/14/126314.jpeg

But yeah, that's an unfair comparison... 2D is a thing of the past.

To be quite honest, as much as I love CMI: The first thing I notice when I see that image is how crunchy the outline on the sprite of Guybrush looks. Sad really, because other than that the game remains beautiful. Future 2D games should use vector art so it'd be much more scalable.

[turingmachine604]

To be quite honest, as much as I love CMI: The first thing I notice when I see that image is how crunchy the outline on the sprite of Guybrush looks. Sad really, because other than that the game remains beautiful. Future 2D games should use vector art so it'd be much more scalable.

Eh, I never liked how lanky they made Guybrush in CMI. After MI 1 and 2, Guybrush became more and more goofy which I always lamented.

[Armakuni]

I agree. However, the backdrops are gorgeous, it'll be a while until we see 3D look that awesome, in adventure games anyway.

[Jayel]

Eh, I never liked how lanky they made Guybrush in CMI. After MI 1 and 2, Guybrush became more and more goofy which I always lamented.

So has LeChuck, it seems. After years of playing MI2 and seeing LeChuck as a menacing and scary villain, I find it hard to accept him as anything but. TMI looks promising in that regard - at least he's not fumbling with a cannonball or making funny noises.

[HoppyDragon]

So has LeChuck, it seems. After years of playing MI2 and seeing LeChuck as a menacing and scary villain, I find it hard to accept him as anything but. TMI looks promising in that regard - at least he's not fumbling with a cannonball or making funny noises.

I kind of like this LeChuck.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b241/ATMachine/mimisc/emiglechuck10.png

[Emily]

A journalist I showed the game to today commented that although it's 3D, the art style is actually pretty reminiscent of Curse of Monkey Island. I hadn't really thought about it but it's true. Harder to see in the screenshots than when the game is moving, but the framing of the shots, camera angles, and the way the environments "move" as Guybrush walks through them has a very stylized feel that *almost* seems like a prerendered 2D game. Hard to explain right now, but when you guys play the game I hope you'll see what I'm talking about.

[HoppyDragon]

A journalist I showed the game to today commented that although it's 3D, the art style is actually pretty reminiscent of Curse of Monkey Island. I hadn't really thought about it but it's true. Harder to see in the screenshots than when the game is moving, but the framing of the shots, camera angles, and the way the environments "move" as Guybrush walks through them has a very stylized feel that *almost* seems like a prerendered 2D game. Hard to explain right now, but when you guys play the game I hope you'll see what I'm talking about.

I really hope sometime soon we get to see an actual gameplay trailer. You wouldn't happen to know if one is coming soon? ;) I haven't seen one pop up on any gaming sites, which I find odd.

[turingmachine604]

A journalist I showed the game to today commented that although it's 3D, the art style is actually pretty reminiscent of Curse of Monkey Island. I hadn't really thought about it but it's true. Harder to see in the screenshots than when the game is moving, but the framing of the shots, camera angles, and the way the environments "move" as Guybrush walks through them has a very stylized feel that *almost* seems like a prerendered 2D game. Hard to explain right now, but when you guys play the game I hope you'll see what I'm talking about.

Sounds great!

[LuigiHann]

the environments "move" as Guybrush walks through them

That sounds promising.

[Secret Fawful]

A journalist I showed the game to today commented that although it's 3D, the art style is actually pretty reminiscent of Curse of Monkey Island. I hadn't really thought about it but it's true. Harder to see in the screenshots than when the game is moving, but the framing of the shots, camera angles, and the way the environments "move" as Guybrush walks through them has a very stylized feel that *almost* seems like a prerendered 2D game. Hard to explain right now, but when you guys play the game I hope you'll see what I'm talking about.

That's really cool! Thanks for the info!

[werpu]

http://adventuregamers.com/gallery.php?id=1489
The engine Bill Tiller uses for his games is a mixed 2d 3d engine.
2d Backgrounds 3d characters.

[Pantagruel's Friend]

Don't forget
http://www.the-whispered-world.com/
and
http://www.book-of-unwritten-tales.com/

Man, do these shot look gorgeous... *sighs* I guess that with the plethora of different resolutions around, it's not very efficient to do 2D art - or you'll have hordes of unhappy users wishing for widescreen, or not widescreen, or 2560x1600, or 800x600, etc... I think it's a really tough undertaking to go for a 2D game today.

And also, for 3D, there's good value in the moving cameras and the different shots of the locations.

It just occured to me - if you do a 3D game with the same timeline and resources as a 2D adventure, how close can it come in visual quality? Provided the users have a hefty videocard, of course :)

[doom saber]

I've never played the ps2 ver of EoMI but I have read that that ver has more polygons

I would like to see screens comparsion of that and TMI

[taumel]

I really like the first TOMI shot you're having in the thread with Guybrush and Elaine, very nice one although the backround is too flat. The second one doesn't look convincing to me.

I think MI4 looked okay for it's time and once had it's pros mostly with some geometry and the backgrounds, sometimes very poor on the texturing side. The dark scene for instance is still a nice one if you ignore Guybrush's face. I'm just addicted to those MI clouds. :O)

Never liked the outlines in MI3 but the brackgrounds were fine.


As we're talking about screens, i am really into some of the AVS2 screens, especially this one.

http://www.adventuregamers.com/images/db/10108.jpg

[HoppyDragon]

Yikes, would you mind resizing that a bit? It's stretching the page.

[HoppyDragon]

I really like the first TOMI shot you're having in the thread with Guybrush and Elaine, very nice one although the backround is too flat. The second one doesn't look convincing to me.
The background is flat in the ToMI "screenshot" because it's not a screenshot. It's just the 3D models of Guybrush and Elaine on a flat background for desktop wallpaper purposes, though I cropped it to use as an example. :P

[Junaid]

First gameplay: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/talesofmonkeyisland/videos.html?mode=all

I really like the expressions on Guybrush

[HoppyDragon]

first gameplay: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/talesofmonkeyisland/videos.html?mode=all

i really like the expressions on guybrush
Thank you!! :D

[taumel]

The background is flat in the ToMI "screenshot" because it's not a screenshot. It's just the 3D models of Guybrush and Elaine on a flat background for desktop wallpaper purposes, though I cropped it to use as an example. :P

Sure but that's what looks disturbing.

As for the size of the screen, i just linked to it, i guess it's okay again as soon as we reach page 3.

[moomoocow]

First gameplay: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/talesofmonkeyisland/videos.html?mode=all

I really like the expressions on Guybrush

Looking good :)
Damn now you made me preorder even though I wanted to wait...

[HoppyDragon]

Sure but that's what looks disturbing.

As for the size of the screen, i just linked to it, i guess it's okay again as soon as we reach page 3.

If you edit your post, the picture in the preview should have size handles on the edges that will allow you to resize it. They at least show for me when I make posts.

[LukeSW]

I was a little unconvinced by the environments in the trailer and screenshots, but the gameplay footage has completely changed my mind. I get weird CMI vibes from the visuals, too. Not sure why, though.

[S@bre]

The gameplay footage really does show the game's artistic beauty rather better than the pictures; even if not cutting edge-and I wouldn't expect it to be, not everyone has such a computer for that-its still good. My only beef with it is the water. It seems a little off, especially when the camera looks down at it (though the reflections off it at typical angles are nice, and it is animated). It doesn't convey that tropical water feel that one would expect from a stereotypical depiction of the Caribbean. It might help if it were more gradient towards a lighter blue, as it was in Moai Better Blues:

http://o.aolcdn.com/gd-media/games/sam--max-202-moai-better-blues/pc/tn_565_7.jpg

Does anyone else think that these GameSpot interviewers in these videos are incessantly cheery?

[Toothless Gibbon]

I was a little unconvinced by the environments in the trailer and screenshots, but the gameplay footage has completely changed my mind. I get weird CMI vibes from the visuals, too. Not sure why, though.


Exactly what I was going to say! Any fears I had have just gone.

CANNOT WAIT!

Already thinking of ways to knock the captian off the ship....

[HoppyDragon]

Already thinking of ways to knock the captian off the ship....

Heh, you too? :D

[twisted-pixel]

I've had my desktop as shots from CMI for as long as I can remember (and I'm 38). the graphics were stunning, the game play was so addictive I had more sickies than I can count because I wanted to stay at home and play it. I would prefer 2D graphics over 3D anyday, but right now......I don't care!!...I just want to play the new game.

[HoppyDragon]

I was thinking just now, out of all of Guybrush's non-pixelated looks, his new look in Tales of Monkey Island is my absolute favorite.

[Guybrush Cheapwood]

oh man, i wish they didn't show us the 'vip card' that was hidden in the sock.

i knew i shouldn't of watched that video. DAMN SPOILERS!!! :eek:

[Shwoo]

First gameplay: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/talesofmonkeyisland/videos.html?mode=all

I really like the expressions on Guybrush
Am I hearing things, or does the captain guy sound a lot like British Bosco? I think it's the accent.

[belacqua]

The engine Bill Tiller uses for his games is a mixed 2d 3d engine.
2d Backgrounds 3d characters.

i like this kind of graphic, 2.5d ... and my favourite it's CMI style, I love that graphic ( the new game of Bill Tiller, Ghosts Pirates..., seems very similar to that !!!) i think though that Telltale boys made a good work also with this 3d, i hope it will very nice, and want to play Tales Of Mi now !!!

[iamthesalami]

I just wet my pants!!

Not because of the game - it's just what I'm in to...

But anywhy, I also grew up loving the 2D-ness of the first 3 games, and I feel that my former 14 year old self probably died a wee bit (just before vigorously rubbing wasabi in his eyes and trying to aphyyiate myself on a horses ass) after playing EFMI.

Generally I would usually say 3D could never beat 2D for creating that "Magical" feeling (opening shot of Monkey Island 1 anyone?) - But after seeing the in-game preview and hearing the previous comment from Emily (who I believe must be either an angel or a highly sexual woman - possibly both?) I tend to believe that we should trust in Telltale, they are fans of the series themselves and would only want to do their inner 14 yr old self justice (or whichever age they were in when they fell in love with the Monkey Island series).:rolleyes:

Now where did the cat go?

[Diduz]

Now that I've watched those gameplay videos, I think TOMI graphics look great in motion. The new Guybrush looks like one of the best animated characters you've done (though Wallace & Gromit rock too). :)

[xChri5x]

The Stage Demo video on gamespot has tons more gameplay footage. It's looking incredible!

[HoppyDragon]

I can't decide that if more gameplay videos are released, whether or not I should watch them. I'm tempted to rewatch Gamespot's.. but I feel like what I've watched spoiled me enough already. I'm feeling like I may go insane before TMI is released. Did I mention that it's roughly 32 1/2 days until it's released? :rolleyes:

[Zomantic]

I'm feeling like I may go insane before TMI is released.

You're not the only one, bro. :(

[Irishmile]

I wish they had better clouds and more of that awesome night time blue green lighting.

[Jake]

Am I hearing things, or does the captain guy sound a lot like British Bosco? I think it's the accent.

I think it's actually Roger Jackson (Mojo Jojo from PowerPuff Girls, Lincoln from Sam & Max). I might have to triple-check that, but I'm pretty sure.

I wish they had better clouds and more of that awesome night time blue green lighting.

It can't be nighttime all the time :) Though sometimes in the world of Monkey Island I wish it was.

[Merkel]

So does that we will definitively get nightime locations, Jake?

[LuigiHann]

It can't be nighttime all the time :) Though sometimes in the world of Monkey Island I wish it was.

Will it be nighttime sometimes, or like in the other MI games, nighttime in some places?

[VagrantWulf]

I'm heavily biased in the direction of 3D myself, and the reason for that is freedom of angles.

If you look at CoMI, barring the character art (must not talk about that... must not talk about that... must not...), it looks as pretty as a picture. But that's all it is, a picture. An interactive picture, maybe, but a picture. Games like Samorost of late have played to the strengths of this, by actually admitting the truth of 2D gaming and playing to its strengths. And usually the strengths of 2D gaming lie in artsy-fartsy efforts, which I admit I have a soft spot for.

But when playing a game like this, I'm going to prefer 3D. Why? Monkey Island is a game of swash-buckling adventure, and I like to be able to explore my environs! The problem with 2D gaming is that at its core, a 2D adventure gaming engine is a slideshow, there's no real freedom there at all. This is why, despite my unending love for Lechuck's Revenge, I recognise the need to move on to current technology, technology that provides greater levels of freedom of movement.

In a 2D game, if you see something odd sticking out from the back of a hut, there's nothing you can do about that other than get OCD over it because the character is limited in movement and viewing angles. However, in a 3D game you can simply wander around to the back of the hut and use a different viewing angle to find out what that object was, it means you can really nose at and inspect the environment, for that reason 3D has to be much more detailed, 2D hides a multitude of sins.

Not to mention that the stills of ToMI look almost as good as the backgrounds of CoMI, and the character art of ToMI (in my opinion) is leagues ahead of CoMI in every conceivable way. Plus the bonus of being able to really inspect the environment in three dimensions.

I really don't understand what the Rage regarding the loss of 2D is about these days, with 3D looking as incredible as it does. If 3D looked as bad as it did back in the days of EMI, I'd understand, but it doesn't. A still 3D shot can look as good as a still 2D shot, and a lot of old 2D games even used backdrops which were rendered as 3D and saved as a 2D image.

Really, look at the ToMI in-game still above and look at the CoMI still, the ToMI one looks just as nice as the CoMI one, I think, but the CoMI one will forever look that way, whereas the ToMI one can be viewed from any angles the developers see fit to allow us to have. 3D is grand, and that freedom of viewing angles helps to make a World feel alive, rather than just moving characters on a still image. In my opinion (and I might be alone in this), 2D in all its glory can never present the same feeling of liveliness that 3D does, and for that reason I'm glad ToMI is 3D.

[turingmachine604]

I'm heavily biased in the direction of 3D myself, and the reason for that is freedom of angles.

Freedom of camera movement has it's limitations. It's much easier to create moods with static camera angles. The trick is to learn to balance when it's appropriate to allow someone to control the camera, and when the storyteller needs to take control and limit what you can view.

[Armakuni]

I think Myst 4 is a wonderful example of how alive 2D environments can be.
Birds flying around, leaves waving in the wind, water flowing, etc... still looks fantastic. And of course, you could look around 360 degrees.

[LuigiHann]

I think Myst 4 is a wonderful example of how alive 2D environments can be.
Birds flying around, leaves waving in the wind, water flowing, etc... still looks fantastic. And of course, you could look around 360 degrees.

I feel that Myst 4 is a 3D game in any meaningful sense. Pre-rendered 3D, yes, but 3D nonetheless.

Although to imagine the Myst 4 engine with hand-drawn 2D art is a pretty mind-blowing thought.

[Armakuni]

I think of pre-rendered backgrounds as 2D, but I see what you're saying.

Myst 5 on the other hand *is* 3D, and looks very ugly in comparison.

[HoppyDragon]

I've been thinking.. while EMI is my least favorite Monkey Island game, it's not by any means a bad game. Sure, Monkey Kombat was terrible, and I really disliked the ending, but the rest of the game wasn't that bad at all. It's still Monkey Island, albeit not as awesome as the rest of the games in the series. It's also the one I've played the least, mostly because of the bad memories of Monkey Kombat. I also remember enjoying making Guybrush eat the pretzels at the SCUMM bar. :rolleyes:

I think to pass the time while waiting for TMI, I'm going to go play through EMI again, since I've beaten SOMI, MI2, and CMI more times than I can count. Anyone else doing the same, and if so, which one(s) are you playing? :D

Edit: Being in the mood to play EMI, I felt like posting this just for the heck of it! SCUMM Bar Theme from EMI (http://www.scummbar.com/mi2/MI4-CD1/18%20-%20Scumm%20Bar%20%28Main%29.mp3)

[werpu]

The funny thing is, nobody mentioned one big limitation of 2d, besides that it is more expensive, 2d does absolutely not scale regarding resolutions. You could use vector graphics which scale, but then you are 2/3rd into 3d again.

I will give you an example, load EMI in a big shiny new HD monitor and be into a bad surprise, the game was rendered on 640x480.
Now you theorectically could use scalers, and whupps suddenly the blockyness is gone and everything becomes unsharp and washed out!

As I said the solution would be to use vector graphics, but once you are there you also can use 3d anyway and get a decent hardware acceleration!

[LukeSW]

The funny thing is, nobody mentioned one big limitation of 2d, besides that it is more expensive, 2d does absolutely not scale regarding resolutions. You could use vector graphics which scale, but then you are 2/3rd into 3d again.

I will give you an example, load EMI in a big shiny new HD monitor and be into a bad surprise, the game was rendered on 640x480.
Now you theorectically could use scalers, and whupps suddenly the blockyness is gone and everything becomes unsharp and washed out!

As I said the solution would be to use vector graphics, but once you are there you also can use 3d anyway and get a decent hardware acceleration!

Agreed.

Digression: Having said that, EMI looked uglier than a drowned rat when it was originally released. No amount of scaleability would have helped it. The pre-rendered backgrounds and real-time models were plain shoddy.

[SuperBosco]

I think it's actually Roger Jackson (Mojo Jojo from PowerPuff Girls, Lincoln from Sam & Max). I might have to triple-check that, but I'm pretty sure.

Too bad, I think that Bosco(es) has(have) a fitting voice for a Monkey Island game, even if it's not Joey Camen I'll still think of this voice as a Bosco cameo, though.

[Bagge]

I think to pass the time while waiting for TMI, I'm going to go play through EMI again, since I've beaten SOMI, MI2, and CMI more times than I can count. Anyone else doing the same, and if so, which one(s) are you playing? :D


Actually, yes. I've played through the first three MI games more times than I care to count, but I only played through EMI once, back when it came out. I figured I'd go through it again, though this time on the PS2, as I've had that version lying around for ages.

I just reached Jambalaya Island, and I still stand by my original feelings for this game: It's a pretty fun game on it's own right, but an inferior Monkey Island game that takes way too many liberties with the license material.

[El Butcherino]

I'd love to see 2D art like CMI, but TMI looks pretty enough, and it's all about the puzzles and story...

[doom saber]

Using vectors for computer and console games are a bit tricky to look right.

For instance, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD remix for the xbla and psn uses vectors instead of pixelart. However, because the framerate remains the same and that comicbook artists did the illustrations, the game looks terrible animated. It ends up bein clunky; itpretty much looks like one of those flash games

From what I have seen from the vids of the mi 1 remake, the animation looks much like SSF2HDR

[abdallah]

But why does it have to be this god damn ugly? Sorry to piss on the parade by the way. But it looks awful. I realize it's better to include more people, at least for Telltale, but they could surely have added a little more detail that this?
http://files.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/talesofmi_mightypirate.jpg
Yuck. Oh well.
And one last rant. Please don't force the comedy as I felt you did with Sam n Max. I still haven't finished season 2 because the jokes felt so forced. It just became unbearable to listen to. I might as well get it off my chest now that I'm on a rant. Apart from the jokes and the graphics, I also disliked the rather bland design of many of the characters in Sam n Max and looking at this new game I don't get the feeling Telltale have improved on that area. The captain from the trailer has some way to go before he measures up to the chef in MI3 for example.
So, yeah sorry if I'm harsh, but since you have a forum I would assume it's accepted to let you know what I don't like about your product. And I'd assume it's better to let a producer know what you think of their product and give them a chance to improve.
http://www.muenster.de/~tomjoad/ScummVM_M2.jpg
Hard to believe those two screenshots are even from the same franchise, let alone that this one is 19 years older.

[doom saber]

But why does it have to be this god damn ugly? Sorry to piss on the parade by the way. But it looks awful. I realize it's better to include more people, at least for Telltale, but they could surely have added a little more detail that this?
http://files.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/talesofmi_mightypirate.jpg
Yuck. Oh well.
And one last rant. Please don't force the comedy as I felt you did with Sam n Max. I still haven't finished season 2 because the jokes felt so forced. It just became unbearable to listen to. I might as well get it off my chest now that I'm on a rant. Apart from the jokes and the graphics, I also disliked the rather bland design of many of the characters in Sam n Max and looking at this new game I don't get the feeling Telltale have improved on that area. The captain from the trailer has some way to go before he measures up to the chef in MI3 for example.
So, yeah sorry if I'm harsh, but since you have a forum I would assume it's accepted to let you know what I don't like about your product. And I'd assume it's better to let a producer know what you think of their product and give them a chance to improve.
http://www.muenster.de/~tomjoad/ScummVM_M2.jpg
Hard to believe those two screenshots are even from the same franchise, let alone that this one is 19 years older.


I do agree that the characters in the TT Sam and Max games and from what we can gather from Tales are quite bland, but I think gameplay is more important than the visuals.

[Armakuni]

Oh, come on. The graphics are fine. They will obviously have a different style in 3D, but I think they're more than decent.

[abdallah]

I do agree that the characters in the TT Sam and Max games and from what we can gather from Tales are quite bland, but I think gameplay is more important than the visuals.
Yeah gameplay is important, but the graphics, music and general mood have always been important to MI. As far as gameplay goes I can only comment on Sam n Max: While I liked many of the puzzles, the story and particularly the humor was a major letdown for me unfortunately. It was as if they tried to make it too keeracy but also felt restricted in terms of how far to go. The result felt tame and forced. Humor has to go beyond the edge of what's generally accepted or it will just fall to the ground. Simply crazy (read obnoxious) voices won't cut it, and that's where I stopped playing Sam n Max after giving it one and a half season of a chance. Again, I'm not trolling, just expressing my dislikes of TT's general style in hope that they don't do the same mistakes again.

Oh, come on. The graphics are fine. They will obviously have a different style in 3D, but I think they're more than decent.
I really don't think they are. I'd even go as far as to say they are absolutely awful. Bland, lacking of detail or charm and way too cartoony to look right. OK for example, the wooden pier: It just goes completly straight out. Just a few vertical bends on it would have made it more interesting to look at and it would be more in line with Woodtick in MI2 for example. I get the feeling that TT are producing things way to quickly and cheaply to put in the necessary love and attention to detail.
MI3 pulled a cartoony style off because it was basically one long highbudget animated film, but unless you can do that... We all know what a catastrophy MI4 was.
I know that they want to include more people by making the game less demanding on a technical level, but maybe their approach with the graphics could have been another.

Anyway, this is just my opinion. I don't want to ruin anyone elses enjoyment of it.

[MusicallyInspired]

Hey, here's a solution. Support TTG as much as you can by buying all their products so that they can have more of a budget to make better-looking adventure games with the latest graphics hardware support! Monkey Island WOULD look mighty fine with Crysis graphics.

[LukeSW]

Do you think so? I'd hate to see a Monkey Island game use Crysis's aesthetic style. No, I actually think that Telltale are on the right track, although I would like to see more dramatic and vibrant environmental lighting.

[HoppyDragon]

Higher texture resolution, poly counts, and speech quality is all I want that Telltale does not already provide.

I have no problem downloading large files from the internet, and my computer could handle the game with the extra detail, as could a lot of us, so it should just be an option available to us to download a better quality version of their games. Although I know it's been said countless times, so I'm just beating a dead horse here. Maybe someday. :P

And even if they never do it, it won't keep me from buying their games. I care about the gameplay and the dialogue. They get that right, and I'm sold. :D

[Wicked Mouse]

Already thinking of ways to knock the captian off the ship....
Yeah had a bit of a tickle of that kind too :D

[PariahKing]

I don't want to upgrade my computer to play adventure games or have to buy the latest technology. There's a point where you hit passable and alternatively pleasing.

Neither does my mother or any other exceptionally casual gamer like her. Better graphics hurts your market if you go to an excess.

Now don't make it ugly, but I like TMI a lot in terms of style. My only problem is LeChuck's voice.

[abdallah]

I will definitely buy it. But I'll still wish they could have polished the graphics more. I'll give one example of a Wii game that, while still on a relative budget, has accomplished a fantastic visual style. And since it's for the Wii, it was made with a technically limited platform in mind.
http://gamearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/annocreateanewworld.jpg
If i can draw your attention to the character at the bottom right. It's in realtime 3D, animated and it looks fantastic. The visual style of that character is much more in line with MI 1 and 2. A mix of reality and cartoon. There are other characters than her that have more personality and look a bit more wacky, but I couldn't find images of them. I'm just saying it's possible to make a game look stunning even if it's made with technical limitations and isn't running on the Crysis engine.

[Shiversul]

But why does it have to be this god damn ugly? Sorry to piss on the parade by the way. But it looks awful. I realize it's better to include more people, at least for Telltale, but they could surely have added a little more detail that this?
http://files.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland/talesofmi_mightypirate.jpg
Yuck. Oh well.
And one last rant. Please don't force the comedy as I felt you did with Sam n Max. I still haven't finished season 2 because the jokes felt so forced. It just became unbearable to listen to. I might as well get it off my chest now that I'm on a rant. Apart from the jokes and the graphics, I also disliked the rather bland design of many of the characters in Sam n Max and looking at this new game I don't get the feeling Telltale have improved on that area. The captain from the trailer has some way to go before he measures up to the chef in MI3 for example.
So, yeah sorry if I'm harsh, but since you have a forum I would assume it's accepted to let you know what I don't like about your product. And I'd assume it's better to let a producer know what you think of their product and give them a chance to improve.
http://www.muenster.de/~tomjoad/ScummVM_M2.jpg
Hard to believe those two screenshots are even from the same franchise, let alone that this one is 19 years older.

The ship in that pic looks like something made in Gmod

[werpu]

Higher texture resolution, poly counts, and speech quality is all I want that Telltale does not already provide.
:D

Actually if you see it in motion, check out the gamespot videos the game looks fine, what you ask for is somewhat problematic, you have to find a middle ground between what you can do with your hardware and what people actually can play. Even if you leave the high number of people on measly intel chipsets (which counts currently for 75% of all PCs there is) out, then you still have a myriad of people on older generation graphics cards. Sure you can scale to some degree but with textures for instance there are limits on what you can do, and add to that that all the games are download content, so pushing gigabytes of textures is a no go.

[zaradan]

This is my first post, so hello everyone :)

I've been keeping an eye on this forum since ToMI was first announced, and have to say have been astonished as boundless enthusiasm has turned into widespread criticism.

Graphics aside, the game couldnt be in more capable, experienced hands. I see Runaway, Vampyre Story, and So Blonde being referenced by some as having the quality of visuals people have come to expect of the MI series. Is that what you'd really want though? Eye candy masking what are otherwise very average, uninspired adventures, with poor puzzles, bland script, and lousy voice overs? Because that's what most modern day adventure games have in common.

You can guarantee if this were the case, the very same graphics detractors would have their knives out. Like film, a good game is remembered in years to come for the quality and integrity of its writing. I'd take the original King Kong over Matrix Reloaded any day.

Some people need to recognise that the gaming landscape has changed dramatically since MI's glory days. It's a genre that most had written off long ago. The fact that it's going through a mini-renaissance is something we should be grateful for. Gone are the days where this type of game could command big budgets and huge teams comprising of the very best artists and animators the industry has to offer. To expect more, is rather wanting to have your cake and eat it.

And anyway, who's not to say that this isn't Lucasarts way of dipping their toes in the water, to see whether MI can still be a successful IP. At the very least it's a step in the right direction. And if we end up with five episodes that sparkle with the old MI wit and charm, this would surely more likely lead to bigger and better things for the franchise, than if we had a load of poorly written story and dialogue hiding behind some pretty tinsel.

So be thankful to Lucasarts for resurrecting MI from the dead and giving it another chance, be realistic about the limitations of episodic content, and remember what really makes a great adventure great, I say :)

[Shiversul]

Also keep in mind the Download sizes are TEENY!!!
I was shocked that the free sam and max was only 75 meg

[abdallah]

Zaradan - sure, I am grateful for the MI series being taken back to life. But I don't see it as having the cake and eating it if the game is both entertaining and pretty. In that case I guess we got the cake and got to eat it too during at least the first three games.
You argue that we'd get something superficial if we had good graphics. I don't think that was the case the first three games at all. They were a work of art and the great craftmanship showed a dedication and love for what they were doing. I love Hayao Miyazakis films because they are a work of art. That they are pretty does absolutely not make them superficial, rather the opposite.

Adventure games do pretty well now, so I think it's time to start expecting something more than them just to exist and not just being grateful someone makes them. Since TT are basically the only ones who does make them, and get a load of time in the media, I would assume they do better economically than many smaller developers.
I showed a Wii game to counter the argument on technical limitations. It's a platform that's so weak that I would assume most PCs would run a Wii game without any problems. Anno for Wii still looks gorgeous because the art assets look good, something that can't be said of TTs MI series so far.
I know that it's in capable hands, at least when it comes to art direction, music, story and acting. But the art assets are simply not up to the quality I'd expect from a Lucas Arts aspiring title.

There's no need for the most advanced shaders if the basics are pretty to start with. Here's what I'd expect characters to measure up with:
http://gamearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/annocreateanewworld.jpg
http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/P/Punch%20Out%20Wii/Everything%20Else/Stereotypes/PO_Don02--article_image.jpg
http://cdn1.gamepro.com/video/hdr/133252.jpghttp://cdn1.gamepro.com/video/hdr/133251.jpg

Again, sorry to be a downer, but I can't help thinking it looks awful. And that's a first for a MI game.

[Shiversul]

I prefer ToMI Guybrush over that

[stemot]

Zaradan - sure, I am grateful for the MI series being taken back to life. But I don't see it as having the cake and eating it if the game is both entertaining and pretty. In that case I guess we got the cake and got to eat it too during at least the first three games.
You argue that we'd get something superficial if we had good graphics. I don't think that was the case the first three games at all. They were a work of art and the great craftmanship showed a dedication and love for what they were doing. I love Hayao Miyazakis films because they are a work of art. That they are pretty does absolutely not make them superficial, rather the opposite.

Adventure games do pretty well now, so I think it's time to start expecting something more than them just to exist and not just being grateful someone makes them. Since TT are basically the only ones who does make them, and get a load of time in the media, I would assume they do better economically than many smaller developers.
I showed a Wii game to counter the argument on technical limitations. It's a platform that's so weak that I would assume most PCs would run a Wii game without any problems. Anno for Wii still looks gorgeous because the art assets look good, something that can't be said of TTs MI series so far.
I know that it's in capable hands, at least when it comes to art direction, music, story and acting. But the art assets are simply not up to the quality I'd expect from a Lucas Arts aspiring title.

There's no need for the most advanced shaders if the basics are pretty to start with. Here's what I'd expect characters to measure up with:
http://gamearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/annocreateanewworld.jpg
http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/P/Punch%20Out%20Wii/Everything%20Else/Stereotypes/PO_Don02--article_image.jpg
http://cdn1.gamepro.com/video/hdr/133252.jpghttp://cdn1.gamepro.com/video/hdr/133251.jpg

Again, sorry to be a downer, but I can't help thinking it looks awful. And that's a first for a MI game.


I would much rather have ToMI look like it does than Punch Out.
The game looks fine the way it is, which is hell of a lot better than MI4 and very good for a small company with a limited budget and short development times.
If you want another 2d style Monkey game your going to have to stick to fan games.

Also with regards to the bolded quoted line. You've seen what? A trailer and a couple of gameplay movies and screenshots from a build with a moth of dev time still to go, and you can say without doubt these are looking better than ToMI.

I wish people would actually wait for the finished thing before jumping to conclusions.
If you don't like the art style that's fine, but you can't say any of those games your using as an example are techinically better until you've actually played episode 1.

[abdallah]

Just going by what I've seen from trailers and from Sam n Max. Sorry if it offends you that I have this opinion, but I can't really change it. I'll stop ranting about it, I don't want to offend TT more than I already have, who I think do a terrific job in general, or anyone here anticipating the game.

[zaradan]

Abdallah - I think we just need to accept that with TT's episodic model, it is unrealistic to expect the production values of the original 3 MI games. Each episode has a development cycle of a few months, so that's never going to happen. With all of their past MI experience in the team, who would you rather have making it though? I cant think of anyone.

Where as most other current adventure game developers seem to plough most of their resources into visuals, to the detriment of almost every other aspect of the game, I think TT's strengths lie where it really matters.

I may be wrong, but I just dont think it's realistic to expect Hollywood production values in adventure games across the board like we used to. MI, DOTT etc were the Halo's and GoW's of their day. Times have changed, and right now, I think this is the best result for MI. Lucasarts would have been mad to go with anyone else. They're going out on a limb here, and TT are the most bankable proposition if they're a company hedging their bets.

And if ToMI does exceed expectations, then maybe more cash will be chucked at the next one. :)

[abdallah]

Abdallah - I think we just need to accept that with TT's episodic model, it is unrealistic to expect the production values of the original 3 MI games. Each episode has a development cycle of a few months, so that's never going to happen. With all of their past MI experience in the team, who would you rather have making it though? I cant think of anyone.

Where as most other current adventure game developers seem to plough most of their resources into visuals, to the detriment of almost every other aspect of the game, I think TT's strengths lie where it really matters.

I may be wrong, but I just dont think it's realistic to expect Hollywood production values in adventure games across the board like we used to. MI, DOTT etc were the Halo's and GoW's of their day. Times have changed, and right now, I think this is the best result for MI. Lucasarts would have been mad to go with anyone else. They're going out on a limb here, and TT are the most bankable proposition if they're a company hedging their bets.

And if ToMI does exceed expectations, then maybe more cash will be chucked at the next one. :)
Well, that's a very good argument. I had forgotten that they were indeed the GoW's of the day, but you're right. Still, I bet Anno was made with a smaller budget too, and they've done wonders with what they had to work with technically and economically.
I agree that TT is one of the most capable developers to take on this game, but I still wonder how it would have looked it Double Fine did it instead.

[stemot]

but I still wonder how it would have looked it Double Fine did it instead.

Like a platformer?

Just going by what I've seen from trailers and from Sam n Max. Sorry if it offends you that I have this opinion, but I can't really change it.

Don't be sorry for having an opinion, just make sure that your critique is based on actual gameplay from the finished game and not from some old build trailers and a different game series. Sa'll I'm saying. :)

[HoppyDragon]

One thing that I've noticed people have not mentioned.. the animation quality of Tales of Monkey Island is way higher than it was in Escape from Monkey Island, and that makes a big difference in the quality of the two. The characters move and animate SO much better.

[VagrantWulf]

HoppyDragon's right about that, animation is one of the first things I notice when I'm looking at any animated medium. TTG have really outdone themselves this time.

As for the styles, I'm glad that ToMI looks like it does and not like Punchout or Psychonauts, the problem with Psychonauts and Punchout is something that I've mentioned elsethread: The people and locations look like they've been put through a dadaist filter, and the filter doesn't really understand how dada works, it just looks at the aesthetics and copies them.

In Psychonauts, I felt that it was trying very hard to look different, but in the end it just captured that Nickelodeon look that I'm not fond of. This person has his head juttng out an odd angle for no particular reason, this person has one eye ten times bigger than the other, this person has an impossible mouth, and so on.

I'd much rather see an art style that concentrates and focuses on quality than one that tries to hide the lack of quality in pure absurdity, which is something I feel the Punchout art above does. Take away the absurdity and it's actually very basic artwork, if they had better artists and animators, they wouldn't need to make it look so absurd to try and disguise that fact.

What baffles me is that people argue for that style, and I guess I'll never understand it, but I prefer seeing that a company has talented artists and animators that don't need to resort to that, rather than seeing that used as an excuse simply because they couldn't do a better job of it otherwise.

I'll also admit that limitations in technology come into this as well, that a better job couldn't be done because they didn't have enough polygons to throw around, and on platforms like the PS2 (which Psychonauts was also on) this is forgivable. But here's an example...

http://xboxmedia.gamespy.com/xbox/image/article/606/606972/psychonauts-20050422041916675.jpg

If you take away the stylised look, you have some very flat art with next to no detail in it.

Now I'd prefer it if Psychonauts looked like this piece of art (http://bluewolf487.deviantart.com/art/Psychonauts-Sketches-65683983).

That's still stylised, but it's not the kind of stylised that's designed to hide a lack of detail, it looks a lot better to me than Psychonauts did.

That stylised kind of art that we see in Psychonauts, CMI, and quite a few NIckelodeon cartoons is usually down to the studio not being able to afford proper cartoon animation, or there being technological restrictions that limit the level of detail, which is hid in a stylised appearance.

To me, ToMI looks more like the bit of art I've linked above, and t hat's a good thing in my opinion.

It's just personal opinion, that's all it is, but that stylised look is usually put in place when something better can't be provided, and that's what it frequently looks like. Due to ToMI being able to do better than that (because they have a great stable of artists and the Wii doesn't have half the limitations of the PS2), that stylised art doesn't need to be present.

[doom saber]

As for the styles, I'm glad that ToMI looks like it does and not like Punchout or Psychonauts, the problem with Psychonauts and Punchout is something that I've mentioned elsethread: The people and locations look like they've been put through a dadaist filter, and the filter doesn't really understand how dada works, it just looks at the aesthetics and copies them.
I'd much rather see an art style that concentrates and focuses on quality than one that tries to hide the lack of quality in pure absurdity, which is something I feel the Punchout art above does. Take away the absurdity and it's actually very basic artwork, if they had better artists and animators, they wouldn't need to make it look so absurd to try and disguise that fact.

What baffles me is that people argue for that style, and I guess I'll never understand it, but I prefer seeing that a company has talented artists and animators that don't need to resort to that, rather than seeing that used as an excuse simply because they couldn't do a better job of it otherwise.


The thing with PO for the wii console is that the wii is a bit stronger than a gamecube and the makers of the game (a small Canadian company) wanted to make the game look good by makin it cartoony. It was mentioned on a lot of reviews in how the stylized character designs helped the game compete with games on the 360 and ps3 despite the graphical limitations of the wii. If they didn't use cell shadin and any other filters, the game would probably look outdated as you mentioned.

Though Punchout has always been a sylized game

[doom saber]

I think the character designs for the key MI characters are awsome. I can't say the same about the secondary characters.

As someone else has already said, the TT characters that appeared in the game like the Captain looks bland. He kind of reminds me of the Mariachi aliens from season 2 of SnM 2, which imo is a bad thing

The bright side is that Guybrush and the voodoo lady have some awsome character designs that is different than the previous games.

[doom saber]

I honestly thought the look of Guybrush in CMI is generic and from what I have seen from the trailers and promos of Tales, the TMI rendition of Guybrush is the ver l like the most.

[VagrantWulf]

The thing with PO for the wii console is that the wii is a bit stronger than a gamecube and the makers of the game (a small Canadian company) wanted to make the game look good by makin it cartoony. If they didn't use cell shadin and any other filters, the game would probably look outdated.

That's my point though, right there.

Not so much about the size of a company, because Telltale have been creating games for ages without having to resort to ridiculous style-over-substance efforts.

But about the console, you're spot on. It's hard to do realism properly on a system like the PS2, that's why games that tried that look absolutely terrible today. Look at Grand Theft Auto and the likes.

I suppose DoubleFine figured they wanted to make a game that would last longer, so they worked within the constraints, how can you make a game that you couldn't really do a remake of where it would actually look better? You use a very basic stylised approach, so the only way to make it look better then would be to change the style.

That's why Psychonauts has aged well, but that's an illusion, because really once you look past the stylised approach, the art is very basic, there are a lot of rather flat and washed out visuals there, and a depressingly large gouraud shading presence (something that should've been left behind with the PSone). And once you acknowledge that, it doesn't really look that great, there's very little substance to the art.

That's something I don't think that ToMI suffers from at all, it tries to do something a little more realistic, thus avoiding the stylised look altogether and replacing that with actual details, and what they can't do with textures, they do with polygons instead, pushing around an amount that the PS2 couldn't even dream of.

Maybe if Telltale had existed back in the days of the PS2 and they ported games to the PS2, they might have tried that approach too, I don't know. But as technology progresses, what we find is that we really don't need that approach any more, and to rely on it these days is lazy more than anything else, because it almost completely removes the need for anything bar the most basic of details, in both modelling and textures.

With today's technology, even a small company can avoid that need to remain so basic that their only way to look half decent is to opt for a style-over-substance look. And I'm thankful they have, because the detail present in some of their shots is beautiful, and detail one wouldn't see in a stylised game. If you look at DoubleFine's latest game, it has a lot of detail to it, it still has a mild stylised look, but there's real substance to the art of Brutal Legend.

That, I think, says it all.

[doom saber]

That's my point though, right there.

l know it was your point. I wasn't arguing with you, but adding a bit of what I have read to support your argument.

[Secret Fawful]

http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/evoguy.png

Yeah, the graphics are terrible in TMI. Guybrush looks terrible compared to his other incarnations. Right...uh huh...yeah... /sarcasm

[Mike Haley]

That is awesome, Micheal. I was wondering when someone would do that. I used to have a montage of Monkey Island 1-4 set as my wallpaper. Needless to say, the Tales of Monkey Island version of Guybrush is the best looking.

Oh, right, this is the one that I am thinking of:
http://www.scummbar.com/resources/downloads/wallpapers/timeline128021082003150825.jpg

[doom saber]

http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/evoguy.png

Yeah, the graphics are terrible in TMI. Guybrush looks terrible compared to his other incarnations. Right...uh huh...yeah... /sarcasm

It is a trend for ppl to bash a yet to be released game, claimmin that the previous game(s) is better.


It got quite bad when ppl were complaining about Sam and Max when TT have just gotten the license.

Truth be told, l think Tales Guybrush looks waaaay betta than the other Guybrushes

[doom saber]

The picture posted by secret fawful demostrates that the Tales of Guybrussh is a mixture of allof the previous Guybrushes

The Boots, jacket, and pants from MI2
The cartoony style of the outfit from EMI
The nose and phony tail from EMI
The head from CMI
The pupils appear to be a mix of CMI and EMI

[LukeSW]

Yup, I think that Telltale's version of Guybrush is the best one yet. But he needs a chunky belt buckle, and his coat? It should hang down to his knees, man. Down. To. His. Knees! :D

[Toothless Gibbon]

The only thing I would say about Tales' version of Guybrush, is that he looks a bit shiny, as if he's made from plastic. (Using the plastacine textures from W&G?)

I also personally thing he'd look better with a smaller beard.

Other than that, the best yet. (although Im very fond of CMI)

[Shiversul]

I bought Psychonauts for XBLA, might have to give it a play through soon :P

[threepcross]

seeing the first two Guybrushes next to the newer ones make me appreciate them even more. and I'm getting really nostalgic here thanks to that pic.

[Toothless Gibbon]

The only thing I would say about Tales' version of Guybrush, is that he looks a bit shiny, as if he's made from plastic. (Using the plastacine textures from W&G?)

Or dare I say... PORCELAIN!

[abdallah]

HoppyDragon's right about that, animation is one of the first things I notice when I'm looking at any animated medium. TTG have really outdone themselves this time.

As for the styles, I'm glad that ToMI looks like it does and not like Punchout or Psychonauts, the problem with Psychonauts and Punchout is something that I've mentioned elsethread: The people and locations look like they've been put through a dadaist filter, and the filter doesn't really understand how dada works, it just looks at the aesthetics and copies them.

In Psychonauts, I felt that it was trying very hard to look different, but in the end it just captured that Nickelodeon look that I'm not fond of. This person has his head juttng out an odd angle for no particular reason, this person has one eye ten times bigger than the other, this person has an impossible mouth, and so on.

I'd much rather see an art style that concentrates and focuses on quality than one that tries to hide the lack of quality in pure absurdity, which is something I feel the Punchout art above does. Take away the absurdity and it's actually very basic artwork, if they had better artists and animators, they wouldn't need to make it look so absurd to try and disguise that fact.

What baffles me is that people argue for that style, and I guess I'll never understand it, but I prefer seeing that a company has talented artists and animators that don't need to resort to that, rather than seeing that used as an excuse simply because they couldn't do a better job of it otherwise.

I'll also admit that limitations in technology come into this as well, that a better job couldn't be done because they didn't have enough polygons to throw around, and on platforms like the PS2 (which Psychonauts was also on) this is forgivable. But here's an example...

http://xboxmedia.gamespy.com/xbox/image/article/606/606972/psychonauts-20050422041916675.jpg

If you take away the stylised look, you have some very flat art with next to no detail in it.

Now I'd prefer it if Psychonauts looked like this piece of art (http://bluewolf487.deviantart.com/art/Psychonauts-Sketches-65683983).

That's still stylised, but it's not the kind of stylised that's designed to hide a lack of detail, it looks a lot better to me than Psychonauts did.

That stylised kind of art that we see in Psychonauts, CMI, and quite a few NIckelodeon cartoons is usually down to the studio not being able to afford proper cartoon animation, or there being technological restrictions that limit the level of detail, which is hid in a stylised appearance.

To me, ToMI looks more like the bit of art I've linked above, and t hat's a good thing in my opinion.

It's just personal opinion, that's all it is, but that stylised look is usually put in place when something better can't be provided, and that's what it frequently looks like. Due to ToMI being able to do better than that (because they have a great stable of artists and the Wii doesn't have half the limitations of the PS2), that stylised art doesn't need to be present.
I hardly think the reason Punchout looks the way it does is because of a lack of talent! :D
I never said it should look as goofy as Psychonauts or Punchout, but I do miss the inspired character design. As I mentioned earlier, the chef in MI3 for example.
I posted a screen of Anno for Wii to show a half-realistic approach to characters, that would fit better with MI1 and 2. Remember that this is how the series started out:
http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/1271/849474-pirate_3_super.jpg
What Telltale is doing is a spinoff of what happened to the art style in episode 3, and is probably more close to the kind of character design you say you despise than the first two games anyway.
I said I'd like to see how Double Fine would treat the franchise because they are really talented at making games in a similar artstyle to MI3. Take a look at Brütal Legend.

[jamiehavok]

I've never played the ps2 ver of EoMI but I have read that that ver has more polygons

I would like to see screens comparsion of that and TMI

thats true i played emi on the ps2 and it did look a heck of a lot better than the pc version - like they just added 16xq anti aliasing and upped the resolution allot.

[Masquerade]

http://xboxmedia.gamespy.com/xbox/image/article/606/606972/psychonauts-20050422041916675.jpg

If you take away the stylised look, you have some very flat art with next to no detail in it.

Now I'd prefer it if Psychonauts looked like this piece of art (http://bluewolf487.deviantart.com/art/Psychonauts-Sketches-65683983).

That's still stylised, but it's not the kind of stylised that's designed to hide a lack of detail, it looks a lot better to me than Psychonauts did.

You are completely insane.

A. Psychonauts strong visual style worked in its favour more than anything else. That piece of art you posted is completely lifeless by comparison. I might also add that it is in 2d, so saying it is 'stylized but not in a manner that hides a lack of detail' is completely absurd considering you have not seen that style rendered in 3d.

B. Psychonauts strong visual style brought the eternally charming Scott C's work into 3D and was completely faithful to it. I do not see why you should slate an original art style with such nonsensical claims. If you do not like it then fair enough, yet the "lack of detail" argument is utterly unfounded.
http://www.doublefine.com/images/psychopedia_uploads/Edgar_concept.jpg

C. You would be hard pressed to find a game that has a visual style that is as strong as Psychonauts, especially in a world of super realism or anime-inspired trite. It imbued the game and characters with real life and vibrancy you shall simply not find elsewhere. Faulting Psychonauts's art direction seems completely irrational.

I trust you are going to slate Brütal Legend for precisely the same reasons as the same art team and animators with a lack of talent and eye for detail are behind it?
http://www.aeropause.com/wordpress/archives/images/2008/12/94264-brutalthingie.jpg
http://images1.gamek.channelvn.net/Images/Uploaded/Share/2008/12/2008121307251641/br252tal-legend-20071105064344229-000.jpg

[Irishmile]

interesting..... I wasnt aware of the differences... and I had owned a PS2 copy... now I just own a PC copy..

[stemot]

I posted a screen of Anno for Wii to show a half-realistic approach to characters, that would fit better with MI1 and 2.

You have to remember that not everyone wants to return to the quasi-realistic graphics of the original games. In fact I would say more people seem to want the cartoony versions of the 3rd one, which seems to be what Telltale is trying to do but in 3d.

[HoppyDragon]

Not sure how this got lost in the void of another topic.

PC version isn't constrained by the file size, and we haven't gone and done a lot of resolution optimization or polish yet, in either upres'd or downres'd, so the screenshots you're seeing are definitely in progress and not representative of what you'll be holding in your hands on release day (It'll look better :) ). I was concerned at first when we were just starting out, but at this point I'm pretty confident that we've got this, both on WiiWare and PC.

[Mysterysheep]

You have to remember that not everyone wants to return to the quasi-realistic graphics of the original games. In fact I would say more people seem to want the cartoony versions of the 3rd one, which seems to be what Telltale is trying to do but in 3d.

I also believe Gilbert disliked the realistic look of the first two also.

[Source] (http://grumpygamer.com/8280380)
(Scroll to the bottom of the post.)