Extreme Spoilers of Extreme Spoiler Nature Contents of Spoilerness Involving LeChuck
 

I absolutely loved Human LeChuck. He was refreshing, he was a change of pace and it was just a great take on the character. As much as I was initially scared of the idea after a weakened LeChuck in EMI, I ended up really enjoying it.

I really felt like LeChuck had suffered as a character in Curse and Escape. He was still very entertaining in both games and better than the somewhat interesting character present in Secret, but LeChuck seriously suffered from badass decay. His frame swelled to that of a ludicrously large size and he became much more of a buffoon. Gone were the days of dropping Guybrush in acid and here was eating slaw and serving as Ozzie's manservant.

In Tales LeChuck is again a totally evil badass. He UTTERLY plays Guybrush and everyone else for a total fool. LeChuck shows that he is definitely in some ways cunning. LeChuck even achieves his ultimate goal in MI2 of killing Threepwood.

What is really shocking though to me was what LeChuck did after killing Guybrush. LeChuck eagerly discards a rare opportunity for humanity and beauty in exchange for a hideous appearance and demonic voodoo powers. He asks Elaine for her hand in marriage but then appears to be totally willing to engage in a fight where she could die, something not seen before with LeChuck.

I really feel like Tales has given credibility to LeChuck again and revitalized my favorite character.

Couldnt agree more.

I think whats been amazingly done by the Telltale team is you felt exactly what Guybrush was feeling. At the start you didn't buy the 'goodie goodie' act and felt convinced at every turn he was going to stab you in the back. When you had to grab the turtle I was 99% sure he was going to push Guybrush of the cliff and so on. Then as he seemed to prove himself and Guybrush started to trust him more that was when the player also started to trust him more and when he came to help Elaine and Guybrush at the end of ch4 you actually felt pleased to see him which made his revalation even more shocking.

I remember as a child (and even now) playing MI2 being terrified everytime Lechuck appeared in the corridor as Guybrush and feeling the real urgency to get the doll made fast - which is part of what made me fall in love with the game but in EMI LeChuck was just being used as a meek puppet and all that dramatic tense feelings had gone.

Definatley back to his best.

Seriously, eagerly, totally willing?

what are you trying to say :eek:

Bad rushed writing is bad and rushed.

And writing.

Not true. LeChuck has previously shown willingness to make Elaine his "undead bride." Was he not intending to make her ride the rollercoaster in CMI?

I actually bought it. Guybrush's instant distrust for any expression of humanity or kindness had me think he was being unreasonable enough that LeChuck would prove himself as an ally "but all too late"(turns evil, dies, etc). I have to give Telltale props on one thing: They DID have me fooled from the first moment. But there are some unanswered questions about how human LeChuck acted, and how the Voodoo Lady is really involved. How these questions are answered will really define how good the story of the season is as a whole. :)

Hmmm...good point. I meant more along the lines of just killing her in a swordfight but, then again, I guess zombie rituals could revive her.

Agreed. LeChuck is definitely an evil savage cretin. And Earl Boen's back to voice him in his true form! Yeeeeeey!

My only real concern is that they actually explain why he did certain things and make it beyond, "I <3 Elaine, durr durr."

Now the million dollar question:

Did LeChuck really swim for 3 days all the way to Flotsam Island?

Didn't he say he was pushed to shore by friendly sharks or some crazy shit in CMI?

I like how they played it all out with LeChuck. At first, I thought "something's up" and then I started trusting him, even before Guybrush did. I thought maybe Guybrush was being a little unreasonable and that he was going to do something stupid due to jealousy, which would upset Elaine, but that's not at all how it happened.
And then he came into the court, which didn't surprise me; I figured he'd have to save Guybrush somehow. But the jungle scene totally took me by surprise.

I have a question, too. LeChuck seems pretty smart, but not very patient. How did he not get angry all those times when Guybrush was trying to annoy him or make him look bad? It seems like he really thought this one out first, which is either very good character development, or very uncharacteristic.

The lack of pox probably enabled him somewhat.

Human LeChuck > Charles L Charles

That pretty much goes without saying. Spiffy the SCUMM Bar dog > Charles L. Charles. I don't know what the character designer who did that one was thinking.

I like how this most recent incarnation gives you the impression that LeChuck is, having been thwarted by Threepwood on so many occasions, actually trying to learn some of his technique from his foe before backstabbing him in the traditional pirate manner.
Also, I get the general impression that he'd have wound up trying to make Elaine undead regardless of how that last scene played out.

That was exactly how I felt while playing. LeChuck really fooled us all this time, which means he actually learned something from all his mistakes. Maybe he got his brains back when he turned human. ;)

He was evil all along, but still, there always was something comical about him. Even in SMI already, when he says certain things like "After all these years of planning, almost destroyed by my death" (don't know it word by word right now), or doesn't realise he's going to marry two monkeys in a dress. Which makes me wonder if his death really interferred with his plans, and only now that he became alive/human again, could he follow through with his plans...

Where does Fester Shinetop fit into the inequality?

Human LeChuck > Fetser Shinetop > Chuckie(MI 2 kid version) > Charles L Charles