Just beat the season!

[Dildor]

Man is that Thrapwood fellow a funny guy.

How good is the secret of monkey island?

[Syd]

Originally Posted by Dildor

Man is that Thrapwood fellow a funny guy.

How good is the secret of monkey island?

Are you saying that you haven't played the previous Monkey Island games?

Go! Go now! Play them! Play them in order! The fourth game (Escape from Monkey Island) is a bit of a controversial title amongst the fans, to say the least, but the three before it are indisputable classics and some of the best games the adventure genre has to offer.

[Dildor]

I've just scratched the surface of secret of monkey island. I don't mind that I started with Tales, I'm now pretty endeared to the characters and it will be interesting to see how they got to where they were I guess? I have to say I was depressed when I beat episode 5, but realizing there is more Threepwood fun to be had, I'm really excited to play these games.

Why is #4 so controversial?? :0

[Syd]

Originally Posted by Dildor

I've just scratched the surface of secret of monkey island. I don't mind that I started with Tales, I'm now pretty endeared to the characters and it will be interesting to see how they got to where they were I guess? I have to say I was depressed when I beat episode 5, but realizing there is more Threepwood fun to be had, I'm really excited to play these games.

Why is #4 so controversial?? :0

It's not really a horrible game, but Escape is not exactly well-liked amongst most fans because of how the story, characters, and setting are handled, not to mention it uses Grim Fandango's weird tank-style controls and the 3D graphics and prerendered backgrounds aren't very appealing.

Escape also just isn't very piratey at all. It's like Guybrush was plucked out of his world and placed in another that was created just to be a parody of modern consumerism and tourism.

It's still worth trying once you've finished the 3 before it. I've beaten Escape, though I really had to push myself to keep playing during the final act.

[StarEye]

I bought and installed EMI the very day it was released (and then I had to rush back to town and buy a Voodoo 3 3000 PCI because my integrated graphics card couldn't handle the game). But regardless, I was still a bit sceptical of Monkey Island after CMI, since while I enjoyed it, I also thought there was something lacking.

Anyway, I played and loved EMI all the way through, despite it's quirky story and huge plotholes that kinda ruin what the series had built up to that point. Now, I prefer CMI over EMI any day of the week today, but the fact that I loved the game the very first time I played it means that it's not a bad game per se, it's just different.

Oh, and Monkey Kombat was just a bad idea.

But play every Monkey Island game you can... you're used to Guybrush having a voice now, so I guess playing the remasters of the first two games are easier for you. It's also a lot easier to find. CMI might take some searching to find, but it's definately worth it.

EMI can actually, if you're not incredibly starved on more Monkey Island after playing all the others, be skipped altogether, since the story is probably never referred to again in future games (if another ever comes out). But I think it's a fun adventure game on its own.

[Farlander]

EMI is a good game. With awesome music, hilariously funny dialogues (a lot of my favourite lines are from EMI), and really good design (with a few exceptions that include Monkey Kombat, boulder puzzle on Monkey Island and a few other puzzles, most of them are in the final act... and, honestly, I call this the real Curse of Monkey Island - most of the puzzles that take place on MI in the three games that it's present are just not good, and it's not just in EMI that way). The reason why it gets so much flak is mostly because of the Herman Toothrot plot contradiction and the Giant Monkey Head contradiction (the second one is borderline silly and even I cringe because of it). And it's a VERY valid gripe, unlike the 'not so piratey atmosphere' one (that one is VERY subjective, since the decay of piratey atmosphere is the whole point of the plot). But I still don't think EMI deserves the hate it gets sometimes (and, really, it only gets that hate from MI fans, you usually won't hear it from a general adventure fan)

And what I'm trying to get to here, is... just don't listen to anybody. Neither to me and StarEye or any MI fan who will ask you to avoid EMI like it's a pox. Play it and decide for yourself.

[StarEye]

I can't remember any particularly bad puzzles on Monkey Island in SOMI, you didn't even visit Monkey Island in MI2 and CMI, so not sure where that "curse" is from.

Unless you do consider the final parts of MI2 and CMI to be on Monkey Island (which I can understand), though I don't remember any bad puzzles then either.

[Syd]

Looking back on my previous post, I was a bit harsh on EfMI. A lot of the things I don't like about it are fairly subjective, and I was enjoying myself up until the final act, which just hit me with a load of things I wasn't exactly pleased with all at the same time.

It's also unfortunate that Alexandra Boyd didn't voice Elaine in EfMI. I never could quite get over that.

I still stand by my recommendation, though. Play them in order. The special editions of the first two is a good place to start (they include classic mode as well as the new HD graphics, and you can switch between the two whenever you want), then move on to Curse, then Escape.

Curse will need to be ran through ScummVM, and you'll need a custom installer and launcher (both found here. Take note that the resolution option in the launcher is a bit buggy and can corrupt saves.) for Escape.

[Farlander]

In SoMI the Monkey Island part is boring, with the exception of the section on LeChuck's ship. In this particular case, the puzzles are not bad per se, but they're not good either. They're just there, failing to captivate. And the island itself is boring. I guess you could say that it's subjective, and I agree, but Monkey Island is usually people's least favourite part when it comes to SoMI, judging by my conversations with different people.

I do consider ending of CMI to be on Monkey Island (since, well... it IS on Monkey Island), and the fake pie puzzle and what else was there never made sense to me. And I consider the roller-coaster's existence to be almost as ridiculous as giant robot's existence. (And, to all who says that EMI is not piratey, since when roller-coasters are piratey? Heck, Murray's joke regarding the Carnival's destruction in EMI was one of my favourites because the Carnival itself is so damn out of place )

I do agree that EMI could be called the worst offender when it comes to the Monkey Island section on the game, but I just think that Monkey Island has always been problematic and that it shouldn't be included at all in any other Monkey Island game. Ever. Really, the games are better off without it. For me that's the Curse of Monkey Island. Games are absolutely awesome right until the point where you get to Monkey Island itself, and then things go haywire. And, funnily enough, Monkey Island 2 and Tales don't have Monkey Island in the end (Dinky may be retconned to be close to Monkey, it's still NOT Monkey ), and they don't have that problem.

EDIT: And, just so you know, even when I try to be objective as possible, it's still all my personal opinion.

EDIT2: I loved Charity James, honestly. If they ever try to make SE of EMI, however unlikely that is, if they replace Charity James with Alexandra Boyd, I'm gonna kill them. Don't really have anything against Alexandra Boyd, but don't touch Charity!

[Syd]

Originally Posted by Farlander

EDIT2: I loved Charity James, honestly. If they ever try to make SE of EMI, however unlikely that is, if they replace Charity James with Alexandra Boyd, I'm gonna kill them. Don't really have anything against Alexandra Boyd, but don't touch Charity!

She's a very good VA, but like I said, I just couldn't quite get over Alexandra Boyd not being Elaine's VA. It's kind of like the situation with LeChuck in the beginning of the first episode of ToMI. Adam Harrington did a great job, but it's just not quite the same if Earl Boen's not performing the role, though it was a bit more noticeable with Elaine in EfMI since she didn't have her British accent.

What I think would be nice, in a "make everybody happy" sort of way, for a hypothetical EfMI remake would be to have the option to choose the original Charity James performance, or a re-recorded version with Alexandra Boyd playing the role. It'd be a lot of work to please relatively few people, but I think it'd be nice to have that option nonetheless.

[Farlander]

Adam Harrington did a great job, but it's just not quite the same if Earl Boen's not performing the role, though it was a bit more noticeable with Elaine in EfMI since she didn't have her British accent.

The funny thing about Adam Harrington and LeChuck, is that I prefer Adam Harrington's LeChuck in Chapter 1. Earl Boen was awesome in Chapter 5, but when I heard him in the re-voiced Chapter 1, the performance felt weird and out of place to me.

[Syd]

Originally Posted by Farlander

The funny thing about Adam Harrington and LeChuck, is that I prefer Adam Harrington's LeChuck in Chapter 1. Earl Boen was awesome in Chapter 5, but when I heard him in the re-voiced Chapter 1, the performance felt weird and out of place to me.

I noticed that as well. He's excellent in the end of chapter 4 and chapter 5, but there's just something off about his re-recorded dialogue in chapter 1.

Though that makes me think that if we're ever going to get another Monkey Island game, I might have to just get over the fact that there's a high probability that Earl Boen won't reprise the role of LeChuck again since he's retired, and I have a feeling that they'd have a pretty hard time coaxing him out of retirement for a second time.

[StarEye]

Only thing that annoyed me with Adam Harrinton's voice was the dumb "harr harr harr". Otherwise he was good.

[Dildor]

Originally Posted by Syd

Curse will need to be ran through ScummVM, and you'll need a custom installer and launcher (both found here. Take note that the resolution option in the launcher is a bit buggy and can corrupt saves.) for Escape.

Thanks for the info!

As long and I can get a copy I plan on playing them all in order.
I gotta say, the updated graphics and voice acting is what makes this playable for me, and I'm really enjoying it. I was curious how Guybrush and Elaine were going to fall in love, so that scene on the pier where they fall in love in like 15 seconds had me in stitches. My favorite part was the blind fight in the mansion, I was NOT expecting all of that.

[Farlander]

My favorite part was the blind fight in the mansion, I was NOT expecting all of that.

Funnily enough, the mansion was supposed to have several puzzles, but they had to be cut out. Were replaced with that gag instead. Another proof that technical/time limitations can lead to better ideas (not always, yeah... but that happens a lot)

[Syd]

Originally Posted by Dildor

As long and I can get a copy I plan on playing them all in order.

Thankfully, used copies of Curse and Escape are pretty cheap on Amazon. It's not too difficult to get a copy for either of those games.

A little tip for when you play through Monkey Island 2 Special Edition. If you plan on listening to the commentary on your first run, make lots of saves so you can go back and watch anything you missed, because the commentary is considerably louder than the dialogue and also (for some reason) turns off the subtitles, so it's easy to miss all the dialogue in a scene because the commentary was talking over it.

[Dildor]

Originally Posted by Syd

Thankfully, used copies of Curse and Escape are pretty cheap on Amazon. It's not too difficult to get a copy for either of those games.

Sounds good.
And yikes, I doubt I'd have commentary on if it's my first time playing. But good to know none the less.

[gamingafter40]

Kudos to you for going back to the series' roots after joining it midstream!

I don't think you could pay the ToMI team a better compliment.

[Farlander]

Originally Posted by gamingafter40

Kudos to you for going back to the series' roots after joining it midstream!

I don't think you could pay the ToMI team a better compliment.

On a similar side note, Escape from Monkey Island was my first Monkey Island game (well, I saw Monkey Island games before that, but EMI was the first one that I've actually PLAYED), and been a MI fan ever since. Even though I know very well about EMI's problems, but that's one of the main reasons why I'm pro-EMI, not EMI-hater

[Syd]

Originally Posted by Dildor

And yikes, I doubt I'd have commentary on if it's my first time playing. But good to know none the less.

The commentary is enabled by pressing the A key when a prompt shows up in the upper left corner of the screen (Though it can be completely disabled through options). Most of the time, you can wait until you're done doing or listening to anything important and listen to the commentary when you're free to just stand around, but there's also commentary for the cutscenes, which is where it becomes an issue, because either you listen to the commentary and miss out on the dialogue, or you watch the scene and miss out on the commentary.

You could always just skip on the commentary that's during the cutscenes and look up a Youtube video for the commentary later to hear what you missed. That's what I did on my first MI2:SE playthough.