Is this as good as the Lucasarts games?

[Hudomonkey]

I am about to finsh Monkey Island 2 SE edition (96% complete) and I would like to know if tales of monkey Island lives up to the originals
I am a big fan of telltale and just want to know if it is par with sam and max or Strong bad.

[Marsbergen]

It's on par with the better Telltale games for sure, but I don't feel it is as inspired, clever, or funny as the first two Monkey Island games.

If you've only played MI1&2 SE, check out Curse of Monkey Island next.

If you are a fan, either of Telltale or Monkey Island, definitely play Tales of Monkey Island eventually.

[RAnthonyMahan]

It's on par with Sam and Max, and Strong Bad, yes. Some even consider it Telltale's best game.

But compared to the older games...eh. It's better than Escape, at least. A few people (not me, but some people) would call it better than Curse. But it's not even close to the first two games. That's not a knock against Tales as much as...well, the first two games are just really great.

[Farlander]

Personally, for me ToMI knocked out MI2 out of the pedestal of 'Favourite Monkey Island game'. Although MI2 is more open and has more freedom (while ToMI is very localized due to it's episodic nature) and generally speaking had better puzzle design (although MI2 had some really crappy puzzles... like the Monkey Wrench one... god I hated it... ToMI's puzzle design really picked up in quality starting from Chapter 3. Although Chapter 1 and 2 had some really interesting and cool puzzles, most of them were just simply ok), but ToMI has won my heart because of its story, character arcs (i.e. an actual EXISTENCE of character arcs, and pretty good ones at that), and an ending that did not disappoint.

[zhebrica]

Tales has a different feel to it than the other games. It puts more emphasis on the characters and what they're feeling, and the humor is more subtle and less bizarre. Which I think is fine -- it's a different take on the material, not just a retread of the same stuff. As a lifelong MI fan I really enjoyed Tales and thought it added something new and fun to the series.

[Hudomonkey]

Originally Posted by Marsbergen

It's on par with the better Telltale games for sure, but I don't feel it is as inspired, clever, or funny as the first two Monkey Island games.

If you've only played MI1&2 SE, check out Curse of Monkey Island next.

If you are a fan, either of Telltale or Monkey Island, definitely play Tales of Monkey Island eventually.

It's hard to find ways of playing Monkey Island 3 and 4 (I downloaded 1 and 2 on xbox live)

[FitzoliverJ]

Originally Posted by Hudomonkey

It's hard to find ways of playing Monkey Island 3 and 4 (I downloaded 1 and 2 on xbox live)

Legitimately-purchased copies of the first three games may all be played via SCUMMVM.

[Marsbergen]

Originally Posted by Hudomonkey

It's hard to find ways of playing Monkey Island 3 and 4 (I downloaded 1 and 2 on xbox live)

Even though this isn't "right", I'd recommend finding Curse Of Monkey Island through alternative means. And yeah, play it in SCUMMVM (an excellent program designed to play older adventure games).

[Olaus Petrus]

Liking Tales more than Escape seems to be universal opinion and I share it too. I think that Tales have stronger characters than some previous games and as much as I like many characters of LeChuck's Revenge, like Wally and Captain Dread, they are rather thin and one dimensional compared to Morgan and Winslow of Tales. But while Tales tells a great story, it's puzzles are easy compared to earlier games of the series, which is a big minus in my books. But then again I haven't played any modern adventure game which has as good puzzles as the old LucasArts and Sierra classics had.

Originally Posted by Marsbergen

Even though this isn't "right", I'd recommend finding Curse Of Monkey Island through alternative means. And yeah, play it in SCUMMVM (an excellent program designed to play older adventure games).

I would rather recommend finding legitimate copies, used copies of both games are still available.

Although I have to admit that I wonder why LucasArts doesn't allow GoG or Steam to sell their older titles. They made Loom, both Indy games and The Dig available in Steam few years back, it wouldn't have been big trouble to make Monkey 3 & 4 and Maniac Mansion etc. also available as digital copies.

[Admonisher]

Not only is TALES a worthy entry, it left me feeling satisfied in a way no other MI game has. No, it wasn't flawless. Yes, there were a few loose ends and a little teaser to prevent 100% closure (not necessarily a bad thing). But compare it to what came before...

SECRET had a fine ending for its day, but character investment was relatively limited when compared to future entries. REVENGE was a deliberate exercise in teasing and frustrating the player. CURSE ended far too abruptly, exposing one of the game's flaws: that while it was incredibly rich in terms of design and atmosphere; while the puzzles and game design were superlative; and while it was VERY funny; it was also unfortunately light on story or anything resembling character development between our leads (unlike the previous games, Elaine was inert for 99% of the time). As for ESCAPE ... well, it was far more PLOTTY compared to CURSE, and they threw in a lot more cutscenes towards the end, but the story still wasn't particularly rich from a character standpoint. The chemistry was still there, but muted. And Monkey Kombat made for an incredibly unsatisfying climax. The game ended, and you just felt kind of ... limp.

TALES has its issues, most of them minor. The puzzle design isn't as virtuoso as REVENGE or CURSE, and it hews slightly easier, although it's still very well done. The art isn't as gorgeous as CURSE, but then few games are -- and TALES makes up for it with my personal favorite Guybrush design (zombie LeChuck didn't hit as close to the mark, but was acceptable). The plotting can get a bit abstruse at times -- albeit nothing as off-putting as the retconning in ESCAPE. But where TALES really excels is in the characters and writing. From the prologue to the final battle, this aspect of the game truly shines. Combining that with a compelling narrative and cinematic gameplay left me deeply impressed. I was happy and content at the end of the experience in a way that I wasn't with any of the four earlier entries. That's not to say that it didn't leave me wanting more -- it definitely did! But if it does turn out to be the last MI game, I'll be much more at peace with that than if the series had ended with ESCAPE.

And burn me as a heretic, but I think TALES has the best voice for Stan. :P

[AdventureGamer]

Is this on par with the other Lucasarts games... in my opinion, absolutely! It's almost good as Curse of Monkey Island, but not quite, Curse being the cream of the crop. I like it more than the first one and Lechuck's Revenge, though those games were awesome. It's certainly better than Escape from Monkey Island, which is the weakest. It's got great characters, an interesting story, and some very funny moments, plus some great plot twists and turns. I could tell you my feelings on other Lucasarts games, but I figured I'd just stick with Monkey Island.

[petethepanda]

The first couple episodes are shaky but eps 3-5 are great. It doesn't come close to Secret and Revenge, but it comes fairly close to Curse.

Until Walking Dead I thought the last few ToMI eps were the strongest games TTG made.

[Syd]

Since you're a fan of Telltale's other adventure games, you're probably aware (and apparently tolerant, since you like them) of the inconsistent quality of puzzles found in their games. The puzzles are, overall, pretty simple, but where ToMI shines is the story. If you thought that it would be nice for there to be a Monkey Island game which explored the potential of the setting and characters, then you'll probably like ToMI quite a bit. The game doesn't really hit its stride until chapter 3, though, so if the first two chapters don't interest you, keep pushing forward. Chapters 4 and 5 are especially a treat, story-wise. Try to not get yourself spoiled before playing.

It's a bit of a shame that, technologically speaking, the game is held back as much as it is, but that's mostly due to them having to work around the absolutely absurdly tiny size limit for digital Wii games. If it wasn't for that, there might have been less copy-pasting with NPC models and what-not.

[Acemaster]

These games are very short compared to other MI titles. I'd say they are shorter even combined than any other MI game. This is also arguably the easiest; you can choose to have much hand-holding as is the trend in gaming industry today, so that those not used to playing can also find their way through the game. Thankfully, you can also turn hinting off.

The game doesn't have the best humour out of the MI games, in my opinion, but at least it gets better towards the end. The first episode is very dry and the jokes are forced and bad, but fortunately they get rolling.

However, I like this title. I think they would be the worst MI games, but they're still very good and worth playing. Decent enough continuation for the great series in my opinion. If you are an experienced MI player and you see that the games get less funny and easier all the time, I think this will be the worst for you. However, they still manage to grasp the feeling of Monkey Island for me, at least!

[Jokieman]

Not as good as the first two, but to be fair it is REALLY hard to "write" comedy.

it was still worth the $, time, and effort.

One of the things that made the older games longer lasting was having to figure out all the puzzles. Some of them weren't easy, and when 1 & 2 came out, most people didn't know what the "Internet" was.

[Swashguy]

Tales is definitely up there with Lucas Arts' finest. Avoiding direct comparisons or saying that it's better or worse than this or that chapter, it'll leave you satisfied in a way the others haven't, much like Admonisher said.

[B-J]

"The Tales of Monkey Island" is a very inventive game in its whole. Everyone who played MI 1 and 2 and showed interest in these two games will be happy. Since there are so many hints and allusions to the classic games like the big forests, the way you can let Guybrush talk or simply the fantastic music (and much more), it is a good game for those who liked playing MI1+2. And the new environments/levels bring a certain 'freshness' into the game. The Telltale crew really couldn't have made a better job. So in my opinion "The Tales of Monkey Island" is as good as the Lucasarts games!

[Hudomonkey]

Thank you for all the help and advice

I have bought Monkey Island 3 and Dam ans Max hit the road to play over Christmas and have used Scummvm as suggested thanks and I will probably get Tales after I've finished them.
Thanks

[VentureRonin]

I just finished Tales of Monkey Island. I'd played the first two installments as they were released, when I was a kid... eventually followed up with the 3rd and 4th installments, probably not too long after they were released but I can't remember. With the the seeming death of the Adventure Game genre, gaming in general faded from my consciousness and I didn't even realize they'd made new games in the series until fairly recently.

I recently replayed the SE remakes of 1 and 2, but it's been so long since playing the 3rd and 4th installments that I find it difficult to compare. But I did really enjoy ToMI and think anyone who enjoyed the first two should check it out. I was surprised how involved I was in the story and characterizations, and there were still several gags that made me laugh out loud, though they didn't quite match the inspired humor of the first couple.

It is sad that the series seems at long last dead... though at least it had enough legs to keep it alive for almost 20 years. It's had a better fate than Grim Fandango, IMO the greatest adventure game of all time. I'd love to replay it but I think I'd actually have to acquire an old computer with an older operating system to pull it off. Still, glad to hear Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer are working on new games that will appeal to the old adventure gamers.

[Macfly77]

Originally Posted by VentureRonin

It's had a better fate than Grim Fandango, IMO the greatest adventure game of all time. I'd love to replay it but I think I'd actually have to acquire an old computer with an older operating system to pull it off.

Actually, you might be able to play it on a modern machine using ResidualVM.