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News
(2)Previews
Review
Videos
Screenshots
Cheats and Walkthroughs
News
(2)Previews
Review
Videos
Screenshots
Cheats and Walkthroughs
News
(2)Previews
Review
Videos
Screenshots
Cheats and Walkthroughs
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is not the first time I've played a LucasArts adventure game, but it marks my introduction to their famous Scumm interface. Scumm, among other things, makes up the different interactions you can have with the environment, such as "look," "walk," "give," "push," etc. LucasArts' update spices up the formerly pixilated graphics and tweaks the interface, but Scumm is still there.
An hour into The Secret of Monkey Island, I'm not sure I like it. Hear me out.
For the record, I'm playing The Secret of Monkey Island on an Xbox 360 with the new art.
The Secret of Monkey Island has been released one week after LucasArts and Telltale Games dropped Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal. Did they release these games in the right order, though? As someone who's being introduced to the Monkey Island series this week (outside of a flirtation with The Curse of Monkey Island years back), the differences in interface are striking and, well, a bit annoying.
I'm making a snap judgment about Scumm, but having to constantly remember whether I should be pushing, pulling, giving, talking, walking -- why can't these actions be rolled into something simpler, more context sensitive? Tales of Monkey Island executes on this within the same universe, in step with other modern adventure games and Telltale's previous efforts. The Secret of Monkey Island is a different era of game design, but I can't help but wish, hey, maybe they should have gone a little further with this one.
The past few paragraphs are potentially sacrilegious statements for folks who grew up on Scumm-based adventures, but I didn't. I can't help but judge games based on my own experience, and my first encounter with Guybrush Threepwood was when these advances started taking place within Monkey Island itself. Like most gamers, though, I'm willing and able to adapt, change and play The Secret of Monkey Island on its own terms.
I'll be playing much more of The Secret of Monkey Island, hopeful the game's obvious charms will ensnare me beyond the game's fantastic writing (I'm enjoying the new art so far, too).
Comments
Displaying 1–11 of 11
Giga
I love this game i played it until my disk was damaged 2 years ago i think people have become too use to simple and when required to take a step back and look at well the point of the game was to think what do i do with this item not i click on the item and it just does what its suppose to. I see it like any other puzzle if the peices put them selves together what would be the fun.
duhreetoh
A completely unfair post. You're insinuating that they should have redesigned CORE gameplay mechanics of a classic in which they were obviously trying to remain 100% true to. Much (although not as much as later games) of the comedy comes from pushing something silly or talking to something that can't talk back. I also don't understand your complaint because, when in SE mode, they DO alleviate as much of this verb confusion as possible. Patrick I always enjoy your posts but you've stepped beyond nitpicky and into arguing for no reason.
Kallazar
It is a crappy system to be experiencing for the first time. I was a big fan of the game and haven't played it in years. I am looking forward to playing it (later) and don't mind the set-up because I am expecting it. I would figure that the game is being put out primarily for those of us who came up with those games; don't think it would be easy to get into them now.
dvorax
part of the fun of scumm is that if you pick the wrong action, you might get some kind of humorous response. and really, is it really that hard to figure out which of the 9 commands you have to enter?
i like that there are several options for commands, it means you actually have to think a little about what you want to do, rather than just generically interact with assorted objects on screen. i don't always like it this way, but i think for adventure games at least, the single button interface is kind of boring because then it is even more of a reason to just click everything instead of actually thinking about what to do next.
friendofbud666
Damn my Amiga is jealous that they didn't rerealese this crap for it!
friendofbud666
This game was the ruin of the King's quest typing interface. Game for moron's who can't think. The death of having to actually play a game instead of it playing you.
Maxx2029
Given that this is just a Special Edition of the original, I think it would might be bit unfair to ask them to completely redo the controls. Especially since some puzzles (and their humor) are built around you using the right verb for them, they would have been ruined if just "clicking" would have solved them.
Btw. If you would play both games only on console, then this remake was released before the new series, as Tales still waits its Wii release date.
gtrogers
I love Monkey Island as much as the next guy, and I was worried about the new graphics. I found the graphics to be overall very good (aside from the sliding/gliding walking animation), the voice acting fantastic, and the music great as always.
The interface, however.... eeeesh. I appreciate respecting the original game, but it is a bit awkward and frustrating. Playing with a keyboard/mouse would be much easier than an analog stick.
Lucifer6972
I say do what you gotta do Patrick but yep...Mario's been in Space, where you at buddy??? LOL!!! :) I'm playing, I am, :)
But I think that's the same for all gamers, to tell you the truth. They all choose their own taste, especially when it comes to what they like. I guess it all depends on the type of games they like, fighters are judged on other fighters and shooters and so on.
I think one great example is Resident Evil. You know how some people like it(like myself) and other people take it slow or don't seem to like the style? Well, one big aspect is cause of the engine, how the character interacts, which in this case, shooting. Yeah, blah, blah, blah, you can't shoot while walking. That's why you are not an American if you don't like it, LOL!!! :) I'm playing, I am, :)
But yep, that's true. Practice what you don't know because if you do, it teaches you mistakes.
Marc_OS
The problem is that it needs to be played with a keyboard and mouse. I don't think you can get the real satisfaction of playing it unless it's on PC. That could just be the nostalgia talking though.
pumathehero
sacrilegious indeed
Displaying 1–11 of 11
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