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Successfully moved my day off from Monday to Tuesday. Bring it on!

What, another one? That's right: @Marius had a chat with Rex Crowle one day before the game's release, just for you.

Tales had a shorter window and less press, but I also feel like the landscape of games was smaller then so you didn’t have to be as loud. There were far fewer big service games running always churning out news, and far far fewer independent developers and publishers out on social media and news sites talking about their games. So you may be right that it’s the same! It’s very hard to tell. We’ll see.

New arrival (not yet sure how to tackle this one):

👕 I beat #Mojole #180 and all I got was this stupid t-shirt. 3/6 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 🖤💛💛🖤💛 💚💚💚💚💚 https://funzone.mixnmojo.com/Mojole/

The grog-icon of the ReMI website actually dissolves towards the game's release. 😍 Never thought they would actually implement that idea.

A small positive news about RtMI: it's currently at position #11 in Steam top selling games. 🙂 (Source) I really really hope that the developers will feel satisfied with the results. They deserve it!

I agree, I think it does more right than I would ever expect with a whole new creative team. In hindsight it's a bit ... basic, maybe, but it's a really solid, self-contained Monkey Island that goes down real smooth. It doesn't surprise me people favour it. I might like it more than MI1, once I strip away all my nostalgic feelings about 1. It's close, at least.

Less than 24 hours, guys!

I wonder how hard that would be to do. BTW: Does anyone know how to decompile an existing game so you get all the parts (code and graphics) to see?

“The Secret” will be different for every player depending on their specific in-game actions (I.e. which order puzzles were actioned in, which option players took to solve a multi-solution puzzle early on, like Fate of Atlantis, etc.) There will be a hundred or so variations of it in the final game. We’ll all rush to this board to discuss the secret, and all be met with confusion over their secret being different, arguing with each other for weeks over what the true secret is, screaming and clamouring at Ron for answers while he looks down on us smirking… it will be glorious. Okay, I’m only half serious about this, but I am expecting a degree of a joke for the secret’s reveal, or at least something that raises a few more questions.

👕 I beat #Mojole #180 and all I got was this stupid t-shirt. 6/6 🖤🖤💛🖤💚 💛🖤🖤🖤💚 🖤💚🖤💛💚 🖤💚🖤🖤💚 💚💚🖤🖤💚 💚💚💚💚💚 https://funzone.mixnmojo.com/Mojole/

My random thought of the night. The title card that is being used for the countdown, and what I presume is the part titled the titular "Return to Monkey Island," is actually pretty unsettling. When I watched the IGN video again from yesterday, I also noticed the music has some unsettling portions to it. I'm getting some big MI2 vibes so far; there was something very unsettling about the atmosphere in that game and I'm really happy to see that vibe seemingly continue in this game. Little over 1 day left.

This morning I started my 2 day MI marathon and I'm up to Curse. Man, it feels weird to see the ending to MI2 and know that I will never see it the same way again. Taking a break for lunch and then it's Curse and Escape. Tomorrow I'm dedicating to Tales and then it's RETURN TO MONKEY ISLAND BABY!

I have now finished my playthrough of the series! After only 8-9 months since my last playthrough, mind (after receiving the LimitedRun boxset at Christmas), so I think I've got a pretty good idea now as far as my overall thoughts on each entry. Will give a very brief rundown below: - Secret is a great starting point for the games, though I'd consider it as something of a middle-ground/transitional period between the games that came before it (Maniac Mansion, Zac, Last Crusade, Loom) and the games that came after (MI2, Fate of Atlantis, Tentacle, etc.) It still feels fairly limited as far as the technicals go, (i.e. limited music, not a huge amount of dialogue, still fairly primitive in its' interface, etc.) but it really laid the groundwork for the games that followed, both in the MI series and the other Lucas games in general. Hell, adventure games in general. It's because of SoMI that I'm interested in game design to begin with. - MI2 and Curse have aged the best of all the games. MI2's puzzle design and general expansion of the world, plus the fantastic soundtrack and introduction of iMuse, makes it one of the LucasArts classics. I couldn't help getting excited at the end upon selecting Guybrush's final dialogue tree option of "This is weird... what's going on here?" knowing that we're finally going to have some degree of closure on MI2's ending after all this time. Curse's atmosphere, artwork, soundtrack, and animated cutscenes really elevates it, even after all these years. The attention to detail in the backgrounds really struck me this time, in that you can see the games' other locations in the distance, which can alternate depending on your in-game actions at times. It really makes the world feel connected and alive. And yes, for a game that had no input from the original creators in terms of the story, they did a fabulous job in continuing the series and clearly doing so with passion. - Escape probably has more dated elements in so far as the visuals, and some of the dialogue. I still maintain it's a better game than people give it credit for, but time isn't as kind to it as Curse, for sure. I also do legitimately like the designs of the world and the characters, but of course, the technology of the day limits them. I don't think incorporating a point and click interface, at least as an optional feature, would've been a bad idea either. - I don't hate Monkey Kombat like others do, but MAN I despised it this time. There was ONE "insult" that the monkeys just weren't giving me and I wasn't able to win against Jojo Jr. until one of the monkeys randomly gave it to me about 30 minutes in! At friggin' last! - Tales has probably aged the most in my opinion, and honestly, this was my least favourite playthrough of the game yet. I think I notice the dated elements more in Tales than Escape because Tales is generally aiming to be bigger and better. Escape still uses traditional adventure gaming camera angles and animations, even in 3D (with backdrops rendered in 2D of course) so because of that, I subconsciously know not to expect anything too dynamic in terms of the visuals, and I instead pay more attention to the stronger elements such as the music, the voice acting and, by and large, the dialogue. With Tales, we do have more dynamic camerawork and animations, and where Escape knows its limitations, Tales tries to go beyond them, and yeah, when we're forced to look at closeups of late 2000's low-budget, low-polygon 3D assets, with awkward expressions and dated, unfinished-looking animations dotted throughout, it does take me out of the experience moreso than Escape did. - In terms of writing, of all the games, the humour in Tales does *not* do it for me. Guybrush has amusing comebacks to make about *everything* he comes across, and practically every line is written as if a marketing executive wrote it. Seriously, count how many times Guybrush says something along the lines of "Ah... nothing like a good __________ to get you through the day!" or the like, throughout the game. Taking nothing away from the fabulous voiceover work from Dom of course, particularly in the final chapter, nor the generally good story as far as the main characters' developments and relationships go, which is probably the strongest and most meaningful developments of the series since the original games, but dialogue-wise, Tales is the weakest for me. And just weird other things like the Voodoo Lady having a different actress, and a few other spotty actor deliveries bring it down too, where EMI's voice acting is practically flawless across the board. - All three Stan voices are practically tied for me. I can't choose a favourite. I welcome Gavin Hammon back in ReMI with open arms. - Man, I'm going to miss Earl Boen in ReMI. Please don't let me down, Harnell!! I think my ranking of the series probably now goes: 1. Monkey Island II: LeChuck's Revenge 2. The Curse of Monkey Island 3. The Secret of Monkey Island 4. Escape From Monkey Island 5. Tales of Monkey Island I still don't think lite remasters of Curse - Tales is that unlikely anymore, with ReMI reigniting "The Fires of Monkey Island" (next game title?!), and I look forward to the day when we see the announcements of their remasters coming! (Possibly in a bundle?) All I'd be looking for would be increased resolutions with upscaled art/textures, some recastings for the sake of continuity, and additional platform support. I think that's all they'd need, to be honest! Anyway, sorry for the rant, I had a spare hour! Two days to go!!

Soundtrack CD! That's paramount

It's a leftover of an old sales page: https://steamdb.info/app/324000/info/ Probably it was used for a sale of MI2SE, this old Reddit thread talks about it.

I think that regardless of how ambiguous the ending will be, the game will be designed to fit in perfectly as the "third game" of the original Gilbertian trilogy. This is despite the fact that the game will incorporate elements from chapters of the franchise subsequent to MI2, and despite the fact that it cannot possibly be the same "MI3a" game dreamed of by many fans. My serious prediction is that the authors have found a way to make the game feel like a final third installment, in the sense that a person unfamiliar with the franchise could play only "Secret," "Revenge," and "Return" sequentially and feel them as an entire cohesive and organic story.

What a great interview! I've deliberately not been looking at trailers or screenshots beyond a cursory glance - purely to avoid ruining myself for the in-game experience - but hearing about some of the influences and guiding principles behind the artwork is an excellent alternative way to get myself salivating. Oh, and anyone who loves Monty Python and Holy Grail and has an Amiga that still works is all right by me.

The danger in following a walkthrough is that you miss all of the other little details. I've probably written about my experience with Monkey 1 before, but here it is again: I fell in love with the game from the Amiga Power review of it... I just didn't have the RAM upgrade that allowed my Amiga to play it. I got myself a copy of the game from a friend (hey Ron absolved me from my childhood piracy when I backed Thimbleweed Park!) and waited with the disks until I eventually got the RAM required to play the game for my birthday, many months later (felt like a whole lifetime!). When I finally got the RAM upgrade, it was time to put these mysterious disks in and see what the game was about. I loved it from the opening appearance of the LucasFilm logo. The music was incredible. I say through the entire thing and the game just kept on giving. It was one of the few times in my life where my expectations didn't destroy the reality. The game was as good as, or even better than, I imagined. I felt someone had reached out directly to me, and my sensibilities. I adored it. For some reason I thought the entire game was just on Melee Island. I thought when I got the ship from Stan that the final disk (#4) was going to be used for a big animation or something. I couldn't believe it when I actually got to go aboard and enjoy that fun little self-contained puzzle. It was a nice breather after the long time I spent on Melee... but LO! if I didn't then get to spend disk 4 walking around Monkey Island itself! I honestly don't know why I was so surprised. I guess I was 12. But I loved it either way.

Really hard to tell. As Jake said, the world felt smaller in 2009. I would guess the REMI will hit lower than Tales... but it's just a random guess. I was late to the Curse party. I played and loved the originals so many times, so when I heard that Ron wasn't involved, I guess I just thought it would be a disappointing spin off. Eventually I purchased a copy and decided to give it a go... it would such a delightful surprise. It's a fantastically designed and polished game. They got SO much right. The voice acting (barring Elaine), the music, the atmosphere, the humour, the puzzles. Yes, it's maybe lacking the edge (if that's the right word) of the first two games, but there's so much to recommend it. In hindsight it's the one I'm most likely to pick and play, if I feel like a MI experience.

The secret is revealed in the early game, so the narrative can spend time really digging into its ramifications. Anywhere from starting the game to the beginning of the second act, is what I mean by earlygame. The secret raises a new peril, which the rest of the story focuses on resolving. There is only one secret. This is as much of a prediction as a wishlist. I don't mind if it goes another way. I tried so hard to come up with a prediction that isn't just what I wanted to happen, and this is the closest I came. I'm also trying to go a different way than other posters so I can be either be spectacularly right or spectacularly cringe. Also, if I'm allowed a low stakes mini-prediction: There will be a situation where Wally gets one over Guybrush, a role reversal of the dynamic they had in MI2.

I reckon this one's a pretty nice prediction. I'm going to say: Captain Smirk: Nah. Dead. Meathook: Nah. Unknown. Cannibals: Maybe. Navigator: Nah Fet Bro: Naaaaah Largo: Nope. Voodoo Priest: More like Voodoo LEAST Men of Low Moral Fibre: I truly hope so but something makes me think nah. Kate: No. Phatt: Nah. Barbary Coast: They're Barbary Toast Kenny: Nuh uh Goodsoup: Nuu Van Winslow: Van Wins-no Morgan LeFlay: Giving this one an outside chance but I'm still calling Morgan Away.

Don’t know if this one has already been discussed. With the upcoming release of ReMI on Monday I really hope that someone is also thinking about creating a physical big box release of this game. Assuming this will happen, what goodies would you like to have in the box - no matter if it’s realistic or not? Here are my wishes that could make sense to have: - a price tag for the horse armor that everyone gets with the preorder - maybe a coffee cup coaster in the shape of the horse armor or Murray 💀 - a ReMI poster in landscape or portrait mode, signed by Ron, Dave and Rex - postcards that advertise either traveling to Melee Island or Stan‘s new business - a plastic fish - a plastic skull of Murray as key tag - postcard of Melee Island - a map of Monkey Island - a coin - a letter with a summons to court - recipe book - small diary with all adventures of Guybrush (someone did that already) - alternative poster of ReMI of Rex Crowle based on the concept Steve Purcell did for Tales (?) - as much as I‘d like to have a code wheel that (a) wouldn’t make any sense and (b) would just be a connection for old fans and pure nostalgia. New phone players wouldn’t be able to reference it. And ReMI is not based on nostalgia afaik like Thimbleweed Park did. Those are all That is it from me for now. I may come up with other ideas later. Would love to read what you come up with 🙋🏻‍♂️😀

Ok, I know it's a bit of a stretch (it is a ReMI box set and not a collection after all) but I would really appreciate it if the first two games (EGA version for MI1 possibly) were collected as a bonus in a USB. No special edition, or anything like that, but playable without ScummVM. Kind of like having Maniac Mansion when you buy Day of the Tentacle, only not in-game. Other than that, soundtrack and art book would be very nice 👍🏻

I second the soundtrack CD! And if we can go totally unrealistic then soundtrack CDs for all of the previous games too 🙂 I'm also rather partial to a cloth map.

I'm the kinda person who, while appreciating a physical release and preferring to get one when possible, is not into having one with loads of trinkets inside it. I would love an artbook with commentary from the developers, but that's about it to be honest.

I will be playing it on my old MacbookPro. either connected to a 27" thunderbolt display or I go with my Mac Pro Cheesgrater from 2009 (plenty of RAM and a sold GPU) to enjoy it on its 30" cinema display. Recently played MI1 EGA on it and it looked fantastic!

As much as I love this series, and have done since I was 12, I do think, looking back, that I did probably overplay them back in the day. I played them a lot as a kid when I first discovered them (simultaneously as well, which was interesting!) and not only did I cheat all the way through the series after one difficult puzzle, but I printed off WorldOfMi’s “Easter eggs” pages for all of the games and made sure that I tried *all* of them! (I had a lot of free time in the 2000’s, okay!) Even Tales, I went back and replayed often very quickly. Because of this, I feel like I've discovered everything there is to discover, and I don’t really express much emotion when playing through the series anymore as they’re just second nature to me at this point, even with years between playthroughs as it’s been since 2010. That being said… I didn’t know about the storekeeper stuff! Just tried it out and yeah, it’s great! I also only discovered fairly recently that you can get money for breath mints/the minutes from the Melee Island map pirates. Once in a while during a playthrough, there will be something new I discover, but I did most of that back discovery back in the day to be honest! For these reasons, and also due to being older and just generally having less time, I’ll definitely take my time during the first ReMI playthrough, won’t cheat (barring the hint system if required) and replay it more sparingly over time to allow myself to have an emotional attachment to it for longer.

I suspect Return will eclipse it.

While we are here in the infobunker... shall-we-play-a-game? Here follows a chart of Google Trends (Source) that shows two things: at the far left, the blue peak of search interest registered for "tales of monkey island" the day its first episode was released. at the far right, the red increase of search interest related to people searching for "return to monkey island". Here is the game: What's your prediction for the release day of Return to Monkey Island? Will people search interest surpass the one registered in 2009 for "Tales"? 🙂 Boring technical clarification about those numbers: The values that you see in the chart don't show the raw number of searches but only relative values. A higher peak for RtMI would mean that the percentage of searches for "return to monkey island" recorded on release day was higher than the percentage of searches for "tales of monkey island" that was recorded in 2009, the day the first episode of Tales was released. So, in theory one should consider that there were fewer people on the Internet in 2009.

Thanks for opening the spoiler free thread! I used to visit the regular thread often, and I generally am not one for shying away from spoilers, but once that interview/preview dropped that allegedly revealed spoilers about the opening and the secret, I decided to call it there. True, that article seemed like the exception to the rule, but the fact that promotion for the game has otherwise been very close-guarded about the nature of the plot and structure of the game, down to not even releasing a demo of the opening scenes (and "censoring" some of the new gameplay video content) has really cemented it for me that I'd like to experience it all during my first playthrough. It's two days away and it feels so unreal that it's almost here. What a whirlwind these past few months have been. That April 4th announcement with the Monkey Island family (both the fan community and the talent behind the games) all coming back at once really was something special.

Ok, I checked. Seems like you’re right, you can review refunded games. However, it shows on the review that the game was refunded. https://www.pcgamesn.com/steam-review-refunded It’s something, at least.

This bit from the Eurogamer piece is interesting (and a bit annoying to me, personally) Absolutely do not get the fan obsession with Guybrush and Elaine. In the first game they met twice and had a deliberately corny, unrealistic romance. In 2 it had gone bad and the one big scene with her goes badly. In CMI she spends most of her time as a statue then they get married. In EMI they're married happily but mostly Elaine just sends Guybrush on errands. Only in Tales do they actually put in any real work to make any sort of comment about the sort of commitment their relationship is, and even in that both characters appear to have some romantic chemistry with other characters (even if it turns out at the end Elaine was faking hers). It's not exactly the greatest love story ever told. Why can't they be a little unhappy in marriage? Why can't we have stories in games that explore that kind of relationship? They clearly WANTED to. 😕 Ah well, I'll try to follow my own rule and try not to wish for the game to be something it isn't. It's just a bit frustrating to see that they couldn't make that sort of thing work.

I have to add that I'm appreciative of our monarch dying just to allow her loyal subjects September 19th off to play Return to Monkey Island. Thank ye, ma'am.

It wouldn't take much tweaking to make Last Crusade as much fun as Monkey Island if you ask me (I'm biased, obviously because I think it's such an underrated little gem). You'd just need to update the interface to MI's (small tweaks -- huge benefit) and edit some of the dialogue tree puzzles to make them things you could solve without trial and error. Voila! A really fun little game is hiding underneath.

You mean like this? (Made by Jason Lewis)

I am with you + Dark Forces in at least Unity Engine