BillyCheers

Thanks, that‘s great! I‘ll replace it later. Laserschwert already did some upscaling for the TMI pictures and offered do that for other pictures of needed. So I will continue working on the MI2 cd cover as soon as I have time and post the updates here.

I was trying with some artwork first – but that's always a bit tricky in combination with text (these are of course very, very rough tests): My next thought was something like your layouts... in style of the CMI parchments maybe. Dunno. I guess it would be quite some work, to find the right images etc. 😅

First of all, I was totally surprised when I found out here that there are actually “Cursed” soundtracks to Tales (why didn't I know that?!). Then I also noticed that the same person did a couple of MI2 tracks in Cursed style as well. This is amazing! ❤️ So naturally I did some covers for those soundtracks too (downloads are in the first post): Now to the idea of CD covers with a backside… As an experiment I did this one for MI2: Except for a few details, I already like it pretty much. However, there are two "problems" in general: First, the resolution of some images is unfortunately not always as high as the artworks done by @Laserschwert. This is already visible in some of digital album covers (e.g. the "Cursed" for TMI) and it’ll be of course even more noticeable in print. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about upscaling or anything like that, so I don't know how time-consuming and effective that can be in the end. The second thing are the tracklists. Except for MI1, they are extremely long and don't really fit on the back side (at least if you list every track). If they are necessary, I’d put them in a booklet. @Romão, making these things is actually a lot of fun, but it's also a lot of work. So I don't know how long it will take (and if I'll stick with it). But I'd like to keep working on it if you' re still interested in them.

@Dmnkly: "Threeeeepwooood! So good of you to join us!" (said in Boen voice) Exciting to have you here. I am curious to see what you will share here. A few behind the scenes infos are always nice (if you can of course). ☺️ I kind of feel the same way. On one hand, I find the question interesting and am curious what Ron has always imagined it to be (as he seems to have a very concrete idea). On the other hand, I can do without the resolution – and the explanation of the MI2 ending is more important to me. I just hope that the mystery isn't too crazy or outlandish. I definitely prefer a less effective, but "logical" or believable solution. Such resolutions or twists don't always have to be big and completely unthinkable. There are many twists that you expect to happen or that aren't really exciting in and of themselves, but then work so great because of the right execution. As for the time travel or time time jumps… I hope they don't go in that direction, that would feel like fan service to me. And as for the "canon" problems (Stan in the coffin): I don't think that everything will beautifully work together canon wise. And they also said, they'll be taking what they like and "change" other things (while being careful to not hurt the fans).

Thank you very much! 😀 I dunno, maybe... It was fun to make these, even if it was more work than I thought (my Photoshop skills aren't as good as they used to be ). The resolution would have to be higher for printing, I guess. I could start to make one for one game and check how much time/work it takes. 🙃 Personally, I don't listen to CDs anymore. I either listen digitally or via vinyl records. I've even thought/dreamed about making the soundtracks or a collection of the best track on vinyl (with cover and everything) - but that's unfortunately probably quite expensive... 😅

Makes total sense. Although I think a game played with walkthrough and TV/movies are still pretty different. In adventures you can explore, decide who to talk to (and what). So this interactivity is still there, even if you look up most of the puzzles. But I completely understand your point. And that's what I find so interesting about the topic (and games in general): The reason why you play them can be totally different from person to person – unlike with most of the movies, which you "just watch".

Sure, in the end those games are just made to have fun. But it's ironic that I kind of "dislike" the most central part of an Adventure game (at least from the gameplay point of view). Although I find it totally fascinating to hear people like Ron Gilbert talk about how they design those puzzles and I am sure I'd have a hell lot of fun doing that. Always makes me wonder how much Ron likes to solve puzzles and maybe get stuck for a long time. Because I think making puzzles and solving them are too totally different things.

Thanks for the link, I'll look into it. But don't get me wrong: I don't want to look for easier or puzzle-less games. I am totally fine in having a hard game with lots of puzzles – and looking most of them up. 😁

Although I don't find the idea to return to Mêlée Island that exciting for now, I'm definitely curious to see/hear how they will "stage" (?) the island. According to the screenshots so far, the design and structure will be pretty close to MI1. The question is whether Michael Land will take up the familiar themes or create new ones - and also how the music is going to be in places that didn't have music in MI1. Although we also had a lot of new music in EMI for Mêlée (which I actually like very much!), the location was completely different and thus justified different music. (I also just realized how great it is that we get the same composer for all six games - a luxury that is super rare, especially in the film world!).

I would like to start a topic here that has been "on my mind" for a while (and I hope that it hasn't already been discussed to death ...). First a little outing: I am absolutely no friend of puzzles. Even more: in everyday life I hate puzzles and refuse to think about them. (I'm sure that's partly because I'm not very good at solving them). On the other hand, I love adventure games. I love the good stories, the atmosphere, the characters, etc. And in fact, in adventure games, I even enjoy "solving" the puzzles - if I know the solution. But as soon as I am stuck with a problem for more than a few minutes, I get impatient ( a characteristic of mine in general) and just look it up on the internet. I often do that with a bit of shame, because in the end: That's not what these games are about, right? But that's how I enjoy them the most. And after all, I do enjoy a good puzzle design, even when it was solved for me. I often have the impression that most adventure fans have the ambition to solve the puzzles by themselves (which I find cool and admirable!), but for me it's not like that and I've mostly found peace with my laziness. So, how about you guys? Are there others here who love adventure games as much, but just can't bring themselves to solve the puzzles by themselves?

Aaaah, obviously I wasn't. Thanks for the link! I'll look into it.

Oh, you made the Cursed version, @AndywinXp? Very nice! I love it and listen to it a lot. Of course I had to make a cover for it. 🥰 I haven't noticed anything negative about it (drums or guitar), but I don't have a great ear for such things... To me they sound perfect. @Romão, although I don't listen to CDs anymore, I'd love to see the CD covers, when they are ready! (If you need help or anything, I'd be glad too, of course). I love the idea to make them under the label "Stan's Previously Owned Soundtracks" btw. 😅

Good point, both of you!

Hmm, I kind of thought so, too. But the root beer is clearly not of that world and is a very important part of the story in MI1. But I kind of feel the same. Strangely it feels more nuanced (dunno why though).

If I had only played MI1, I’d have thought so, too. But in CMI (the one I played first) and even in MI2 the question gets asked a few times by the game. I wonder if others asked themselves this question after playing MI1 first… 🤔

Yeah, maybe you're right. I can't put my finger on it, but to me the references always felt more "noticeable" or "on the nose" in EMI (balance?). Although you're not wrong: There are many references in the other games too and they even also play a big role in the story (root beer). Hmhm, let's see what they cook up for RMI. 🙂

That's a really good point/idea! Never thought about revealing the secret at the beginning or at least very early. And I am on your side: The secret should have more of an emotional impact than a sensational one. I'd like to see Guybrush really broken at some time – and maybe then get it all back together by the end.

I don't think it's thaaat off topic. It's interesting to talk about the different games and what you liked or disliked about them in terms of "Return". At EMI, they just went too far with the references to modern times for me. It almost seemed like a spoof game: a whole story about Real estates with a Murdorch villain, all the brands that came up as references (Starbuck's), a LeChuck church (wtf?!), Monkey Kombat, a giant robot monkey like Godzilla or something, etc. While we had a great pirate story in MI1, 2 and 3, with some charming references here and there, EMI relied way too heavily on that for me. The balance was lacking. And this has nothing to do with "change" but with consistency... Tales, on the other hand, had fantastic storytelling (albeit a somewhat strange basic story with the Pox) that none of the other games could match for me. In the end, everyone has their own expectations for a Monkey Island. For my part, I'm at least curious to see if Ron is able to reproduce that very special mix of 1 and 2 back, for which I like them the most. And as for the 3D graphics, maybe that's a matter of taste too. But although the backgrounds and sprites in CMI aren't HD, they are super very well done and feel much more finished to me. In EMI, many cutscenes and some backgrounds were just sloppy (probably due to time pressure) and Tales unfortunately suffered from the engine and the possibilities, I would say - although they really got the best out of it, especially in the last episodes! I'm definitely glad we're getting 2D again in RMI - looks the nicest (as long as you don't have Rockstar or Ubisoft behind it) and somehow makes the most sense for an adventure game to me.

I also had a go at a quick Guybrush sketch. Strangely enough, I can more and more make myself comfortable with a mustache Guybrush. 😬 However, I like the right better (but I'm not a great drawer now, so... yeah).

When I played it first, those things didn't bother me that much. I thought it was all just silly fun. But the more I was coming to love the old games, the lore and the story, the more they felt off to me. In the end it's not a bad game. It has some nice puzzles, funny dialogues and nice settings. But on the downside, it seems like the creators just always thought "Wouldn't it be funny/crazy, if...?", without thinking if it would make sense to the story. On top of that, on my last playthrough I was really annoyed by the controls. Everything took SO long. Many actions that could be done with a few clicks in the old games, in EMI you had to navigate Guybrush for ages. It may have been an improvement to GF - but definitely not to the classic P&C adventures. And the 3D graphics haven't really aged well either, unfortunately. Many of the backgrounds (though not totally bad) look very empty and lifeless. But still: not a bad game! Just not a very good Monkey Island game, in my opinion... 🙃

Thanks! Feedback is always welcome. And it's a good point – I added a bit of background on the left and put him more in the middle.

Thanks! I reworked the framed covers a bit: In an alternate version, I cut the framing at the bottom to let the characters stand out a bit more. I personally like that one better, so I put this as my favorite in an overview JPG. I also fixed a mistake I made on the MI2 covers (the logo was wrong...). The links are all updated in the first post at the top.

Hi, I also wanted to give my two pieces of eight on the topic. 🙃 I really love the new art style so far! I like that it goes in the direction of DOTT and I'm curious to see how crazy the overall design will be. I also very much like the character design: Shopkeeper (?), Locksmith and ghosts in the trailer - all look great to me! With the Judge... I'm not so sure if I like it, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. I (as everyone I guess) am really excited about the Guybrush design. I would like to see a nice evolution from the MI2 Guybrush: A bit more melancholic, maybe even a bit "bitter". The old MI2 sprite always felt a bit depressed to me (in a good way). Also in terms of personality I would find it nice to experience a more "jerk" Guybrush again in comparison to the stupid ones we often got since CMI. Maybe even with a good portion of humility (?) and melancholy. 😁

Like most people here… I love Monkey Island for its amazing music! And since I like to have everything in order (🤓), I've created consistent covers for my Apple Music library (using the great visuals from Laserschwert). I'm already pretty happy with these versions - but not 100% yet. I am therefore very open to alternative suggestions. [Update: For the sake of overview I have moved the downloads to "Imgur" and replaced them with an index here.]] Links to the cover downloads All album covers with framing – Version 1: https://imgur.com/a/B0CWRVe All album covers with framing – Version 2 (as seen in overview image): https://imgur.com/a/e55iyw0 Alternate covers for MI1, MI2 and MI4 with "original" framing: https://imgur.com/a/UBFgqNE Alternate covers – with logo, without framing: https://imgur.com/a/uKNk6ee The artworks without logo or framing: https://imgur.com/a/9jMgeMy Disclaimer: For the sake of the sorting, I have decided against the more beautiful CMIs and ReMIs of this world and reduced it to MI1 - MI6 ("Threewood. Guybrush Threepwood…"). (If I have unnecessarily opened a new topic here, although this can be wonderfully integrated elsewhere, then sorry.)

Hello, I wanted to introduce myself "briefly" I'm Romain, 34 and I've been reading here for a few weeks now. But especially with the discussion about "Return" I feel the urge to join in the discussion from time to time. Who knows... My Monkey history: I grew up with CMI in 1997, but I also learned to love the originals very early and I'm always open for new things. At the time I really liked EMI (but the recent playback deceives the opinion a bit - apart from the story). It just has to work and be fun. But everything that isn't it doesn't ruin the rest for me either. I'm looking forward to the exchange in any case and am curious about everything that still happens (these are exciting times for Monkey fans in the end :D)!