ThunderPeel2001

Yep, but it's no different than the voodoo doll puzzle from MI2, so I don't know why he makes such a fuss

I wonder what puzzles he's referring to?! The only puzzles that are really tricky are found in Part Two... (although they're basically impossible in the Remastered thanks to the "golo flakes" stupidity (removing an important clue that the drink contains metal), and the audio bug that stops the race announcer loop when you leave the kitty races). Aside from that, I don't recall there ever being a clue that's only given once in passing (that couldn't be picked up elsewhere at least). Any ideas? Also, there's nothing obscure from Part One that requires an elephantine memory that I can recall?

They really don't. They have all the hallmarks of being drawn directly into a paint program. The gradients, the little details, it all points very clearly to being pixel art I'm afraid. That doesn't mean there wasn't some concept art, though.

Yeah, exactly. The open world stuff was pretty shallow, as I recall. If it had been affected by RTS missions, then it could have been deeper and more cohesive as a whole... how strange that Vivendi strong-armed Tim into adding adventure aspects. Like why bother greenlighting the game in the first place if it's not what you wanted. Although, that said... if I was overseeing a Tim S production, I'd probably encourage him to add story and characters, too. But weird to essentially try and block all mention of RTS stuff. It sounds like they'd have been happier if the RTS stuff wasn't there at all. You never had a chance to get better at the RTS stuff. I just fluked my way through every battle in order to get back to the story.

Super enjoyable article. As a player you forget all about the weird legal antics that were happening back then. What a rollercoaster. I wonder what the terms of the settlement were... did Vivendi actually have a claim to the game after dumping it?? Anyway, I just remember the game now... which was an odd one. My memory is this: I loved the story and the lore and the characters. The world was amazing... so creative and clever, but the RTS stuff was such a massive slap in the face when you were playing it. It really comes out of nowhere. You get no opportunity to get better at it, you're just thrown in the deep end. It's such an odd experience. Maybe if the RTS stuff had featured more regularly, from the beginning, and had given the opportunity for players to learn the ropes. And maybe if there had been sub-missions that allowed the player to practice tactics in the RTS game in return for rewards and abilities in the open world, it would have been perfect. It would have felt cohesive. But, as I remember it: If you loved the RTS stuff, then there was a big story mode in the way. And if you loved the story mode, there was RTS stuff to content with. And the open world things just felt sort like and disconnected... if they'd managed to merge the two better, so they both justified each other's existence, it could have been brilliant.

I know someone who worked as a graphic designer for a Spielberg produced film, and Spielberg did indeed attend phone conference meetings to discuss direction for the advertising. When I worked at Secret Cinema, Ivan Reitman attended teleconference meetings when we did a Ghostbusters show. Honestly wouldn't surprise me at all if Spielberg and Lucas took a few hours a month to dial into a production updates on the game over Zoom. Often these people really care about what's being done with their creations... even if their input doesn't change things that much

Why doesn't Bill just get together with Larry Ahern and Jonathan Ackley? A reunion of the great minds behind Curse?

...and Poker Night 2

Wow! Thank you. Beautiful stuff!

I'd love a version of MI2 that looked like these original sketches!

Woodtick came out quite nicely!

Ah, I see what you mean. So it was blue originally and then someone tie-dyed it with bleach? That said, I feel it would have damaged the prints... so maybe it IS an original. Being tye-dyed certainly seems more fitting to the game's themes!

The first one was just a colour test. The second one was the finished thing. Purcell explains on his blog: https://spudvisionblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/cartographers-cabin.html A transparent PNG of this would be... *chef's kiss*

What do you mean by this? I reckon it tie-dyedness is exactly on point for this game Or do you mean something else about it?

It does depend on the game, I think. When I play Red Dead Redemption II, it's pretty damn cinematic and immersive and doesn't require much in terms of imagination from me But I do agree that gameplay beats graphics. A great story is a great story. A text adventure could be a gripping if it's well written. You don't need AAA money to tell a wonderful story or feel immersed. Dave Gilbert is still doing wonderful stuff with that old fashioned, pixelated toolbox of his. Back to the main conversation: My point about cinematic nature of adventure games was that it helped offset the slowness in return for that "cinematic" experience. The way the character walked and animated was a treat. Most sprites in old games were tiny and inexpressive (think Mario). The cut-scenes, the backgrounds, the music. But also: DIALOGUE. There were actually characters in these games. And a story. Other games of the time didn't have them: They were racing games, side-scrolling shooters, platform games. Graphic adventures stood out It all helped elevate the slow/stop-start gameplay experience by rewarding you with things you didn't get from other games. Now the market is flooded with characters and cut-scenes and dialogue and story (even if they're mostly done badly)... It's probably harder to find a game that doesn't have them!