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Ok, I've had time to watch the videos and learn more about the new Special Edition. Amazingly, these guys appear to have done a damned stellar job. The voice-acting seems spot-on, the backgrounds are absolutely faithful, the music seems sweet. They've really done something for the fans!

 

There is one small flaw, however... The new Guybrush sprite looks TERRIBLE.

 

fckhead.jpg

 

Dear lord god almighty... No. Somewhere along the line somebody mixed up "guileless" with Guile from Street Fighter. There isn't an ounce of charm or likeability within this character... Something that is ESSENTIAL to enjoying Monkey Island.

 

Compare with the following:

guybrushmockup.jpg

 

Please, LucasArts, I think you've done a brilliant job on the new Monkey Island. It's exactly what we wanted, don't fail at this final hurdle!

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^Yeah they said that while demoing on gamespot last night...

 

I really don't understand the problem...it looks great and the sprite is small enough that i won't bother me one bit...

 

I appreciate what LA has done...seems like they got their pride out of the way and did something for the fans.

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I don't think the sprite looks that bad at all.

 

Remember that this game features the young, teenage Guybrush. They wanted to update the graphics to incorporate more up-to-date styles that fit in better with our current idea of Monkey Island, and of Guybrush.

 

You mentioned that the backgrounds are "absolutely faithful". This is true. They are faithful to both the composition, style and colours of the first game and to the updated, more cartoony style of the newer games. The stylistic swirly clouds have been included, and the colours and shapes are less realistic and more aesthetic than in the original game; they have gone for a mid-point between the style of the new games, the style of the old games, and their own new artistic direction.

 

If you aren't willing to accept a change in artistic direction, then you're limiting the artistic freedom of the game designers greatly.

 

Think about Curse of Monkey Island. The graphics in that were phenomenal; I'm sure you'll agree, most players seem to.

 

How closely, though, did the characters and art style of CMI follow those of the first two games? Not very closely at all, they went for a whole new style (and a whole new Guybrush).

 

You used Purcell's Guybrush painting as a template for what Guybrush "should" look like. How closely does CMI's Guyrbush follow that template? What about EMI? What about Tales of MI? Hell, what about Steve Purcell's own art from the second game's cover?

 

The fact is that Guybrush has changed a lot over what's been the best part of 20 years, and everyone who draws him for a new game tends to change him a bit (or a lot) and give him their own style. This has produced excellent results in the past, and I believe that the new Guybrush sprite from the Special edition is no exception from this.

 

He is simply a young, teenage version of the clumsy, lanky, blonde pirate with the huge quiff we've become used to.

 

You seem to simply wish that they had given the old game more detail and more colours. What would be the point in that? They would lose both the charm of the old game and the merit that comes with new styles that makes the Special Edition such a bonus.

 

And the one thing I can't get my head around is how you all seem to be so angry about this when you can turn it off in-game! I think that people are acting really ungrateful... we should all be very happy indeed.

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"Save Guybrush!"

 

Or... you know... live with it? Granted, he doesn't look ideal, but...WE HAVE AN UPDATED SOMI! Jesus, if Elvis came back from the dead and started doing the safety dance, you'd all complain about how much weight he's lost.

 

Listen, nothing will ever be perfect. And yes, ideally, if they were going to screw something up, you'd hope it wouldn't be the design of the main character, but come on now, we've gotten to nit-picking here, lets just all bask in the glow of some Monkey Island goodness..

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"Save Guybrush!"

 

Or... you know... live with it? Granted, he doesn't look ideal, but...WE HAVE AN UPDATED SOMI! Jesus, if Elvis came back from the dead and started doing the safety dance, you'd all complain about how much weight he's lost.

 

Listen, nothing will ever be perfect. And yes, ideally, if they were going to screw something up, you'd hope it wouldn't be the design of the main character, but come on now, we've gotten to nit-picking here, lets just all bask in the glow of some Monkey Island goodness..

 

Err. LIKING and IDENTIFYING Guybrush is a fundamentally important part of enjoying SOMI. Imagine if Han Solo was played by an drag-queen midget with no teeth... Do you think they might alter your enjoyment of Star Wars somewhat?

 

People not being able to LIKE and IDENTIFY with Guybrush will mean it won't be successful with non-diehard fans... Which means it won't get great reviews, will have poorer sales and ultimately we'll be extremely unlikely of getting MI2:SE.

 

Anyhoo, I'm hoping that they're going to leave it open so that we can alter the graphics somewhat easily...!

 

And the one thing I can't get my head around is how you all seem to be so angry about this when you can turn it off in-game! I think that people are acting really ungrateful... we should all be very happy indeed.

 

I don't CARE which style they use. It really doesn't matter. What I do care about is it being UGLY.

 

Secondly, "turning it off" just gives you the ScummVM version of the game... No updated music, no voice acting, nothing different. Can you explain why any fan would be excited about BUYING that?!

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Imagine if Han Solo was played by an drag-queen midget with no teeth...

 

Great, now that's ALL I can think of.:indif:

 

As for liking and identifying with him, hey, people liked EscapeMI Guybrush, and this one is loads better.

 

Seriously, maybe you hate it, but personally, I like it, it's not ideal but for me it works.

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Err. LIKING and IDENTIFYING Guybrush is a fundamentally important part of enjoying SOMI. Imagine if Han Solo was played by an drag-queen midget with no teeth... Do you think they might alter your enjoyment of Star Wars somewhat?

 

People not being able to LIKE and IDENTIFY with Guybrush will mean it won't be successful with non-diehard fans... Which means it won't get great reviews, will have poorer sales and ultimately we'll be extremely unlikely of getting MI2:SE.

 

So you think that people will have trouble "liking and identifying" with Guybrush because...? Well, he's pretty much anthropomorphic as far as humans go, he's the personification of a clumsy teenager, and he looks as stupidly comedic as he sounds, so I can only assume that you have drawn this conclusion from the fact that he doesn't look exactly the same as the Steve Purcell cover art.

 

And you're saying that "non diehard fans" (i.e people who are new to the series) are going to have trouble identifying with him because of this.

 

Because of the inconsistencies with the old box art.

 

Which they haven't seen.

 

You berk.

 

 

I don't CARE which style they use. It really doesn't matter. What I do care about is it being UGLY.

 

From your other posts it seems like the style is of paramount importance to you... I don't get what you're saying, do you mean Guybrush isn't attractive enough or what? I thought your concern was that he didn't look like the old Guyrbsuh? Swallow your pride so we can hear your voice properly, I don't know what you're saying.

 

Secondly, "turning it off" just gives you the ScummVM version of the game... No updated music, no voice acting, nothing different. Can you explain why any fan would be excited about BUYING that?!

 

From the trailer, I was under the impression that "turning it off" implied just turning the updated graphics off, but I may be wrong.

 

Either way, you seem to be basing all of your assumptions on the high resolution pictures of Guybrush. If you look at the in-game screenshots, you'll notice that the difference between old and new Guybrush isn't actually all that different:

 

1243908049.jpg

 

1243908050.jpg

 

What you seem to be after is a version of Guybrush that's exactly the same as the old one but slightly less pixelated...

 

Can you explain why any fan would be excited about BUYING that?!

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Granted he's the second-worst looking Guybrush (after the featureless one in EMI), he isn't really unplayably bad IMO. I hate the Guybrush on the cover the most, he looks like an imposter.
Yeah, I think the cover art looks a lot worse than the actual in-game sprite, which really I don't think is that bad.
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I can only assume that you have drawn this conclusion from the fact that he doesn't look exactly the same as the Steve Purcell cover art.

 

And you're saying that "non diehard fans" (i.e people who are new to the series) are going to have trouble identifying with him because of this.

 

Because of the inconsistencies with the old box art.

 

Which they haven't seen.

 

You berk.

 

What on earth did I say that implied he needed to look anything like the Steve Purcell box art?!

 

From your other posts it seems like the style is of paramount importance to you... I don't get what you're saying, do you mean Guybrush isn't attractive enough or what? I thought your concern was that he didn't look like the old Guyrbsuh? Swallow your pride so we can hear your voice properly, I don't know what you're saying.

 

Yes, that's correct, the new Guybrush looks unlikeably bad. I don't care what "style" he is, just that he looks GOOD.

 

From the trailer, I was under the impression that "turning it off" implied just turning the updated graphics off, but I may be wrong.

 

You should do a bit more digging around then, shouldn't you! :p Normal or Enhanced, those are the two choices, there is nothing inbetween. (Linky)

 

Either way, you seem to be basing all of your assumptions on the high resolution pictures of Guybrush. If you look at the in-game screenshots, you'll notice that the difference between old and new Guybrush isn't actually all that different.

 

You think I'll get a better idea of how the new Guybrush looks by looking at screengrab of a YouTube video?? Don't be a plonker. Here's how he will actually look on our monitors:

 

fckhead.jpg

 

I attempted to "improve" him to mixed results:

thrikhead2.jpg

 

Ultimately his "undercut" haircut (ie. the bald-looking sides) are probably what makes him so unappealing, I think. (And people have made the Hitler Youth connection.)

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What on earth did I say that implied he needed to look anything like the Steve Purcell box art?!

The photoshoppping of the Steve Purcell art onto the updated Guyrbush probably had something to do with it

 

Yes, that's correct, the new Guybrush looks unlikeably bad. I don't care what "style" he is, just that he looks GOOD.

Do you mean he's just ugly as a person then, or is it the hair, or what?

 

You should do a bit more digging around then, shouldn't you! :p Normal or Enhanced, those are the two choices, there is nothing inbetween. (Linky)

I thought that switching between normal and enhanced was purely graphical, but it looks like I was wrong.

 

You think I'll get a better idea of how the new Guybrush looks by looking at screengrab of a YouTube video?? Don't be a plonker. Here's how he will actually look on our monitors:

 

fckhead.jpg

But... that's a screengrab of some box art... mine was a screengrab of... of the game... I... what?

 

Ultimately his "undercut" haircut (ie. the bald-looking sides) are probably what makes him so unappealing, I think. (And people have made the Hitler Youth connection.)

 

That's it! You've nailed it :)

 

He does look like a child born into Nazi Germany. You can clearly tell because all the distinguishing genetic features exclusively given to children born in that place and at that time are present in the new Guybrush.

 

Thanks for clearing this up, man.

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But... that's a screengrab of some box art... mine was a screengrab of... of the game... I... what?

 

It's a screengrab of the in-game sprite.

 

So let's go over this one more time, because I'm sure you're feeling all confused again:

  1. I think the in-game Guybrush sprite looks ugly (mainly his face and hair). So do lots of other people (trying stepping outside this forum).
  2. I don't care HOW it is improved, but even putting some poorly matched Steve Purcell artwork over his head seems to look a million times better. (Note: I did not actually put that together, someone else, on a different forum did.)
  3. I think that the CMI Guybrush looked pretty awesome. (Note: This does not involve any Steve Purcell gamebox artwork.)
  4. I've posted other people's attempts at improving Guybrush's sprite, not all of which included any Steve Purcell gamebox artwork.
  5. The enhanced mode is the Enhanced mode: There is no "mix and matching". If there's anything you'd like to see changed before this enhanced version is released, now is the only chance you will ever have to speak your mind. (The designers are quite actively following discussions, as they admitted in the LucasArts forums.)
  6. The image I presented is the finished Guybrush sprite. 1:1. Minimal compression. Actual size.
  7. It was the fashion for the Hitler Youth to have blonde hair, with shaved sides of their head. (Note how I didn't actually make the comparison myself, but merely reported the response of others.)

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How about making an online petition to save Guybrush, and send to someone in LucasArts? This is quite a big disappointment to me when seeing those screens. Yes i know that Guybrush's supposed to be a kinda dumb-dumb hero, but THESE making him looks like a.. well, soulless idiot. Or Neo-Nazi.

 

PS: Where's Steve Purcell??

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It's a screengrab of the in-game sprite.

So was mine, evident from the fact that it was actually in the game.

 

I think the in-game Guybrush sprite looks ugly (mainly his face and hair). So do lots of other people (trying stepping outside this forum).

If it is simply a problem with his personal looks, then I'm pretty much lost. I can see that his hair looks kind of stupid up-close, but how is him being ugly a problem? Was he so attractive in the other games? Is he attractive in TMI? The likeability of a character is rarely dictated by their attractiveness. Look at Scooby-Doo. We, as an audience, sympathise and care for Shaggy the most because of his cowardice and humorous behaviour. Fred, on the other hand, the most attractive of Mystery Inc., is a huge douchebag.

 

I think that the CMI Guybrush looked pretty awesome. (Note: This does not involve any Steve Purcell gamebox artwork.)

Yeah, I know. That's a point I made earlier to counter your apparent idea that Guybrush should look like Steve Purcell's art, but now I know that I was mistaken and you don't think he should look like Purcell's art, it's irrelevant.

 

The enhanced mode is the Enhanced mode: There is no "mix and matching". If there's anything you'd like to see changed before this enhanced version is released, now is the only chance you will ever have to speak your mind. (The designers are quite actively following discussions, as they admitted in the LucasArts forums.)

I know, I acknowledged that already. Bummer.

 

The image I presented is the finished Guybrush sprite. 1:1. Minimal compression. Actual size.

And the image I posted was from an in-game scene. Moderate compression. In-game size.

 

It was the fashion for the Hitler Youth to have blonde hair, with shaved sides of their head. (Note how I didn't actually make the comparison myself, but merely reported the response of others.)

Well it's still stupid and irrelevant, and the fact that you mentioned it at all shows that you're willing to give "evidence" to how bad he looks that isn't actually "evidence" but rather "Monkey scrotum".

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