Post your reviews of Tales Of Monkey Island: Episode I

[spiralout]

Storyline: Good! It fits the mold of a good Monkey Island tale. It has voodoo, kidnapping, treasure hunting, ship sailing... This first chapter feels like it's setting up the story to go to bigger and better places.

 

Characters: Good! Guybrush and Elaine are just like I remembered them. Great work on the voice acting. LeChuck isn't in this episode too much, but his presence is felt in a funny way. The voice actor also does a good impression of Earl Boen, although the laughing sounds a bit forced. The other characters around town are okay.

 

Music: Good! Michael Land provides classic 90s sounding adventure game music. It fits right in. I especially liked the subtle use of LeChuck's Theme towards the end.

 

Graphics: Good! I like the lighting and the use of subtle blurring to create field of depth. There are some really nice effects like the rain in the beginning. Certain scenes like the Voodoo Lady's house look really nice. The main characters look great. The secondary characters look a little ugly...

 

Humor: Mixed... There are some great lines of dialogue and funny situations here, but I feel like there aren't enough of those really great over-the-top moments like in other Monkey Island games. I feel like the average, predictable humor outweighed the truly great humor. Maybe it'll get better in future episodes.

 

Puzzles: Good! The puzzles felt very Monkey Island-y. The were logical for the most part, although there were a few that felt a little odd.

 

I liked the attention to detail that gave it that real Monkey Island feeling. Like the overhead map of the island that Guybrush runs around on. I haven't seen that in an adventure game in a long time. There are a lot of references to past games like when Guybrush says "I'm selling these fine leather jackets".

 

I really liked this episode, and look forward to all the rest.

 

I give it a 8.5 out of 10

[Sven_Q45]

Ready!! I must intsall it now!

 

Today I read nearly nothing on all my forums. Just wanted to get Episode 1 you sucker!

 

What an instllation! With Direct X ca. 20 Sec.

[Ascovel]

Mine is here

[Jeff]

Here is mine. I loved it, it had very few problems and makes me can't wait for the next one. I will probably play it again sometime before next month.

[Sven_Q45]

I´m on Floatsam Island.

I was for a walk with the dog and happy. I was on Floatsam Island in real. It´s windy outside. Now I must play further!!

 

The controls suck!! But I don´t give a ****, man!

[Serge]

Storyline: Good old MI story. EMI is forgotten That's all really

 

Characters: Almost perfect. At least the main characters (from Guybrush, Elaine, LeChuck and the Voodoo Lady, to the main villain of this story). The citizens were a bit generic, though.

 

Graphics: OK. There's enough detail, if not the plethora one was used to from MI2 and CMI.

 

Animation: Is spot-on 99% of the time.

 

Music: Has potential. There was a lot of great stuff from Land here, but it was muddled and sometimes slaughtered by really bad recording, pseudo-reverb and super-artificial instruments - not sure if DLS and MIDI was being used here, but even that has never sounded so bad. When a new MI theme sounds worse quality than CMI's 12 years ago (or MI2's played with a good synth), there's stuff that could be worked on. And I know TellTale can do it, because S&M was much better in this regard.

 

Sound design: Very nice and atmospheric

 

Interface: Hrm. The main way of controlling movement is worse than any 3D adventure yet. WASD it is, I guess. The way of combining inventory items seems to be only there in order to avoid the user accidentally finding a solution, although I guess it also gives a kind strange kind of extra sense of achievement when a combination works While those movement controls appear to be "innovative" for no reason whatsoever - what's wrong with point and click?

 

Puzzles: Great! Some were much quicker to figure out than others, but they all made the MI kind of sense when figured out.

 

Continuity: Good stuff here. Shoutbacks to MI (including Stan, and I loved the P-P dolls) and a few other LucasArts games.

 

Humour: I liked it Some obvious jokes here and there, but then, those were there in the first four games too, even if people (almost by definition) forget them.

 

**** 4/5

[Sven_Q45]

I´d give it a 4,5 of 5

 

Well LucsaArts games are genius but I think the TTGs are more funny! Guybrushs hand. Funny.

 

I played it through the whole evening.

 

The LA logo after years in an adventure game.

[Irfaan]

I really liked it! I just want it to come to XBLA so I can purchase it myself (and not play through friends version on PC)

 

The only thing I disliked was the controls! Seriously! What's wrong with Sam and Max style?

[parabolee]

Fantastic!

 

Especially after I fixed the controls by using a 360 controller and Xpadder to map the right stick to the mouse

 

See - http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=156089

 

The first Chapter alone had more funny than Escape! And I already prefer it to Curse! ("I'll sleep when I'm dead! Or later tonight")

 

It was also longer than I expected, the first Episode of Sam and Max was so short that I was worried Tales would be too (although S&M got longer with later episodes).

 

It really felt like a full blown Monkey Island release too, I was worried it would feel like an episodic game, but not in the slightest. Just felt like a real Monkey Island game that I can only play the first Chapter of, for now.

 

Graphics look much better in game than in screen shots too, was very happy with how it looked, although the lip sync could be tighter.

 

Guybrush felt like the same person that was in Monkey 1&2 (a problem I had with Curse was he looked younger than he was in 2). Loved LeChuck's new voice (surprisingly), the HAR HAR HAR kills me! All the voice acting was great.

 

Really enjoyed the puzzles too, maybe a little on the easy side though.

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The only thing that stumped me for a while was the first map puzzle. Didn't realise I had to use the map on the well first.

 

It's such a shame some people are having issue's with the controls because other than that it seems to have been almost universally met with high approval from fans of the series.

 

I'd give this first Chapter an rock solid A. Leaving a little room for further Chapters to exceed this one.

[andygeers]

General Impressions: I really liked it!

 

At first I thought I was going to hate the new control scheme, but by the end I hardly noticed it - especially once I twigged that you could still point and click on hotspots, which negated the need to use WASD in 95% of cases.

 

Thought the story was good, all in all very true to the spirit of Monkey Island, and the script even had a couple of laugh-out-loud moments for me.

 

Found the puzzles really enjoyable - just hard enough whilst still giving you plenty of feedback to help you figure out what you were trying to do. I valued the subtle hint mechanism, even if it did sometimes seem to be recommending I go some place I'd already been to - it just took the edge off what might otherwise have turned into frustration.

 

Found one little bug, where

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I was able to open the unbreakable bottle without even picking up the implement required to open it.

Thankfully I soon figured out what I should have done to solve the puzzle for real :-)

 

So all-in-all, a fine first outing for the new face of Monkey Island!

[Sven_Q45]

I don´t know what all people have with "W, A, S, and D". I used the curser keys like in Indy 6. When I started Indy 6 I changed it immediately.

[Thrik]

Just finished it, and liked it a lot.

 

Everything came together so nicely that it's hard to praise specific parts, but the most important thing is that the overall atmosphere was nailed, the characters were interesting and likeable, the puzzles were superb, and the storytelling was extremely strong.

 

There are criticisms, but as it's always easier to think of things you don't like let me just reaffirm that the good far outweighed the bad for me.

 

(There be spoilers in this list.)

 

• Music composition was fantastic, but the sample quality and volume control seemed like it wasn't letting it breathe properly.
   
   
  
• Although I was comfortable using the cursor keys for movement, I would prefer point-and-click — I like to play PC games on my couch with the mouse alone, and this'd be my preferred way of doing it. I can't actually think of anywhere where a point-and-click interface wouldn't have worked, except for perhaps the bridge to the mini-island which was kind of an unnecessary camera angle anyway.
   
   
  
• The re-use of character models was just a bit too obvious. It wasn't really an issue with the captain and the reporter, but the two skinny guys stood out like a sore thumb and I actually thought it was the same character at first.
   
   
  
• While the new voice actor does a good job as LeChuck, I can't not mention my preference for Earl. I do think the new guy does a great job when LeChuck is talking in a more normal tone of voice, such as when they have a conversation on LeChuck's boat. But when he's shouting he doesn't have enough power behind his voice, with the worst example being when he 'appears' at the wishing well. It can probably be improved with acting adjustments, or maybe even pitch/bass manipulation — but Earl is optimal IMO.
   
   
  
• The graphics were largely fantastic, with the blooming and depth effects really kicking things up a notch. However, minor graphical glitches did show up on 1920x1200 such as the individual slabs of polygon that make up the jungle floor being at irregular heights and stuff like that. Not particularly obvious, but the first time I saw it I thought it was meant to be some kind of trap door! Also, the minor characters could use a bit more polish.
   
   
  
• The inventory system is definitely excellent for adventure game novices, but I think additional ways of doing the basic tasks would be appreciated for us veterans. For example: allow items to be directly clicked together for combination, and allow right clicking to instantly inspect an item. I also think the inventory should close by itself if you move your mouse away from the whole interface, like in CMI I believe.
  

 

Seriously did love it though, and I feel completely satisfied after finishing it and like I've already experienced a pretty epic bit of play. The fact we're going to see many more environments in the upcoming episodes is really exciting.

[Sven_Q45]

Lol, today I´ve started it the second time.

 

@Thrik

Yes, the graphics were not that bad. But I think they´re a little bit unsharp.

 

Btw:

Steam top 5 bestseller july 11th

1. ToMi

2. Grid

3. Streetfighter IV

4. Left 4 Dead

5. Arma 2

 

Don´t know this is the ranking for Germany or international. But sounds very good!

[neon_git]

Good but not great. A solid start to the series.

[Giant Graffiti]

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My only complaint was when LeChuck turned into a human. His lower lip was waaay too big.

It offended my sensibilities.

[Sven_Q45]

http://store.steampowered.com/feeds/weeklytopsellers.xml

[plamdi]

Short review here: http://scummgames.net/mitalesch1.php

 

I enjoyed it and look forward to what the rest of the episodes bring.

[Ray Jones]

This really is an awesome game. I'm loving it. The controls (I'm using the mouse, WASD is the evil), the graphics, the voices, the style. It's somehow different to the other games, yet it fully meets my criteria of how a Monkey Island game has to be. Guybrush's childish jokes, the small details, Chuck the plant. Well done, Telltale. <3

 

The inventory system is definitely excellent for adventure game novices, but I think additional ways of doing the basic tasks would be appreciated for us veterans. For example: allow items to be directly clicked together for combination, and allow right clicking to instantly inspect an item. I also think the inventory should close by itself if you move your mouse away from the whole interface, like in CMI I believe.

I second that.

[igyman]

I have to admit I was very sceptical of an episodic Monkey Island, but since it IS Monkey Island, I just had to play it.

 

The game is pretty good. I didn't use the new mouse-drag control system very much as I preferred the old "Grim Fandango" arrow keys and U (Use), E (Examine), I (Inventory) controls. Which one is better - I guess it just depends on the player.

As for the story, since this is only the first chapter I can't form a complete impression, but from the looks of it so far, it's definitely going to be interesting and funny. Dominic Armato is still in shape when it comes to voicing Guybrush, which is of course a big plus. The other voice actors did a pretty good job too, but the voice of LeChuck did feel somewhat out of character at times (especially the forced laughter). I'm not really sure why they opted for a new actor there.

The graphics are nice, colorful and cartoonish and remind me slightly of Escape From Monkey Island. The only negative remark I have here is that the characters (including Guybrush) look a little too pale and plastic. Character animations (and all other animations) and effects on the other hand look great and add to that Monkey Island feel.

Soundtrack - again a job well done. The recognizable Monkey Island theme can be heard again along with many new tracks that retain the familiar style.

All in all Monkey Island never gets old and the only flaw of this latest installment is that it's been split into episodes which, by themselves, are not that long (it took me 4-5 hours to finish this one), but hopefully when you put all five episodes together, you'll have one fairly long game.

I'll finish by expressing my hope to see Murray and possibly Stan return in one of the following episodes.

[jrrtoken]

Just finished it, thought it was great.

• Puzzles were a mixed bag. They went anywhere from obvious to totally vague. Overall, the
  rotating chair puzzle was my favorite, as it reminded a lot of the mechanical "cycled" puzzles a la Myst
   
  
• Music was overall perfect, but the overall sea shanty motif became too overused throughout the whole game
  
• The plethora of in-universe, LucasArts, and pop culture references was enjoyable ("I'm selling these fine leather jackets..."; "D'Oro the Explorer", "U-Tube"). I really hope that the mention of Stan gets realized in future episodes.

[Snugglecakes]

I think it's just awesome. Best of all, it's definitely Monkey Island! I'm happy with the graphics, the sound, the music, and the story and dialogue and puzzles are spot on! I love the puzzles. And the atmosphere. And I laughed! Can't wait for the next one. Playing this makes going back to EMI near impossible.