I get the hype now!

[Jamps]

Call me late to the party, but finding that this forum was revived made me decide to play through a Lucasarts game that wasn't Star Wars. Classic Star Wars games were basically my reason for being on this forum years ago, but I wanted to switch it up.

 

I played the remake of The Secret of Monkey Island on my Xbox One and... WOW!  I couldn't put it down.  I haven't played a point-and-click style game in ages, but now I want more.  I enjoyed that I was able to play the modern one and the original-style game at the same time... which was funny because I felt the old school one was easier to control.  😆

 

I'm sure these are things you guys have heard before but I just really wanted to share!  Knowing that I went all these years not knowing who Guybrush Threepwood is makes me feel like I've been missing out. I knew this game would become special to me when the game explained that great swordsmen have to have witty retorts to win.  While another playthrough is definitely in order, I can't wait to pick up LeChuck's Revenge.  Then, who knows... so many classic games to choose from!  😶

[Lagomorph01]

It’s great that these classic games still make new fans even 30(!) years since their release! I can definitely recommend the Double Fine remakes of Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle and Full Throttle, and since Microsoft purchased Double Fine last year, they should be heading to XBox too (if they haven’t already.)

 

I actually envy you a little, being able to play these classics for the first time! Enjoy it, mate, they’re timeless!

[Scummbuddy]

The remakes of Grim, DOTT, and Full Throttle have made their way to the Xbox ecosystem and they actually might also be a part of their "Game Pass" where they are available to download for free if you are a member. I don't know if those games have made it over to their "PC Game Pass" feature (yet) though (and PC Game Pass should essentially merge with their Xbox Game Pass).

[Rum Rogers]

Welcome among us! I have to admit I'm a little envious, I wish I could play all those immortal classics for the first time again.

By the way, if you loved Monkey 1, you'll be completely blown away by Monkey 2. Seriously, I don't just think it's the best Monkey Island game, I think it's the best adventure game ever! 

 

Enjoy!

[ThunderPeel2001]

YES, WELCOME NAIVE HUMAN!*

 

* This is a reference to a game you have yet to play, but that I think you'll enjoy.

[Jamps]

Thank you for all the recommendations! I saw Grim Fandango in the Microsoft store and it looks pretty neat.  I’ll have to see what ones are on Xbox. 
 

Also, Rum Rogers, reading what you said has me pumped to jump into Monkey Island 2 this weekend.  I’ll probably have to post about how incredible it is! 😁

[Rum Rogers]

You'll love it! Please do play the HARD mode, as Easy mode will skip not only puzzles but entire rooms and a very big chunk of the game

[Lagomorph01]

11 hours ago, Rum Rogers said:

You'll love it! Please do play the HARD mode, as Easy mode will skip not only puzzles but entire rooms and a very big chunk of the game

You struck my curiosity with this, Rum, so I decided to find out what the differences were, and they are in fact quite huge!

For people like me who never played Lite Mode, this is quite a nice write up of the differences, (obviously don’t read it if you don’t want any spoilers!!!):

http://opinionscanbewrong.blogspot.com/2015/06/monkey-2-lite-differences-and-adventure.html?m=1

[Jamps]

15 hours ago, Lagomorph01 said:

You struck my curiosity with this, Rum, so I decided to find out what the differences were, and they are in fact quite huge!

For people like me who never played Lite Mode, this is quite a nice write up of the differences, (obviously don’t read it if you don’t want any spoilers!!!):

http://opinionscanbewrong.blogspot.com/2015/06/monkey-2-lite-differences-and-adventure.html?m=1

From what I’ve seen, the Xbox version does not have lite mode. At least there wasn’t an option. 
 

I had some time last night and played through part 1. I’m pretty sure the “hard” mode is the default on Xbox just from the description in that article.  (The hard thread puzzle was in my game. I didn’t read past Part 1, no spoilers please!)

 

I will say that I find this game to be more challenging than the first one, which is a good thing. Concerning the above mentioned thread puzzle, I had to look it up to get there.  (Shame on me! I tried...)  I kept walking around trying to figure it out and talk to everyone but it really had me stumped. 😂

 

I’m also enjoying the story and characters so far — love Captain Dread and HATE Largo.  One of the things I’ve really enjoyed in this series are the personalities — everyone you seem to encounter is just full of personality.  Through just a few lines and movements they are able to convey so much.  I’m low key hoping Stan (the sleazy used boat salesman) makes an appearance.  
 

Edit: I forgot to mention that I finally get the Mojo reference! I never looked it up. I got excited when I saw it.  

Edited February 6, 2021 by Jamps

[Jamps]

I hate to double reply, but I just finished the game about 20 minutes ago.  What an incredible game from beginning to end.  I absolutely loved the ending — I imagine it was a major point of discussion.  I feel like this is a game you can continue to analyze and never get to the bottom of it.  
 

Thanks for not spoiling the return of my man Stan.  Glad to see he was still out hustling.  
 

I just gotta say that I am so happy that I decided to play these games.  Consider me a fan! 

[Scummbuddy]

Last night I was watching my wife play through Curse of MI for her first time. She's really enjoying it and loving the silly dialogs. Although I feel like I've seen and heard everything in that game she stumbled upon a voice line that I hadn't heard before and it had me cracking up. Dominic, once again, really delivered on a line. Related to getting a crew together...

 

Spoiler

When you're having your dueling banjo contest and Edward goes off on his banjo-solo, you can "talk" to him in a manner that Guybrush yells "MESS UP!".

 

I don't think I've heard that line before but the timing and delivery was just so funny to me.

Edited February 7, 2021 by Scummbuddy

[ThunderPeel2001]

On 2/7/2021 at 6:14 AM, Jamps said:

I hate to double reply, but I just finished the game about 20 minutes ago.  What an incredible game from beginning to end.  I absolutely loved the ending — I imagine it was a major point of discussion.  I feel like this is a game you can continue to analyze and never get to the bottom of it.  
 

Thanks for not spoiling the return of my man Stan.  Glad to see he was still out hustling.  
 

I just gotta say that I am so happy that I decided to play these games.  Consider me a fan! 

 

Ha, that was quick! I'm guessing you used a guide? (Which is understandable given how frustrating some of the puzzles in MI2 are -- spit contest, monkey as a wrench, etc.)

 

If you're going to move onto Curse of Monkey Island next you'll have yourself a lovely time, as the puzzles are more rounded, the interface is more polished, it's just an all round great experience. Arguably LucasArts's best... or damned close to. 

 

One tip: Unlike MI2, I would recommend playing the lower difficulty first and then moving on to "Mega Monkey" mode afterwards. Why? Simply because unlike MI2 you the lower difficulty is basically "normal" mode, not "easy" mode: You don't miss any story or locations, and there's a bunch of great puzzles that are worth playing through. It's basically a normal LucasArts adventure game with great puzzles (you shouldn't really need a guide, or least need one less).

 

Then when you complete it you get the additional bonus of playing it again with more difficult puzzles (presuming you enjoyed it the first time). Two games for the price of one!

 

Of course maybe you fancy exploring another world next: Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango are all excellent choices (and I'd probably recommend them in that order, simply because they get more technically impressive as they continue).

 

[Jamps]

14 hours ago, ThunderPeel2001 said:

 

Ha, that was quick! I'm guessing you used a guide? (Which is understandable given how frustrating some of the puzzles in MI2 are -- spit contest, monkey as a wrench, etc.)

 

If you're going to move onto Curse of Monkey Island next you'll have yourself a lovely time, as the puzzles are more rounded, the interface is more polished, it's just an all round great experience. Arguably LucasArts's best... or damned close to. 

 

One tip: Unlike MI2, I would recommend playing the lower difficulty first and then moving on to "Mega Monkey" mode afterwards. Why? Simply because unlike MI2 you the lower difficulty is basically "normal" mode, not "easy" mode: You don't miss any story or locations, and there's a bunch of great puzzles that are worth playing through. It's basically a normal LucasArts adventure game with great puzzles (you shouldn't really need a guide, or least need one less).

 

Then when you complete it you get the additional bonus of playing it again with more difficult puzzles (presuming you enjoyed it the first time). Two games for the price of one!

 

Of course maybe you fancy exploring another world next: Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango are all excellent choices (and I'd probably recommend them in that order, simply because they get more technically impressive as they continue).

 

I’m going to have to see if Curse will work on my old MacBook.  I’m probably going to play through as many of these games that are available on Xbox and then assess the computer situation! 😂 I really want to play more Monkey Island. 

 

I totally looked up help for some of the puzzles in MI2. It took me about 7 hours to complete it.  Basically, I try to do as much as I can and then try the hint feature.  If that doesn’t work... I look it up!  I honestly have no idea how I’d have made it past a few of them.  Kudos to those of you who did it alone! 

[Lagomorph01]

I understand using a walkthrough for certain puzzles completely. When I played those games, back in the day when I discovered them, I had a lót more time on my hands. (Plus there was no hint feature, nor access to the internet for walkthroughs.)

 

Jamps, you may call me Gramps. 😉

Edited February 10, 2021 by Lagomorph01

[ThunderPeel2001]

Yes, I was stuck on MI2 for months (or it felt like months when I was 12). Wouldn’t do that these days. 
 

You only need ScummVM to play all these games on a MacBook. 
 

But you may as well continue with the Xbox titles. They’re all good!

[Rum Rogers]

Hey Jamps, I'm glad you loved it, I was sure you would! Funny thing is, back in the days "being stuck" for a long time was part of the gameplay in a loose way.

 

Obviously as ThunderPeel said, it's something that we could afford to do as kids and wouldn't be possible right now as adults.

I still fondly remember those lightbulb moments when I suddenly *knew* I found the solution before even trying it. Sometimes it happened while I wasn't even playing, in the dead of night. Wouldn't change that feeling of satisfaction with any other game genre

[Huz]

You haven't truly solved an adventure game puzzle until you've used everything with everything, exhausted every line of dialogue, used everything with everything again (just in case), then finally realised there's an entire room you haven't walked into yet which contains all the answers to your problem.