Return to Monkey Island

[Cpt Seepgood]

Curious why Tim Schafer wasnt a part of this new game? Do you think he was approached by Ron, but was just too busy with his studio or was he not even considered...

[Laserschwert]

15 hours ago, Cpt Seepgood said:

Curious why Tim Schafer wasnt a part of this new game? Do you think he was approached by Ron, but was just too busy with his studio or was he not even considered...

I'm pretty sure that's the reason. Not only is he running Double Fine, he's also the head writer on the bigger projects.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Laserschwert

[Glokidd]

I agree with Jan here, Tim is probably very busy with his duties at DF especially with MS now owning the studio. That being said I'm sure if Ron or Dave ever wanted to they could pick up a phone and get some input from him as a consultant. I'm honestly half expecting to see Tim's name in the credits in a consultant or at the very least a special thanks.

[MurraySchull]

Just checked YouTube and apparently the trailer is fluctuating between the #5 and #10 trending spots worldwide at this moment!

 

A very strong sign that people are generally very excited by this news!

[Udvarnoky]

Hopefully Lucasfilm is seeing all this reaction and going, "Huh. This whole investing in legacy IP thing -- maybe there's something to it?"

 

Which will probably just lead to Guybrush being an unlockable character in Battlefront III, but I say dream big.

[Alexrd]

3 minutes ago, Udvarnoky said:

Hopefully Lucasfilm is seeing all this reaction and going, "Huh. This whole investing in legacy IP thing -- maybe there's something to it?"

 

Which will probably just lead to Guybrush being an unlockable character in Battlefront III, but I say dream big.

 

#NeverForget

[SGTflippy]

3 minutes ago, Udvarnoky said:

Hopefully Lucasfilm is seeing all this reaction and going, "Huh. This whole investing in legacy IP thing -- maybe there's something to it?"

 

Which will probably just lead to Guybrush being an unlockable character in Battlefront III, but I say dream big.

Guybrush VS DARTH maul

[Lagomorph01]

Or in Fortnite… *shudder* 🤢

[Cpt Seepgood]

When seeing the pretty sizable Monkey Island easter egg in The Sea of Thieves: A Pirates Life, it made me think, looks like Disney is loosening their grip on those LucasArts IPs. I was hoping I would see some incarnation of Guybrush in the game, but to see this...blows my mind, true dream come true. 

 

Monkey Island Easter Egg

Edited April 5, 2022 by Cpt Seepgood

[Glokidd]

1 hour ago, SGTflippy said:

Guybrush VS DARTH maul

 

Yay I get to dig this up again 😀

 

edit: wait, did Book of Boba Fett ruin my "you fight like a bantha" joke... aww geez 😜 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Glokidd
added joke

[ThunderPeel2001]

I smell a CMI remaster if RTMI is successful...

[MurraySchull]

The door is open for a CMI remaster now, I think. This would be the ideal opportunity to bring the games to new consoles too.

The only thing really that holds Curse back visually is the resolution, which crunches the background/character art down significantly and all but destroys the cutscene quality. A game like Curse would truly shine in 4K resolution, not to mention widescreen, with the non-scrolling backgrounds most likely being expanded to 16:9.

[Udvarnoky]

Yeah CMI is so beautifully realized that it really "just" needs to be redone in hi-res, not reinterpreted in any way. Basically, the whole game should look like the box art, which already passes as a screenshot with no deferences to compression.

 

Dunno how likely such a thing is, but RMI selling like hotcakes won't hurt anything.

[Lagomorph01]

Yes! Make it happen!

and while you’re at it, please re-remake part 1 and 2 with the same love please.

And maybe get Skunkape to remaster Tales!

And sure, remake part 4 while you’re at it!

 

Please make everything possible that you can while this wave lasts!

[maritzac]

Another vote for Tales remastered.

[MurraySchull]

Regarding a potential Skunkape remaster of Tales, knowing that Bosco was re-cast for the S&M remasters, I believe the same could happen with the Voodoo Lady's voice actress in Tales for similar reasons. However, if this were to happen, I would be open to a recasting if, and only if, they re-recorded her dialogue with the original Voodoo Lady from MI1-4. Tales was the only game where she didn't return (most likely due to the monthly nature of recording sessions) so just to add that sense of continuity, I'd love to have her be voiced by Lelani Jones Wilmore in a potential Tales remaster.

 

(The same could potentially happen with Van Winslow, but that's another story!)

Edited April 5, 2022 by fentongames
I meant "open to a recasting". Not remaster. Bring on a remaster!

[neoncolor8]

5 hours ago, Romão said:

Atmosphere, that magical combination of sense of place and evocative music, that lingering feeling that still thrives years after playing the games, that was always my main takeaway from the monkey Island series.

 

And it's in that sense that the first three games excel and the other two falter, regardless of any plot holes or lore breaking elements that were never as important to me

It's the same for me, I really enjoy the atmosphere, the places, the music, the feeling. 

The games are like a place to visit from time to time. 

I hope they get this right! 

[Jake]

46 minutes ago, fentongames said:

However, if this were to happen, I would be open to a remaster if, and only if, they re-recorded her dialogue with the original Voodoo Lady from MI1-4.

This is what would happen, for consistency. The actor in the game did a great job but the team would have preferred to use the original/canonical characters where possible especially for leads like the Voodoo Lady (those decisions were not ours to make, for budgetary reasons! Thank you to the fans for being loud about Earl Boen at the time, it was the ammunition the team needed to get him back for episodes 4 and 5). As far as other principals, Stan is recast all the time so that one seems more okay to be sloppy, and I really liked the actors performance in Tales. I don’t think anyone else would change. 
 

Thats my guess at least! Anyway, how about we Return to Monkey Island…

[threadbarer]

A version of Tales that combines the episodes into one grand adventure and converts it to a true point-and-click game would be amazing. I would cry tears of joy.

 

Honestly, a remastering of Tales like this, perhaps with a little more variety in character models for side characters, would almost be preferable to a CMI remaster to me. As far as I'm concerned CMI, while being my favorite in the series, is in the least need of improvement.

[Gapi182]

12 hours ago, Lagomorph01 said:

I get what people say about CMI, and I understand the sentiment. But that game gets a pass from me because of everything it puts to the table. The art style, animation, cinematography, atmosphere, humour, voice acting (which was a first), music and everything was so top notch, not to mention it had to start from the point where Ron left it, (which must've been really hard).

CMI has the disadvantage of not being made by the original creator, but makes up for it in all other fields. EMI... not so much.

It has the disadvantage of completely ignoring the underlying tones and the plot beneath the pirate adventure. It is what it is on the surface. It's a fun pirate adventure. It's not trying to be anything more. Luckily it excels at this in pretty much every aspect and feels like a childhood cartoon. It's brilliant as a standalone, just kinda messes with the lore and the classic hollywood style ending bothers me. It's cheap.

[Utwarrior]

You guys are touching on a very important point IMO. There are many changes between the tone of MI1, MI2 and CMI. Yes, Ron is involved in the first two games, but even between them there are some changes in atmosphere, plot tone, and character personalities that have always bothered me.

 

To me, the first game is about mistery and exploration. Beggining with the game's title - what's "the secret"? Most of the time, you explore environments alone and don't know what lies ahead. Getting into the giant monkey head or getting the navigator's head even gives you a bit of horror. The soundtrack reinforces this - exploring the forest in Melee, talking to the Voodoo Lady or arriving in Monkey Island makes you tense for the first time.

 

In this game, Guybrush is just a regular guy that is anything but a pirate. Elaine is a brave woman who has always had everything under her control and likes Guybrush precisely because of his innocent looks. Lechuck is scary, kills pirates and likes "hot winds of hell blowing in his face". 

 

In MI2, Elaine was the same character, but Guybrush had lost his innocence. Now he has facial expressions, makes more jokes and has a goofy humor. He is no longer a dreamer, but a selfish pirate who tells everyone what he has done and what he will do. 

 

After that, in CMI, EMI and TMI Elaine was just a generic damsel in distress, rescued by Guybrush, mighty pirate, and Lechuck has become a non-threatening cartoon villain. I love CMI and what Bill Tiller did, but always have missed the darker tone of the first two games.

 

I wonder what atmosphere we will find in RMI. What do you guys think?

 

These points were discussed by Ian Danskin on the part 3 of this video (after 12:50): 

 

[Lagomorph01]

I agree. I recently replayed Monkey Island 1 and 2 and the change between Guybrush is pretty big. In part 1 he's the underdog, the butt of the joke. He's a wimpy loser you're rooting for because he connects to you as the player in a certain way. In part 2 he's much more of a jerk, he's overconfident, brags about himself and actively bulleys people.

I still love both games, but after my most recent playthrough, my favourite game switched from part 2 to part 1. I just like the innocence, exploration and adventure more.

 

The stuff about Elaine is all true too. While I don't really see her as a damsel in distress, she became more of a victim of circumstance. (Okay, except for the Carnival of the Damned, that's a classic damsel there). She's definitely tougher and more inventive in part 1 and 2.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Lagomorph01

[Alexrd]

I'm also a member of The First One is Better™ club.

[Rum Rogers]

4 hours ago, Utwarrior said:

Lechuck has become a non-threatening cartoon villain. I love CMI and what Bill Tiller did, but always have missed the darker tone of the first two games.

These two sentences sum it up so incredibly well. Nothing to add, I just 100% agree.

[5abanja]

New art found in the form of the website's .. icon! A Mug o' Grog!