GF2 Ideas

[the florist]

If think the hardest thing about making gf2 would be that u cant change the scenario, beacause it would loose the grim enviroment,it wouldnt feel like grim fandango, and it would be hard because u cant use manny in this sequeal after he`s gone to heaven, but again it wont seem like grim fandango without manny and his mexican acsent; but we have always to remember about something, the guys that work at lucas arts get paid a lot of money to think about those things, yes, they have to be very careful or they will do to gf, the same thing they did to monkey island, the first 3 games were great, but escape from monkey island was horrible, the transition from 2d to 3d made the characters lose they`re caracteristcs, ok that wont happen to gf, it was originally made in 3d, but what if they change the soundtrack style, or the "mexican" enviroment, it just wont seem like gf.

To finish this long thread, i hope they make gf2 soon, but i prefer they think a lot before making it, or they will ruin it.

[009]

What if you just made some kind of "invasion" happen in heaven... you know, how like, in the old Doom game, there was "hell on earth" where all the demons from hell invaded earth and you had to save the earth.. heh. Make Manny have to save heaven somehow! Heh.

[Sanspoof]

Hoooooooooooooray for Doom! I'm sure I said summit like that on one thread once, though.

 

Don't forget, all the Underworlds and that are all from Aztec and Mayan religion, so there's different versions of Hell and Heaven.

[amadeus]

ha...Doom is a funny idea. It would be kind of weird though...because how do you lose? You can't...die...heh

[Baghita]

A few days ago I re-installed Grim Fandango. A couple of hours ago I completed it. Wow. What. A. Game.

 

Needless to say I was left wanting more.

 

Now I don't know if a sequel would work, firstly because of the nature of the GF universe, and secondly because of the risk of a lesser-quality sequel tarnishing the Grim Fandango name. *Cough* Home Alone *cough*.

 

But if a sequel was to go ahead, I have a few thoughts.

 

I think that it has to be set in the GF world as we know it. It is such a rich, detailed and original environment that I fear nothing else would compare.

 

Now this leaves us with three options.

 

1) The game carries on from where GF left off.

 

2) The game is a 'prequel' to GF.

 

3) The game runs 'parallel' to GF, perhaps focusing on one of Manny's Four years dealing with what he did inside that year (we only saw what he was getting up to on each 'Day of the Dead')

 

Let's start with the 'traditional' sequel idea. The situation is this. Hector LeMans and his evil empire has been destroyed. El Marrow, however, still bears the signs of his rule. This could be an interesting setting for a sequel. Lots of opportunity for moulding a new environment (the theatre and casino would be a good place to start), yet still has the backbone of GF, allowing for lots of interesting designs and jokes.

 

Rubacava was left largely untouched by the LeMans empire. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it was by far (in my opinion) the best location in the game. We have no idea what happened to the Calavera Café after Manny's departure, this could be exploited by the developers. The Blue Casket (one of my favourite parts) is without an owner, again more opportunities. Plus, a lot of brilliant characters are still there. As far as we know, Terry the sea-bee is a revolutionary Marxist: I'd like to see him (and his followers) feature. Bogen and Carla (of the police department) are still there, as is Membrillo the morgue worker and Toto the tattooist. Both are excellent, in their own little ways. I'd like to see Membrillo undergo a change of character, and perhaps finally set off for the Ninth Underworld. I think it would also be a nice touch to sea Seaman Naranja (the one who Manny conned out of a place on the boat) still there, perhaps all bitter and twisted about his experiences. The boat captain has set off to find the SS Lamacha (I think), it'd be nice to see how he gets on. Chowchilla Charlie is also still around, as is that sprout-gun manufacturing guy (Bowsley or something). Finally, Maximino (or Del Boy, as I like to call him) is still there with his cat races (minus a lawyer, however)-these, along with the Blimp, could be used far more, in my opinion.

 

Salvador died valiantly, but the revolution still exists, with Eva at its head. I loved all parts of GF involving Sal and his organisation. It could feature heavily in a sequel, and there are so many possible jokes and clever parallels to be drawn (think of all modern resistance movements that fun could be poked at).

 

The underwater coral production plant was liberated by Manny, but it is still in place. This could be implemented in a sequel, but I wouldn't be bothered if it wasn't-I think that this area was one of the game's few weak points. But it is cetainly a spectacular structure with lots of opportunities.

 

And finally (and perhaps most importantly) Glottis is still there! He has a new job working with his little followers. He would HAVE to be part of a sequel, preferably as a major character.

 

So, the opportunities are certainly there. But what about a story? This is more difficult. First of all, who could you be, and what would you do? Maybe an existing character from GF? If so, it would have to be a good, likeable one.

 

-Glottis? You would start working on the mountain with the little guys, but then something could happen to you. Perhaps be summoned by someone else, somewhere else? Maybe the mysterious guy with the funny hat who decides who enters the 9th Underworld would have a task for you. Being in such a crucial position in the world, you might hear (by other means) of a new scandal taking place. Maybe one of the LSA's pigeons might contact you.

 

-Eva? You're in charge of the LSA-any number of things could happen. One of your agents unearths a new scandal. You discover a mole in the organisation. There's a mutiny, perhaps. If the LSA was involved, I'd like to see a lengthy tribute to Salvador-he always put the cause before himself, and died as a result. He deserves credit for what he did.

 

-Terry? One of the beatnicks in the blue casket? Toto? Membrillo? There are a number of opportunites, however I don't think any of them are really suitable. Personally I like the idea of Glottis-pitching him as the new protagonist of the game would certainly ensure sales (everyone loves Glottis!), and his personality and good-nature make him an excellent and original hero. Although a brand new character could also work. They'd have to be memorable, and have a good nature, but probably also a bit of mystery or weakness (we still don't know what Manny did to end up working for the DoD). The possibilities for a new character are endless, but here are a few ideas:

 

-A new recruit of the LSA who stumbles upon a conspiracy.

 

-A new, enthusiastic lawyer for Maximino who learns, first-hand of some dodgy dealings going on.

 

-A new policeman/woman to work for Bogen in Rubacava. You'd find out about what's going on via 'traditional' methods. In your spare time you'd rip the píss out of Bogen with your fellow workers.

 

-A new boss. You might have taken over the DoD building in El Marrow from Don Copel, or thee Calavera Café, or the Blue Casket. You enter the scene naive, and gradually learn about how everything works (and you might not like it).

 

Bloody hell, I'm going on a bit, aren't I. If you're still reading, respect.

 

Like I say, there are many possibilities. But, with any good story we need a bad guy(s). Possibly:

 

-The sprout-gun manufacturing guy. We know he's pretty harmless, but he's got the technology, he could get carried away-perhaps create a 'super sprout gun'.

 

-The LSA? After Sal's demise, things get out of control. The LSA gets out of hand, turns into a renegade terrorist group. (I quite like this idea)

 

-Maximino. He's got the cash (and with his blimp, access to the land of the living). And he's obviously a pretty dodgy character. Could be a good villain.

 

-Chowchilla Charlie. Maybe there's more to him than meets the eye. Maybe he's progressed from small-time crime to the big-time, filling LeMans's void.

 

-Or maybe someone new. I'm getting a little bit tired out now, so feel free to contribute your own possibilities.

 

I'm still not sure if a sequel should go ahead, but if it did, hopefully I've helped illustrate the kind of opportunites that exist if GF2 continued directly from GF. I'll try and get round to the 'prequel' and 'paralell' aspects another time.

[Grim_comician]

I had a dream... It was that I was in England. Maybe London, and there I was in the main train station and saw the number nine train! Maybe if Grim Fandango 2 would set England as the land of the dead.

[Sally Limones]

You've got some interesting sequel ideas, but why not..

*drumroll*

A PREQUEL!!!

Yes, it could work! We could see Hector as a minor character moving into the big-leagues, Manny as a side character in the glory days, a whole new struggle with a new main character... but with back story for the original. A new character making his/her way across the Land of the Dead.

I haven't got all my ideas ironed out yet, but I think it could work. You could show new parts of the cities to make it more interesting.

Just a thought.

~~Sal

[GendoTheGreat]

I seem to remember the idea of a prequel being tossed around in a thread quite a while back. Not a bad idea. If you're any good with creative writing, maybe you could write your ideas up as a piece of fanfiction? I know I'd read it.

[anomalousresult]

i like the idea of a prequel - mainly because we know manny dies, i like the idea of knowing the end of a story before i've finished it - it forces the writer to make something of the lead up to it.

[Sally Limones]

Fanfiction eh?? I might do that. Hmmm.... maybe include how Max got set up in Rubacava??? I'll come up with a main character.

^_^

~~Sal

[Hector_Lemans]

Hmm...a prequel...the idea has merit except the "Grim" in "Grim Fandango" doesn't fit quite as well. Here's my idea.

 

As stated in that oh-so Grim(if you'll excuse my little bon mot) post, who says the ninth heaven is Shangri-la crossed with Justin Timberlake's bedroom when Brittney's paying him a little visit? I'm thinking something along the lines of Manny and Meche arriving in the ninth underworld, only to find Don Copal, Hector LeMans and Domino Hurley waiting for them with expressions so smug that the New York Yankees would think it's over arrogant. We don't know what happens to people after they're sprouted. For all we know it could be a way to the ninth underworld. That or there is some kind of gateway which they have to pass in order to reach true heaven and in order to do that, Manny must uncover his past.

 

-Hector

[Sally Limones]

OK, my prequel fanfic. This is my summer fanfic project. What I will tell you, at least for now, the main character's name is Raquel Garcia and she will undertake her journey one year prior to the start of Grim Fandango (yes, her story will take place most of the same time as Manny's). It will include Eva's being recruited by Salvador, Chowchilla Charlie and Hector LeMans working together, how Lupe got to Rubacava, etc. The main locals will be El Marrow, Rubacava, Puerto Zapato, and the Gateway. I don't know if I'll include any place else. I've got up to the third year planned out.

 

~~Sal

[True Neutral]

maybe a story line that explains why manny worked for DoD... that's always puzzled me.

[Sally Limones]

No, sorry, Manny's included only in that he's the one who reaps Raquel, and through that Raquel hears things about his escapades in Rubacava while she's in Zapato.

Included characters (so far):

Manny

Hector LeMans

Eva

Chowchilla Charlie

Salvador Limones

Maximino (reference only)

Membrillo

Olivia Ofrenda

The Clown (yes! Seriously! The Clown! :b )

Lupe

Domino Hurley (reference only)

 

... and some new characters. I hope to have Year 1 up by the end of the month/early July. When I get through exams.

~~Sal