Return To Monkey Island - MI2 sequel from Ron Gilbert

[Boleskine]

And the thing that amazed me most I experienced in the first ten minutes of the game and I can't talk about it because... Ron and Dave managed to do something I would have thought was impossible in terms of storytelling and they pull it off I think admirably.

It’ll be worth the wait even if people are raving about parts they don’t like. Because this will certainly excite. There’s plenty in there to discuss for years to come.
I actually had a kind of a vision as I was looking at this and thinking about some of the elements of storytelling in it. That, at the Game Developers conference every year they now do a poster session for students who have been studying games and they will talk about a game and they, you know, are analyzing it and I realized what they have done with Return to Monkey Island I fully expect will be the subject of Master’s and PhD thesis in times to come.
Just because there are so many interesting ways of telling a story and exploration of what an interactive storytelling is all about that, you know, on a very serious scholarly level. Not to make this sound stuffy at all, but it’s just so deep that I think that people will find it fascinating for years to come.

That's a mighty high bar to clear.

 

[Rincewind]

That's a mighty high bar to clear.

I truly hope they are right and it will be enough to make me overlook the very mediocre graphics I'm certainly not in love with.

 

[EruDaan]

Just replayed Day of the Tentacle... the art style already went to shit with that game. Does it look good? No. Does it fit the whacky theme? I don't know! Does it look out of place? Yes!

Obviously Ronnie loves DotT more then Monkey Island 3 (Curse of Monkey Island?)...

 

[Rincewind]

Just replayed Day of the Tentacle... the art style already went to shit with that game. Does it look good? No. Does it fit the whacky theme? I don't know! Does it look out of place? Yes!

Obviously Ronnie loves DotT more then Monkey Island 3 (Curse of Monkey Island?)...

I'm not a fan of it either. Sam & Max looks a little better, but I prefer the MM 1-2, Indy 4, Zak McKracken, etc. style.

When it comes to cartoonish art style, I really like Discworld 1:

 

[jfrisby]

 

[taxalot]

I've seen Blade Runner remasters which looked better than this.

 

[LESS T_T]

Return to Monkey Island is an unexpected, thrilling return of series creator Ron Gilbert that continues the story of the legendary adventure games The Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge developed in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games.

It’s been many years since Guybrush Threepwood was last locked in a battle of wits with his nemesis, the zombie pirate LeChuck. His true love, Elaine Marley, has turned her focus away from governing and Guybrush himself is adrift and unfulfilled, having never found the Secret of Monkey Island. Hip, young pirate leaders led by Captain Madison have shuffled the old guard from power, Melee Island has taken a turn for the worse, and famed businessman Stan has been imprisoned for ‘marketing-related crimes’.

Banter with old friends and new faces on familiar islands now under dangerous new leadership. Then, take to the high seas and explore the new and unknown as you work your way out of tough predicaments. Clever puzzles, bizarre situations, and devastating ripostes are all that stand between Guybrush and glory.

Return to Point & Click Swashbuckling​

Bringing classic point-and-click gameplay to the modern-day, intrepid pirates will solve puzzles and explore the islands with a clever evolution of classic adventure game controls. Context-sensitive interactions, reactive dialog trees, and an easy-to-use inventory system make pirating a breeze.

Embark on Archipelago Adventures​

Navigate the sometimes-friendly confines of Melee Island, a familiar place that finds itself under new management by leaders who have put the squeeze on old friends and new faces. Venture out into uncharted lands like the aptly named Terror Island and the chilling outposts of Brrr Muda to make allies and enemies alike.

Created by a Legendary Crew​

The exciting conclusion to the Monkey Island series marks the return of the iconic series’ creator Ron Gilbert, joined by game co-writer Dave Grossman, art director Rex Crowle (Knights & Bikes, Tearaway), and composers Peter McConnell, Michael Land, and Clint Bajakian (Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge).

 

[Don Peste]

Looks like it was made by Twiglard.

 

[Tramboi]

Urgh.
Somebody should tell Ron to be bolder and ditch the theme and the voiceovers too, if he wants to really provoke us.

 

[JarlFrank]

What the actual FUCK.

Even the ugly Special Edition had a better artstlye than this.
The decline, illustrated in 3 pictures:

 

[Hellion]

The art style looks like a saturday morning cartoon for kids under the age of 6.

 

[mindx2]

 

[Darkozric]

It looks even more terrible in action than the screenshots...Ron and his pathetic paper dolls.

 

[Alienman]

Horseface McGee.

 

[JarlFrank]

It's made even worse by the fact that it reuses some locations from MI1.

MI1 had good graphics for its time, and it had a high level of visual clarity. You can look at a room and see at a glance what's what, despite the low res pixel art.
The MI1 remake has questionable character art, especially Guybrush's hair (wtf), but other than that it still looks decent enough and it retains visual clarity: you can see at a glance what's what.
But the new artstyle... when lined together like in my post above, you can see that all three screenshots are supposed to show the same scene.

But the screenshot from the new game is a complete mess. You have to look real hard to discern all the shapes. Just a mess of shapes and colors that look more like a Picasso painting than something that belongs in an adventure game.
You know... a genre about looking at scenes, picking up objects, and solving puzzles. It's hard to do that when the game's visual presentation lacks clarity. And holy shit, I have never seen an adventure game with as little visual clarity as this new "Monkey Island" game. It's a complete mess.

 

[Darth Roxor]

that shit just looks sad lol

 

[taxalot]

It didn't have to be pixel art, but surely there were other choices than : "everything must be a square or a triangle."

 

[Darkozric]

It's made even worse by the fact that it reuses some locations from MI1.

MI1 had good graphics for its time, and it had a high level of visual clarity. You can look at a room and see at a glance what's what, despite the low res pixel art.
The MI1 remake has questionable character art, especially Guybrush's hair (wtf), but other than that it still looks decent enough and it retains visual clarity: you can see at a glance what's what.
But the new artstyle... when lined together like in my post above, you can see that all three screenshots are supposed to show the same scene.

But the screenshot from the new game is a complete mess. You have to look real hard to discern all the shapes. Just a mess of shapes and colors that look more like a Picasso painting than something that belongs in an adventure game.
You know... a genre about looking at scenes, picking up objects, and solving puzzles. It's hard to do that when the game's visual presentation lacks clarity. And holy shit, I have never seen an adventure game with as little visual clarity as this new "Monkey Island" game. It's a complete mess.

You WILL play the game, whether you want to or not!

 

[lightbane]

Is this the deformed brother of CalArts style? Also, I like how the first of the three pirates is now suddenly black-ish looking for no particular reason.

 

[Darkozric]

Very "lively". Lively like a zombie puppet.

 

[JarlFrank]

Is this the deformed brother of CalArts style? Also, I like how the first of the three pirates is now suddenly black-ish looking for no particular reason.

I think they're different pirates, not the original characters.

Of course, it's hard to tell people apart from each other when they all look like cubes.

 

[Alex]

This is from Devolver?

Ah, just as well. If the game had been good, I would be tempted to give money to people who support Roe vs. Wade.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

Well, it didn't bother me too much. Can't say why but i'm okay with it. My main concern is the story/puzzles... It actually reminds me a bit of broken age, which I felt was kind of easy.

Also, the art style seem messy at first, but from what i've seen the graphics seems quite clear and functional. The problem is mainly because this is not a new IP, but and old and stabilished franchise. I'll probably buy day one...

 

[Tramboi]

I don't like the art style either but it has a vector-like potential that should allow more animations for a lower budget, and hence a lenghtier game.

Ok, I retract this. Shitty animations too.

 

[taxalot]

I will admit liking the dialogue on the new website. I'm sure the game is plenty of fun and I'll play it. I just wish it didn't look this way.