Somebody Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal Platform(s): Wii Shop, PC Developer(s): Telltale Games Genres: Adventure Themes: Comedy Original US Release: July 7, 2009 Screenshot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somebody Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Giantbomb Review: People are pretty crazy about Monkey Island, and with good reason. Though the series had its ups and downs, when the Monkey Island games were at their best, they were one of the high watermarks for how funny and clever a game could be. It's been a while since we've seen the continued adventures of Guybrush Threepwood, and now Telltale is at the helm with Tales of Monkey Island, a brand-new five-episode adventure, the first episode of which is available now. Considering the actual quality of the previous Monkey Island games, as well as the legend that people have built up in their minds during their eight-year absence, expectations are high. Luckily, Telltale is staffed to the gills with folks who were key players in past Monkey Island games, and they don't seem to have lost their touch with Tales. By the Cursed Cutlass of Kaflu! Launch of the Screaming Narwhal initially catches our hero Guybrush Threepwood in the middle of another jam involving his wife and former governor of Mêlée Island, Elaine Marley-Threepwood, and the voodoo-ghost-zombie-demon-pirate LeChuck. After an ill-considered root beer incantation, Elaine is left in the clutches of a re-mortalized LeChuck, and Guybrush is marooned with a LeChuck-possessed hand on Flotsam Island, which is where this episode takes place. The title refers to the only ship on Flotsam Island, which Guybrush must wrest from a local pirate, though he also has to contend with a mysterious weather system that keeps the inhabitants of Flotsam Island trapped there as well. This episode seems very deliberately designed to ease you back into the world of Monkey Island, and the events on Flotsam Island feel like a warm-up for the proper adventure. Elaine and LeChuck don't figure in too heavily just yet, allowing you to get familiar with the unique way in which Guybrush buckles swash, as well as the series' goofy, anachronistic, easy-going approach to the topics of piracy and island voodoo. There's still plenty of room for callbacks and references tailored for established Monkey Islanders, though it's rarely so inside that first-timers won't be able to find the humor in silly pirates and sillier names for pirate stuff. There's a good amount of funny, well-delivered dialog here, and the story is propelled by puzzles that tend to focus on combining and using inventory items in unconventional ways, as well as the deciphering of treasure maps. As far as the complexity and obscurity of the puzzles, I only found myself stumped by Launch of the Screaming Narwhal once, and the solution ended up being far simpler than I had assumed. There's a subtle hint system to occasionally nudge you in the right direction, something you can adjust the prominence of or turn off entirely. Strange things are afoot on Flotsam Island. My only substantial gripe about Tales of Monkey Island so far is the way the hybrid controls handle. Rather than opt for pure point-and-click, you've got direct control over Guybrush using either the keyboard or the mouse, though you still have to use the mouse to interact with people and objects. Fixed camera angles and a certain lack of fidelity in the controls just make both control options feel like a little bit of a struggle. There's also some awkwardness to the way you open up your inventory and use items from it. It has no significant ill impact on the actual puzzles, but it's kind of clunky. If this first episode is any indication, Tales of Monkey Island is shaping up to be Telltale's most visually ambitious game yet. Everything is nicely stylized with a palette that recalls the old Monkey Island games, and with few minor exceptions, the animation is all very lively. Though there's a nice little depth of field effect, this isn't going to win any technical awards. Still, there's just a jauntiness to the whole look of the game that compliments the humor really well. I was really satisfied with the three or four hours it took me to get through Launch of the Narwhal, and the episode ends on a delicious cliffhanger that has me eager to see what happens in next month's episode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghb Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 me wants i'm a huge monkey island fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somebody Posted July 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 same here haven't played the first 2 games though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyborg Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 Whoa, I never knew this game was in production. Must find this game. I loved the monkey island games. It contained some of the funniest dialogues I have ever come across. Thank God its releasing for PC too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulovski Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 This game was a quick turnaround from announcement to production. Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindoctor Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 bought the game on steam this morning. i'm a huge monkey island fan. it's also available for direct purchase at the telltale games website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulovski Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 what is the episode price on Steam? on telltale games you have to pay for all the episodes up front - 35$ is a bit too much for one episode and 4 title names as of now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindoctor Posted July 8, 2009 Report Share Posted July 8, 2009 it's the same on steam as well.. you have to buy the entire pack for 35$. but then it's monkey island, so it was worth it, at least to me the game is great so far... classic humor, references to past games and some genuinely funny moments spread across the game. few screens - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Karnage Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 IGN review was lukewarm and the $35 price does seems steep, I'll probably wait for the all the episodes to come out and hope for a Steam discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somebody Posted July 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 playing the game on PC... *ahem version the control scheme is pretty lame and the opening up of inventory and mixing of items method is kinda stupid.. they could've just done what they had for the previous games. the humour is intact though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindoctor Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 finished it. awesome game, with only a few flaws (the control scheme being the biggest one of them all). worthy of the monkey island name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulovski Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 glad to see that the humour is intact Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arun360 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 the control scheme is pretty lame and the opening up of inventory and mixing of items method is kinda stupid.. they could've just done what they had for the previous games. It's not point and click anymore now, is it? I never get why they move to 3D only to screw up something that wasn't broken in the first place. New Super Mario Bros > all 3D Marios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somebody Posted July 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 ^^ nope... for movement you have to click and drag in what ever direction you wanna move I think. You can also use the direction keys on the keyboard which is equally clunky. Even the mixing of items unlike in previous games requires you to put both the items in two slots on the left side of the inventory and then press the '+' between them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arun360 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 Even the mixing of items unlike in previous games requires you to put both the items in two slots on the left side of the inventory and then press the '+' between them. Needless complication of something that can be done in fewer clicks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spindoctor Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 Needless complication of something that can be done in fewer clicks. do you actually find it complicated to click 3 times instead of 2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arun360 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 do you actually find it complicated to click 3 times instead of 2? 3 clicks if you know the exact items to combine. Otherwise it is 3xmxn.. , which is indeed more complicated than 2xmxn.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.Kap Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 About Freakin' Time. Let us hope that this upcoming highly anticipated Lucasarts announcement has the words Grim Fandango 2 written all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyofx Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 I don't like how Guybrush looks. It isn't the 3D either because he looked fine in RtMI :\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.