the secret of monkey island

content/games/pc/lechucks-revenge.md

@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@ Compared to Monkey 1, number 2 steps down from approaching puzzling in a serial
 
 In Day of the Tentacle, that freedom is reflected in the three different time zones where you have to swap items. I found those puzzles to be less menacing, as most of the time the items themselves provide hints or the subtle clues from the characters' expressions or contextual location. In _LeChuck's Revenge_, that was much less the case. Aside from the well-known obnoxious monkey wrench problem, who on earth picks up a dog or sticks a banana on a metronome? We had to look up almost a dozen hints, even though I played this game twice before. The more we got stuck and gave up, the more we felt we were just following a script and not really playing, which is a bit of a shame. Sure, that one is on us. Not every game should be constantly throwing hints towards the player, like in [Dexter Stardust](/games/switch/dexter-stardust). Still, we found some of the puzzle design in Monkey Island 2 to be... bad. Gasp! 
 
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+Addendum: I just found out that by pressing `H`, a hint appears that gradually unfolds like the Universal Hint System. I wish I'd known this earlier! There is no mention of this "hidden feature" in the controls dialog. Monkey Island 1: SE does mention it, I wonder why this changed? 
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+---
+
 I know _LeChuck's Revenge_ is universally hailed as the best Monkey Island game in the entire series. I love the jokes, the graphics, the music, the pirate theme, and _some_ puzzles. But if I'm being objective, I think I'd choose Day of the Tentacle over this any day. Sorry Ron.  
 
 

content/games/pc/the-secret-of-monkey-island.md

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+---
+title: "The Secret of Monkey Island (Special Edition)"
+date: 2022-09-25
+score: 5
+game_release_year: 1989
+howlongtobeat_id: 10162
+howlongtobeat_hrs: 6.5
+game_name: "The Secret of Monkey Island"
+game_developer: 'Lucasfilm Games LLC'
+game_genre: 'Adventure'
+tags:
+  - adventure
+  - monkey island
+---
+
+What is _The Secret of Monkey Island_ anyway? Something you will not discover in this game, that's for sure. But instead, you'll find yourself immersed in a goofy but hearty pirate story, full of epic quests, (insult) sword fights, loot, and... undead navigator heads? 
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+In the beginning of the nineties, The Secret's release, the first in many to come, was still largely ignored. Adventure games didn't sell well, even the later ones, and even if they were reviewed well, probably also leading up to the decision to do some housekeeping in Lucasfilm while it transformed into the more corporate LucasArts---up the point where Monkey Island's father, Ron Gilbert, left, after creating [LeChuck's Revenge](/games/pc/lechucks-revenge). 
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+Back in the day, Monkey Island was a prime example of excellent dithering artwork, where you'd make the most of those graphical restrictions that came with EGA that, depending on the mode, only supported up to 16 colors at the same time. That's also one of the reasons that the adventure on Melee Island took place during the night! Yet another clever way to hide its technical limitations, without any compromise to the atmosphere. Take a close look at the screenshots below, especially around the curb and into the sky:
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+![](monkey-egavga.jpg "Up: EGA mode. Down: VGA mode. Can you spot the difference?")
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+Did you spot the checkerboard pattern? That's a way to fool our eyes into thinking there's more depth to the picture---working with the constraints of EGA. A later 256-color VGA version of course also improved Guybrush's colors (the skin, the buttons on his trousers) and added more subtle shades on the lights of the houses. 
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+If you were on a very tight budget in 1990, you might not even be able to afford an EGA graphics card and had to revert to merely four bit colors of the CGA mode---and perhaps also make due without a Sound Blaster. If you're interested in these differences, this educational video compares all different modes between builds on DOS, the Atari ST, the Amiga, and including sound differences:
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+{{< youtube DoVi1__jNsI >}}
+
+And then we were treated with 2010's _Special Edition_: an edition that finally lifts _Monkey Island_ out of ScummVM and into the modern Windows gaming era (hooray?). Compatibility wasn't exactly what we were waiting for, but some quality-of-life enhancements were, most notably a "talkie" edition! As with the special edition of its successor [LeChuck's Revenge](/games/pc/lechucks-revenge), here you can also toggle between new and old graphics modes on the fly. Unfortunately, playing the game in "classic mode" also does away with the high-quality and very welcome voice-overs.
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+![](specialedition.jpg "'Wanna Buy A Map?' in Special Edition mode. Note Guybrush's weird hair style.")
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+Fortunately, the community came up with a [Talkie Edition Builder for DOS](http://gratissaugen.de/ultimatetalkies/monkey1.html) that allows you to convert your (Steam) Special Edition to either a DOS-compatible talkie version or a ScummVM-compatible talkie version with slightly higher quality `.ogg` sound effects. Sure, playing it that way will lock you out of other features of the new edition, such as:
+
+- A dev commentary (wasn't worth it in my opinion);
+- The new streamlined inventory and action interface (a change for the worse---the second game's overhaul's ring menu is more streamlined);
+- The enhanced graphics (arguably not that great compared to the superb original pixel art work---again better in the second Special Edition);
+- A progressive hint system by pressing `H` (useful if you're new to the genre).
+
+As a vintage computer enthusiast, the best way to experience _The Secret of Monkey Island_ is still on an old DOS computer---the way it was envisioned to be played. I can appreciate some of the backgrounds of the new art, but most of the character art is ugly in comparison with the original.
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+
+![](mi1-dos.jpg "The result of the Talkie Edition Builder: voices on DOS!")
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+Is there anything left to say about this classic adventure game? We replayed it in anticipation of the release of the new _Return to Monkey Island_, and we had just as much fun as we did back in the day. The visuals are still amazing, the voices give the game even more charm, and the puzzles and jokes are still very much on point. My complaint with the difficulty of the puzzles in [LeChuck's Revenge](/games/pc/lechucks-revenge) doesn't stand here, as Monkey 1 is a lot more linear. I honestly can't believe the game holds up that well, more than 32 years after its initial release!
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+If you are just as excited as I am about the new Monkey Island release, you should make sure you've played this version before _Return To_, as the latter leans heavily on the nostalgia factor of the original (memories, locations, color palette, characters, ...) You'll miss out on important puns and jokes if you didn't. The Steam version of the Special Edition makes it easy to pick up and play. 
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+Just be sure to check out the Talkie Edition Builder if you don't like the new art but still want in on the voice work. [ScummVM](https://www.scummvm.org/) is your friend!