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Lucien21 · 07-08-2009, 04:06 AM

Tales of Monkey Island :Chapter 1

Ressurecting an old franchise is tricky work. A lot of expectation to live up to and a lot of backstory that might put off potential new entrants.

Telltale tackled this once before with Sam & Max, but that series didn't have the breadth of history that Monkey Island has (4 previous games).

So where does this sit on the Monkey Island scale. Is it as good as No 2 or is is No 4 all over again.

Pros

* Excellent voice work for the most part. Great to hear the old cast again.
* Graphical style wasn't as bad as I first thought.
* The inventory interface was cool. At last we can combine items.
* It certainly had some of the Monkey Island charm and feeling.
* It was well written.
* Loved some of the references to the old games and the humour was pretty decent (no out loud laughs, but certainly put a smile on your face most of the time)
* Puzzles for the most part were interesting and logical.

Cons

* The control scheme sucks. What was wrong with point and click. The hold left mouse button and drag scheme is dreadful, twitchy and not that precise. SUre you get used to it, but it's far from ideal. The keyboard control is functional and that is what I ended up using most of the time, but kept thinking why are they trying to reinvent the wheel when the original worked so well in Sam and max etc.

* Lack of locations. Most of the game takes place in a bland jungle maze which is disappointing. One running around the maze puzzle is fine, two smacked of a lack of ideas, three times was annoying.

* Minor Characters were pretty forgetful. None that will rank up with the old characters. There is just not enough time to engage with any of them in such a short time.

* Fake alternative dialogue. Why give various "funny" responses if Guybrush is just going to say the same thing no matter what you pick.

* U-tube, D'oro the explorer- Groan!!

* Far too short. This felt shorter than the other Telltale games.

Overall it was Monkey Island lite and sits on par with the 4th game in the series, but no higher. Monkey Island deserved the respect of a full game what we got was a fun snack when you really wanted a meal.

7/10

07-08-2009, 04:06 AM	#964
Lucien21 Psychonaut Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 5,114	Tales of Monkey Island :Chapter 1 Ressurecting an old franchise is tricky work. A lot of expectation to live up to and a lot of backstory that might put off potential new entrants. Telltale tackled this once before with Sam & Max, but that series didn't have the breadth of history that Monkey Island has (4 previous games). So where does this sit on the Monkey Island scale. Is it as good as No 2 or is is No 4 all over again. Pros * Excellent voice work for the most part. Great to hear the old cast again. * Graphical style wasn't as bad as I first thought. * The inventory interface was cool. At last we can combine items. * It certainly had some of the Monkey Island charm and feeling. * It was well written. * Loved some of the references to the old games and the humour was pretty decent (no out loud laughs, but certainly put a smile on your face most of the time) * Puzzles for the most part were interesting and logical. Cons * The control scheme sucks. What was wrong with point and click. The hold left mouse button and drag scheme is dreadful, twitchy and not that precise. SUre you get used to it, but it's far from ideal. The keyboard control is functional and that is what I ended up using most of the time, but kept thinking why are they trying to reinvent the wheel when the original worked so well in Sam and max etc. * Lack of locations. Most of the game takes place in a bland jungle maze which is disappointing. One running around the maze puzzle is fine, two smacked of a lack of ideas, three times was annoying. * Minor Characters were pretty forgetful. None that will rank up with the old characters. There is just not enough time to engage with any of them in such a short time. * Fake alternative dialogue. Why give various "funny" responses if Guybrush is just going to say the same thing no matter what you pick. * U-tube, D'oro the explorer- Groan!! * Far too short. This felt shorter than the other Telltale games. Overall it was Monkey Island lite and sits on par with the 4th game in the series, but no higher. Monkey Island deserved the respect of a full game what we got was a fun snack when you really wanted a meal. 7/10 __________________ I'm not insane, my mother had me tested! Last edited by Lucien21; 07-09-2009 at 02:52 AM.