PC Gaming has evolved over the past 20 years or so. Back in 1990, LucasArts (then called LucasFilm Games) created one of the best adventure games of all time: The Secret of Monkey Island. Back then, the studio had a stream of hits with Indiana Jones, Day of the Tentacle, and the Sam and Max franchise. Other studios were making huge profits with these adventures, such as King’s Quest and Phantasmagoria.
Sadly, gamers lost interest in this type of gameplay somewhere in the mid-nineties, about the same time as 3d-acceleration and the PlayStation One came onto the scene. Strange coincedence.
Monkey Island had several Sequels. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge was released in 1991 and was probably the most groundbreaking as it included SoundBlaster support, which introduced us to the most catchy video-game theme of all time. There was no “voice” support, but later LucasArts adventure games (like Loom) were “talkies” where every last piece of dialog was reproduced in 16-bit sound. These “enhanced” games came on CDs and took more space than most hard drives had at the time.
The Insanely-catchy Monkey Island Theme Music
In 1997, The Curse of Monkey Island was released. Technology had finally caught up, and was a full “talkie” game with vastly improved VGA graphics, and could only be played via Windows 95 (no more DOS versions or DOS emulators required). The last game, Escape from Monkey Island was released in 2000, and was unfortunately the nail in the coffin not only for the franchise, but for the graphic adventure genre.
Within the past three years, TellTale made a risky move and revived the adventure-puzzle genre with the Sam & Max franchise, which has been insanely popular. From a classic gamer’s perspective, it is very satisfying to know that there was nothing wrong with these games, it’s just that they weren’t marketed properly. I had the pleasure of meeting with TellTale’s CEO right before the first release, and I knew this would be an industry-changing event.
The success of the new Sam & Max games allowed TellTale to make successes of other franchises, including HomeStar Runner and Wallace & Gromitt. Now the game studio is reviving one of the best adventure games of all time in their new series: Tales of Monkey Island. It is also satisfying to note that some of the programmers of the original Sam & Max and Monkey Island games (such as Dave Grossman) are involved in the new series.
Not only are new adventures coming, but the original DOS (and Windows) games are being released for Xbox 360 and PCs! The compilation is titled The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition.
On the next page there’s lots more information about the new games, screenshots, concept art, and a downloadable trailer…
On June 1st, LucasArts announced that the original hilarious pirate adventure is back, with two new projects underway based on the classic Monkey Island franchise. First, Telltale will premiere the Tales of Monkey Island game series, delivering a completely new epic storyline and swashbuckling flair that will unfold across five monthly episodes on PC and WiiWare beginning with the season premiere episode on July 7. The Monkey Island celebration continues later in the summer when LucasArts publishes The Secret of Monkey Island™: Special Edition, a completely re-imagined version of the first game in the series that adds updated high definition graphics, a re-mastered musical score, and full voiceover to the classic adventure game originally launched in 1990. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition will be made available on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PC.
Concept art for the new Guybrush Threepwood and Elaine
Today’s announcement represents a new partnership between LucasArts and digital entertainment pioneers Telltale who are crafting new experiences for today’s audiences with engaging stories delivered through regular monthly episodes. Tales of Monkey Island is developed by Telltale, whose team includes designers and artists who worked on all of the previous Monkey Island games. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is being developed internally by LucasArts, the company that started it all with the original Monkey Island games.
“We couldn’t be any more excited about bringing Monkey Island to today’s gamers — both in our special edition of the original classic, and through our collaboration with Telltale on the episodic series,” said LucasArts’ President Darrell Rodriguez. “We can’t wait for Guybrush Threepwood and LeChuck to return to gamers’ screens.”
LeChuck concept art for the new games
For those who don’t know about Monkey Island, here’s this poop:
Telltale’s Tales of Monkey Island brings the adventures of pirate Guybrush Threepwood into a new era with an explosive storyline that becomes deeper and more entangled during the course of the five-episode saga. While battling his nemesis, the evil pirate LeChuck, Guybrush accidentally unleashes an insidious voodoo pox that threatens to transform the buccaneers of the Caribbean into unruly pirate monsters. Players will experience the humor, romance, and swashbuckling action the Monkey Island games are famous for and unravel an insidious plot which is revealed across the course of the series. Tales of Monkey Island is set to premiere on PC and WiiWare in the coming weeks.
“The Monkey Island series set the standard for storytelling and character development in games,” said Telltale CEO Dan Connors. “The next several months should be filled with all kinds of surprises as we continue the dramatic stories of Guybrush, Elaine and LeChuck. We are happy to be working with LucasArts to make this happen.”
Here’s some poop about The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
This summer, LucasArts will release The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition via Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 and for PCs.
Back by popular demand, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition faithfully re-imagines the internationally-acclaimed classic game (originally released in 1990) for original and new audiences alike. The development team at LucasArts is bringing the game into the modern era with all-new HD graphics, a re-mastered musical score, full voiceover, and an in-depth hint system has been added to help players through the game’s side-splitting puzzles. Purists will also delight in the ability to seamlessly switch between the updated HD graphics and the original’s classic look.
The game’s twisty plot leads hero, Guybrush Threepwood, on a hilarious quest throughout the fabled Monkey Island. Tales of pirate wealth attract Guybrush, who lands at the port of Mêlée with high hopes, no money and an insatiable desire to become a pirate. If the player is clever enough, Guybrush will win the confidence of Mêlée’s established pirates and soon find himself blown by the winds of fate toward Monkey Island — a storied isle whose name alone chills the bones of even the most bloodthirsty buccaneers.
More information about The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition can be found at the official website, www.MonkeyIslandSpecialEdition.com.
These efforts are just the start of LucasArts’ new mission to revitalize its deep portfolio of beloved gaming franchises. In addition to these new Monkey Island projects, LucasArts recently revealed that the classic adventure game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (originally released in 1992) is included as an unlockable bonus in the Wii™ version of Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, set to be released on June 9. Additional announcements are forthcoming.