GameSpot: Given how many years have passed since the original game's release, how do each of you feel about the game, and its rerelease, all these years later? How does it fit into the landscape of modern video games?
Ron Gilbert: It's great for me to see so many people enjoying Monkey Island 20 years later. Adventure games came close to becoming a lost art form, but they are a strong and engaging way to tell a story, and current gamers like story. Releasing these games for modern hardware is going [to] expose a lot of people to adventure games and hopefully keep them interested.
Tim Schafer: Every year that goes by, I get more nostalgic about the old games. I've always wondered if it was nostalgia for the game or for that time when we were all working together. But after playing the special edition for Monkey 1, I can honestly say that, in my opinion, it actually holds up. I had a great time playing it. Of course I'm biased, but the Monkey games have a personality that was unique at the time and even more unusual now.
Dave Grossman: Although there are some aspects of the puzzley gameplay of the early Monkey Island titles that feel distinctly "old school," I think the story, characters, and humor have held up remarkably well. Still fun after all this time! Who knew? And in the context of the modern gaming landscape, the Monkeys occupy the interesting and underutilized space between hardcore and casual, which may give them some good crossover relevance.
Craig Derrick: Monkey Island 2 was way ahead of its time and is a masterpiece that has undoubtedly inspired many games past and present, not to mention a few recent pirate-themed films. I think the lighthearted story, humorous characters, and puzzle-solving of the original game, along with the modern additions of high-definition visuals, voice-overs, and controls, will fit well into today's landscape and will feel just as fresh today as it did 20 years ago.
GS: How do you feel about the "special edition" treatment of the original game and the way it's presented?
RG: I think they did a fantastic job. The core game, story, and dialogue remained untouched and just the art was brought up to date and, of course, ported to platforms that didn't exist when we made the original. I also thought being able to flip back to the original art really showed the care, love, and respect that LucasArts has for these games.
