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Over at <a href="http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,1025/" target="_blank">Adventure Gamers</a>, Dante Kleinberg has written a fantastic article with a preview of <i>The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition.</i> Not only will this game include an updated Hi-Def version of the original classic, it will also include the original classic game it's self! The game also gives you the ability to switch between the old game, with old graphics and animation, to the new HD version. Cool stuff!
<blockquote>This last week has been quite an exciting one for fans of the classic Monkey Island franchise, with not one but two new MI-related projects suddenly announced. It’s been a nine-year long drought since Escape from Monkey Island was released, but when it rains, it pours. With Telltale’s Tales of Monkey Island set to take the franchise forward, LucasArts is also taking gamers back to where it all started in The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, the high-definition update of the original game for Xbox Live Arcade and PC. At E3, I had a chance to talk with some of the producers from LucasArts and get a demonstration of the title’s coolest features (using the Xbox 360 version, for the record, though the platform versions should be functionally identical), and I’m very pleased to report that this isn’t just a simple remake, this is a love letter to all things Monkey.Â
It’s a heck of a balancing act trying to update a beloved classic so it’s accessible to new consumers while at the same time trying to please the existing diehard fans, and while the final results aren’t in, LucasArts certainly gets an ‘A’ for effort so far. Every scene in the game was remade using hand-drawn art in 1080i resolution, all the voice actors from Curse of Monkey Island (including Dominic Armato as Guybrush, Alexandra Boyd as Elaine, Earl Boen as LeChuckâ€â€they even got Leilani Jones back as the Voodoo Lady!), and all the music has been re-recorded using actual instruments.Â
Yet what’s even more impressive is what they didn’t changeâ€â€and remember we’re talking about a company somewhat infamous for “fixing†its old franchises. All of the original text, puzzles, jokes, and gameplay are exactly as they were back in 1990. Behind the shiny HD graphics and smooth sounds, the whole thing is still running on the SCUMM engine, right down to the same number of frames of animation used. Even references that no longer make a whit of sense to a modern audience, like “Ask Me About Loom,†have been retained.</blockquote> Â
You can find more preview clips on Youtube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C117A286648BBEE7&search_query=The+Secret+of+Monkey+Island%3A+Special+Edition+Gameplay+Clip" target="_blank">HERE,</a> and you can read the rest of the Adventure Gamers preview <a href="http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,1025/" target="_blank">HERE!</a>
<a href="http://piratesahoy.net/game-news/other-games/377-the-secret-of-monkey-island-special-edition-preview.html" target="_blank">View the full article</a>
Over at <a href="http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,1025/" target="_blank">Adventure Gamers</a>, Dante Kleinberg has written a fantastic article with a preview of <i>The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition.</i> Not only will this game include an updated Hi-Def version of the original classic, it will also include the original classic game it's self! The game also gives you the ability to switch between the old game, with old graphics and animation, to the new HD version. Cool stuff!
<blockquote>This last week has been quite an exciting one for fans of the classic Monkey Island franchise, with not one but two new MI-related projects suddenly announced. It’s been a nine-year long drought since Escape from Monkey Island was released, but when it rains, it pours. With Telltale’s Tales of Monkey Island set to take the franchise forward, LucasArts is also taking gamers back to where it all started in The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, the high-definition update of the original game for Xbox Live Arcade and PC. At E3, I had a chance to talk with some of the producers from LucasArts and get a demonstration of the title’s coolest features (using the Xbox 360 version, for the record, though the platform versions should be functionally identical), and I’m very pleased to report that this isn’t just a simple remake, this is a love letter to all things Monkey.Â
It’s a heck of a balancing act trying to update a beloved classic so it’s accessible to new consumers while at the same time trying to please the existing diehard fans, and while the final results aren’t in, LucasArts certainly gets an ‘A’ for effort so far. Every scene in the game was remade using hand-drawn art in 1080i resolution, all the voice actors from Curse of Monkey Island (including Dominic Armato as Guybrush, Alexandra Boyd as Elaine, Earl Boen as LeChuckâ€â€they even got Leilani Jones back as the Voodoo Lady!), and all the music has been re-recorded using actual instruments.Â
Yet what’s even more impressive is what they didn’t changeâ€â€and remember we’re talking about a company somewhat infamous for “fixing†its old franchises. All of the original text, puzzles, jokes, and gameplay are exactly as they were back in 1990. Behind the shiny HD graphics and smooth sounds, the whole thing is still running on the SCUMM engine, right down to the same number of frames of animation used. Even references that no longer make a whit of sense to a modern audience, like “Ask Me About Loom,†have been retained.</blockquote> Â
You can find more preview clips on Youtube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C117A286648BBEE7&search_query=The+Secret+of+Monkey+Island%3A+Special+Edition+Gameplay+Clip" target="_blank">HERE,</a> and you can read the rest of the Adventure Gamers preview <a href="http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,1025/" target="_blank">HERE!</a>
<a href="http://piratesahoy.net/game-news/other-games/377-the-secret-of-monkey-island-special-edition-preview.html" target="_blank">View the full article</a>
