Just as with all classic adventure games, rating Monkey Island 2 is daunting to say the least. I’m going to try not to overthink things. I’m sure you all know that whatever comes out below is purely subjective, and based entirely on my own experience playing over the past month. Let’s do this…
Puzzles and Solvability
I’ll start by saying that none of the puzzles in Monkey Island 2 were unsolvable. I completed the game with only one hint, and my struggles with that particular puzzle were really my own fault. This being said, the game was far from easy. For every puzzle that was solved using logic and applying inventory items in a way you might expect, there was another one that required either trial and error or an outright wacky way of thinking. Charles nailed it when he said that the puzzles in Monkey Island 2 often make sense only retrospectively. Why should I cut the peg leg off the pirate? Why should I put a rat in the soup? Why should I use the monkey on the pump? In hindsight these puzzles seem clever, but I’ve never been thrilled with having to revert to trial and error. Should Monkey Island 2 be punished for this though? Well the quality of the puzzles overall is still very high, so I don’t want to be too harsh. When you sit back and think about all the events that lead to other events (example: blowing the horn near Augustus makes him fire the cannon, which attracts the spitmaster and allows Guybrush to tamper with the contest flags, but he still can’t win unless he has obtained a library card to use as ID at the bar to get the alcohol which needs to be mixed correctly to form a concoction that makes spit thick enough to win, but only when weather conditions are just right), it’s hard not to admire this aspect of the game.
Rating: 7
Interface and Inventory
There's not a lot to say about this category. The SCUMM interface has always worked beautifully, and it’s the same for Monkey Island 2. If anything, the interface is actually streamlined this time around, with only nine verbs instead of twelve (Turn on, Turn off and Walk to were removed), and all inventory items are represented by images rather than just words. These improvements are perhaps offset by the sheer number of items I had to scroll through towards the end of the game. Unlike a lot of adventure games, including The Secret of Monkey Island, there isn’t an event in the game that rids you of all the items you won’t need going forward. I definitely would have appreciated that at some stage. All things considered though, LucasArts still ruled the roost for this category at this time.
Rating: 9
Story and Setting
My comments here might be controversial, but I can only be honest when assessing. I had some real problems with the story of Monkey Island 2. There are two main reasons, and you can probably guess what they are. Firstly, it’s understandable that Guybrush is no longer the innocent and naïve character he was in the first game, but did he have to be such a bastard? A large portion of what Guybrush says and does in Monkey Island 2 is downright nasty. I’m not for a second suggesting that it’s not funny, but by the end of the game I wasn’t entirely sure who was worse out of Guybrush and LeChuck? Secondly, and more importantly, the last portion of the game is very strange, and not particularly satisfying. Yes, I realise that it’s likely a fake reality, forced upon Guybrush by a LeChuck spell, but that doesn’t entirely excuse it. The player spends the whole game attempting to find the treasure of Big Whoop while patching things up with Elaine, only to get an “it was all just a dream” style ending. I put 14 hours into the game, and I didn’t expect to finish it with a whole stack of unanswered questions and unresolved storylines. With that rant out of the way, I should state that my disappointment really comes from the fact I thought this would be the first game to go over 7 for this category. The storyline leading up to the above “climax” is typically exciting and adventurous for the series, and there are numerous classic LucasArts moments such as Guybrush’s costume to the party, the spitting contest, Chester Cheeter and the torture scene. I even appreciated the game’s tendency to consistently kill off the sense of achievement that comes with solving a puzzle by moving the goalposts. Um…errrrr…
Rating: 6
Sound and Graphics
It’s interesting to see that TBD gave King’s Quest V, a game I’ve never played, a 9 for this category. Having not played that game, I’m not in a great position to compare the two games. I do know that I gave Loom and The Secret of Monkey Island 8’s, believing them to be the best that adventure games had to offer at that stage. In short, Monkey Island 2 meets the standard of those games and in some ways raises it. Pretty much every screen in the game is filled with wonderful detail, with items often appearing in the foreground to give the location extra depth. Scabb Island in particular is glorious, with the night-time blues that made the two aforementioned LucasArts games so gorgeous used to great effect. The animation deserves attention too, being fluid and often very humorous. If I have any criticism regarding the visuals, it’s that the sex of characters wasn’t always clear. Woody and Chester in particular look very feminine, when their name suggests otherwise. As for the sound, well there isn’t much in the way of effects, but the music more than makes up for it. Michael Land went all out on improving what was already a magical theme tune, and while the rest of the game's music isn’t as catchy, it perfectly accompanies the experience that both Guybrush and the player are going through. I can’t rate this category without discussing iMuse too, which Land created to seamlessly switch between the many differing pieces that can be heard on each island. It works really well, and once again set a standard for all following adventure games to try to match. So what’s my rating? Well, there’s no doubt that Monkey Island 2 is visually more impressive than its predecessor, and the music is at least as good, with the added bonus of iMuse. I can’t not give it a 9 can I?
Rating: 9
Environment and Atmosphere
The four islands of Monkey Island 2 (Scabb, Booty, Phatt and Dinky) are all wonderfully realized, as are the structural locations that can be found on each. There’s always stacks to look at, particularly in the various stores where much of the game takes place. I particularly love the Voodoo Lady’s shack, the cemetery, the souvenir shop and the library, all of which are highly memorable and filled with character. Like the first game, the atmosphere switches between Carribean-style party, carnival-like silliness, and a darker spookiness that I particularly enjoy. I consciously noted how critical this atmosphere is to me as a player being willing to stick it out when the game might otherwise have tested my patience. The overall feel is unsurprisingly similar to the first game, and I can’t find any justification for adjusting the rating one way or the other.
Rating: 8
Dialogue and Acting
The dialogue options that I had throughout Monkey Island 2 were outrageously hilarious. As I mentioned in my posts, it was difficult for me to portray this aspect of the game, as the various quips and highly inappropriate responses available to me were not always relevant to the plot. This is a shame, as so much of the game’s charm comes from the conversations between Guybrush and the wonderfully diverse characters that inhabit the three islands. It’s true that a few of these characters are rehashed from The Secret of Monkey Island, but who doesn’t want more of Stan the animated salesman, the pirates of low moral fibre, and Herman Toothrot? There are new great characters to freshen things up as well, like Wally the blind cartographer, Mad Marty the deaf laundry man, and of course, Largo. Technically, the branching dialogue system is unchanged from the previous game, but since it has pretty much become the standard which all subsequent point and click adventure games followed, I certainly can’t criticize the sequel for not making improvements in that area. I gave the original game a 9 for this category, only docking a single point due to there being no voice acting. I feel compelled to give its sequel the same score for the same reasons.
Rating: 9
14 CAPs to Aperama
14 CAPs to Ilmari Jauhiainen
13 CAPs to Joe Pranevich
10 CAPs to Lupus Yonderboy
Puzzles and Solvability
I’ll start by saying that none of the puzzles in Monkey Island 2 were unsolvable. I completed the game with only one hint, and my struggles with that particular puzzle were really my own fault. This being said, the game was far from easy. For every puzzle that was solved using logic and applying inventory items in a way you might expect, there was another one that required either trial and error or an outright wacky way of thinking. Charles nailed it when he said that the puzzles in Monkey Island 2 often make sense only retrospectively. Why should I cut the peg leg off the pirate? Why should I put a rat in the soup? Why should I use the monkey on the pump? In hindsight these puzzles seem clever, but I’ve never been thrilled with having to revert to trial and error. Should Monkey Island 2 be punished for this though? Well the quality of the puzzles overall is still very high, so I don’t want to be too harsh. When you sit back and think about all the events that lead to other events (example: blowing the horn near Augustus makes him fire the cannon, which attracts the spitmaster and allows Guybrush to tamper with the contest flags, but he still can’t win unless he has obtained a library card to use as ID at the bar to get the alcohol which needs to be mixed correctly to form a concoction that makes spit thick enough to win, but only when weather conditions are just right), it’s hard not to admire this aspect of the game.
Rating: 7
I like that I was able to solve puzzles without finding the optimal way, such as the spitting contest and the maze in LeChuck's fortress.
Interface and Inventory
There's not a lot to say about this category. The SCUMM interface has always worked beautifully, and it’s the same for Monkey Island 2. If anything, the interface is actually streamlined this time around, with only nine verbs instead of twelve (Turn on, Turn off and Walk to were removed), and all inventory items are represented by images rather than just words. These improvements are perhaps offset by the sheer number of items I had to scroll through towards the end of the game. Unlike a lot of adventure games, including The Secret of Monkey Island, there isn’t an event in the game that rids you of all the items you won’t need going forward. I definitely would have appreciated that at some stage. All things considered though, LucasArts still ruled the roost for this category at this time.
Rating: 9
I did wish that I didn't have so many items to go through when I wanted to find something, but at least they were pretty!
Story and Setting
My comments here might be controversial, but I can only be honest when assessing. I had some real problems with the story of Monkey Island 2. There are two main reasons, and you can probably guess what they are. Firstly, it’s understandable that Guybrush is no longer the innocent and naïve character he was in the first game, but did he have to be such a bastard? A large portion of what Guybrush says and does in Monkey Island 2 is downright nasty. I’m not for a second suggesting that it’s not funny, but by the end of the game I wasn’t entirely sure who was worse out of Guybrush and LeChuck? Secondly, and more importantly, the last portion of the game is very strange, and not particularly satisfying. Yes, I realise that it’s likely a fake reality, forced upon Guybrush by a LeChuck spell, but that doesn’t entirely excuse it. The player spends the whole game attempting to find the treasure of Big Whoop while patching things up with Elaine, only to get an “it was all just a dream” style ending. I put 14 hours into the game, and I didn’t expect to finish it with a whole stack of unanswered questions and unresolved storylines. With that rant out of the way, I should state that my disappointment really comes from the fact I thought this would be the first game to go over 7 for this category. The storyline leading up to the above “climax” is typically exciting and adventurous for the series, and there are numerous classic LucasArts moments such as Guybrush’s costume to the party, the spitting contest, Chester Cheeter and the torture scene. I even appreciated the game’s tendency to consistently kill off the sense of achievement that comes with solving a puzzle by moving the goalposts. Um…errrrr…
Rating: 6
I guess I can forgive the game for having repetitive, uninteresting cut scenes, but only because the creators totally knew it enough to poke fun at it.
Sound and Graphics
It’s interesting to see that TBD gave King’s Quest V, a game I’ve never played, a 9 for this category. Having not played that game, I’m not in a great position to compare the two games. I do know that I gave Loom and The Secret of Monkey Island 8’s, believing them to be the best that adventure games had to offer at that stage. In short, Monkey Island 2 meets the standard of those games and in some ways raises it. Pretty much every screen in the game is filled with wonderful detail, with items often appearing in the foreground to give the location extra depth. Scabb Island in particular is glorious, with the night-time blues that made the two aforementioned LucasArts games so gorgeous used to great effect. The animation deserves attention too, being fluid and often very humorous. If I have any criticism regarding the visuals, it’s that the sex of characters wasn’t always clear. Woody and Chester in particular look very feminine, when their name suggests otherwise. As for the sound, well there isn’t much in the way of effects, but the music more than makes up for it. Michael Land went all out on improving what was already a magical theme tune, and while the rest of the game's music isn’t as catchy, it perfectly accompanies the experience that both Guybrush and the player are going through. I can’t rate this category without discussing iMuse too, which Land created to seamlessly switch between the many differing pieces that can be heard on each island. It works really well, and once again set a standard for all following adventure games to try to match. So what’s my rating? Well, there’s no doubt that Monkey Island 2 is visually more impressive than its predecessor, and the music is at least as good, with the added bonus of iMuse. I can’t not give it a 9 can I?
Rating: 9
I'm always astounded by the way LucasArts designers use little more than blues and shadow to make tremendously moody scenes.
Environment and Atmosphere
The four islands of Monkey Island 2 (Scabb, Booty, Phatt and Dinky) are all wonderfully realized, as are the structural locations that can be found on each. There’s always stacks to look at, particularly in the various stores where much of the game takes place. I particularly love the Voodoo Lady’s shack, the cemetery, the souvenir shop and the library, all of which are highly memorable and filled with character. Like the first game, the atmosphere switches between Carribean-style party, carnival-like silliness, and a darker spookiness that I particularly enjoy. I consciously noted how critical this atmosphere is to me as a player being willing to stick it out when the game might otherwise have tested my patience. The overall feel is unsurprisingly similar to the first game, and I can’t find any justification for adjusting the rating one way or the other.
Rating: 8
It's always Mardi Gras on Booty Island. It sure feels like it too.
Dialogue and Acting
The dialogue options that I had throughout Monkey Island 2 were outrageously hilarious. As I mentioned in my posts, it was difficult for me to portray this aspect of the game, as the various quips and highly inappropriate responses available to me were not always relevant to the plot. This is a shame, as so much of the game’s charm comes from the conversations between Guybrush and the wonderfully diverse characters that inhabit the three islands. It’s true that a few of these characters are rehashed from The Secret of Monkey Island, but who doesn’t want more of Stan the animated salesman, the pirates of low moral fibre, and Herman Toothrot? There are new great characters to freshen things up as well, like Wally the blind cartographer, Mad Marty the deaf laundry man, and of course, Largo. Technically, the branching dialogue system is unchanged from the previous game, but since it has pretty much become the standard which all subsequent point and click adventure games followed, I certainly can’t criticize the sequel for not making improvements in that area. I gave the original game a 9 for this category, only docking a single point due to there being no voice acting. I feel compelled to give its sequel the same score for the same reasons.
Rating: 9
I was spoiled for choice when it came to smart ass comments.
OK. What have we got here. 7 + 9 + 6 + 9 + 8 + 9 = 48, divided by 60, then multiplied by 100 equals...(drum roll)...80. Ooohh, that's 2 points less than Monkey Island 1! How do I feel about that? I'm fine with it actually. As brilliant as Monkey Island 2 is for the most part, it does have flaws in the puzzles and story aspects. It wouldn't seem quite right if it came in a number 1 to me. 80 it is!
It's time to go and see what everyone predicted. Well it appears many of you expected Monkey Island 2 to end up on top. I'll be interested to see what you think of my reasoning. Did anyone get it smack on? Yes! Three people got it exactly right, being Aperama, Corey Cole and Lupus Yonderboy. Aperama even predicted that the ending would be the reason it falls slightly below the first game, and he's right. Well done to you all. Let the debate begin...
CAP Distribution
6666 CAPs to The Trickster
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Below the Root and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through King's Quest: Quest for the Crown and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Déjà Vu and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Tass Times in Tonetown and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through The Black Cauldron and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Uninvited and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Maniac Mansion and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Mortville Manor and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Shadowgate and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Captain Blood and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Gold Rush! and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Manhunter: New York and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Police Quest II: The Vengeance and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Psycho and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Chamber of the Sci-Mutant Priestess and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Codename: ICEMAN and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Hero's Quest: So You Want to Be a Hero and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Leisure Suit Larry III: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Manhunter 2: San Francisco and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Mean Streets and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Neuromancer and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through The Colonel's Bequest and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Déjà Vu II: Lost in Las Vegas and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Hugo's House of Horrors and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Loom and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Grail and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Earthrise and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Future Wars: Adventures in Time and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Les Manley: Search For the King and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Roberta Williams' King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through The Secret of Monkey Island and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Altered Destiny and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire and blogging about it
- Blogger Award - 100 CAPs - For playing through Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge and blogging about it
- The Creator Award - 1000 CAPs - for creating The Adventure Gamer blog
- PISSED On Award - 400 CAPs - for creating the PISSED-rating
- Does This Even Make Sense? Award - 400 CAPs for creating CAPs
- Just A Few Questions Award - 200 CAPs - for four interviews that I'm too lazy to look up right now
- It's Too Much For One Person To Handle Award - 30 CAPs - for letting us all continue his blog after moving on to other projects (Hint: It's on the left, just under “Do We Not Post Enough”)
- What's Your Story Award - 20 CAPs - for the first ever What's Your Story
- Scary But True Award - 10 CAPs - for a successful impersonation of Jim Walls<REDACTED>
- I'm Full of Candy Award - 6 CAPs - for writing piñata correctly
61 CAPs to TBD
- Classic Blogger Award – 50 CAPs – for blogging about the genuine Missed Classic, Impossible Mission!
- Wait? What's the Date Again Award - -30 CAPs – that wasn't a real Missed Classic post, was it?
- LITE Blogger Award – 30 CAPs – for playing through the game in Lite mode, and then doing a blog post about it
- Get It Cheap NOW Award – 5 CAPs – for pointing out that the game being played was on sale, as well as some other stuff
- My Floppies Are Hard and Round - 6 CAPs - For trying to follow Laertes' lead but, having thrown out his floppies, had to settle for showing off Monkey Island CDs instead
- Debugger Award – 5 CAPs – for telling us how to get the Lite version working in Dosbox
- Do I iMuse you? Am I a clown to you? Award - 5 CAPs – for showing us an interesting article on iMuse
- No Glove No Love Award – 5 CAPs – for pointing out that the corn cobs are actually gloves
- Gender Confusion Award – 4 CAPs – for noticing that the Mardi Gras guard was actually female
- Hey! It's Me Award – 9 CAPs – for having a Monkey Island 2 Guybrush for an avatar
- Looks Like A Work Presentation Award – 5 CAPs – for linking to some puzzle flowcharts, allowing us all to read about Monkey Island while still at work
- Just A Little Patience Award - 9 CAPs – for showing us what happens if you wait 10 minutes underwater or get 6000 pieces of eight by rubbing a guy's wooden leg a LOT.
- The Hip Bone's Connected to My Wrist-Watch Award – 7 CAPs - for telling Trickster how to solve the Bones puzzle
- What Am I Doing Standing Next To This Hole Award – 5 CAPs - for telling us about the easy way to win the game
- It Just Says LeChuck Award – 7 CAPs – for telling Trickster what happens if you go back to Wally's after he's captured.
25 CAPs to Voltgloss
- Welcome to the Jungle – 15 CAPs – for not just making a first comment, but making it a ROT13'ed hint one
- Assistance Dog Award – 10 CAPs - for helping The Trickster out of the jam he was in by suggesting he get a dog
17 CAPs to Fry
- Big McLargeHuge Award – 5 CAPs – for almost making TBD have to clean coffee off his keyboard
- That's Not How We Pirate Award – 7 CAPs – for accidentally receiving Laukku's CAPs, then telling us about it so we could take them away again
- Backwards Designer Award – 5 CAPs – for giving us an insight into how a puzzle may have been designed in reverse
16 CAPs to Laertes
- Long LaBig Award – 5 CAPs – for pointing out a joke that only works in Spanish
- That 90s Show Award – 5 CAPs – for reminding The Trickster what decade he was in
- Take a Look At My Floppies Award - 6 CAPs - for sending in pictures of his original floppy discs
14 CAPs to Aperama
- Psychic Prediction Award – 10 CAPs – for correctly guessing the final rating
- Even More Psychiccy Prediction Award – 4 CAPs – for correctly guessing the reason it wouldn't score as well as the first game
14 CAPs to Ilmari Jauhiainen
- Take My CAPs, Please Award – 7 CAPs - for coming up with more exciting new ways to spend CAPs in our April 1 post
- The Happiest Place On Earth Award – 7 CAPs – for pointing out what the E ticket was likely referencing
13 CAPs to Joe Pranevich
- Take My CAPs, Please Award – 7 CAPs – for coming up with more exciting new ways to spend CAPs in our April 1 post
- There is a Mailbox Here Award – 6 CAPs – for noticing a classic adventure game hiding out in an unrelated comedy video
10 CAPs to Lupus Yonderboy
- Psychic Prediction Award – 10 CAPs – for correctly guessing what the final rating would not go higher than
10 CAPs to Corey Cole
- Psychic Prediction Award – 10 CAPs – for correctly guessing the final rating
9 CAPs to Niklas
- Two Out of Three Ain't Bad Award – 5 CAPs – for sharing his frustration with trying to solve Phatt Island's puzzles
- Dude Looks Like A Lady Award – 4 CAPs – For pointing out that Chester Cheeter was a guy!
7 CAPs to Aperama
- Take My CAPs, Please Award – 7 CAPs – for coming up with more exciting new ways to spend CAPs in our April 1 post
7 CAPs to Torch
- Take My CAPs, please Award – 7 CAPs - for coming up with more exciting new ways to spend CAPs in our April 1 post
7 CAPs to Andy_Panthro
- Take My CAPs, Please Award – 7 CAPs – for coming up with more exciting new ways to spend CAPs in our April 1 post
6 CAPs to Charles
- Oh, NOW I get it – 6 CAPs – for pointing out that many of the puzzles only make sense retrospectively
5 CAPs to The 12-year-old Alfred n The
Fettuc
- Admirable Conviction Award – 5 CAPs - For earnestly trying to convince the world that a 1967 ride copied a 1991 game
5 CAPs to void
- Come and Get it Award – 5 CAPs – for noticing the Peter Russell-Clarke reference in the post title
4 CAPs to Reiko
- Spelling Bee Award – 4 CAPs – for pointing out a typo
Although I'm slightly surprised it didn't end up on top of the list, the reasoning behind your scores seems valid.
ReplyDeleteA few thoughts, though:
Regarding the puzzles that seem to only make sense retrospectively, I suspect some of them could be due to the fact that ( especially during part 2 ) so much of the game area is accessible at the same time, instead of the game funneling you through smaller sections. Combine this with the multipart puzzles, and you have a lot of activities available that may or may not be part of a larger puzzle, only you don't know what parts you need to complete first.
In the case of the peg leg: You need to saw of the peg leg to get Woody to leave his hut to fix it, so you can steal his hammer and nails, so you can nail Stan's coffin shut, etc. This you know, of course, but it seems you stumbled upon the solution to this particular puzzle by doing random stuff, instead of coming from a "how can I get rid of Woody, so I can nick his tools"-perspective. So maybe that's a criticism of the game? That you can solve puzzles without knowing what you need them for..? I don't know.
As for Guybrush being a bit of a douche... I dunno, he's a certified pirate now, isn't he? Weren't they all supposed to be of relatively low moral fibre..?
Anyway, it's been an entertaining read. I played the special edition, sort of in parallel, but I remembered too much of the game, so I finished a while ago :)
All fair comments Torch. I do think that the peg leg is a perfect example of a solution that makes total sense the moment you figure it out though. Prior to that, you really don't know for sure that you need to get Woody away from the workshop, and even if you have figured that out, knowing a way to achieve it is pretty difficult. I can't imagine too many people thought "Hmmm, I need to get Woody's nails and hammer. If I can only find a way to get him out of the shop. Perhaps if I damaged something somewhere, that would cause him to get a call out and have to go and fix it. Oh, I know, I'll go and cut that pirate's peg leg off. That'll do it!" I think it's more likely that they solved it the way I did, which is to simply not having anything else to try. It was a desperation act.
DeleteOf course, it's possible that I just failed at some of these puzzles.
Perhaps. It's been too long since I played the game for the first time, so I have no recollection of how I figured out the puzzle back then. It's quite possible that I solved it the same way you did. When I played it this time though, I just remembered what to do, so I didn't have to go through the same thought process.
DeleteOne COULD argue, however, that there's an established connection between Woody and the peg leg already, since you go there to buy wood polish at the start of the game. It also sets a presedence for interacting with the leg. Then again, maybe I'm grasping at straws here :) I just felt that you were a tad harsh with the puzzles rating, although I agree with Corey Cole, who described some of them as using "cartoon logic". I'm pretty sure this also goes for some other Lucasarts games ( Day of the tentacle comes to mind ). Maybe it depends on whether or not you're expecting this behavior from the game.
Personally, I love the ending, but then again, I am fond of just this sort of absurdity (it feels just like an ending from a Mel Brooks film).
ReplyDeleteNot surprisingly, Monkey Island 2 rose to the top of 1991 rankings:
Delete1. Monkey Island 2- 80 point
2. Conquests of the Longbow - 73 points
3. Space Quest 4 - 65 points
4. Willy Beamish - 61 points
5. Larry 1 Remake - 60 points
6. Space Quest 1 Remake - 58 points
7. Spellcasting 201 - 51 points
8. Martian Memorandum - 50 points
9.-11. Timequest, Larry 5 and Police Quest 3 - 47 points
12. Castle of Dr. Brain - 46 points
13. Maupiti Island - 41 points
14. Les Manley 2 - 31 points
15. Free D.C.! - 30 points
16. Hugo II - 18 points
With only five games to go, Charles has had to share his leading spot in Top 5 with Kenny and Joe P., Laertes is still on top of the Bottom 5, and I moved past Fry on Full House.
Losers FTW!
DeleteI'm surprised it didn't take top spot, as I prefer it to the previous game. The change in Guybrush is a move from his youthful naivety, to a more sarcastic and rebellious teenage phase. The artwork and music in particular are sublime, and I would add also the cutscenes! I really enjoy them, from the simple spit and matchstick close-ups, to the comedic asides that are very sitcom-esque. My particular favourite is the one where Kate Capsize gets arrested, where the dialogue can be almost exactly the same as what you choose earlier.
ReplyDeleteMy only point of contention: I much prefer the Sierra interface. Simpler & easier to use.
I certainly didn't enjoy this one as much as the original Monkey Island, both of which I played along with, so I agree with the scoring.
ReplyDeleteI missed sword fighting as well.
I guess one of the reasons why I did not appreciate the first MI so much was the sword fighting - the idea was funny, but I would have wanted the possibility to skip the whole thing, like in the third game.
DeleteThe most important thing about this is what no one mentions:
ReplyDeleteWith this game now #2 on the leaderboard, LucasArts now dominates 60% of the chart after being tied with Sierra/Dynamic for so long. Will that hold up through 1992?
I'd say so. I've always thought Lucasarts had the edge on quality, making a yearly great game whereas Sierra excelled at making multiple very good games
DeleteI am guessing Fate of Atlantis and Quest for Glory 3 have the most chances of getting to the top 10. At the same time, they would drop Zak McCracken and Maniac Mansion from the list, which would make things even again.
DeleteActually, Heart of China might have some chances of getting to the list in 1991 already. That could even up things even earlier.
What I am waiting for is the first game from some other publisher to make it to the top 10.
Willy Beamish is technically a Dynamix game, but by this point already part of the Sierra family.
DeleteIf I'm going by Peter Chan (lead artist on Monkey 2) he always felt the backgrounds and characters of Monkey 2 to be too detailed. A fact I learned during the Doublefine doco on the Day of the Tentacle remaster. This probably lead to the problem in identifying sex for Trickster and distinguishing items from the background details. A problem he subsequently fixed with Day of the Tentacle and its simpler cleaner cartoon style. It will be interesting to see how DoTT scores given Monkey 2 is a 9. I could almost knock off a point for this personally but with imuse as a music system it fully justifies a 9.
ReplyDeleteCAP Distribution updated.
ReplyDeleteAnd we've had a massive change in the leaderboard as a result with a new first place!
A surprising rise in the ranks! But definitely well deserved!
DeleteGives you something to aspire to, Ilmari?
DeleteI am guessing it will take at least a decade, before someone beats Trickster from leading position.
DeleteIt seems I'm in danger of slipping out of the leaderboard! I better work on earning some more CAPs...
DeleteHa! Well that was unexpected. I appreciate the appreciation. :)
DeleteYou do realise that you've given me the ultimate revenge tool though right? I can now make others play the crappiest games ever made. Vengeance will be mine! Mwahahahaha!!!!
Oh yeah, let's check out the leaderb--Noooo! *clutches Andy_Panthro's foot* Don't let me go, Andy!
DeleteI think everyone should take a moment to salute Zenic Reverie, who was until today sitting happily in 10th place.
DeleteWell I gotta ask, was it intentional to make it 6666 CAPs for Trickster or was it just coincidence?
DeleteAnd YAY, 9 more CAPs for me, with this speed... well, speed is probably a to strong a word in this context.
We were aiming for 10000, but were left some thousands short, so this seemed the next best option.
DeleteI see, nice touch I gotta say.
DeleteYeah, I am sure Trickster as a heavy metal fan appreciated the resemblance to the number of the beast.
DeleteLooks like I nicked Laukku's "It Just Says LeChuck" Award. I've been pirating, and I didn't even know it!
ReplyDeleteLaukku already had plenty of points for this game so we thought... oh fine, I'll fix it.
DeleteOK. Fixed. And also put in some pictures of Laertes and my old game boxes and discs and gave us points for our brilliant photography!
DeleteBest award ever. thanks, my 12 year old me :)
ReplyDeleteI just noticed that this post lacks the "final rating" tag. Not important but I thought I'd mention it. I wonder how many other tag oversights there are and if they're worth checking and fixing...
ReplyDeleteFixed. It's not particularly easy to find gaps, but one of us will be happy to fix any that you find.
Delete(See? I'm flexing my admin powers. It'll go to my head soon enough.)
Dude, give a game a 10 already. Giving Monkey Island 1 and 2 a B- is a travesty.
ReplyDelete