The dastardly LeChuck is up to no good again in Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge
I really wanted to write about Starcraft 2, but decided to give any non-Starcraft playing readers a break. You’re welcome. (By the way, SC2 is awesome!) During my non-Starcraft time, I’ve been playing through the special edition of Monkey Island 2 which came out in early July. Since I loved the first one and love the Monkey Island series in general, I figured I’d take it out for a spin. So is LeChuck’s Revenge better than the original? Hit the jump to find out.
Twice the Story
I’m not sure if it actually is, but Monkey Island 2 feels like a longer game than the original. The story is well written, as you follow the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate, as he tries to take down the evil ghost pirate LeChuck. As you move through the storyline, you meet up with familiar characters from the original, and there’s a lot of fun to be had. The writers were not afraid to make fun of tired cliches in storytelling, and the end sequence borrows a lot of Lucasarts tropes. It gets pretty fun, although I must say the actual ending of the game really leaves something to be desired. It’s…weird. But everything up to that point is great.
Twice the Humor
The Monkey Island series is pretty funny, and Monkey Island 2 is no exception. There are the regular slapstick gags, dry jokes, and some stuff you won’t expect. The humor can be hit or miss, but for the most part I found it all pretty amusing. There is a great musical gag, some really funny dialogue, and a wonderful “philosophical” moment. I mostly play these adventure games for the storyline and the jokes, and in this sense Monkey Island 2 does not disappoint. The third thing I look for in adventure game though…
Twice the Frustration
…is generally the puzzles. And I can’t for the life of me figure out how I beat Monkey Island 2 as a kid without cheating. Some of the puzzles are just too obscure and too hard, and especially in the second section of a game, there are way too many options open. I think I might be getting too old for all the trial and error. Luckily there is a progressive hint system, but I don’t really like to use those. There are also parts of the game that just feel like they drag, mainly due to some antiquated gameplay. You can’t fast travel anywhere, so you have to physically watch Guybrush walk from place to place. I think the developers could have updated some of that stuff and not taken away from the gameplay.
Twice the Presentation
I must say, the presentation of the special edition is top notch. With the exception of Largo Legrande, whose voice actor is wretched, the voice acting is top notch. Also the music is absolutely wonderful, 21st century renditions of the old midi files. The graphics are great, and Monkey Island 2 is just a fun game to play or to watch. So top marks for that.
Final Thoughts
I went into Monkey Island 2 Special Edition thinking I’d enjoy it much more than I did. It’s still a great game, and well worth playing through if you haven’t before, especially at arcade pricing, but some of the difficult puzzles combined with all the wait time when you’re walking around really started wearing me down at the end. It also didn’t help that the ending left a bad taste in my mouth. That being said, I still hope they put out the third installment, Curse of Monkey Island, on XBLA some day. I never actually got to play that one, and would love to see them “fix” the ending of this one!
Final Grade: B
Have a wonderfull new year everybody,may the next year bring you all of your heart’s desires!