Monkey Island Returns! A Remake and a Sequel

[Silver Wolf]

Really big news for retro and adventure gamers alike.

After nearly 10 years, the Monkey Island series is finally coming back!!

:O_O:

First off, Lucasarts has gotten a bunch of the original crew (including the people who did the original music and the voice cast of "The Curse of Monkey Island") for the games to help create "The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition" which is the original game with:
-updated HD graphics,
-remastered music and sounds,
-FULL VOICE CAST,
-dynamic hint system
-and the ability to swiftly toggle between the HD and the original interface and SCUMM engine graphics (and music if I'm not mistaken).
(Essentially it's the same game from the 90s' overlayed with updated stuff right down to backgrounds, puzzles, and dialogue). This will be coming very soon for PC and Xbox LIVE Arcade.

So all those who want to re-experience the classic or never got to play it yourself, here is your chance.

Next up, Telltale Games (made up of the various LucasArts Adventure game staff that left after LucasArts shifted it's attention purely to Star Wars, AND created the recently successful "Sam & Max" series and "Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People") are making a sequel of sorts.

"Tales of Monkey Island"

The game features the original voice cast ("The Curse of Monkey Island" as above), is 3D (like Sam & Max), has Rob Gilbert's approval, and will be released in downloadable serial format over five Chapters, one a month, and culminating in a full hardcopy DVD afterwards with extras (and you can Pre-Order it now, too!).

The story is thus:

While explosively stripping the evil pirate LeChuck of his demonic mojo, Guybrush Threepwood inadvertently infects the entire Caribbean with the arch-fiend's expelled voodoo, which threatens to transform buccaneers into unruly pirate monsters. Pursued by a notorious cut-throat Pirate Hunter and a creepy French Physician who believes that Guybrush's eerily-infected hand holds the secret of eternal life, Threepwood sails the seven seas in search of La Esponja Grande, a legendary sea sponge with unparalleled voodoo exfoliating abilities. But little does Guybrush know, his quest is part of a larger, more sinister plot, and good and evil are not always as they seem…

Who can Guybrush trust? Where can he turn? Everything you think you know will be challenged as Tales of Monkey Island builds to its unexpected finale!

The first Chapter "Launch of the Screaming Narwhal" will be released for download on JULY 7th, 2009 and will be available for PC and WiiWare! (A free demo is likely to come too.)

This is really big and a sign of things to come. Press releases say:

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.

Check the sites for trailers and pics.

What could be next?! :169: Grim Fandango?! Maniac Mansion?! Day of the Tentacle?!

The pigs must be soaring pretty high at this point!

 

[Algo Fonix]

I reeeally can't wait for this. And here I was thinking about installing Monkey Island III like... yesterday. :O

And the first Tales of Monkey Island episode comes out on my birthday! Woot!

 

[RockRed]

Sweetness Galore! :O_O:
I can't wait to get these. I used to play the original game a whole lot back when I was younger.

I want to get my hands on Monkey Island 2, 3, and 4 as well. I've never officially played those ones yet. :sweat:

 

[Silver Wolf]

Just a reminder that Tales of Monkey Island's first chapter will be released online for download on July 7th (about 2 days to go, from this posting) and The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition will be available on July 15th (two Monkey Island games in two weeks!) so get ready for them!

Also here are two teasers of things to come:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP5uDNhOiPg&fmt=22"]Tales of Monkey Island-Gameplay[/ame]


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4tukSDUrAU&fmt=18"]Secret of Monkey Island-First 10 Minutes[/ame]

Edit:
Just found this, a live (when it was recorded) playthrough of, purportedly, the first hour of Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition. More links and clips can be found here.

 

[Silver Wolf]

(Pardon me if this a double post)

Tales of Monkey Island is OUT!

First chapter is up for download for about $6-8 US dollars (varying on your currency of choice) and of couse there is a free demo. ($34.95 to preorder all five chapters at once, which is a steal in comparison to most games these days)

Find links for the downloads here.

Just played the demo myself and, believe me, even if you haven't played the other games in the series, you will still find this equal parts hilarious and awesome!

 

[KCJ506]

15 years? Wasn't the last Monkey Island game released in 2000/2001?

 

[Silver Wolf]

Quite right. I'll go edit that. For some reason I must have thought Escape from Monkey Island had been released earlier. Of course, I never got to play any of the games when they were first released, so my knowledge of the timespans between games is a a little muddled.