A pirate I was meant to be

TALES OF MONKEY ISLAND: It has been years since Lucasarts released their fourth and so far final game in the Monkey Island series. Happily, the magicians at Telltale were given the opportunity to further develop this excellent IP, and the result is nothing less but a marvel.

There is something that Telltale just does right when dealing with the good old Lucasarts titles. The two Sam & Max seasons were just fantastic, and proved Telltale’s capabilities. As they have now been offered the very beef rib by Lucasarts, Telltale redeem their promise completely.

All the original voice cast from The Curse of Monkey Island has been brought back to bring the great characters of the Monkey Island universe to life once more. The voice work in Tales of Monkey Island is fantastic; and Earl Boen once again in the role of the evil zombie pirate LeChuck, is nothing but a feast for the senses.

Animations are top notch and the cartoony graphics fit the game perfectly. It just looks right. It just looks like a Monkey Island game, with all the graphical signatures that would include. The episodic format works like a charm, and Telltale has put cliffhangers at the end of every episode to keep the player’s interest all the way through the five episodes.

The great story and the great characters with their excellent voice work, well positioned in the middle of the Monkey Island mythology, creates a package that’s impossible to not fall in love with. This is a pirate tale worthy of remembrance.

The puzzles are mostly great, and for the most part just difficult enough to be a challenge, and just easy enough not to annoy. In my opinion, a bit too many puzzles include a list with ingredients that have to be collected, which gets a bit old after a while, but most of these are entertaining nonetheless.

If you miss that good old Monkey Island feeling, you should have no doubt of getting your hands on this pearl. I was sad when the fifth and final episode was over, and thrilled to see that there was an opening for a next season at the end of the credits. My love for the great characters has been revived. This is Monkey Island, the way Monkey Island should be.

World of Warcraft patch 3.3 trailer

I believe no game but World of Warcraft would be granted a cinematic trailer with full voice over, just for a new patch release. That’s right, patch 3.3 for World of Warcraft is out, and so is the trailer for it.

But that’s OK, that means I get to her the voice of Earl Boen again. They guy who does the voice for the zombie pirate LeChuck in the Monkey Island games, and the narrator in World of Warcraft. Seriously, that guy must have the coolest voice in the world, perhaps only beaten slightly by Christopher Lee.

Sam & Max return next year

Little information has been revealed about the upcoming third season of Telltale’s episodic and rather loony franchise. But that doesn’t matter much, since the fact that it’s actually in development and not too far around the corner fills my heart with joy.

Telltale has proven again and again that they are the worthy heir to the Lucasarts brainchildren. Sam & Max seasons one and two were absolutely magnificent; and having just finished the final Tales of Monkey Island episode, I must say I’m impressed.

This time around, the plot obviously evolves around a giant space gorilla, which pretty much sounds like a wacky enough theme for a Lucasarts inspired adventure game. The third Sam & Max season is scheduled for release in 2010, probably close to the summer holiday season. Telltale has had a habit of announcing their games quite close to release.

Noone does adventure games as well as Telltale at this point, and in my opinion Sam & Max is what Telltale does best!

“You’re as Repulsive as a Monkey in a Negligee!”

I simply never grow too old nor too tired of the ridiculous insulting rants from the legendary Monkey Island games. They’re quick, they’re witty and most of all; just downright silly. The recent revival of the series was nothing less than a gentle bright ray of light touching my heart. A beatiful and worthy remake of the legendary first game, and a surprisingly well crafted episodic approach by Telltale Games.

Telltale is not Lucas Arts, that much is easy to tell. But with Lucas Arts’ complete neglectance of its talent at making graphic adventures, Telltale is by all means a worthy successor. They do indeed have the right feel to their Lucas Arts sequals, and their most recent Tales of Monkey Island is most definitly their most successful attempt thus far.

I do sincerely hope that George Lucas’ dream factory once again will make games in my favourite genre. However, I do bear a great doubt in my heart. As far as I can see, Lucas Arts has almost completely ceased making video games altogether.

‘Tis indeed a sad ending to a wonderful fairy tale.

Monkey Island will always occupy a very special place in my heart. The wonderful and absurd world of Guybrush Threepwood will forever be one of my very special places of zen.

I will never stop humming the pirate song. “A pirate I was meant to be, trim the sails and roam the sea.”