Even though we were arguably the most appropriate web site on the entire internet to review The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, we ended up being the only one not to do so. In preparation for the hotly anticipated LeChuck’s Revenge revamp, we’ve rectified the situation.
Note: Apologies for all the broken and/or weird stuff you may have observed while I was getting this published – Mojo has a few miles on her. Also, for anyone who cares, the score is supposed to be 3.5 skulls – we’ll get that fixed at some point, I’m sure.
Posted by Jason
Comments: 4
Yes, Telltale has finally launched its website for Sam and Max Season 3: The Devil’s Playhouse.
The site includes the recently-leaked-and-then-removed official season trailer, plus several screenshots from the first episode, whose title is, as we had already guessed, The Penal Zone. Incidentally, a couple of the new images showcase the new direct control system in action!
The website also includes the names of all five episodes in the season.
- Episode 2: The Tomb of Sammun-Mak
- Episode 3: They Stole Max’s Brain!
- Episode 4: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls
- Episode 5: The City That Dares Not Sleep
Also of note: The
Tales of Monkey Island Collector’s DVD is finally available to pre-order!
As well, there’s now a
boatload of new
Monkey Island merchandise available, including a second set of
TMI buttons, a replica of the Voodoo Lady’s tarot card set, a
TMI drinking mug, a
TMI T-shirt, a portfolio of concept art by Telltale’s Ryan Church, and best of all, a “treasure chest” of
TMI swag. This last item includes, among other things, a replica Piece of Eight, a “Trial of the Century-y-y-y” souvenir button, and a copy of Reginald Van Winslow’s beloved map.
Posted by ATMachine
Comments: 19
It pales in comparison to our previous announcements, but at some point in last night’s exciting press conference, LucasArts announced that the clothing of various Monkey Island characters would soon be available for your PlayStation Home avatar to wear.
This Joystiq article includes a photo. It appears that most of the costumes are taken from the Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition.
Sadly, it would seem that Stan’s coat features a realistic plaid pattern! Shocking, we know.
Posted by ATMachine
Comments: 0
“LeChucks Revenge: Special Edition is official! New puzzles, new enemies, new hair!”
New Puzzles? What?
And… is there an announcement Three?
Update by Jason: While clarification of the features will no doubt come in the morning in the form of a press release and an official site launch, it’s been confirmed that, like with Monkey Island 1, there will be full voice acting, and the original game will be included. “Developer commentary” has bizarrely been alluded to as a bonus feature – who knows what that means, but Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert were on-site for the announcement. Also, here’s the cover art.
Further Update by ATMachine: According to LucasArts’ Twitter feed, MI2:SE will feature voice acting both in the high-resolution updated-graphics mode and in the low-res, original-graphics mode. Plus, Guybrush’s hairstyle has been changed, so hopefully there will be fewer complaints about that this time round.
Update 3: According to LucasArts, MI2:SE will be available for PSN, XBLA, Mac, iPhone, and PC.
Update 4: This Joystiq article suggests that the game will be released “this summer.” Also, there will be a new direct control scheme implemented in addition to the previously used point-and-click method.
Finally, it notes this about the extra content:
“They’ve also added never-before-seen art from Peter Chan and Steve Purcell and developer commentary (!) for you Monkey Island fanboys out there (that’s you).”
Update 5 by Jason: Official site launched and here’s the press release.
Posted by jp-30
Comments: 90
LucasArts has revealed via its Twitter account that The Secret of Monkey Island (Special Edition) is heading to the Playstation Network and to Mac. That’s “Announcement One”, apparently.
Expect more details in the coming hours from the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco.
And bring on “Announcement Two”!
Update by ATMachine: Reports trickling out from the LucasArts press conference suggest that SOMI:SE will soon become available for purchase from Telltale’s website. However, this has not been confirmed yet.
Update 2: In addition to the earlier Twitter report, Kotaku has now picked up the news of Telltale selling SOMI:SE in their online store, so it seems pretty official.
Posted by jp-30
Comments: 3
It’s actually somewhat shameful that it’s only now that we’re posting an interview with BA Sound, the guys who handle the audio for the titles of LEC as well as Telltale and the other spinoffs.
Depending on the project, their services range from a game’s sound design, music composition, and voice direction, and given the particular importance those things have in a story game, and considering that the studio’s resume of them is longer than a Double Fine development cycle, it’s clear that they’re owed a lot for what makes some of our favorite titles so awesome. And that you owe it to yourself to read the interview.
Posted by Jason
Comments: 10
Turns out that following someone’s twitter feed benefits more than serial killers. For example, the twitter page of Alexandra Boyd, voice of Elaine Marley, reveals the following February 21st tweet:
Alexandras ep of New Tricks on BBC1 mon 9pm. FROM PARIS WITH LOVE opens fri & new series of Monkey Island starts recording on Tuesday!!
Which would certainly gel with the existence of the all-but-announced
Monkey Island 2 special edition. (She probably means “series” of recording sessions – it seems a wee early for this to be Telltale-related.)
Of course, Boyd isn’t the only one sharing things best kept behind closed doors. Take David Boyll, voice of Hugh Bliss and Philo Pennyworth (not to mention D’oro
the Explorer in
Tales), who reveals a disquieting openness about the frequency of his bathroom visits in the
latest interview snagged by
samandmax.co.uk.
Posted by Jason
Comments: 8
The first word on Monkey Island 2: The Special Edition has emerged from the muddy swamps. We don’t usually report rumors, but we can report reporting on rumors. From Kotaku:
We’ve heard from sources that the game is due to be announced very soon, perhaps even next week at the Game Developer’s Conference, and that like the first game’s special edition, will contain all-new graphics and audio.
Unlike the first game, however, this one will be reaching a few more consumers, with versions planned for not just the Xbox 360, PC ad iPhone (like Monkey Island), but the PlayStation Network as well.
(Highlights by me.)
There’s a lot to look forward to this GDC: Tim Schafer and Sean Vanaman will
banter about the funny, Telltale will be there with “
big news” (regarding Sam and Max 03?
There’s no Mr. Featherly in that, by the way), and finally there’s the GDC awards that Brutal Legend
got nominated in.
Lastly, there was a lot of clamoring yesterday after EA announced the list of consoles they’d be bringing
Deathspank to – a list that excluded “PC”. This does
not mean a PC version is not coming. As EA’s Jeff Green said
yesterday: “DeathSpank: If you’re freaking out about no PC version announce yet, stop freaking out. EA wants as many people as possible to play it…”
Posted by Kroms
Comments: 22
Sam and Max creator Steve Purcell has decided to sell a piece of unused concept for the Monkey Island 2 cover off eBay (or, as pirates call it, “YeBay”). Description:
The painting is 7” X 10” was done in gouache (an opaque watercolor) on heavy illustration board and has been covered with acetate since it was created in 1991.
Purcell was also responsible for the final cover,
The Secret of Monkey Island cover, and the
Tales of Monkey Island pre-order cover. In the words of my inner pirate, this painting “is
fab-u-lous.” The starting bid is a healthy $795.00.
Purcell’s also selling
this rare Full Throttle promo poster. In the words of my inner biker, “It’s
le fantastique.”
Shipping to Europe is still being looked into.
If you’re in a piratey mood, by the way, you should check out
Mixnmojo’s latest contest. The prize is a copy of Tim Power’s novel
On Stranger Tides, the main inspiration of
Monkey Island.
Check it.
Posted by Kroms
Comments: 25
You may remember a web-site called “Blood Island El Grande” from the days of Internet yore. This was a site that recreated the locations from Blood Island (from The Curse of Monkey Island) in stunning and exciting 3D.
Well, it’s back!
Not only has it got everything it had before, but now it also has new images from Blood Island locations, and the promise of further art to come.
I can also recommend the 2D art and the music, which has been brought to you (along with the rest of the site) by Goblin, the creator of our winning podcast jingle.
Posted by Gabez
Comments: 3
It’s finally here: our Escape from Monkey Island mega-look-back.
Enjoy! And don’t forget to tell all your friends!
Thanks a lot to Dan Lee for the superb 3D header art. Take that, Avatar.
Posted by Gabez
Comments: 54
Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island, the latest game from Bill Tiller’s Autumn Moon Entertainment, has been played and reviewed, by firm but loving website Adventure Gamers.
They have given the game a respectable three-and-a-half stars, which you may recall being the same score they bestowed upon Tales of Monkey Island chapters one and two. That’s a good thing.
However, if that doesn’t seem like much to you, then keep in mind Autumn Moon is still a young, struggling studio. Both Telltale and LucasArts had their share of misfires before hitting their stride. Ghost Pirates is relatively cheap at £17.59; it’s even cheaper at £13.41 from Amazon marketplace sellers. I think that’s worth the beautiful backgrounds, at least; and you’re supporting a company with the potential to make great adventure games.
Update by Jason: Additional reviews: Electronic Theater, GameBoomers.
Posted by Kroms
Comments: 5
According to the Mamba twitter feed, Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island is now available at UK retailers, with its ship date having been Wednesday. Now we can all play Autumn Moon’s latest with English voices, and all is well.
If, like me, you’re in North America, your options are to get the game imported, wait for the confirmed but still undated digital distribution option to hit, or show some real resolve and wait for a North American publisher to materialize.
However you choose to procure it, go get you some handpainted Bill Tiller graphic adventure goodness, and stay tuned for the Mojo review.
Posted by Jason
Comments: 3
The fifth and final chapter of Tales of Monkey Island, “Rise of the Pirate God”, is now available for Wiiware in North America. Europe, being Europe, has to wait.
In other news, former Telltale designer Heather Logas finally has enough funding for her game. Congratulations, and good luck to her!
Heather’s father Jerry contributed some music tracks to Telltale’s very first game, Telltale Texas Hold’em. You can buy his band’s album from the Telltale store. It’s jazzy!
Update: Europeans can Wii with the Pirate God on Friday. Thanks to Metallus for the info.
Update by ATMachine: Er, apparently Nintendo was just kidding about that Friday European release thing. Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 5: Rise of the Pirate God will NOT be coming to European WiiWare today. Once again, thanks to Metallus for the info, although it’s hardly news to be thankful for...
Update by JP: Hey-yo Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It’s finally out.
Posted by Kroms
Comments: 6
Appletell, a website that focuses on apples Apple and its products, has been busy covering the Mac World Expo 2010. They managed to corner and interview Dan Connors (Telltale CEO), and then get Mark Darin to do a video interview. Darin, for those of you who do not know, was one of the leads on Tales of Monkey Island, and the writer/designer of “The Siege of Spinner Cay” and “Rise of the Pirate God”.
iGames Radio later managed to get Telltalers Chris Schmidt, Will Armstrong and “Matt Darin”, Mark Darin’s clone, on this podcast. It’s short, but worth listening to; there are interesting tidbits throughout, including how Tales’s story was developed.
In slightly more disturbing news, it seems that (Mark) Darin has joined the ranks of the Formerly Beardless, which include Tim Schafer and Dan Connors. What all of this is leading to remains to be seen.
Posted by Kroms
Comments: 1
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