Return of Monkey Island!

I loved Monkey Island. I’m not really sure why since I pretty much sucked at them and had to frequently resort to hints sites or walkthroughs to get through difficult bits. I haven’t the patience to try all the permutations of different objects together to achieve some effect. But I did like seeing how the puzzle was solved, even if not by me. I’ve got all the games, and I do go back and play them every year or two. I find I’ve forgotten half of it by then and it’s like playing a fresh game again. I’ve always thought it was a shame they didn’t make another game. Well, now they have!

OK, technically it’s not the same series. A different company has partnered with LucasArts to make a new game. They say it isn’t the long-awaited MI5, but instead takes place after the (nonexistent) MI5. Also, rather than being a monolithic game, it’s a series of 5 episodes. They are released monthly, starting from August this year. Two have been released to date, with 3 more to go.

The graphics are somewhat better than the last two, but the controls are a bit strange. None of the 3D MI games ever quite sussed out how to control a 3D character effectively, and this one is no exception. The strange drag-to-move interface is only a minor annoyance though – the same quirkiness and humour is still there, and that’s what makes MI so much fun. It also seems rather easier than the previous MI games in that there is usually some logic to what you have to do in order to achieve a certain goal, although figuring out some of the details is still a bit tricky. It’s definitely a good way to while away a few hours.