Escape From Monkey Island

UPC: 023272110352

Platform: PlayStation 2

Publisher: LucasArts Entertainment Company

Developer: LucasArts Entertainment Company

Category: Adventure

Style(s): Third-Person Adventure

Synopsis: Escape From Monkey Island is the fourth episode in the critically acclaimed series from Lucasarts. Monkey Island veterans should be pleased by the opportunity to become reacquainted with Guybrush, Elaine, LeChuck, and many of the other characters made famous (or infamous) in previous games. Players control Guybrush Threepwood, the mighty pirate, as he tries to foil the plans of an Australian real estate developer and the "new" menace, Charles L. Charles, from taking over the Tri-Island Area. Given several choices of dialogue and actions when certain situations are encountered, players must decide which items to use in various locations in order to advance the plot of the game. The Monkey Island games are known for deep storylines, beautiful animations and backgrounds, and a clever, pun-laden sense of humor. Escape From Monkey Island is no exception. Each of the characters has professional voices accompanying their dialogue, and players will have to venture all over different islands to uncover the mystery of The Ultimate Insult. Escape From Monkey Island features 3D graphics and a system that coordinates the sounds and music with the mood of the story. While it relies upon previous episodes for depth and background information, players new to the Monkey Island series can enjoy the game as well. ~ J.C. Barnes, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Registration Card

The full-color manual is as entertaining to read as it is informative. ~ J.C. Barnes, All Game Guide

The 3D graphics help bring the Monkey Island world to life and are a nice transition into the next generation of video games. ~ J.C. Barnes, All Game Guide

Escape from Monkey Island, the first traditional adventure game on the PlayStation 2, is part four of a series that originated on the computer in 1992. As with other titles in the series, this game's biggest strength is its humor. Every scene fits into place, and players will laugh time and time again at the misadventures of Guybrush Threepwood in his search for The Ultimate Insult. The presentation is first rate, dropping players in a cartoon-like environment with beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds. Town inhabitants are predictably made up of polygons and animate smoothly. Considering that this game relies on comedy (an area most developers are afraid to touch), the quality of the voice acting is vital. The audio in a game like this can make or break the entire experience, but fortunately LucasArts has hired professional voice actors who deliver the lines with perfect comic timing. Those concerned with the porting of a PC adventure game to a console system can rest assured; the new adventure control system works flawlessly on the PlayStation 2 controller. Walking is done using the left analog stick; dialogue choices are made with the right stick; picking up, looking at, and using items are all bound to the main buttons; and the inventory is selectable with a simple tap of the shoulder button. Veterans of the old-school adventure games such as Sierra's Space Quest, King's Quest, and the Leisure Suit Larry series as well as the now-classic LucasArts adventure games like Grim Fandango, Sam and Max Hit the Road, and Full Throttle will thoroughly enjoy this title. The game offers hundreds of puzzles to solve and will keep you interested until the end (which is roughly 30 hours of gameplay). Gamers should be warned, however -- just as in the three previous installments of Monkey Island, many of the puzzles in this game are challenging and will require a warped, comedic view in order to figure out how the world of Monkey Island works. Since not all of the puzzles are logical, most will resort to finding an online FAQ at least once or twice when trying to trek through the game. Another thing potential buyers may want to consider is that many of the jokes assume you are already a fan of the previous installments (available for PC and Macintosh). As a result, many of the jokes will not make sense to those new to the series. Some may want to look into purchasing the earlier installments on their computer before delving into this title. While these types of games do not traditionally offer a high replay value, you might find yourself drawn to it again as if you were re-reading a favorite book. Hopefully Escape from Monkey Island will revive a genre that is on the verge of extinction, as it is a great example of how to make an entertaining comic adventure. ~ J.C. Barnes, All Game Guide

You'll probably file it away and play it again in a few months...it's like reading a good book over again. ~ J.C. Barnes, All Game Guide

The game has some of the best voice acting heard in a console title to date, along with great music and sound effects. ~ J.C. Barnes, All Game Guide

Some of the puzzles are extremely difficult, but the storytelling makes for a great gaming experience. ~ J.C. Barnes, All Game Guide