The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

From Monkey Island wiki

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition key art
Developer(s)	LucasArts
Designer(s)	Adam D. Bormann, Dominic Robilliard, Craig Derrick
Engine	SCUMM
Release date(s)	July 15th, 2009
Rating(s)	ESRB: E-10+ PEGI: 12+
Platform(s)	PC, iPhone, Playstation Network and Xbox 360 Live Arcade
Media	Direct download
System requirements	PC Version requirements: OS: Windows XP or Windows Vista Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3GHz or AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Memory: 256 MB RAM, 512 MB for Vista Graphics: 128 MB with Shader Model 2.0 capability DirectX: 9.0c (March 2009) Hard Drive: 2.5GB free hard drive space Sound: DirectX 9.0c compliant sound card
Input	Mouse, Xbox 360 controller and Sixaxis/ Dualshock 3 PS3 Controller
Preceded by	Tales of Monkey Island
Followed by	Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck's Revenge

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (abbreviated as SMISE) is a remake of the first Monkey Island game, The Secret of Monkey Island, for PC, iPhone, Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. It was developed by LucasArts and released on July 15th, 2009^[1]. The remake features the same plot line and puzzles as the original game, although new dialogue has been written and all lines voice recorded. The graphics have been completely redrawn to 1080p resolution. In addition, the remake features a re-mastered musical score, and full voiceover. An in-depth hint system has been added to help players through the game’s puzzles. The game also allows players to switch between the new HD graphics and the original 256-color VGA artwork.

The game's twisty plot leads hero, Guybrush Threepwood, on a quest to discover the fabled Monkey Island. Tales of pirate wealth attract Guybrush, who lands at the port of Mêlée with high hopes, no money and an insatiable desire to become a pirate. Soon Guybrush wins the confidence of Mêlée's established pirates and finds himself blown by the winds of fate toward Monkey Island -- a storied isle whose name alone chills the bones of even the most bloodthirsty buccaneers.

Though Tales of Monkey Island will be coming out on Wii over the same time period, there are currently no plans to release the Special Edition on the Wii. The PC version is available by direct download through Steam and will be made available through other online distribution channels.^[2] Direct2Drive is now selling the game^[3], though it is currently only available to purchase for US and Canadian customers. On July 23rd 2009, an iPhone version was announced and put on sale through the iTunes App Store^[4].

After its release on Steam, the Special Edition remake topped the sales charts for the week ending July 18. On July 20th, the Xbox 360 version had already sold over 38,000 copies^[5].

1 Development
2 Plot
3 Gameplay
4 Added material
5 Differences
6 Future remakes
7 Previews
- 7.1 Justin TV Playthrough
8 Reviews
9 Footnotes

Development

Producer Craig Derrick joined LucasArts in 2005, and his first job was to examine possible platforms that old LucasArts games like The Secret of Monkey Island could be ported to, in particular the iPod.^[6] This project however was abandoned due to concerns about the market size for gaming on that platform. President of LucasArts at the time, Jim Ward, gave an interview in April 2006 in which he announced there would be no new LucasArts adventure games of any kind until at least 2015.^[7]

In April 2008 Jim Ward was replaced by Darrell Rodriguez as LucasArts President. A few months later Craig Derrick pitched to Darrell the idea of a Special Edition remake of the first Monkey Island game, and was given the go-ahead. Development lasted a total of nine months.

Plot

See The Secret of Monkey Island - Plot

Gameplay

Interface

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition has a full screen interface, removing the verb list and inventory. Players interact directly with the game screen with either mouse or Xbox 360 controller. An added feature in the remake is the hint system, which offers players progressively more explicit hints about what needs to be done to solve the current problem.

Comparison of remake conceptual art and original artwork.

Graphics

The graphics are all hand-drawn recreations of the original artwork. This includes not only the background art but character poses and animation. By comparison, the artwork for the original edition of Secret of Monkey Island was all drawn on computer. Players will be able to switch instantly between the original 256-color graphics and new graphics while playing.

While the redrawn graphics are very faithful to the original artwork, in some places background details have been added to aid the storytelling. For instance, in the Mêlée Island Village pier screen, many pirate ships have been added to the background, docked behind the Scumm Bar. This reinforces the plot point that the pirates are all landlocked in terror of the Ghost Pirate LeChuck. ^[8]

How inventory looks like in Special Edition.

Sound & Music

The original MIDI score for the game has been fully re-recorded using a mixture of samples and live instruments by LucasArts Music Supervisor Jesse Harlin^[9]. No new music tracks were composed for the Special Edition, so ambient effects have also been added to lend the environments more atmosphere.

All dialogue has been voice recorded. Dominic Armato reprises the role of Guybrush, and Alexandra Boyd and Earl Boen return as Elaine Marley and LeChuck respectively. Leilani Jones Wilmore also returns as the voice of the Voodoo Lady^[10]. Generally the producers have opted for Curse of Monkey Island voice actors over Escape from Monkey Island voice actors. Characters voiced only in Escape from Monkey Island are also voiced by the same people in the Special Edition (eg: Meathook, Herman Toothrot, Otis). The one exception is Carla, who has been recast.^[11]

The enhanced music and voice acting will only play when the HD version is showing - if players switch back to the classic interface only the original CD music and effects will be used^[12].

Added material

Spiffy's close-up in the Special Edition.

While the Special Edition is designed to be a line for line remake of the original game, some new material has also been included. For instance, in the Scumm Bar Guybrush can talk to Spiffy the dog. In the original game this was intended to bring up a close-up of Spiffy as Guybrush converses with him, similar to the close-ups of other patrons of the bar. However the close-up had to be cut for disk space reasons, even though it was featured on the back of the game box. In the Special Edition remake Spiffy has his close-up restored.^[13]

Other such Easter eggs and "deleted scenes" are promised for the final game, as well as achievements on the Xbox Live Arcade.^[14]

Differences

There are a few notable differences between the Special Edition and the original game. For example, the Stump Joke in Meleé Island forest does not make it to the special edition.

Future remakes

Producer Craig Derrick, in response to a question asking about a possible LeChuck's Revenge remake, stated that "at this time we have no plans for future updates". The feasibility of a further remake would be considered according to three factors: sales, reaction, and attraction. If the Special Edition sold well and was popular with fans, Derrick not only hinted at more remakes but new original adventures:

"If [old and new fans] show up, enjoy the game and want to see more then I think we'll be on the right path to not only do more updates, but all new adventures."^[15]

Previews

Justin TV Playthrough

On June 19, 2009 at 6:00 PM LucasArts showcased a one hour live playthrough of the game, hosted at justin.tv. It showed the first part of Part One: The Three Trials. The playthrough ended at 7:00 PM.

Reviews

Footnotes

Retrieved from "http://www.miwiki.net/The_Secret_of_Monkey_Island:_Special_Edition"

Category: Games