Monkey Island Special Edition coming to XBox Live Arcade!

[jharris01]

It doesn't look *that* bad. They just seem to be reusing some of the aspects from Sam & Max. Probably the game is being developed by the same group (Tell Tales), which would explain the graphics style.

[MusicallyInspired]

No, it isn't. LucasArts made it themselves in HD 2D graphics. Tell Tale Games are creating the new Tales of Monkey Island series in 3D and episodic format, however.

[jharris01]

Which is the game I was referring to in my previous post. 

[MusicallyInspired]

NewRisingSun was referring to the graphics of the remake, to which I thought your reply was in reference.

[jharris01]

That's allright. I think letting people play with original graphics should satisfy those who want to keep it retro.

[Marten]

Aaanyway, it appears that these will be available for PC, not just on the XBox 360.  So, there goes the fledgling reason any of you might have had to buy one.

So... for "Tales of Monkey Island" - I'm understanding this has the "blessing" of Ron Gilbert.  That's nice, but I'd rather have him actually be involved in the new TellTale series.  I don't understand how TellTale can promote that many of the people who worked on the original series are involved, and yet NOT include Gilbert.  We still don't know what the SECRET of Monkey Island actually is... and all along it was supposed to be revealed in the third game (back when Gilbert was going to do the third game, and the series was meant to be a trilogy).  (What is it with LucasArts with dropping the ball on completing trilogies, anyway?)

As for the remake of the original game - I might buy that.  I agree that the style seems a bit awkward with the updated graphics in places, but hopefully what we're seeing in the video is unfinished work.  The "Ask me about LOOM" pirate seems a little wrong.  But the Voodoo Lady's hut looks great!  And I have to think that we'd never be able to flip back and forth between classic and new modes if they hadn't kept the scene layouts mostly the same.  And, it's great to see the interface shifted to a pop-up, rather than eating a substantial part of the graphics all the time.

So, mixed feelings from me.

[Danny]

I haven't posted in ages, but I just have to say I can't wait for this to get released.

[BlueMax]

Hooray for Monkey Island!!

[andrew603]

Hooray for Monkey Island!!

YES!

I can't wait for both games to come out!  Too bad I don't see a pre-order available for SMI:SE.  Is there one?  This is getting so exciting now!  I really hope both games do very well, I would LOVE an MI2 remake and a true MI5 (since ToMI takes place after a fictional MI5).  Anyone else secretly hoping this can start a new era of the adventure game becoming mainstream again?  I hope so...

Fun fun fun!

[jharris01]

Anyone else secretly hoping this can start a new era of the adventure game becoming mainstream again?  I hope so...

I don't think so but it's nice to see one of the oldies getting a remake. Maybe if this title does well then it will make it possible for more Lucasarts titles to be released on the 360. Full Throttle anyone? 

[Locutus]

I imagine they will just use the CD Audio tracks from the CD VGA version of the game.  Those were made using the D-110, D-50, and some post-added sound effects here and there.

Interesting. Are you sure about this? In some other thread in this forum someone mentioned they were using an MT-32 in combination with a SC-55.

locutus

[MusicallyInspired]

It sounds like neither the MT-32 nor the SC-55.

Anyway, they are remastering the entire soundtrack with mostly live instruments. The guy in charge of the music even said in an interview that he faithfully reproduced a track on the CD that was never used in-game. Also, unlike the CD-ROM version, the disk versions of the Following the Shopkeeper theme and the Melee Island Woods theme had different orchestrations that weren't carried over to the CD-ROM version (they are still different but with just an added instrument). He faithfully re-added the differences in orchestration from the disk version for the special edition! They really really did go ALL OUT on this.

[andrew603]

MusicallyInspired, you type too fast...   You as stoked as I am for the new MI games?

Interesting. Are you sure about this? In some other thread in this forum someone mentioned they were using an MT-32 in combination with a SC-55.

locutus

I know for a fact that the D-50/550 was used, as I have one and can identify the some of the patches used in the songs. 

Particularly, "devildom" was used as a sound effect in the Ghost Ship Shuffle song.  That clip is a recording I made of simply pressing the C8 key.

Some of the other patches in songs like horns in Stan's theme and SCUMM™ Bar themes sound very much like patches from the U-220.

I can't really deny if an MT-32 was used, other than the CD Audio tracks sound too clean to be a vanilla MT-32 to me.  Or, if an SC-55 was used for that matter, though I think the CD soundtrack would have had to have been in production before the SC-55 was released that year, unless MI1CD was released late in the year.  It just seems unlikely given the production value of "LucasFilm Games" at the time that anything less than the more high end equipment was used for the CD Soundtrack.  It's clearly a well produced mix of a whole variety of gear, one of my favorites of all time!

Personally, I would be interested to know if any of it was not Roland hardware, excluding sound effects, the MI1 soundtrack just screams Roland sound to me.  Of coarse, I am a Roland fanboy, if you didn't figure that out

PS:  Please don't hunt me down for my mere speculations above!

[jharris01]

PS:  Please don't hunt me down for my mere speculations above!

Considering I was "corrected" earlier in this thread over a triviality, I would say it's a good (but sad) idea to put that disclaimer there.

[Locutus]

Thanks for the insight, andrew603. I really like the CD audio soundtrack.

But I don't think they're gonna use it in the XBOX remake, at least this video indicates that they are re-recording the score:

http://www.gamecaptain.de/News/20731/Monkey_Island_Neuauflage_und_Episoden.html

I especially don't like the part where the composer remarks that the old score sounds like "bleeps and bloops" or something like that. :-/ Either he isn't aware of the different versions of the soundtrack that exist or he is implying that professional music equipment from that era sounds like a PC speaker, which is of course nonsense. Any decent musician will tell you that even older synthesizer equipment can produce characteristic and aesthetic sounds.

As for the graphics well... all looks pretty good, being hand-drawn and all, but from what I can see in the video the movements of the characters and all the gestures lack the necessary animation steps to make the animation fit the look of the high-res graphics. If this is going to be the end result, the game will look as if someone is pushing static sprite images over the screen without really animating it.

On the other hand it seems that they tried to stay very true to the original, which is a good thing, but for me, while having played the original game (and being able to re-play it any time I want), there is not so much appeal in paying for the same experience with "current" graphics and music.

I might give those Tales from Monkey Island a closer look from Telltale, though. I think they have done a real good job on the new Sam & Max episodes and also the Wallace & Gromit adventure for XBOX live. Music and graphics-wise there is nothing to complain about. I even bought the Sam & Max Season 1 soundtrack. :-)

[MusicallyInspired]

But I don't think they're gonna use it in the XBOX remake, at least this video indicates that they are re-recording the score:

Did nobody read what I just posted above?

I especially don't like the part where the composer remarks that the old score sounds like "bleeps and bloops" or something like that. :-/ Either he isn't aware of the different versions of the soundtrack that exist or he is implying that professional music equipment from that era sounds like a PC speaker, which is of course nonsense. Any decent musician will tell you that even older synthesizer equipment can produce characteristic and aesthetic sounds.

He stated in a later interview that he didn't just listen through the CD soundtrack but also went on youtube and watched playthroughs of the disk versions and listened the Adlib soundtrack as well (something that paid off because, as I said above, he noticed that the Following the Shopkeeper and Melee Island Woods tracks were actually composed slightly differently but in the CD version they were identical save for adding an extra instrument on one of them. So he faithfully recreated the alternate version from the Adlib/MT-32 soundtrack that wasn't on the CD soundtrack!).

As for the graphics well... all looks pretty good, being hand-drawn and all, but from what I can see in the video the movements of the characters and all the gestures lack the necessary animation steps to make the animation fit the look of the high-res graphics. If this is going to be the end result, the game will look as if someone is pushing static sprite images over the screen without really animating it.

The reason, as has been stated before, is because the game is running directly on top of the original Scumm code.

On the other hand it seems that they tried to stay very true to the original, which is a good thing, but for me, while having played the original game (and being able to re-play it any time I want), there is not so much appeal in paying for the same experience with "current" graphics and music.

What about speech? Dominic Armato of COMI and EMI (and the new TMI) reprises his Guybrush role. As well as Alexandra Boyd (Elaine from COMI, british accent version, not the American accent version from EMI) and Earl Boen (LeChuck, also from COMI and EMI).

[BlueMax]

[LeChuck:]  "Well, you know what they say..."
[Guybrush:]  "That a sequel can never truly be as good as the original?"
[LeChuck:]  "LIES!  Filthy, dirty LIES!!"

[Locutus]

Did nobody read what I just posted above?

Sorry, I kind of missed that. Anyway, don't let me take away your enthusiasm. I think I might be overly sceptical when it comes to remakes of the old games. It's a bit like when George Lucas decides to release yet another "refurbished" version of the old Star Wars movies with new CGI. I never quite liked that either, but of course the fact, that you'll be able to play the game in its original form is a nice option. People who haven't played the original will be able to experience it the way it was when it first came out, though I fear their reaction will be to immediately switch back into HD-mode. :-)

He stated in a later interview that he didn't just listen through the CD soundtrack but also went on youtube and watched playthroughs of the disk versions and listened the Adlib soundtrack as well (something that paid off because, as I said above, he noticed that the Following the Shopkeeper and Melee Island Woods tracks were actually composed slightly differently but in the CD version they were identical save for adding an extra instrument on one of them. So he faithfully recreated the alternate version from the Adlib/MT-32 soundtrack that wasn't on the CD soundtrack!).

Interesting, I'd think someone who works as a composer for LucasArts and wants to do some research on the original soundtracks would be able to get a hold of the real "footage" rather than relying on YouTube videos of it. Don't get me wrong, I'll certainly listen in on the new soundtrack, as he says in the interview they'll even make use of "real" instruments, which might turn out nice. The thing is, I don't understand why people must reduce classical game music, be it FM synthesis or wavetable-based to a series of dull-sounding beeps. I have heard that a lot (albeit not from composers) and I don't agree.

The reason, as has been stated before, is because the game is running directly on top of the original Scumm code.

Ok, that makes sense in technical terms, but it sounds like an excuse. I still doubt jaggy animation will go well with high-res graphics, but that might be a subjective view. As for the speech, I can't really make any judgements there, because I haven't played any of the newer Monkey Island games with speech, but if the voice-acting is good, that's of course a big plus.

locutus

[MusicallyInspired]

Interesting, I'd think someone who works as a composer for LucasArts and wants to do some research on the original soundtracks would be able to get a hold of the real "footage" rather than relying on YouTube videos of it.

Actually, he also stated that there was no sheet music or anything in the LA archives. He did have access to the original MIDI files, though, that were used for the disk versions and he went through them and edited them for use as masters for what became the remastered soundtrack (though some of the tracks aren't in the disk version and so he had to recreate them by ear from scratch). Another reason why he watched the YouTube clips was to see what the differences were between the disk versions and the CD version. He played through the CD version himself and then looked up a disk version playthrough on YouTube. Maybe he didn't want to just go through everything himself once again. He did say he only had a week or so to become a Monkey Island expert.

One thing I do miss from the original soundtrack (based on what I've heard) is the powerful flute used on the CD track for the main theme. On the video the remade version doesn't sound quite as powerful. A little more gentler giving it a calmer and slightly more whimsical feel rather than epic. But maybe after hearing the raw full quality version coming out of my speakers it'll sound different.

[BlueMax]

[LeChuck:]  "... and someone get me some more COLESLAW!!"