Things you missed from older games (not EMI!)

First off, let me point out that I LOVED this first chapter of "Tales of Monkey Island", so people at TTG: thank you from the bottom of my longtime-monkey-island-fan heart. That being said, there are a few things I missed from the older games in the series. To name a few:
-More dialogue: You were able to have pointless yet very amusing conversations with almost every character on the different islands; they had lots of things to say about themselves and their view on the different situations and issues of the island and you could spend several minutes talking to them. I loved that part, it really set to tone to the whole experience, which leads me to a second point:
-Richer Background: Every island had a very rich story, and you were able to find out about it through different ways if you were interested in it. I felt that in this first chapter of TMI there was a lack of background story. I really wanted to know more about the island, but none of the characters had much to say about it other than some references to the wind and the mer-folks.
-More interactive and diverse situations: an example: When Guybrush had to go into the bar, I was like "awesome! the inside is going to be so much fun to play" but then all we hear are sounds and noises, and Guybrush is kicked out of the bar. That was a real disappointment for me; in older games they would have created the whole interior of the bar and several characters and situations to deal with.
-A more pirate-like and misterious atmosphere: Older MI games had a very distinctive and peculiar background and scenery art. Everything looked old and worn out, like from a different time, a very old time. You really felt like you were visiting long lost places in the caribean where pirates and such once used to live, abandoned shacks and old colonial houses. I loved that kind of art from the first three MI games. In TMI, everything looked kindda... new. That sort of nostalgic look was gone.

I hope TTG developers take these into account in order to make the following chapters in TMI more like the original games at least regarding these points. Of course, if they don't, I'm sure I will still enjoy the new chapters just like I did with LOTSN.
What do you people think?

Comments

  • edited July 2009
    I agree 100% that they missed a great opportunity for some memorable moments of game play and character interaction in Club 41
  • edited July 2009
    Just think of Club 41 as the room in Elaine's mansion in MI1.
  • edited July 2009
    I would agree with you if TMI had as much interactive material as the first chapter in SMI.
  • edited July 2009
    SANAFABICH wrote: »
    -More dialogue: You were able to have pointless yet very amusing conversations with almost every character on the different islands; they had lots of things to say about themselves and their view on the different situations and issues of the island and you could spend several minutes talking to them. I loved that part, it really set to tone to the whole experience, which leads me to a second point:
    -Richer Background: Every island had a very rich story, and you were able to find out about it through different ways if you were interested in it. I felt that in this first chapter of TMI there was a lack of background story. I really wanted to know more about the island, but none of the characters had much to say about it other than some references to the wind and the mer-folks.

    -A more pirate-like and misterious atmosphere: Older MI games had a very distinctive and peculiar background and scenery art. Everything looked old and worn out, like from a different time, a very old time. You really felt like you were visiting long lost places in the caribean where pirates and such once used to live, abandoned shacks and old colonial houses. I loved that kind of art from the first three MI games. In TMI, everything looked kindda... new. That sort of nostalgic look was gone.

    I agree with you. If telltales fix those 3 points, the second episode will be perfect in my opinion.
    SANAFABICH wrote: »
    -More interactive and diverse situations: an example: When Guybrush had to go into the bar, I was like "awesome! the inside is going to be so much fun to play" but then all we hear are sounds and noises, and Guybrush is kicked out of the bar. That was a real disappointment for me; in older games they would have created the whole interior of the bar and several characters and situations to deal with.

    I think the first episode had many locations to interact with, it would have been great to see the inside of the bar but ok the game was so great that i didn't really care. we may see the bar in the future episode, who knows.
  • edited July 2009
    thatdude98 wrote: »
    Just think of Club 41 as the room in Elaine's mansion in MI1.

    Well I read somewhere that they actually wanted to have the player solve all the puzzles that were automated in that very room hence making it a proper one, but unfortunately they couldn't due to size (i.e. number of floppies) impositions. Not the case this time around.
  • edited July 2009
    Exactly.
  • edited July 2009
    bump
  • edited July 2009
    Good post - have seen some of these points come up in other threads, but I agree. There's only so much they can do per episode but the first chapter did feel very basic intro-to-new-adventurers and could be worked upon for us adventuring dinosaurs. Damn they can't win, we're just gonna nitpick a chapter to oblivion between every episode. :) TTG you have your work cut out! I'm sure you will deliver. On another note, does anyone else think maybe they have finished the skeleton programming of most of the season already? I have no idea..
  • edited July 2009
    I miss the verb coin
  • edited July 2009
    I miss the verb coin

    the CMI hold click verb coin?
  • edited July 2009
    yup
  • edited July 2009
    I miss being able to press Cntrl-ALT-W, I had to instead play the entire game to win :mad:

    Kidding
  • edited July 2009
    Yea I miss that too - it was perfectly implemented before and having played CMI the week before I found myself trying for it and missing this feature every time (and ending up with the move arrows). Good call. The hold verb coin should come back!
  • edited July 2009
    I miss the 8-bit music
  • edited July 2009
    It really needs a LOOK function. It just feels like something big is missing with only being able to interact one way with everything, and not being in control of whether he looks or acts or whatever.
  • edited July 2009
    RockNRoll wrote: »
    It really needs a LOOK function. It just feels like something big is missing with only being able to interact one way with everything, and not being in control of whether he looks or acts or whatever.

    I agree... I always looked at things before I interacted with them to get a description.
  • edited July 2009
    damn right! It was fun to look at things and hear guybrush's comments about them, even when they had no importance whatsoever to the plot. You were able to interact with almost everything!
  • edited July 2009
    I miss the incredible music of CMI. Don't get me wrong, ToMI has a great music. But it feels strange that Sam&Max has its free solo jazz, and there is nothing such in ToMI... stunning music helps great games to become stunning, see CMI, see Grim Fandango :)
  • edited July 2009
    Mmm the music in sam and max having only played episode one, season 1, is fantastic. It's slowly pushing me, I can see myself getting into that series.
  • edited July 2009
    Steverin0 wrote: »
    Mmm the music in sam and max having only played episode one, season 1, is fantastic. It's slowly pushing me, I can see myself getting into that series.

    Get some of the soundtrack mp3s (full length mp3-samples):
    http://www.telltalegames.com/store/snm-s1-soundtrack

    Combat Begin!! is a must have.
  • edited July 2009
    thatdude98 wrote: »
    Just think of Club 41 as the room in Elaine's mansion in MI1.

    Or the back door of the gambling club in MI2.

    "If this is three, what is this?"
  • edited July 2009
    der_ketzer wrote: »
    Get some of the soundtrack mp3s (full length mp3-samples):
    http://www.telltalegames.com/store/snm-s1-soundtrack

    Combat Begin!! is a must have.

    Reality 2.0 has this stunning 8-bit soundtrack, I was totally blown away playing this episode :)
    But for me, soundtrack masterpieces of this season are Ted E. Bear's Waltz, The Office, and The Consecutive Office :)
  • edited July 2009
    back on topic...
    I think this has been mentioned many times but i feel the characters weren't different enough. If you think back to curse (after this whole monkey island revival i decided to play all 3 1st games for the 1st time) all the characters were unique in some way.
    It cant be that hard to just tweak the character model just a little bit more but D'oro, Captain and the newspaper dude whose name i cant remember.... all the same.

    Also the verb coin was nice but i played sam and max before i played mi3 and i was used to it that system more.
    Playing mi1 i noticed the more actions you have the more challenging it is....

    Otherwise its awesome.
  • edited July 2009
    I agree with your statements, errr, user-with-creative-name that started this thread. :D
  • edited August 2010
    harlequ1n wrote: »
    Well I read somewhere that they actually wanted to have the player solve all the puzzles that were automated in that very room hence making it a proper one, but unfortunately they couldn't due to size (i.e. number of floppies) impositions. Not the case this time around.

    I know this is an old thread but just to answer the above. it the video doc included on the cd they said that Club 41's interior was not shown because there is a limit on how big a wii WAD file can be - 40 megs - so they had to cut something out. There was a whole section of stuff planned that was cut. So they named the Club "club 41"

    I missed the coin as well and the amount of interaction with things. combining things was not as fun. I miss the "I don't want to use the _____ with that" ant the other coments guybrush made. HAving said that i really enjoyed this series.
  • edited August 2010
    EMI's shear awesomeness!
  • edited August 2010
    I miss a crammed inventory! Red herrings! Things that look sooo "it-has-to-have-to-be-useful" while the solution is to combine three other items! Puzzles to despair of!
  • edited August 2010
    This thread is like a year old:p

    I can miss the simplicity that the older games have. Yet it really brings the right atmosphere to the games.
  • edited August 2010
    I miss the random factor that the older games had. (Particurely Herman's philosophical puzzle)
  • edited August 2010
    I know it says not from EMI but I miss guybrush flurt voice XD
  • edited August 2010
    I know it says not from EMI but I miss guybrush flurt voice XD

    Not that I am English but it's flirt.:p

    I miss that too, but I thought TOMI has some sort of perverted joke in it, flirt voice. I'm going to replay it, I'll let you know.
  • edited August 2010
    • Not starting the game on an island under eternal night. :p I really loved that in the first 2 games!

    • Lack of non-linear travel between a number of islands. MI2 was brilliant in having that feeling of freedom.

    Aside from that, Tales was commendably faithful to the spirit of the franchise while adapting it to today's gaming scene. Couldn't have asked for a lot more. :)
  • edited August 2010
    I missed the coin as well and the amount of interaction with things. combining things was not as fun. I miss the "I don't want to use the _____ with that" ant the other coments guybrush made. HAving said that i really enjoyed this series.

    I've realised now that I miss it a lot, after playing Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island and Monkey Island 2: Special Edition, having the extra comments and ideas from the other options made the game feel more full and added a bit of an extra challenge compared to Tales Single Click One Response system.
  • edited August 2010
    Or the back door of the gambling club in MI2.

    "If this is three, what is this?"
    Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    I see.


    4 1 ..right?
  • edited August 2010
    Or the back door of the gambling club in MI2.

    "If this is three, what is this?"
    Papa Pishu wrote: »
    Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    I see.


    4 1 ..right?


    what?

    Club 41's interior was cut from Narwhal because of size constraints for porting to Wii. The interior back room of Elaine's mansion was cut because of size constraints for installing from floppies.

    What does that have to do with the back door of the gambling club? It wasn't cut for the sake of file size (in the MI2SE commentary, they say they didn't know what to do with that room until later in development but kept it for a placeholder until they could think of a decent puzzle), and you don't need to go in there anyway. You only need to work one puzzle to get the next winning number (ie. the first hand gesture the guy gives is the correct response to answer with.
  • edited August 2010
    I miss EMI as a whole.
    Just trollin'
  • edited August 2010
    thin029 wrote: »
    I miss EMI as a whole.
    Just trollin'

    Why miss it? Uninstalled it? :p
  • edited August 2010
    I miss the verbs too, The old Scumm system. The characters from games 1 and 2 that haven´t appeared in others games, like Largo Lagrande or the Men of low moral Fiber.
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