"Dragon Age: Origins" didn't get such a bad review either, but I agree with him that it's story is quite "Bioware-by-the-numbers". Still, it's no reason for me to not like the game...
(And that guy popping up at your campsite who's basically just one big ad for the "Warden's Keep" DLC is... WHATWERETHEYTHINKING?)
np: Funkstörung - Aerogram (Post.Art)
Yeah, I liked the Dragon Age review. It was basically "If you know anything about this game, you more or less know everything about it. It's everything you'd expect. If that's what you want, you'll like it."
You know, people...go back and rewatch the review. I watched it a second time, and honestly it's not all that bad or mean of a review. If anything, it gives Monkey Island 5 a lot of praise and I never heard of a reviewer who didn't give his honest opinion about what he considers game flaws.
I actually stopped giving a rats ass about his "review" after he stated that everything Monkey Island that wasn't made by Ron Gilbert automatically failed. Not only was Ron Gilbert in some way involved with this project, it also discredits the staff on Telltale who worked on this game. In fact, it just basically is an insult to gaming. Just because Sakaguchi isn't involved with Square-Enix anymore doesn't mean all Final Fantasy games basically suck balls.
Check out his reviews for Psychonauts and The Orange Box.
They're apart of his old style of reviews though, back then he would actually point out the bad things with the games but also back it up with good points about how the game makes up for it. See his reviews for BioShock for example. Some point last year his style changed to focus more on the bad points and just tear games apart, it's rare he ever mentions anything good and his reviews now come across as just, well, in my opinion, shit, it's like watching an old man complain about how things are bad these days.
I actually stopped giving a rats ass about his "review" after he stated that everything Monkey Island that wasn't made by Ron Gilbert automatically failed. Not only was Ron Gilbert in some way involved with this project, it also discredits the staff on Telltale who worked on this game. In fact, it just basically is an insult to gaming. Just because Sakaguchi isn't involved with Square-Enix anymore doesn't mean all Final Fantasy games basically suck balls.
He never said they automatically failed because Ron Gilbert didn't make them, he's saying they failed because they didn't offer much compelling reason to exist beyond providing fans with some new monkey island games. Which is kind of true.
He never said they automatically failed because Ron Gilbert didn't make them, he's saying they failed because they didn't offer much compelling reason to exist beyond providing fans with some new monkey island games. Which is kind of true.
...that's true about almost every game ever made. If you can come up with a game that exists for any reason other than to provide fans of that type of game with a new game, I'll give you a carrot.
Yes, but to use other Lucasarts games as comparison, sequels like MI2, Tentacle and Fate of Atlantis all tried to top their predecessors and take things to another level. Curse was certainly a graphical evolution but otherwise it and all the sequels that followed have just basically been exercises in providing minor variations on the same old stuff, and so as entertaining as they can be I find them ultimately disposable for that reason.
Isn't wanting to see how the series goes on without ending at Guybrush being stuck with LeChuck's curse enough reason?
I'm of the view that MI2 was always supposed to be the finale (given that the MI2 twist was at one point planned for the MI1 ending), but I can't be bothered having that whole discussion again.
Well, I figured Tales tried to dwell into that character and story development more than the rest of the games so that you actually feel more emotionally attached to the characters and not just "oh Guybrush just got stabbed by LeChuck! HAHA HOW SILLY!" So I guess I consider that something a lot more different, not just a "minor variation."
Anyway, while Tales still isn't one of my favorites I actually like it more than Secret. Then again, I'm not a long-time fan so I just might not have that magical nostalgic attachment to it.
I'm of the view that MI2 was always supposed to be the finale (given that the MI2 twist was at one point planned for the MI1 ending), but I can't be bothered having that whole discussion again.
Having actually spoken to Ron Gilbert himself, that is not the case; a third game was planned that would have revealed the secret (which only Ron Gilbert knows).
Having actually spoken to Ron Gilbert himself, that is not the case; a third game was planned that would have revealed the secret (which only Ron Gilbert knows).
And the sad fact is that this was nothing new. It's unfortunate people still refuse to listen to it.
Having actually spoken to Ron Gilbert himself, that is not the case; a third game was planned that would have revealed the secret (which only Ron Gilbert knows).
In a couple of various interviews, it was made pretty clear that at least Tim and Dave know it too.
Having actually spoken to Ron Gilbert himself, that is not the case; a third game was planned that would have revealed the secret (which only Ron Gilbert knows).
He noticably only became vocal about this after the later sequels started coming out. In any case it's all incidental to my point; if Gilbert had personally gone on to reconfigure the series into an unending series of games just offering more of the same, I wouldn't have been terribly impressed either. There are worse things than being offered a bit more monkey island, but my gut feeling is that the effort would be better spent on creating things which are fresh and new.
He noticably only became vocal about this after the later sequels started coming out. In any case it's all incidental to my point; if Gilbert had personally gone on to reconfigure the series into an unending series of games just offering more of the same, I wouldn't have been terribly impressed either. There are worse things than being offered a bit more monkey island, but my gut feeling is that the effort would be better spent on creating things which are fresh and new.
I'm pretty sure that I can dig up some early LucasArts interviews for the original games that seemed to imply that there was some kind of plan...but really, you have to remember the timeframe we're talking about here. Gaming press wasn't exactly the same as it is now. Yes it existed, but it was hardly as extensive or ongoing.
Also, how is Monkey Island 3 anything but "more of the same"? It knocks out the ending to the second game to return things to a flat and simple status quo, it borrows various jokes, borrows puzzle elements, and it even lifts the longest and most tedious puzzle wholesale from Secret of Monkey Island.
I actually stopped giving a rats ass about his "review" after he stated that everything Monkey Island that wasn't made by Ron Gilbert automatically failed. Not only was Ron Gilbert in some way involved with this project, it also discredits the staff on Telltale who worked on this game. In fact, it just basically is an insult to gaming. Just because Sakaguchi isn't involved with Square-Enix anymore doesn't mean all Final Fantasy games basically suck balls.
Yes but as I said. Any review you ever find anywhere is a person's own personal opinion. It isn't invalidated, it just means that his opinion is different than yours. If you got a big dollar deal to host a game review skit, you would have just as much right to say that Yahtzee is a prude and that Tales is awesome.
^What makes you think I was making an exception for Monkey Island 3?
An apparent misreading of your past couple posts. I read it as more of an appraisal of Monkey Island 3, while also finding a potential "Ron Gilbert's Monkey Island 3" to be a dull retread. Looking over them now, I'm somewhat confused as to how I made that judgement. I'd blame it on the cold I've had the past few days, but honestly that's more of an excuse than anything.
Whatever the case, the Monkey Island series cannot be allowed to evolve, grow, and change. Monkey Island is less a story than it is a financial asset, and the VALUE of these characters is too great for the holders of the rights at LucasArts to abide by any drastic changes in the lucrative status quo. It may have had a chance in the early 1990s, shortly after the release of the second game...but it's not hard to understand the general spiral towards Monkey Island Paint-By-Numbers after six years of languishing in its own iconic status.
As enjoyable as the majority of Tales has been, I often wonder if I should have even bought it and the last couple sequels. I guess revisiting old friends is nice enough, but expecting anything groundbreaking will probably just end up breaking my heart. Unless, of course, cheap drama tricks pulled off better in some children's cartoons qualify as "groundbreaking", anyway.
My general hope, and the general hope of those wanting a Ron Gilbert Monkey Island 3, is to have the series actually continue well narratively from the second game. I actually don't care WHO does it in practice, I'd just like it if someone decided to spin off the series in a direction that was bold enough to do things with the established universe.
Maybe I expect too much from Monkey Island, though.
Comments
I actually stopped giving a rats ass about his "review" after he stated that everything Monkey Island that wasn't made by Ron Gilbert automatically failed. Not only was Ron Gilbert in some way involved with this project, it also discredits the staff on Telltale who worked on this game. In fact, it just basically is an insult to gaming. Just because Sakaguchi isn't involved with Square-Enix anymore doesn't mean all Final Fantasy games basically suck balls.
They're apart of his old style of reviews though, back then he would actually point out the bad things with the games but also back it up with good points about how the game makes up for it. See his reviews for BioShock for example. Some point last year his style changed to focus more on the bad points and just tear games apart, it's rare he ever mentions anything good and his reviews now come across as just, well, in my opinion, shit, it's like watching an old man complain about how things are bad these days.
He never said they automatically failed because Ron Gilbert didn't make them, he's saying they failed because they didn't offer much compelling reason to exist beyond providing fans with some new monkey island games. Which is kind of true.
...that's true about almost every game ever made. If you can come up with a game that exists for any reason other than to provide fans of that type of game with a new game, I'll give you a carrot.
I'm of the view that MI2 was always supposed to be the finale (given that the MI2 twist was at one point planned for the MI1 ending), but I can't be bothered having that whole discussion again.
Anyway, while Tales still isn't one of my favorites I actually like it more than Secret. Then again, I'm not a long-time fan so I just might not have that magical nostalgic attachment to it.
Having actually spoken to Ron Gilbert himself, that is not the case; a third game was planned that would have revealed the secret (which only Ron Gilbert knows).
In a couple of various interviews, it was made pretty clear that at least Tim and Dave know it too.
He noticably only became vocal about this after the later sequels started coming out. In any case it's all incidental to my point; if Gilbert had personally gone on to reconfigure the series into an unending series of games just offering more of the same, I wouldn't have been terribly impressed either. There are worse things than being offered a bit more monkey island, but my gut feeling is that the effort would be better spent on creating things which are fresh and new.
Also, how is Monkey Island 3 anything but "more of the same"? It knocks out the ending to the second game to return things to a flat and simple status quo, it borrows various jokes, borrows puzzle elements, and it even lifts the longest and most tedious puzzle wholesale from Secret of Monkey Island.
Yes but as I said. Any review you ever find anywhere is a person's own personal opinion. It isn't invalidated, it just means that his opinion is different than yours. If you got a big dollar deal to host a game review skit, you would have just as much right to say that Yahtzee is a prude and that Tales is awesome.
Whatever the case, the Monkey Island series cannot be allowed to evolve, grow, and change. Monkey Island is less a story than it is a financial asset, and the VALUE of these characters is too great for the holders of the rights at LucasArts to abide by any drastic changes in the lucrative status quo. It may have had a chance in the early 1990s, shortly after the release of the second game...but it's not hard to understand the general spiral towards Monkey Island Paint-By-Numbers after six years of languishing in its own iconic status.
As enjoyable as the majority of Tales has been, I often wonder if I should have even bought it and the last couple sequels. I guess revisiting old friends is nice enough, but expecting anything groundbreaking will probably just end up breaking my heart. Unless, of course, cheap drama tricks pulled off better in some children's cartoons qualify as "groundbreaking", anyway.
My general hope, and the general hope of those wanting a Ron Gilbert Monkey Island 3, is to have the series actually continue well narratively from the second game. I actually don't care WHO does it in practice, I'd just like it if someone decided to spin off the series in a direction that was bold enough to do things with the established universe.
Maybe I expect too much from Monkey Island, though.
Life isn't always as great as you think it is.
Quick, Johnny, play me off!