Yeah, I was stuck there as well! I first thought I had to
make a color drink mix (like in MI2), or maybe get him so drunk that he wouldn't know the difference.. :P Then after a (LONG) while I discovered the monocle! ...
First I thought if I took it, he wouldn't be able to see the color.. (naive.. I know, but I thought of how Wally nearly got blind after taking his monocle in MI2 (again with the MI2 throwbacks)..)...BUT NOO!! :P
Then it slowly came to me with the red merfolk-lens-device-thingy I was carrying...
A smirk then appeared on my face while yelling "GAWD!!! OF COURSE!!! ITS ALL SO OBVIOUS NOW!!!!!" to the computer screen!
=P
Yeah, mine was the opposite way. I finally realized that I needed to
get him to see through the red lens
, but I couldn't figure out how to trick him into using it!
I don't see why he
wouldn't accept a new lens, though, if his current lens is a prescription lens and the new lens isn't, whether or not the old one was broken
. The logic seemed iffy, but the puzzle was good enough that I don't really care too much.
Fantastic chapter - great locations, memorable characters, strong puzzles, the whole package. I can only see the remainder of the game just getting better and better. Keep it up guys!
Best one yet. After having to resort to tips numerous times in Chapter 2, Chapter 3 was challenging enough but I never neaded to resort to tips. Puzzle's, graphics , acting and atmosphere were all bang on.
Best chapter yet. Funny, original, with very clever puzzles. Much better graphics than the first chapter, more characters... Telltale is taking it seriously, after the critics with the first chapter. Congratulations!!!
Did anyone else notice that this episode was almost totally bug-free?
And I played a REVIEW copy!
Lair of the Leviathan reminded me of the good ol' Abe Lincoln Must Die! and Reality 2.0 times: me in drunken stupor in front of the monitor, creative but never-nasty puzzles and lots of hilarious twists.
The evolution of Morgan inside ONE SINGLE episode was incredible:
she loves Guybrush - she is disappointed by Guybrush - she loves Guybrush again - she understands Guybrush loves Elaine - she chooses to remain a bounty hunter.
Wonderful, a real solid character, far away from the usual gag-driven robot.
The soul of Monkey Island is getting more adult and poetic.
Hoorray, Telltale!
P.S.: What about updating ep1 and ep2 with a debug as strong as the one you obviously did on ep3?
And better-disguised characters' base-models as De Cava's crew? :rolleyes:
I really liked it, it was indeed pretty fun at parts. I need better puzzles though I was stumped a in few places for a few minutes, but I expected something to stump me for days. Although it seems like some people had trouble where I just guessed and got through. Like the monocular, that was the first thing i did was steal it and try to combine it with the lens. I thought it might make him build the cochlea faster! either way I just gave him the nasty drink and got what I needed. I think the one that got me the best was the last one where I had to shoot the head outta the cannon.
Hey all! Long time lurker, first time poster. Aaaaand this is probably gonna be a long one. Needless to say there will be spoilers.
Although it was a little tedious to be in the same manatee for around 80% of the game, I loved this chapter. Here's why.
The creative puzzles. Playing as the Voodoo Lady was fun, and contrary to what some people are saying, I loved the 'wooing the manatee' thing. Half the time I wanted to get them wrong on purpose so I could find out all the combinations. I enjoyed the face thing. I think my favourite was the bugged-out one with the rolling eyes and the huge monkey mouth. ^_^ I also loved the one where you had to guess Morgan's answers to De Cava's questions.
But most of all, I loved the drama and character development. (I'm a girl, sue me!) I love Elaine like crazy, but in this one I almost wanted Guybrush to cheat on her. I wonder if this series will be the series where we'll actually see somebody kiss somebody? If they did, I'd be on cloud nine. I already thought the hug between Guybrush and Elaine in number two was super cute. I love this whole tension thing that's starting between Guybrush and Morgan, and Elaine and LeChuck. I absolutely loved that last shot of Elaine and LeChuck where she put her hand on his shoulder. It was subtle and wonderful. I loved Morgan's innuendo speech, and how sad she looked when he missed the point completely. I loved Murray and Guybrush's first meeting. It was so playful and full of affection. I never thought the fourth game did them justice, but this one not only did them justice, it kicked arse.
The things I loved about the old games were the art, the dialogue and the puzzles. But this whole drama and character development thing is starting to rival even Curse of Monkey Island for me.
And there's just one more thing I've got to say. THANK YOU, TELLTALE. You guys have been awesome since the beginning. You knew that us nerds would be freaking out about having another company working on the games, so you put up those FAQ's on your website assuring us that Monkey Island was in good hands. You got Elaine's original CMI voice back because you knew how pissed off we all were when she was suddenly American in the fourth one. You got our beloved characters down to a science and not only represented them well but developed them further in ways we wouldn't have thought of (thanks so much for human LeChuck!). You listened to the criticism from fans and actually used it to make the newer games better and better with each upcoming episode. You not only catered for the legions of MI nerds out there but also made it a fun game for people who have never played the previous games before. I've managed to get some of my uninitated friends to start playing TOMI, and they love it so far. So thank you Telltale. Thank you.
Beautiful work everyone. An absolutely AWESOME monkey island adventure - funny, smart, difficult, dramatic and memorable! Lots of great dialogue that will go down as favourites forever no doubt.
but it's only me, or this episodes is not good like the others? I mean, locations are smallest as ever: there ar only two in the manatee and two outside (one, if we don't count the screaming narwhall, that there isn't a real location). There aren't much puzzles, it's all a list of dialogue and mini-games. stuff like
/spoiler
face minigame, voodoo card minigame, first manatee date minigame, answer to coronado minigame, battle with coronado mini-game... oh come on, I'm the only one that have seen much more minigames than real game? Funny and genial as you want, but I'm a bit disappointed... or maybe I played it from 0.00 to 4.00 in the night, so my brain couldn't word :-P
or maybe, talking about story, I didn't wait that guybrush can find the esponja so fast... now seems like the story is at hand, I don't know how they can continue from that, and I need a new episode just to know it. ^^
but it's only me, or this episodes is not good like the others? I mean, locations are smallest as ever: there ar only two in the manatee and two outside (one, if we don't count the screaming narwhall, that there isn't a real location). There aren't much puzzles, it's all a list of dialogue and mini-games. stuff like
/spoiler
face minigame, voodoo card minigame, first manatee date minigame, answer to coronado minigame, battle with coronado mini-game... oh come on, I'm the only one that have seen much more minigames than real game? Funny and genial as you want, but I'm a bit disappointed... or maybe I played it from 0.00 to 4.00 in the night, so my brain couldn't word :-P
or maybe, talking about story, I didn't wait that guybrush can find the esponja so fast... now seems like the story is at hand, I don't know how they can continue from that, and I need a new episode just to know it. ^^
All those things you mentioned are puzzles. Why does it have to be a 'use inventory item with thing' in order to be a puzzle? Didn't you have to work out the order to put the Tarot cards in, or how to pick the correct dialogue choices in some of the other puzzles?
As for the number of locations, I have lots of things to say about 'design economy,' but I think I'll save them for the mojo podcast we're recording soon.
All those things you mentioned are puzzles. Why does it have to be a 'use inventory item with thing' in order to be a puzzle? Didn't you have to work out the order to put the Tarot cards in, or how to pick the correct dialogue choices in some of the other puzzles?
As for the number of locations, I have lots of things to say about 'design economy,' but I think I'll save them for the mojo podcast we're recording soon.
but i hope you agree with me when I say that puzzles on three entire islands (like siege of spinner cay) are a more difficult than puzzles in an only room. I appreciate much one-room-puzzle, like that one in de singe's laboratory in the first game, or the struggle with leflay in the second one, but I think that in the third episode there weren't to many. And, please, i'm not here to pretend i'm right, no no, i'm here to compare my point of view with yours. so, comments like "gtf noob" or "wtf are u saying, this is the best!!oneone!! and stop" are not allowed and i'm not refering to you, but it's a general premise. Oh, i'm new, and i'm italian, i'm a great fan of telltale from the time of sam&ma, so sorry if i don't get something in your sentences, my english isn't perfect
I'm just about to finish chapter 3! I usually get stuck in one or two puzzles...I don't know if I was just inspired or the puzzles are easier in this chapter...What do you think?
When I saved the game and appeared the finale title, I was just dissappointed to finish it in a day...I wanted to be longer so I could enjoy the game for more time ...So I left it there to feel I can play longer ha ha
hey didnt jake say they incuded a reference to Majus in one of the cutscenes? i didnt see or here it anywhere....
and where is the Grog XD joke someone mentioned?
I THINK the hidden reference was when you click on the giant uvula and Guybrush says something like "This is a delicacy in some cultures" (referring to Guybrush making Murray bite the uvula in Majus' flash film). Just a guess though. The actual reference might have been much more subtle (so we had been told. )
Yeah, I was stuck there as well! I first thought I had to
make a color drink mix (like in MI2), or maybe get him so drunk that he wouldn't know the difference.. :P Then after a (LONG) while I discovered the monocle! ...
First I thought if I took it, he wouldn't be able to see the color.. (naive.. I know, but I thought of how Wally nearly got blind after taking his monocle in MI2 (again with the MI2 throwbacks)..)...BUT NOO!! :P
Then it slowly came to me with the red merfolk-lens-device-thingy I was carrying...
A smirk then appeared on my face while yelling "GAWD!!! OF COURSE!!! ITS ALL SO OBVIOUS NOW!!!!!" to the computer screen!
I really like the game, but not as a game, but an History... Its really easy, so i see it as a Tale. I hope it gets harder in the future...
if You like it, it has done it's Job. Who cares how easy it is, or not.
Where is Wally?
Don't care
Where is Stan?
Don't care. Seriously, If all you want to see are Characters fom old games, Go play the old games TTG have given us 2 GREAT new characters in Morgan and Winslow. Be happy. In fact we know more about Morgan that we have about pretty much any other non Brush/Elaine/LeChuck Character in any of the games.
hey didnt jake say they incuded a reference to Majus in one of the cutscenes? i didnt see or here it anywhere....
and where is the Grog XD joke someone mentioned?
The uvula can't have been the Majus reference because the voices for the episode were recorded months ago. I think Jake was referring to something in the scenery.
Grog XD is in the de Cava's crew records (can't tell you offhand which one).
I thought this episode was by far the best so far, I think you guys really hit your stride with this one. I was a little surprised when it ended, I was expecting some final bigger location with a bit more exploration, but to be honest I really liked the format of the puzzles and that you tried something a little different to the standard "hub with various locations you gradually discover/unlock and some random foresty paths to get lost in" format. A lot of thought and imagination was packed into each puzzle and the difficulty levels were really good, I was always able to work my way through a problem without ever getting frustrated, and always plenty of fun along the way. Top highlights were the pirate faces and (of course) the closing credits, which you finally put some classic MI-style entertainment into Can't wait for the next one!
The uvula can't have been the Majus reference because the voices for the episode were recorded months ago. I think Jake was referring to something in the scenery.
Grog XD is in the de Cava's crew records (can't tell you offhand which one).
Nope they have new recording seasons every month for the new Episodes, because there still changes happening durning the last weeks befor the release. I can Renember that Dominic also stated that out somewhere, he has been asked about the future epidodes, and answered that eh had only recorded episode 1 back then
damn i feel like ive been ripped off. wtf this chapter was too easy and i finished it too quickly. now i dont wnat to do . fuck you guys in telltale.
Wow, calm down guy. I was alittle disappointed that I finished it so fast also. Although, I feel like I know the puzzle style of MI so they are easier. I just dont think you should be cursing at the guys who brought this great series back from the dead.
if You like it, it has done it's Job. Who cares how easy it is, or not.
Don't care
Don't care. Seriously, If all you want to see are Characters fom old games, Go play the old games TTG have given us 2 GREAT new characters in Morgan and Winslow. Be happy. In fact we know more about Morgan that we have about pretty much any other non Brush/Elaine/LeChuck Character in any of the games.
Of Course i liked it... But if it get harders, i will like it more...
So, u dont care about Wally or Stan... Did u enjoy Murray? i do, and if they do the same with Stan or Wally, it will be gergeous...
I dont see Winslow as a great character... And u dont need a lot of info to know a character...
It seems that we are really diferent ppl, u like easy, i like hard... Im just asking for telltales to make it harder...
As Monkey Island 2 Lechuck´s Revenge... U can choose to play it
-Easy, im noob at this
-Harder, give me everything u have!
Telltales, might do the same, leaving it easy for ppl who wants easy, and hard, for ppl who wants hard.
I think this makes the game easy:
1-The few places u cant go.
2-The few things u can interact to.
3-The few characters
4-The Few items u can have.
1-If u get more places to go, it will be harder to think what u should do next.
2-If more thingsl are there to interact, u have more time to think and do things, and if all the things u can interact to, have a reason to be there, its easy... if u put some things that u can interact to, but will change nothing to the game, then it gets harder, couse you might think that u need to do something with that. Makes u think a little more.
3-no more than 10 characters per episode... All 10 have a reason to be there... no one has no reason... So, u know that if u r stuck, one of them might be the answer... If u have 30 characters, and 20 of them have nothing to give u, but still ask for something or makes u think you can do something with them, it gets harder...
4-C´mon... just 10 items in my pants?? that makes the game easy... Give us unnusefull items, like in MI2, u can buy a lot of unnusefull things, that only makes u think if they have an use! The more items u have, the more harder it gets!!
I think this few tips could make the game harder... a lot of harder than now...
I really like getting stuck in a game!!!
Well this is my opinion, i hope Telltales listen to it, and do something about it, I really dont want to think that Tales of MOnkey island, is the Easyest Graphic Adventure Game Ever Made...
When I saved the game and appeared the finale title, I was just dissappointed to finish it in a day...I wanted to be longer so I could enjoy the game for more time ...So I left it there to feel I can play longer ha ha
Ahahah!
Replay it slower, try every object on everybody.
Stay in the monkey world longer and feel like being there.
Of Course i liked it... But if it get harders, i will like it more...
So, u dont care about Wally or Stan... Did u enjoy Murray? i do, and if they do the same with Stan or Wally, it will be gergeous...
I dont see Winslow as a great character... And u dont need a lot of info to know a character...
It seems that we are really diferent ppl, u like easy, i like hard... Im just asking for telltales to make it harder...
As Monkey Island 2 Lechuck´s Revenge... U can choose to play it
-Easy, im noob at this
-Harder, give me everything u have!
Telltales, might do the same, leaving it easy for ppl who wants easy, and hard, for ppl who wants hard.
I think this makes the game easy: 1-The few places u cant go. 2-The few things u can interact to. 3-The few characters 4-The Few items u can have.
1-If u get more places to go, it will be harder to think what u should do next.
2-If more thingsl are there to interact, u have more time to think and do things, and if all the things u can interact to, have a reason to be there, its easy... if u put some things that u can interact to, but will change nothing to the game, then it gets harder, couse you might think that u need to do something with that. Makes u think a little more.
3-no more than 10 characters per episode... All 10 have a reason to be there... no one has no reason... So, u know that if u r stuck, one of them might be the answer... If u have 30 characters, and 20 of them have nothing to give u, but still ask for something or makes u think you can do something with them, it gets harder...
4-C´mon... just 10 items in my pants?? that makes the game easy... Give us unnusefull items, like in MI2, u can buy a lot of unnusefull things, that only makes u think if they have an use! The more items u have, the more harder it gets!!
I think this few tips could make the game harder... a lot of harder than now...
I really like getting stuck in a game!!!
Well this is my opinion, i hope Telltales listen to it, and do something about it, I really dont want to think that Tales of MOnkey island, is the Easyest Graphic Adventure Game Ever Made...
Not everyone wants to get stuck for over a week or so to solve a puzzle. Also consider that the game is episodic, if all the things you say are put in the game the following will probably happen:
a) The pricetag will increase considerably. "Episodes" will cost around $30 each (More assets (dialogs, graphics) means more money, more QA/testing, more planning)
b) The games will be released yearly (or worse) instead of monthlyish
c) The game will cater to hardcore gamers.
While I still think the difficulty should be increased but not more
than a few notches (2 or 3 notches).
The idea floating around of having a difficult mode which the user can select if s/he wants, has some merits (hardcore friendly, replayability) it also complicates development and testing plus it needs more time to develop (which raises costs) and it widens the gap between releases.
What I think can be a middle point is to both increase the difficulty and enhance (*fix*) the hint system. That way if users get stuck (due to the increased difficulty), there is always a simple way to get past frustrations without resorting to the internets (which is fine as a last resort, but I prefers hints since you are still in the game)
Still very short with just 1:30 hour playtime but best game-episode ever made by telltale in my opinion! This one rocks so hard, just the credits are worth for playing.
Comments
I don't see why he
Best episode so far! Absolutely loved the "fourth" member of the pirate's club.
Hope they can keep this standard up.
Eventually I just tried it and it worked, though.
I tried it because I knew I needed to
And I played a REVIEW copy!
Lair of the Leviathan reminded me of the good ol' Abe Lincoln Must Die! and Reality 2.0 times: me in drunken stupor in front of the monitor, creative but never-nasty puzzles and lots of hilarious twists.
The evolution of Morgan inside ONE SINGLE episode was incredible:
The soul of Monkey Island is getting more adult and poetic.
Hoorray, Telltale!
P.S.: What about updating ep1 and ep2 with a debug as strong as the one you obviously did on ep3?
And better-disguised characters' base-models as De Cava's crew? :rolleyes:
Yeah, almost bug-free. They forgot that
Though that was the only "bug" I've encountered.
Although it was a little tedious to be in the same manatee for around 80% of the game, I loved this chapter. Here's why.
The creative puzzles. Playing as the Voodoo Lady was fun, and contrary to what some people are saying, I loved the 'wooing the manatee' thing. Half the time I wanted to get them wrong on purpose so I could find out all the combinations. I enjoyed the face thing. I think my favourite was the bugged-out one with the rolling eyes and the huge monkey mouth. ^_^ I also loved the one where you had to guess Morgan's answers to De Cava's questions.
But most of all, I loved the drama and character development. (I'm a girl, sue me!) I love Elaine like crazy, but in this one I almost wanted Guybrush to cheat on her. I wonder if this series will be the series where we'll actually see somebody kiss somebody? If they did, I'd be on cloud nine. I already thought the hug between Guybrush and Elaine in number two was super cute. I love this whole tension thing that's starting between Guybrush and Morgan, and Elaine and LeChuck. I absolutely loved that last shot of Elaine and LeChuck where she put her hand on his shoulder. It was subtle and wonderful. I loved Morgan's innuendo speech, and how sad she looked when he missed the point completely. I loved Murray and Guybrush's first meeting. It was so playful and full of affection. I never thought the fourth game did them justice, but this one not only did them justice, it kicked arse.
The things I loved about the old games were the art, the dialogue and the puzzles. But this whole drama and character development thing is starting to rival even Curse of Monkey Island for me.
And there's just one more thing I've got to say. THANK YOU, TELLTALE. You guys have been awesome since the beginning. You knew that us nerds would be freaking out about having another company working on the games, so you put up those FAQ's on your website assuring us that Monkey Island was in good hands. You got Elaine's original CMI voice back because you knew how pissed off we all were when she was suddenly American in the fourth one. You got our beloved characters down to a science and not only represented them well but developed them further in ways we wouldn't have thought of (thanks so much for human LeChuck!). You listened to the criticism from fans and actually used it to make the newer games better and better with each upcoming episode. You not only catered for the legions of MI nerds out there but also made it a fun game for people who have never played the previous games before. I've managed to get some of my uninitated friends to start playing TOMI, and they love it so far. So thank you Telltale. Thank you.
Beautiful work everyone. An absolutely AWESOME monkey island adventure - funny, smart, difficult, dramatic and memorable! Lots of great dialogue that will go down as favourites forever no doubt.
Congratulations!
morgan STILL hates it
/spoiler
face minigame, voodoo card minigame, first manatee date minigame, answer to coronado minigame, battle with coronado mini-game... oh come on, I'm the only one that have seen much more minigames than real game? Funny and genial as you want, but I'm a bit disappointed... or maybe I played it from 0.00 to 4.00 in the night, so my brain couldn't word :-P
or maybe, talking about story, I didn't wait that guybrush can find the esponja so fast... now seems like the story is at hand, I don't know how they can continue from that, and I need a new episode just to know it. ^^
All those things you mentioned are puzzles. Why does it have to be a 'use inventory item with thing' in order to be a puzzle? Didn't you have to work out the order to put the Tarot cards in, or how to pick the correct dialogue choices in some of the other puzzles?
As for the number of locations, I have lots of things to say about 'design economy,' but I think I'll save them for the mojo podcast we're recording soon.
but i hope you agree with me when I say that puzzles on three entire islands (like siege of spinner cay) are a more difficult than puzzles in an only room. I appreciate much one-room-puzzle, like that one in de singe's laboratory in the first game, or the struggle with leflay in the second one, but I think that in the third episode there weren't to many. And, please, i'm not here to pretend i'm right, no no, i'm here to compare my point of view with yours. so, comments like "gtf noob" or "wtf are u saying, this is the best!!oneone!! and stop" are not allowed
When I saved the game and appeared the finale title, I was just dissappointed to finish it in a day...I wanted to be longer so I could enjoy the game for more time
and where is the Grog XD joke someone mentioned?
I THINK the hidden reference was when you click on the giant uvula and Guybrush says something like "This is a delicacy in some cultures" (referring to Guybrush making Murray bite the uvula in Majus' flash film). Just a guess though. The actual reference might have been much more subtle (so we had been told.
Are you guys retarded??
-- - - - - - -
I really like the game, but not as a game, but an History... Its really easy, so i see it as a Tale. I hope it gets harder in the future...
Where is Wally? Where is Stan?
Well i hope we get some info from the next chapter soon, you guys are really making a good game, kind of easy... but a good game after all!
Yep, and I'm proud of it!
Nope.
if You like it, it has done it's Job. Who cares how easy it is, or not.
Don't care
Don't care. Seriously, If all you want to see are Characters fom old games, Go play the old games TTG have given us 2 GREAT new characters in Morgan and Winslow. Be happy. In fact we know more about Morgan that we have about pretty much any other non Brush/Elaine/LeChuck Character in any of the games.
The uvula can't have been the Majus reference because the voices for the episode were recorded months ago. I think Jake was referring to something in the scenery.
Grog XD is in the de Cava's crew records (can't tell you offhand which one).
Im really happy and I think that you've done the Monkey Island Franchise proud
X
Nope they have new recording seasons every month for the new Episodes, because there still changes happening durning the last weeks befor the release. I can Renember that Dominic also stated that out somewhere, he has been asked about the future epidodes, and answered that eh had only recorded episode 1 back then
Are you for real?
Wow, calm down guy. I was alittle disappointed that I finished it so fast also. Although, I feel like I know the puzzle style of MI so they are easier. I just dont think you should be cursing at the guys who brought this great series back from the dead.
Of Course i liked it... But if it get harders, i will like it more...
So, u dont care about Wally or Stan... Did u enjoy Murray? i do, and if they do the same with Stan or Wally, it will be gergeous...
I dont see Winslow as a great character... And u dont need a lot of info to know a character...
It seems that we are really diferent ppl, u like easy, i like hard... Im just asking for telltales to make it harder...
As Monkey Island 2 Lechuck´s Revenge... U can choose to play it
-Easy, im noob at this
-Harder, give me everything u have!
Telltales, might do the same, leaving it easy for ppl who wants easy, and hard, for ppl who wants hard.
I think this makes the game easy:
1-The few places u cant go.
2-The few things u can interact to.
3-The few characters
4-The Few items u can have.
1-If u get more places to go, it will be harder to think what u should do next.
2-If more thingsl are there to interact, u have more time to think and do things, and if all the things u can interact to, have a reason to be there, its easy... if u put some things that u can interact to, but will change nothing to the game, then it gets harder, couse you might think that u need to do something with that. Makes u think a little more.
3-no more than 10 characters per episode... All 10 have a reason to be there... no one has no reason... So, u know that if u r stuck, one of them might be the answer... If u have 30 characters, and 20 of them have nothing to give u, but still ask for something or makes u think you can do something with them, it gets harder...
4-C´mon... just 10 items in my pants?? that makes the game easy... Give us unnusefull items, like in MI2, u can buy a lot of unnusefull things, that only makes u think if they have an use! The more items u have, the more harder it gets!!
I think this few tips could make the game harder... a lot of harder than now...
I really like getting stuck in a game!!!
Well this is my opinion, i hope Telltales listen to it, and do something about it, I really dont want to think that Tales of MOnkey island, is the Easyest Graphic Adventure Game Ever Made...
Ahahah!
Replay it slower, try every object on everybody.
Stay in the monkey world longer and feel like being there.
Not everyone wants to get stuck for over a week or so to solve a puzzle. Also consider that the game is episodic, if all the things you say are put in the game the following will probably happen:
a) The pricetag will increase considerably. "Episodes" will cost around $30 each (More assets (dialogs, graphics) means more money, more QA/testing, more planning)
b) The games will be released yearly (or worse) instead of monthlyish
c) The game will cater to hardcore gamers.
While I still think the difficulty should be increased but not more
than a few notches (2 or 3 notches).
The idea floating around of having a difficult mode which the user can select if s/he wants, has some merits (hardcore friendly, replayability) it also complicates development and testing plus it needs more time to develop (which raises costs) and it widens the gap between releases.
What I think can be a middle point is to both increase the difficulty and enhance (*fix*) the hint system. That way if users get stuck (due to the increased difficulty), there is always a simple way to get past frustrations without resorting to the internets (which is fine as a last resort, but I prefers hints since you are still in the game)
Fortunately you don't have to walk with those items in real life