Customer Reviews

Escape from Monkey Island (Jewel Case)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Escape from Monkey Island" is the fourth game in the "Monkey Island" series, which follow the adventures of wannabe pirate Guybrush Threepwood and the love of his life, Governor Elaine Marley, as they battle against the evil undead pirate Chuck LeChuck (who just won't stay dead after three games). In "Escape from Monkey Island" Guybrush returns from his honeymoon with Elaine to find out that they have been declared dead. Now he must investigate a slimy Australian developer who is buying up all of the Tri-Island area and "reforming" the pirates into docile citizens. In the meantime Elaine is running for governor against Charles L. Charles, a suspiciously familiar face. Once again Guybrush gets to rescue the damsel in distress, fight monkeys in Monkey Kombat (a hilarious Mortal Kombat spoof you have to see to believe), and test his wit at Insult Arm Wrestling, as well as downing Groggoccinos from Starbuccaneers and visiting his own theme restaurant Planet Threepwood (sound familiar?), all while trying to find a powerful Voodoo charm, the Ultimate Insult, before the bad guys do.

"EFMI" is the first game to feature 3D characters, and all of the familiar faces (Guybrush, Elaine, Carla, Otis, Herman) translate well to their new medium. The game's engine is basically an upgraded Grim Fandango GRIME system, but the graphics are gorgeous (and eccentric: the familiar swirly clouds, watercolour stars, nifty maps and gaudy costumes look great). The music is a mysterious blend of Caribbean and sweeping scores worthy of John Williams (steel drums, rowdy pirate music, Muzak in Starbuccaneers and Jambalaya Island (the same theme changes to a minor key once you visit Nuttin Atoll, nice touch) string-driven themes). The voice acting is superb, with Dominic Armato returning as Guybrush, Charity James as Elaine, Earl Boen as LeChuck, Tom Kane (Darwin on "The Wild Thornberries"), and Nick Tate as Ozzie. The dialogue is as sharp as any of the previous games (I loved listening to Ozzie Mandrill spouting Australian insults and throwing around Aussie slang at every opportunity), and the storyline is always a surprise. I had a few small technical problems even after installing the patch, but I found workarounds, and other than that the game ran great (it does require 3D acceleration, however). A pleasure from beginning to end, I only hope that there will be more "Monkey Islands" in the future!

This is an extremely funny comedy based game. The jokes are tasteful and funny and something that anybody could relate to. Some of the comedy is in the characters themselves like Britney, the bank accountant whose dream is to become a singer with her own backup dancers. This game is something only Lucas Arts could have produced. There are many jokes about the game and life situations and the game is actually very easy to play, though some of the puzzles are extremely hard, there being no clues to some of the puzzles. The sound is great (familiar music if you have played previous Monkey Islands) and the graphics arent something I could complain about though I really loved Curse of Monkey island's cartoon graphics (I HIGHLY reccomend that you play at least that if you want some backup story). Though it is 4th in the series, the gameplay is still refreshing. The only thing I could complain about is the shortness of this game (takes less than 24 hours to beat) and the control. This game is really fun and anybody who has played it loves it (though there are some who are quick to judge by the graphics). Chances are if you looked at this game, you are familiar with the previous classics. Even if you have not played the previous games, there is a prequel in the beginning that is enough to give you sufficient backup info to play this game. However if you really want to understand some of the jokes you will proboably need to play Monkey Island 1, 2 (not really too good compared to 1) and 3.

OK, Monkey Island series have got to be one of the best adventure games ever(too bad that no one makes good adventure games anymore). Well, the fourth installment of the series seems to me like bunch of "wanna be" Monkey island stuff put together. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game. I LOVE the voice acting and music in the game; and I still like the characters (especially Murray!!). But the more I played the game, the more I felt as if makers of this game were trying way too hard to be funny to live up to what fans of MI have come to expect.

This game also has lots of bugs. In one part, I could not get out of a conversation because the game won't let me. I got stuck there until I found out from LucasArts website that there's nothing I can do about it. I ended up having to go back to where I had saved earlier and went over the same thing again (this is why you should save your game often, unfortunately).

You have to move Guybrush just right in the right position to get the right options appear on the bottom of the screen - this makes it very easy to miss important items. Then there's the stupid way of having to choose it. It is very annoying. Controls (which is very similar to Grim Fandango - if you haven't played GF, it is a must have game) are clumsy and confusing, but it is functional once you get used to it. It works for Grim Fandango, but it doesn't work for this game. I want the classic "point and click" back! I also hate having to continue to sit and watch guybrush run from point A to point B - I wish there was a better way than having to hold down directional buttom while I see the same scenery for the 20th time.

The puzzles are not bad. I actually enjoyed it until towards the end where you have to do some kind of baboon fight or something. Now, this is just stupid.

Overall, if you are a fan of MI, you should already have this game. Even if you are not, still you should definately give it a try for it is a good game. It is just not out of this world kind of game (it doesn't compare to the 2nd and 3rd MI - LeChuck's revenge/ Curse). I know I've been very negative about the game, but it is still a very good game. It has excellent voice acting, good story line and wonderful music. I'm just waiting for the 5th one to be made and hope that it'll go back to the original roots.

I absolutely loved this game!
The characters, the music, the art, the dialog .. it's all just done so amazingly well.
The worst part about it for me was when it ended .. I just wanted it to keep going.
I really, really hope they make another one.

Unfortunately a game like this is not easy to sell to the general gaming public. It's hard to advertise to people what is so great about it and because of that I would imagine that it's difficult to sell many copies.
I can only guess about the outrageous number of hours and the extreme amount of effort that must have gone into making this game.
I don't know how many copies have sold, but I don't think it's nearly enough to make up for the amount of work that went into it.

If you can manage to do so, I recommend playing all the other monkey island games first (in order) to really immerse yourself in the Monkey Island world.
Monkey Island 1 and 2 are pretty old so don't expect to be impressed with graphics or sound but they're both still great fun.
Monkey Island 3 (The Curse of Monkey Island) is a more recent release that is comparable to this game in quality .. even without the 3D graphics .. it too is a great game!

I really enjoy the "Monkey Island" series. They feature funny conversations, jokes, and animations. I had the game "Curse of Monkey Island" and I really liked it.

It's a puzzle-type game where you are presented many options in conversation and item-managing. This is true for the old "Monkey Island" and the new one.

I recommend this game to someone who wants a break from the dumb games where you don't use your mind. In this game you have to use thinking. You are first presented with a situation or scenario. For example, when you start the game out you're in a ship strapped to a pole. You have to try to get out.

The controls are all keyboard buttons (p,u,t,i,arrows,enter,delete). This is different from "Curse of Monkey Island."

The graphics are much improved from the previous version. They are now 3D and very attractive. I find the navigation of Threepwood a little troubling though, he seems not to move right and up at the same time.

All in all, this is a game with a long play life. I can only compare it with "Grim Fandango", which is another great computer title. These lesser known games are really interesting and puzzling. Anyone can appreciate the humor, though.

Escape From Monkey Island is the 4th entry in a series of adventure games starring our favorite wannabe pirate, Guybrush Threepwood. I grew up on these games, developed by the LucasArts gaming company and consider myself a pretty good adventure gamer. However, being well versed in all things Monkey Island, I can confidently say that this is the weakest game in the series thus far. I'm not implying that it's unplayable by any means, but it just didn't quite have the spirit of the previous 3.

So once again, Guybrush finds himself on Melee Island, the first island you visit from the original MI. The game picks up pretty much where the last one left off, with Guybrush and Governor Elaine Marley newly wed and returning from their honey moon. Elaine has been pronounced dead and must run for re-election against Charles L. Charles, a mysterious newcomer. There's also a new villain introduced, the pirate hating Ozzie Mandrill from Australia, and what MI game would be complete without the ghost pirate Captain LeChuck. Or the demon from heck pirate as he's now referred to. Just like previous games, you're after one goal. In EFMI, that goal is to discover The Ultimate Insult before Ozzie Mandrill can.

Just like any MI game, there are familiar characters from previous games to interact with. The only problem is the project leaders on this one are new to the world of Monkey Island and instead of really creating anything new or original, they spend most of the story rehashing old jokes. In fact there are so many inside jokes for fans of the old games, it starts to become a little tedious after a while. I found myself rolling my eyes more often than laughing. It feels like they tried so hard to please former fans that they ignored the fact that most of these jokes would go right over the heads of newcomers, but I guess they figured the target audience would only be fans of the previous games.

So once you leave Melee Island you explore a couple other islands before ending up on Monkey Island. If I'm not mistaken, this installment features the fewest islands to explore out of any other game, which is a shame because it makes it feel a lot shorter. When sailing around on your ship, you can see Phatt Island and Booty Island, previous islands from Monkey Island 2, but to my disappointment, you never get to revisit them. Insult sword fighting is replaced by Monkey Kombat, which I found to be quite challenging. I believe it took me a whole night to solve this part of the game. Overall the puzzles were pretty challenging and sometimes I don't know how an average gamer could solve them without the help of a walkthrough. Unlike previous MI games, there isn't an option for easy or difficult puzzles.

Escape From Monkey Island runs on the GrimE engine that was developed for the superior Grim Fandango. That makes it the second LucasArts adventure game not to run on the SCUMM engine, and the first MI game to feature 3D graphics and atmospheres. That's not necessarily a problem, it is necessary for games to take advantage of advancing technology, but unfortunately the 3D graphics in this game just don't look that great. The only time they look acceptable is when the game pauses for a cut scene to further the plot. Other than that, they look rather primitive by today's standards and even by the standard set by Grim Fandango which was released only a year prior. I prefer the look of Curse of Monkey Island which featured beautiful 2D graphics and backgrounds.

I was delighted that Dominic Armato and Earl Boen reprised their roles as Guybrush and LeChuck from Curse of Monkey Island, the first "talkie" MI. They do a great job voicing those characters and hopefully will continue to do so should a 5th MI go into production. The rest of the voice actors however were average to bad. Every time Otis opened his mouth I usually found myself hitting the button to skip his dialogue. I know this is only a computer game but I expect a little better voice acting. The music was decent but not as good as the music in Curse. It usually got a little repetitive in some areas and there weren't any new character themes or motifs introduced that stuck in my head.

Overall, it's a decent adventure game if you look at it from a stand-alone point of view, but in comparison to the rest of the MI series, it doesn't stand up to its predecessors. If you're a fan of MI, I would recommend playing it just for nostalgia's sake, but don't expect it to blow you away. For newcomers to the series who still enjoy adventure games, I would recommend playing the other games first or any of the other adventure games developed by LucasArts.

I had this game when it first came out, but many computers later and a lot of moves, and I couldn't find it.....Thanks to Amazon.com I was able to obtain a new copy and renew the challenging fun I remembered so well. The game is like trying to solve a logic puzzle, sometimes you get the next clue right away, sometimes it takes a bit longer.....The directions and controls are easy to use...The graphics, though not at the same level as some graphics today, still are great....I recommend this game for anyone who likes to pass the time playing logic puzzles, or anyone who wants to develop their skills in analyzing and deduction....No matter what your reason, most of all, HAVE FUN!!!!

Escape to Monkey Island is the last in the Monkey Island series and it is a follow up to the Curse of Monkey Island in which Guybrush and Elaine were married. In this game, trouble is afoot. The Governor's mansion is being torn down, LeChuck is back and he is looking for a vile vodoo talisman called the Ultimate Insult. This horrific weapon will make anyone's soul a permanent egoless lump of goop. Help Guybrush to oust this wicked demon pirate and save Elaine. I gave this game a 4 because at one point the game froze and some of the puzzles like finding Tiny Lafeet's hat, the boulder puzzle, and the Matrimonial Lava Plunge were pretty annoying. Overall, this is a pretty good game.

This is a great game. To start, if you liked the last monkey island, you have to love this one. The diffirence between this and the last game, "The Cuse of Monkey Island, is, it's mainly in 3D with 2D backrounds, better story (plenty of laughs), and it's a great wrap up to it's preccedors. Yet it's worst downfall, is that the puzzles are almost impossible to solve alone. (I needed complete online assistance to beat it) And if you have a slow computer, you can't view the cinematic clips (it skips through the images) Also, make sure that you have a 3D acceleration card, or else the game won't work.

Oh Monkey Island, how I do love thee. You keep me firmly enmeshed in your silken monkey net though the evil forces of clinical cardiology are calling my name. 'Tis the sweetest thing to grab a cup from StarBuccaneers and while away hours picking bananas and placing them in strategic places...
Only complaint, couldn't they make Guybrush walk just a little freakin' faster? Geez, you can finish medical school before Guybrush gets across the dadgum pirate ship, ARRRRRRR!!!!