Chairman Yang
if he talks about books, you better damn well listen
Unranked: Escape From Monkey Island. I haven't actually played this one. If I'm horrendously underrating it, I apologize. From what I've seen and read, it'll be a popular choice for last place.
5. Return to Monkey Island: Don't let the low rank fool you! It was still a very good game, and a worthy series entry. The actual puzzling gameplay is some of the best in the series, and the writing and humour is as good as ever. It's let down by the second-worst art style in the series (which grew on me but never impressed), a decent-but-uninspired soundtrack, and a very unsatisfying story resolution.
4. Tales of Monkey Island: Great story, great dialogue, great puzzles. But that only really kicks in starting around Episode 3 (maybe because that's when Dave Grossman got involved?). If the quality was high the whole way through this could have been a contender for top 2. The 3D graphics are weak, too. Perhaps a remaster, like the Sam and Max episodes got, would change my mind.
3. The Curse of Monkey Island: I was initially disappointed by this game when I played it back on release. It had a different vibe than MI1/2 and was missing much of the surreal, anachronistic humour. But it grew in my regard over time, and upon a replay. My criticisms still held, but my appreciation for the art, the music, the atmosphere, and the puzzle design all increased.
2. The Secret of Monkey Island: It's hard to overemphasize just how much this captured my imagination and how much impact this had on me as a kid who had only played unfriendly Sierra adventures up to that point. The puzzle design maybe hasn't aged all that well (a few standouts like insult sword fighting excepted), and I wouldn't place it among the best-written or funniest of the series, but the atmosphere and sense of adventure remains unparalleled. It's a combination of mystery (especially back upon release), absolutely beautiful art (even in EGA!), and a soundtrack that's by turns whimsical, adventurous, and goofy. I didn't care for the Special Edition's new art, but I'm glad it was made.
1. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge: Great at everything, although I'd place the art and atmosphere just a tiny notch below MI1. It's made up for by even better characters, much more intricate and fair puzzle design (although the difficulty was maybe a bit much), and some brilliant touches like the first use of the iMuse system, a now-lost technology that synchronized the soundtrack to the game world. The ending was killer, too, even if it was impossible to follow up on.
5. Return to Monkey Island: Don't let the low rank fool you! It was still a very good game, and a worthy series entry. The actual puzzling gameplay is some of the best in the series, and the writing and humour is as good as ever. It's let down by the second-worst art style in the series (which grew on me but never impressed), a decent-but-uninspired soundtrack, and a very unsatisfying story resolution.
4. Tales of Monkey Island: Great story, great dialogue, great puzzles. But that only really kicks in starting around Episode 3 (maybe because that's when Dave Grossman got involved?). If the quality was high the whole way through this could have been a contender for top 2. The 3D graphics are weak, too. Perhaps a remaster, like the Sam and Max episodes got, would change my mind.
3. The Curse of Monkey Island: I was initially disappointed by this game when I played it back on release. It had a different vibe than MI1/2 and was missing much of the surreal, anachronistic humour. But it grew in my regard over time, and upon a replay. My criticisms still held, but my appreciation for the art, the music, the atmosphere, and the puzzle design all increased.
2. The Secret of Monkey Island: It's hard to overemphasize just how much this captured my imagination and how much impact this had on me as a kid who had only played unfriendly Sierra adventures up to that point. The puzzle design maybe hasn't aged all that well (a few standouts like insult sword fighting excepted), and I wouldn't place it among the best-written or funniest of the series, but the atmosphere and sense of adventure remains unparalleled. It's a combination of mystery (especially back upon release), absolutely beautiful art (even in EGA!), and a soundtrack that's by turns whimsical, adventurous, and goofy. I didn't care for the Special Edition's new art, but I'm glad it was made.
1. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge: Great at everything, although I'd place the art and atmosphere just a tiny notch below MI1. It's made up for by even better characters, much more intricate and fair puzzle design (although the difficulty was maybe a bit much), and some brilliant touches like the first use of the iMuse system, a now-lost technology that synchronized the soundtrack to the game world. The ending was killer, too, even if it was impossible to follow up on.
