Ban Puncher
Member
Sam & Max Hit the Road is not #1?
Garbage list by garbage people.
Garbage list by garbage people.
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Lucasarts Adventure Games, Ranked (Kotaku)
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Sir_Crocodile
Member
I'd say the same about any list that had Sam & Max at number one considering there's like five or six lucas games better then it
I do feel dirty liking a Luke Plunkett list though
Ban Puncher
Member
Garbage confirmed.
Agreed. Full Throttle is a good time, but is quite short and one of the easiest Lucas adventures out there. Some of the mini games get a bit grating to deal with too. Great style and characters though, but doesn't deserve to be so high.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
I dunno, Full Throttle is the only one obviously out of its depth. Maniac Mansion deserves to be higher if you're willing to ignore the dead ends. Other then that nothings really out of place imo
RAIDEN1
Member
Full Throttle definitely deserves a top-5 place....an awesome but albeit too short a game....which is more felt with the fact that there never was...and who knows maybe never will be a sequel to the game....died too soon! ....makes you wonder though if the HD re-master is a success, whether or not that reinvigorates the franchise for any future full throttle games...
Yabberwocky
Member
Grim Fandango at #7? Travesty!
Manny Calavera
Member
Not a bad list overall and most of the best games are ranked high, but I personally would rank the first two Monkey Island games and Grim Fandango at the top. Actually kinda surprised to see Grim Fandango only at #7.
Bankastuba
Member
andrerobot
Member
Better UI without making the game feel dumbed down, I don't remember it having any obtuse puzzles, and the fact the it is a 640x480 res game with voice acting and fully animated cutscenes makes it pretty impressive compared to the other 3.
Edit: I'd wonder if us who would have liked a Full Throttle sequel, wished for one because the original felt too short.
Since Roy Conrad (Ben) died in 2002 I don't see them ever making a sequel.
toddhunter
Member
Indy had the awful combat bits.
Day of the tentacle is in a class way above those other games, maybe just sam and max sticks with it, but it was somewhat uneven.
Day of the tentacle is in a class way above those other games, maybe just sam and max sticks with it, but it was somewhat uneven.
toddhunter
Member
I'm surprised so many people like the dig. I guess the fact that so many people do speaks for itself.
I found the atmosphere incredible.. But it was let down a little by being really fucking boring.
captainnapalm
Member
I'd put DOTT first. It's pretty much perfect.
Curse of Monkey Island is my favorite point and click adventure game of all time.
It's just incredible, the voices, the music, the art, the animation, the humor.
And it's chock full of random funny stuff you could do just for laughs, stuff that has nothing to do with puzzles.
It's got so many quotable lines I'll never forget like "I've got soo much money, it's almost embarrassing" and "mm, no." and "madre de dios es el pollo diablo!".
It truly is an amazing game!
It belongs on top of the list!
Sir_Crocodile
Member
FATE didn't have awful combat bits, as
a) it is only prevalent in one route
b) you could hit 0 to end any fight straight away (except one specific fight, which has a puzzle that can get past without needing to fight. The fight itself is very difficult but winnable)
FATE is where it belongs
It was not your typical Licasarts adventure, in a way, it could perhaps be described as the most Sierra-like Lucasarts adventure, but boring? I really don't get where that's coming from.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
Dig's main problem was that it had some poor puzzles, I guess it can be considered boring if you're unable to crack them. It absolutely nailed the atmosphere, I can't offhand think of a P&C which has done that so well. Kotaku about nailed its position imo
Dandy Lyin
Member
It's all true. The VA is spot on, and the music is the best in the series. I'm gonna have to replay it now... It's been a while.Curse of Monkey Island is my favorite point and click adventure game of all time.
It's just incredible, the voides, the music, the art, the animation, the humor.
And it's chock full of random funny stuff you could do just for laughs, stuff that has nothing to do with puzzles.
It's got so many quotable lines I'll never forget like "I've got soo much money, it's almost embarrassing" and "mm, no." and "madre de dios es el pollo diablo!".
It truly is an amazing game!
It belongs on top of the list!
I still like Secret more(mainly because of nostalgia, I am sure).
Sir_Crocodile
Member
There are two issues with curse (though only one has any bearing on its position imo):
1) The tone - it's generally far lighter then its predecessors. Dominic Armato adds to this with his portrayal of Guybrush (which really didn't work in the MI:SE's since it didn't fit the tone at all). This isn't actually a negative per se. I just don't treat Curse as a MI game and I'm happy. I think some people who don't like curse aren't able to make this seperation and their resentment ends up clouding their view of the game, which is really very good
2) The Verb coin. This *is* a negative for me (as it also was in full throttle). By the FATE/DOTT era, I feel lucasarts had gotten the gui perfect - 9 verbs, with on-hover descriptions making "what is" unnecessary and "use" having always made turn on/off a bit useless. "Walk to" was truly unnecessary for anyone using a mouse.
But I never supported going from 9 to 3 or less. For example, "giving" someone an item should always be a separate process then "Using" an item on someone. The less verb possibilities you have, the less you can specifically describe how you want to act on your environment, and the simpler a lot of the puzzles become. It's become even worse recently with many games just having "look" and an all-purpose "use" command.
1) The tone - it's generally far lighter then its predecessors. Dominic Armato adds to this with his portrayal of Guybrush (which really didn't work in the MI:SE's since it didn't fit the tone at all). This isn't actually a negative per se. I just don't treat Curse as a MI game and I'm happy. I think some people who don't like curse aren't able to make this seperation and their resentment ends up clouding their view of the game, which is really very good
2) The Verb coin. This *is* a negative for me (as it also was in full throttle). By the FATE/DOTT era, I feel lucasarts had gotten the gui perfect - 9 verbs, with on-hover descriptions making "what is" unnecessary and "use" having always made turn on/off a bit useless. "Walk to" was truly unnecessary for anyone using a mouse.
But I never supported going from 9 to 3 or less. For example, "giving" someone an item should always be a separate process then "Using" an item on someone. The less verb possibilities you have, the less you can specifically describe how you want to act on your environment, and the simpler a lot of the puzzles become. It's become even worse recently with many games just having "look" and an all-purpose "use" command.
Grim Fandango is such an astonishing game. Characters, soundtrack, voice acting, all stellar.
And then...There is this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5AK7xP_bmE
And then...There is this :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5AK7xP_bmE
True. Curse is a great game, it's just very different from its predecessors and not what I would have expected the "actual" Monkey Island 3 to be like. It probably should be considered one of the best LucasArts adventures but, personally, I will always remember the disappointment when I played back in '97, expecting it to be like SMI and MI2. Maybe I'll manage to forget that once Gilbert does the real MI3!
I remember back in the day I got a copy of Fate of Atlantis. Being a pirated game, I didn't get the anti-pirate dial thingy so I spent weeks trying to get in just by guessing. I only got in once... Serves me right for being a 11 years old filthy pirate
I have it on Steam now so I'll be able to finally play it someday.
I have it on Steam now so I'll be able to finally play it someday.
Sir_Crocodile
Member
I had to wait till 1998 to play it because it refused to work with my Sound Blaster Pro lol.
Had to save up for an AWE64 card. Man, I can't believe sound cards used to be a thing that stopped you from playing a game.
Bitch Pudding
Member
Exactly. Monkey Island 3 didn't feel Monkey Island-ish at all. People worshipping Curse most likely started with that game before playing its predecessors. Thing is, it not even feels like a succesor of those two games, just like some neat game that per sheer coincidence has the same name. Just seeing MI3 or 4 in this list of awesomeness makes me wanna puke.
I played MI1 and 2 first and I'd still put Curse on top. The voice acting and music and graphics added so much humor and atmosphere. I'm kind of amazed to read that people were disappointed in that game.
14 of these 15 games are amazing. And Monkey Island 4 is really underrated as well. Here is my list btw:
15. Labyrinth
14. Zak McKracken
13. Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade
12. Maniac Mansion
11. The Dig
10. Loom
9. Escape From Monkey Island
8. Sam & Max Hit The Road
7. The Curse of Monkey Island
6. Day of the Tentacle
5. Indiana Jones & The Fate Of Atlantis
4. Full Throttle
3. The Secret Of Monkey Island
2. Grim Fandango
1. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge
Edit: On the Monkey Island 3 debacle, its a great game, but nothing compared to the amazing first two, and especially the second which is the best point and click of all time.
15. Labyrinth
14. Zak McKracken
13. Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade
12. Maniac Mansion
11. The Dig
10. Loom
9. Escape From Monkey Island
8. Sam & Max Hit The Road
7. The Curse of Monkey Island
6. Day of the Tentacle
5. Indiana Jones & The Fate Of Atlantis
4. Full Throttle
3. The Secret Of Monkey Island
2. Grim Fandango
1. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge
Edit: On the Monkey Island 3 debacle, its a great game, but nothing compared to the amazing first two, and especially the second which is the best point and click of all time.
harriet the spy
Member
Monkey Island 2 might be my favorite game of all time (with MI1 very close behind). While I do agree it's not particularly MI-ish, MI3 is a very good game. I loved most of it. Though my memories of the second half are not as good as the first half.
Though: I HATED the retcon of MI2's ending. But I am somewhat wrong here, as I disagree with Gilbert that anything should follow the ending. It has this real/unreal strongly evocative quality to it which should be left alone.
And god was Indy 4 good. I wonder if any modern company can hit so consistently as high as Lucasarts (or Square) back in its heyday.
for those accusing me of nostalgia - first, you're right. but second, I do think that the average modern game is much better than cranky gaffers would believe- and that the 360/ps3 era is a high of gaming. But I don't think there is any company as consistent as those two used to be
Re: fandango. Amazing setting/story. Puzzles were quite bad, I think.
I'm really bad at list so I won't try, apart from saying Fate of Atlantis is my all-time number 1, with Monkey 2 and Grim probably making up the rest of the top three.
I agree that Curse almost feels like a different series, but I'm fine with that, as much as I love the first two. Different writers - different vibe -- fine by me. It's Monkey 4 that went too Sam & Max with the comedy though. Funny, but not really Monkey Island anymore at that point.
I'd still rank Monkey 4 above Zak McKracken though. As flawed as Monkey 4 is, I have to admit there were still some good jokes and puzzles in there. It's just the overall atmosphere it got wrong. Zak has some interesting ideas, but to me it just wasn't a lot of fun to play, even back in the day. Too many frustrating decisions - like the limited amount of money, the vast amount of air travel you had to do (making it very easy to run out of money without the player being able to know they were doing anything wrong), and later on, the same problem with the limited air supply. It's way too easy to screw yourself into a dead end in that game, just by exploring (which is what all the other Lucas games did so well in avoiding, even Maniac Mansion, which did have dead ends but didn't require a lot of effort to retrace your steps and do it right). The best thing about Zak is the great Purcell cover art.
I also think Sam & Max gets rated a bit too highly by players. It's a great game, it's just that the rest is so much better. The animation is fantastic, some of the jokes are great (although the best ones are all at the beginning), but the puzzles are just a bit too nonsensical for my liking. I know it's part of the idea behind Sam & Max, but having the game consist of nothing but random event after random event makes it not stand up so well for me. A lot of the other Lucas games are just a lot more cohesive. Again, still a great game by it's own right though. If I had to rank the Sam & Max content created over the years it'd go like this: Comics (really, incredibly amazing) > TTG's Devil's Playhouse > Hit the Road = TTG's Season 2 > TTG's Season 1 > Cartoon series = the two TTG poker games
I agree that Curse almost feels like a different series, but I'm fine with that, as much as I love the first two. Different writers - different vibe -- fine by me. It's Monkey 4 that went too Sam & Max with the comedy though. Funny, but not really Monkey Island anymore at that point.
I'd still rank Monkey 4 above Zak McKracken though. As flawed as Monkey 4 is, I have to admit there were still some good jokes and puzzles in there. It's just the overall atmosphere it got wrong. Zak has some interesting ideas, but to me it just wasn't a lot of fun to play, even back in the day. Too many frustrating decisions - like the limited amount of money, the vast amount of air travel you had to do (making it very easy to run out of money without the player being able to know they were doing anything wrong), and later on, the same problem with the limited air supply. It's way too easy to screw yourself into a dead end in that game, just by exploring (which is what all the other Lucas games did so well in avoiding, even Maniac Mansion, which did have dead ends but didn't require a lot of effort to retrace your steps and do it right). The best thing about Zak is the great Purcell cover art.
I also think Sam & Max gets rated a bit too highly by players. It's a great game, it's just that the rest is so much better. The animation is fantastic, some of the jokes are great (although the best ones are all at the beginning), but the puzzles are just a bit too nonsensical for my liking. I know it's part of the idea behind Sam & Max, but having the game consist of nothing but random event after random event makes it not stand up so well for me. A lot of the other Lucas games are just a lot more cohesive. Again, still a great game by it's own right though. If I had to rank the Sam & Max content created over the years it'd go like this: Comics (really, incredibly amazing) > TTG's Devil's Playhouse > Hit the Road = TTG's Season 2 > TTG's Season 1 > Cartoon series = the two TTG poker games
MastaKilla
Member
God, the games of my childhood. Love almost every game on that list. What I would do to be able to relive playing them for the first time again!
MastaKilla
Member
Curse of Monkey Island is my favorite point and click adventure game of all time.
It's just incredible, the voices, the music, the art, the animation, the humor.
And it's chock full of random funny stuff you could do just for laughs, stuff that has nothing to do with puzzles.
It's got so many quotable lines I'll never forget like "I've got soo much money, it's almost embarrassing" and "mm, no." and "madre de dios es el pollo diablo!".
It truly is an amazing game!
It belongs on top of the list!
I'm with you!!!!
Tragicomedy
Member
Way too low for Loom.
Full Throttle is #1.
Full Throttle is #1.
CecilRousso
Member
No it's not, it's terrible.
I would agree if you said terrible compared to the amazing first two games, but considered against most adventure-games out there, its a great game. (like 8 of 10 imo).
magicalsoundshower
Member
Indy 4 definitely deserves the top spot, so much to do and see in that game, it's the best game LA ever put out in my book.
I also agree about Maniac Mansion being way too low on the list, it feels the most dynamic out of any of Lucas Arts' games with its multiple paths and timed events. It was decidedly different from the following games that basically boiled down to having you visit a couple of setpieces (mostly) in the order of your choosing in some kind of timeless vacuum, although I admit doing what MM does on a larger scale would be almost impossible to pull off. DoTT is fun and has great atmosphere but doesn't touch MM because it plays nothing like it.
The Fate of Atlantis definitely pulled off the classic "setpiece" style of adventure game pretty much as well as humanly possible, though.
It's a shame Lucas Arts never dabbled with RPG hybrids such as Quest For Glory (the fourth part in the series is my favorite adventure game ever), but then again, pretty much no one but Lori and Corey Cole did.
I liked Curse of Monkey Island after beating both MI 1 and 2 before it, by the way. Monkey Island 2 is a beautiful game but feels way too obtuse for its own good at times. I for one am glad they dialed that back, I also remember the parts or Curse having really great atmosphere. LA really surprised me with it, I almost had given up on them by then.
I also agree about Maniac Mansion being way too low on the list, it feels the most dynamic out of any of Lucas Arts' games with its multiple paths and timed events. It was decidedly different from the following games that basically boiled down to having you visit a couple of setpieces (mostly) in the order of your choosing in some kind of timeless vacuum, although I admit doing what MM does on a larger scale would be almost impossible to pull off. DoTT is fun and has great atmosphere but doesn't touch MM because it plays nothing like it.
The Fate of Atlantis definitely pulled off the classic "setpiece" style of adventure game pretty much as well as humanly possible, though.
It's a shame Lucas Arts never dabbled with RPG hybrids such as Quest For Glory (the fourth part in the series is my favorite adventure game ever), but then again, pretty much no one but Lori and Corey Cole did.
I liked Curse of Monkey Island after beating both MI 1 and 2 before it, by the way. Monkey Island 2 is a beautiful game but feels way too obtuse for its own good at times. I for one am glad they dialed that back, I also remember the parts or Curse having really great atmosphere. LA really surprised me with it, I almost had given up on them by then.