Escape from Monkey Island

The Good
The laughs are always there, no matter where you go in the game, which is a welcome relief from all those serious RPG's from the past few years. 3D environments are a welcome addition to the saga, with a great amount of detail put into the characters as well as the backgrounds. The more free flowing gameplay (less use of the mouse) is an interesting move, but in the end, it's a good one. But it's the laughs that make the game, no doubts there.

The Bad
Some areas of gameplay are a little tricky, but rare, which is a good thing. The only other problem I had was when the game ended. I just didn't want to stop!

The Bottom Line
Well worth the CD it's burned onto. If you are yet to purchase a Monkey title, then start at the beginning, just to get a hold on the storyline. Otherwise, a must have title in your collection.

The Good
Dominic Armato is perfect as Guybrush. The story was original, and some new characters (Ignatius Cheese and Ozzie Mandrill in particular) were welcome additions. The music was... well, Monkey Island music.

The Bad
Firstly, the graphics. When I first heard they were going to be 3-D, I was skeptical, but still kept my hopes up because LucasArts hadn't disappointed me yet. But not only is the new look awkward and blocky, it's very hard to move around and get the hang of. Now, the voices are always good, as are the characters, but it's unbelieveable that with the LucasArts' discovery of Murray (the demonic skull) in The Curse of Monkey Island, and the immense popularity of the character, he was only in one scene.

The Bottom Line
This is not a great adventure game. It's good, but if you haven't played an adventure game, or especially if you haven't played a Monkey Island game, don't play this just yet. Wait until you've played The Curse of Monkey Island, Full Throttle, and Day of the Tentacle (and maybe even a few more) before you try this, because this is not what a great adventure game should be. And a note to LucasArts if they happen to read this: please go back to the cartoon-style of The Curse of Monkey Island. I understand that 3-D is the way of the future, but just as movies like Shrek haven't gotten rid of the animation style movies like of Atlantis: The Lost Empire, there is always room for 2-D animation, if it's better than 3-D, which you've proven in Escape from Monkey Island.

The Good
There's no such thing as "Monkey Island" without the excellent music. This time, the original MIDI theme got escorted by a full orchestra- including trumpets and drums. It's a pleasure just to hear the game... The character's voices are wonderful, with each character having a unique accent which adds a new layer of personality.

And, of course, there are the jokes- there's nothing I can say about them... They're there, they're nice (not very original, but nice) and that's about it.

The Bad
It's a lethel dose of Monkey Islandlessness... There are many qoutes and ideas that got ressurected from the original Secret of Monkey Island, and I simply don't feel it's a new game. I meet the same characters who has the same jokes (Carla and Otis?! C'mon...) I've the same opponents and the same challanges.
Another problem is the new point of view. The game has an odd, isometric 3rd person perspective, and the controls are odd and uncomfortable, resembling Alone in the Dark. Personally, I prefer using the mouse to point and click like a normal person, rather than running around with bowls of pretzels.

The Bottom Line
Or like I said to my friends- Monkey Island 5 will be...
Holocaust on Monkey Island - The First Person Shooter