Once again, this was a game I was previously aware of but never got around to playing. But even from an outsider's perspective I could see the game itself seemed a lot more darker than it's predecessor. Screenshots revealed a very different character sprite for the protagonist Guybrush and even the box art took a more sinister direction, far removed from the more colorful Monkey Island 1:
So I picked up Monkey Island 2 through a sale on Steam (yes I'm on Steam - more on that in a future post) in the form of the Special Edition. I booted it up for the first time, took one look at the revamped graphics and immediately switched it to the classic version.
So what did I think of Monkey Island 2? Well I'm impressed: the game certainly feels bigger and there's a lot of gorgeous environments to explore. The puzzles weren't frustrating - or at least alleviated through the autosave feature. The voice acting (for special edition) is very well done - I particularly enjoyed the very evil voice of LeChuck provided by Earl Boen. The references to Star Wars were also fun too. All in all, Monkey Island 2 certainly looks and acts like a true sequel in taking the original and expanding upon it in various ways.
And there is the ending. Controversial in it's day, that is until the arrival of Monkey Island 3, I'm absolutely perplexed by it. Okay, the effect is softened with the knowledge that Monkey Island 3 exists but, from the perspective of someone who came twenty years too late to the party, the ending itself is abrupt, anticlimactic and downright puzzling. I do indeed feel cheated out of my victory and the thought that it was intended all along doesn't sit well with me.
Grumbling aside, I certainly found a lot to enjoy with Monkey Island 2. Yes I've been playing the best that the Adventure game genre has on offer but I think Monkey Island 2 may be the best of the lot.
So where to next? Monkey Island 3 one would think....
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