dium

This looks better than SMI:SE, but I don't think its possible for this game to excite me anymore. I was pretty excited about the first remake, and looking back I'm not sure why. I mean, I know WHY... it's because I'm a huge Monkey Island dork. I have big blown up prints of the first two game's cover art in my room. But with hindsight I should have expected to be disappointed. Yeah, some problems with the first look like they're being addressed here: the character models actually look great (except, weirdly enough, for Elaine and Guybrush), for instance. But there were a couple problems in the first that I don't expect to go away in the second; problems that are inherent to the idea of a remake in the first place. 1) The original backgrounds were already so damn good. The SE team knows this, and are obviously trying to change as little design as possible. As a result, however, the new backgrounds look like someone put an oil painting filter over Steve's originals and called it a day. Yeah, that's harsh... they look nice enough. But when backgrounds like these move from extreme low resolution to extreme high resolution without anything added, I can't help but be more enamored with the originals. (side note: the only background in SMI:SE that I actually liked better than the original was outside the SCUMM bar, with the addition of ships in port. That was pretty) 2) Voice acting. I love the CMI cast. Love 'em. I was shitting my pants in anticipation of hearing Dom in SMI. But what actually happened, when I played the remake, was that the voice acting took so much away from every line. These games weren't written with VO in mind, and there's no way to hide it. Admittedly, a lot of the lines are funnier with the lens of nostalgia, but I honestly believe that voice over also detracted something... or at least, emphasized how awkward some of the lines are read out loud. So yeah. I'm pretty pessimistic, I guess. One way this game can't possibly disappoint me, however, is that it's the only way I know I can get several people to play Monkey Island 2. Greater exposure to one of the greats is always a good thing.

This is kinda heart wrenching. I mean, this isn't the fault of anyone who developed/develops the actual game. And this is going to kill it. It will be a public relations miracle to recover from this to any degree.

Alright, I've been sampling a bunch of casts lately, to fill the thumb-shaped void in my life. Here are some impressions so far, in case anyone is interested (and I am compelled to write this, audience or not). CAGcast: Whoever suggested this to me should be glad I can't remember who he is; this is the only cast I've tried that I would actually call bad. The first 15 minutes of the episode I listened to was about how one of the guys wears a large condom in Japan. Yeah. It's a pitty, too, because I lived in Japan for 6 years and wouldn't mind a podcast with a Gaijin's perspective. Just not this one. Giant Bombcast: I get why this is popular; these guys have good chemistry and some interesting points to make. But in order for me to listen to you for an hour a week, I feel like I need to agree with you at least half the time. It's not an ideological thing, it's a taste thing... and the two episodes I listened to were about games and subjects that I didn't really care about. Also, one of the guys complained about how Beatles Rock Band DLC didn't have achievements, which succinctly describes how our gaming sensibilities differ. Rock Paper Shotgun: This was a good cast, and I'll be trying it out for a few more weeks to see how it grows on me. My only big complaint is how the combination of iffy recording quality and unfamiliar accents make it hard for me to hear what games they are talking about, sometimes. It's only a problem when they say a game name, not when they are talking in general... but it did make me rewind a few times to decipher what piece of software they were talking about. Gamers With Jobs: The best of what I tried. Unlike the Bomb guys, this cast had me listening intently even during topics that I did not have prior interest in, which is the hallmark of a good podcast. They also talked about table top games, which pleased me to a depth that might have surprised me. One thing I considered during my samplings, however, is whether or not I actually need or want another gaming podcast. I never listened to one before idle thumbs. What I really want, I guess, is something to make me laugh walking home.

That's better than my idea; I paused the cast and took five minute breaks every other minute.

I took my sweet time listening to this, milking every minute. I just finished. It was awesome. I'm going to have to train myself not to expect a pod cast in my face every week... they said new episodes would be rare, but I know I'll still refresh iTunes in desperation every Wednesday.

I too am ready for tears. So ready. Bring it, cast!

I knew that, funnily enough. I've been here a day, and twice already someone has corrected my grammar or spelling. Henceforth I shall post more carefully.

Admitting this was dumb. Now all I want in life is for something called "Bargo Busters" to be real, and that's just embarrassing.

Would it be fair to say that if I like Baulders Gate I would like this game? That's what most of the reviews say, but the game doesn't look like it would be very Baulder's Gate-like. I guess I just need even more reassurance before I get any new shit. ...Gate-ish. Gate-esque. Gate-ious, that's good. Baulder Gatious.

It changed. It was Jake's legs before (some people might wrongly think Big Bird's). I wish I knew where a direct link to that image was; ce la vie. I'll check those out. I've been trying to listen to the much-lauded Bombcast and have been very dissapointed. Might just be because my taste in games differ so much from theirs, but then mine differed from the Thumbs a lot too at times...

Long time Idle Thumbs listener (I liked the old site a lot too). Now that it's about over, I'm desperately trying to get my Idle Thumbs fix somewhere... no other podcast, gaming or otherwise, seems to fit the bill. But this... this is the Idle Thumbs FORUM. I gotta get some inkling of love here. EDIT: Since I can't make a damn thread, I'll mention here how Google seems to be comemorating the end of Idle Thumbs with a picture of Jake's legs in their logo.