Monkey Island 2: SE

[Thrik]

This thread is making me realise that it's been so long since I last played MI2 I remember basically nothing and am going to be arseholed when I eventually play that MI2:SE I frantically bought.

[miffy495]

Slightly less (but still fairly) vague spoiler:

 

Been to jail yet? Has anyone else?

[Zeusthecat]

Miffy, you're too kind.

 

So I wasted a couple more hours last night trying to figure this out. I got really excited when I noticed that "Looking At" the bottles in the voodoo hut reveals what is in each one. I thought maybe that was what I was missing and that there would be other groups of items in the game that would reveal more information about what they were by "looking at" them. So I went everywhere and "looked at" everything and had no luck.

 

I am now at the library methodically checking out every single book just to see if there is one that reveals some piece of information. If that doesn't work then my next course of action is to take another break and ponder things a bit more. I think I've exhausted almost all of the straightforward mechanical interactions in the game and am stuck because I'm either not seeing something obvious or there is a more obscure mechanic in the game I am missing (like "looking at" each bottle in the voodoo hut revealing what each one is). I've also already written down a list of every item in my inventory and divided it up into items that can be "used" with other items and items that can't be "used" (unless it is only allowed to be used in specific cases or areas). I'll spend some time staring at that and maybe organize it a bit further to see if something pops.

 

If none of this produces any results then I think I will finally give in and click the spoiler tags to see the hints.

[SecretAsianMan]

This thread is making me realise that it's been so long since I last played MI2 I remember basically nothing and am going to be arseholed when I eventually play that MI2:SE I frantically bought.

 

I feel the same way.  I bought MI:SE right away and breezed through it because I've played MI so many times I could do it all in my sleep.  MI2 I've only played through completely once because when I was a kid, my friend and I played them both together, but he had to move right after we beat MI2.  He liked the game so much I gave him my copy and never got another one.  I haven't bought MI2:SE yet but I might now after reading all this stuff.  I think I'll play with the original look though.

[Zeusthecat]

I think I'll play with the original look though.

 

I was perhaps a bit stubborn in my earlier posts regarding my preference to only expose myself to the classic graphics so as not to spoil my perception of the game. That being said, I really like how characters express themselves with the classic pixel-y graphics. Maybe it's just a nostalgia thing for me but I love seeing super exaggerated reactions like eyes popping out of a character's head or their jaw dropping to the ground when something crazy happens.

[Thrik]

I did actually play the very beginning of MI2:SE and I was pretty damn impressed. They definitely shifted things up a gear after the MI1:SE, with everything more detailed, more faithful to the original, and basically just the perfect refresh. Makes it doubly sad that was it as far as LucasArts' brief spurt of remakes went, but at least we got two of the best games ever made right?

 

Of course it's worth experiencing the original form, but you're definitely not going to lose anything by using the remade look. They did a terrific job.

[SecretAsianMan]

I'm not worried about spoiling my perception (especially since I've already played it), I just don't care for the updated look.  I do like the voices though so I might leave that on.  Ever since playing Curse I've retroactively applied the voices to my memories.

[syntheticgerbil]

Personally, I don't think any of the upgraded graphics did anything for the games except for the redrawn backgrounds for MI2. The first remake is just hideous and garish in so many ways and has the addition of graphical glitches all over the damn place, it's almost a travesty. MI2:SE is more faithful but also has strange character models that are prerendered for some but then some that are 1:1 to the original designs (but in HD). That said, Guybrush still doesn't look or act the same and in general the animation just sometimes isn't as good as the original (dropped frames on certain parts because the HD animators couldn't be bothered or just some drawings and expressions don't match up).

 

I think playing the classic MI2 with the voices should be reason enough alone for the SE. Maybe other purists would tell you to skip that too, but I think the cast did a great job for all of the remakes. I think everyone is true to the individual games and then fit in with the later post-Gilbert games. Commentary and art galleries are nice too. The UK PS3 disc also has the movie concept art in the menu, which is an awesome bonus.

[Udvarnoky]

http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/p857l/please_lucasarts/c3nkqn2'>Potential insight into some of the more "eh" art aspects of the Monkey Island remakes.

[Zeusthecat]

So I finally gave up and clicked on your spoilers miffy. I am still confused.

 

I don't see any way to get rid of my library ID. I had previously spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get the bartender to offer me near grog like he did before I had the ID but now he only offers me the colored drinks.

I have also spent a ton of time trying to wake governor Phatt up and used pretty much every object on him and every object in his mansion. I got all my stuff back and the gorilla envelope with the stuff in it when I originally got locked up but I don't see how to get thrown back in jail.

Feel free to just give it to me straight at this point (that goes for anyone who cares to answer).

[Udvarnoky]

When the bartender offered you near-grog originally, he stopped himself when he recalled that he'd sold the last of it to Captain Kate Capsize...

[Zeusthecat]

When the bartender offered you near-grog originally, he stopped himself when he recalled that he'd sold the last of it to Captain Kate Capsize...

 

Hmmmm... Thanks for posting that. I swear I tried using all of my items on her and talked to her countless times but I've obviously missed something. Or maybe I never showed her damn leaflet to the bartender or something.

 

Thanks again Udvarnoky!

[Udvarnoky]

You're on the right track; here's the straight-up spoiler to come back to in case you remain stuck, although I hope you toil a bit more first.

 

Place the leaflet of Kate on top of Guybrush's wanted poster on Phatt Island.

 

Also, just for fun, try to repeatedly "Pick up" Kate.  One of the game's less obvious gags.

[Zeusthecat]

Oh god dammit. I think I need to use that fucking leaflet on the Guybrush poster outside of the jail to get her locked up. I just put the hints together that you guys provided and that must be it.

 

Fuck. Me.

 

Edit: just saw your post and haven't clicked your spoiler but I'm sure that is what the solution is.

[Zeusthecat]

Sorry for another post but I just wanted to say that I am so bummed that I never thought of using the leaflet on the poster. I mean, it just seems so obvious now. If only that bartender would have repeated what he said about giving all the near grog to Kate Capsize I would have spent more time focusing on that leaflet. It was so long ago now that I literally had no recollection of what he had said about the near grog before I had my library ID.

 

Moving forward I will be careful to pay close attention to every word that is spoken in case it is something that is only said once.

[syntheticgerbil]

Potential insight into some of the more "eh" art aspects of the Monkey Island remakes.

Wow, thank you for posting this, I was always curious of exactly how the art process went on.

I definitely feel for the person having just come off a job working with a couple of crap outsourcers that also were used for political reasons (One company was led by a later LA artist who did some mediocre for us that I had to continuously ask for revisions. This guy also did some of the plain models for A Vampyre Story, funnily enough).

But I'm confused with this person saying the outsourcers in Singapore did all of the character art when I remember seeing a few blog posts from some artists who did the new character concepts for the first remake, which equaled a lot of the bad decisions of the new character styles. Furthermore, I definitely agree that the prerendered 3D models for the main characters was a nonsense.

However, they admitted they did the backgrounds for the first SE in house. While the character art was pretty misguided, the backgrounds were just trash. They have this ugly sharp edged painter style that is splotchy with copy and pasted elements over every fucking thing. A lot of them were also unfinished, let alone the pixel art (or white mask edges) they were drawing on top of would sometimes peek through. The usual rush for time excuse is used by this person, and while that is valid in many cases, I don't feel like whatever technique they were employing would have ever looked good.

As much as I hate to say it, maybe it was for the best that all of MI2 SE was outsourced instead. It still didn't do it enough justice but it definitely more clean and the backgrounds were not garbage the second time around, being the only part or the artwork they truly did well in my opinion.

However as this person points out, the very best option would have been to correctly budget the time and then hire up a talented staff in house to give the game the love and care needed. Maybe only outsource minor things like icons if needed. So that always is kind of the issue with remakes of things that were well produced the first time around, is it better off leaving it well enough alone if you are not going to be able to potentially put in the love and care the original creators had?

[miffy495]

Haha, glad you got it, Zeus! That's a really tricky one, I'll admit. Also glad that my hints were vague enough that they took some time to work out. I was worried it'd be too much of a giveaway.

[Zeusthecat]

Yeah, this game is amazing at making me feel stupid and smart. I must have looked at that leaflet a few dozen times and just did not assign any significance to the fact that it says her picture is on the front. It's weird how I spent so much time doing other weird stuff and completely glazed over that. Thank you all again so much for the hints! That reminder that the bartender had said all of his near grog went to Kate Capsize was the big missing link. He had said that so long ago that I had forgot and thought I was still supposed to somehow find a way to get it from him. Those colored drinks really fucked with me too. In the end I'm glad the solution was a smart and fairly logical one (unlike the monkey wrench problem).

 

So after getting through that progress is coming much faster. I think I spent so much time analyzing every item I had on that one puzzle that it feels pretty obvious now when I need to use them. I had already found Wally's replacement monocle so I was able to quickly move on to LeChuck's fortress after giving him the map pieces.

 

LeChuck's fortress ended up being pretty straightforward. As soon as I got to the hallway with all the doors I knew that the spit encrusted paper would come into play and got through it in a snap. Likewise, it didn't take me long to figure out how to get me and Wally down from LeChuck's rube goldberg machine. From there I got to Dinky Island and saved my game at the point where the parrot leads you to the dinosaur bush. I figure I probably need to find a way to open that nailed shut box to find another cracker for him to guide me further.

 

I have to say, this game has some of the best writing I have ever seen in a video game. The timing of the character dialog and the things they say is just spot on and so fucking clever. The dialog between Guybrush and Wally was so perfect (I love Wally by the way, he might be my favorite character in the game), the whole UPS shipping segment was done very well, and LeChuck's dialog with Guybrush along with his ridiculous rube goldberg machine was hilarious. Running into Herman Toothrot was also awesome. I sat there for awhile firing guesses at his "tree falling in the woods" question and was quite surprised and tickled by how many colors you can guess. I have to assume they put every color that has a name in there because I kept getting new ones until I got bored and moved on.

 

This game has me hooked on the adventure game concept. I'm thinking of moving on to Maniac Mansion next and then Day of the Tentacle after that. 

[Udvarnoky]

Are the Monkey Island games your introduction to LucasArts graphic adventures?

[Zeusthecat]

Are the Monkey Island games your introduction to LucasArts graphic adventures?

 

Yes. Never played a single graphic adventure game until I played Secret of Monkey Island about a month ago. Monkey Island 2 would be the second one I've played.

[toblix]

Mother of God.

[Udvarnoky]

Yeah, you can't possibly comprehend how much of a blast you're about to have, although MI2, if it's not the best, definitely vies for the throne.

 

While the pre-MI1 games are certainly cruder in design as well as tech, my possibly unpopular suggestion would be to start with Maniac Mansion and play them all (there are fourteen including MI1 and MI2) in the order of release, and simply walkthroughing the ones that aren't doing it for you so that you can at least experience the stories.  (Resorting to this with Zak McKracken will elicit especially little ire.)  It's worth it.

 

If you're not up for the whole catalog and only want the undisputed classics, you cannot go wrong with Day of the Tentacle, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Full Throttle, Monkey Island 3 or Grim Fandango.

 

But seriously, play them all before you die.

[Twig]

Well it's good you're starting with some of the worst-designed ones. X: X: X:

 

*runs away*

[syntheticgerbil]

I have to assume they put every color that has a name in there because I kept getting new ones until I got bored and moved on.

 

Hahaha, every time I play this game, I make sure to name all colors. This game is why I have OCD.

 

[Ben X]

f you're not up for the whole catalog and only want the undisputed classics, you cannot go wrong with Day of the Tentacle, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Full Throttle, Monkey Island 3 or Grim Fandango.

 

Or Sam And Max Hit The Road.