Zeusthecat

The Big LucasArts Playthrough

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For anyone who hasn't been reading the Monkey Island 2 thread, I am new to graphic adventures and have just recently played Secret of Monkey Island (my very first one) for the first time. Now that I am wrapping up Monkey Island 2 I have realized that I have an unquenchable thirst for these types of games. So I am going to play through all of the LucasArts graphic adventure games and post about my progress here so that I can share my experiences with others.

 

From the recommendations I've received, I'm thinking of starting with Maniac Mansion and moving chronologically by release date from there. If anyone would like to join in, let me know. I would absolutely love to have someone else play through some of these with me.

 

Some basic requests that I have regarding this thread:

  1. Please don't post solutions or hints unless they are in spoiler tags. I hope to solve most of these puzzles on my own but I fully expect to get stuck and ask for hints from time to time (especially with the older games).
  2. If I am about to start a game that has an un-winnable state, feel free to let me know. I would rather know ahead of time if it is possible for me to get permanently stuck and have to start over.
  3. Please join me. If anyone else ends up playing through one of these for the first time with me I will make sure to put my thoughts into spoiler tags so as not to influence anyone else trying to solve these puzzles. If it is just me though I will post what I am thinking for all to see.

I am still open to recommendations too. If I see a consensus that I should skip a particular game or change the order up then I will adjust my course. Also, if anyone has any advice for how best to obtain these games (I'm using Scummvm and would prefer to play original versions if possible) please let me know. If not I will just google that shit.

 

I'll post here again before I start the next game.

 

UPDATE - Here is the list of games and the order I will be playing them:

  1. Maniac Mansion (Posts 69 - 122) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=240247
  2. Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (Posts 126 - 165) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=241304
  3. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Posts 169 - 205) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=242419
  4. Loom (263 - 273) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=245471
  5. Secret of Monkey Island (already completed)
  6. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (already completed)
  7. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Posts 285 - 337) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=246568
  8. Day of the Tentacle (Posts 357 - 436) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=252218
  9. Sam and Max Hit the Road (Posts 451 - 529) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=256965
  10. Full Throttle (Posts 542 - 584) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=262536
  11. The Dig (Posts 606 - 641) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=265582
  12. Curse of Monkey Island (Posts 645 - 760) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=268882
  13. Grim Fandango (Posts 797 - 946) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=281308
  14. Escape from Monkey Island (Posts 976 - 1048) https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/8703-the-big-lucasarts-playthrough/?p=292662

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Hmmm, Maniac Mansion has a few unwinnable states, so make sure to juggle multiple saves and save often. It's pretty difficult to have it become unwinnable, but I'm pretty sure it's only if you do something to kill one of your characters. You can still play after that but it's pointless. You can also blow up the mansion in various ways but it's pretty easy to avoid doing that. I don't think there's any items that you can permanently lose or do something wrong with.

 

Udvarnoky, aren't you the expert on Maniac Mansion? Are there any necessary items you can permanently lose?

 

Also, I want to say it might be best to play the NES version. It has music and seems to be more of a favorite with people I have talked to. The graphics are a little bit less compared to the "higher res" version of Maniac Mansion on PC and it has some censorship.

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Okay, I made a list of all of the LucasArts adventure games. Here they are in order of release date:

  1. Labyrinth
  2. Maniac Mansion
  3. Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
  4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
  5. Loom
  6. Secret of Monkey Island (already completed)
  7. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (almost complete)
  8. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
  9. Day of the Tentacle
  10. Sam and Max Hit the Road
  11. Full Throttle
  12. The Dig
  13. Curse of Monkey Island
  14. Grim Fandango
  15. Escape from Monkey Island

I plan to skip Labyrinth since it is pre-Scumm (unless anyone recommends otherwise). What do you guys think, should I play all remaining 14 in order? Should I skip some? Should I save some of the earlier ones for later so I don't get burnt out on any subpar games?

 

I will update my original post with the final list and order I plan to play them in based on what people here suggest. For now, my plans are to play them all in order but Idle Thumbs has yet to steer me wrong so I trust in the judgment of others.

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I didn't get into the games until Monkey Island and I've never completed any of the ones before it, so I'm useless until you get to Fate of Atlantis.  I think chronological order is good because you can see how the games evolved over time.  The interface alone will be a big jump once you finish Day of the Tentacle.

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I personally would skip 1, and save 2 and 3 for later. In fact Then again, I never managed to finish Manic Mansion or Zak McKracken.

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I'm kind of iffy on skipping Maniac Mansion. I've heard so much good stuff about DOTT and I figure there are bound to be some references that I might not get if I skip it. Is that a valid concern or would it not make a difference?

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I've never beaten Maniac Mansion (or made it past like half an hour) and Day of the Tentacle is one of my favorite video games ever.

 

Also if you really want to,

you can play Maniac Mansion in DOTT by using a computer in one of the rooms.

 

^Not a real spoiler. But whatever.

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I didn't get far enough in Maniac Mansion to be able to answer that. All I can say is that Day of the Tentacle is excellent and I never felt like I was missing something while playing it.

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Out of curiousity, where are you getting the games? I've always wanted to play Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle, but have never managed to find a copy. Feel free to respond via sly wink if necessary.

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I played DOTT without ever playing Maniac Mansion.  It was kind of weird not to know the characters, but that game is so wacky in a way it made sense that I didn't know anything.  Maybe there are some references I missed, but I still loved it and I'm confident you'll have fun either way.

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Unfortunately.

 

Really? Damn. When I get to those I might need some assistance finding them.

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Really? Damn. When I get to those I might need some assistance finding them.

Yup, a big chunk of the Lucas Arts catalog is not available for sale anywhere, because Lucas Arts became a bad company that deserved to die, basically. 

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Apart from the two MI Special Editions, none Many of the old Lucasarts adventure games are not available on GOG, Steam, etc. so you would have to find a boxed copy somewhere.

At least I think this is still the case. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

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Haha.. I was just about to edit my post. I actually own that pack! :)

 

I guess I just quickly scanned through my favorites (Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max Hit the Road, The Curse of Monkey Island, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango...) and concluded that none of the games are available.

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Yeah, sadly all of the really good ones everyone loves are missing.  I liked Fate of Atlantis and The Dig, but DOTT, Curse, Full Throttle, Grim... those are the ones I really want to play again.

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I'd definitely skip 1, 3, and 4 and possibly Loom. Zak McCracken is just a mess of bad puzzles, mazes, and situations you can get stuck in. Last Crusade is similar but not near as bad. Unfortunately most of Last Crusade is bogged down by navigating boring mazes and keeping your health up for a billion fist fights. Pretty sure you can get stuck too. There's also an amazingly jerk ass copy protection at the very end of the game, very much within idiotic Sierra style copy protection.

 

Loom, I don't know, I love the game, but it's somewhat boring and the narrative is pretty uneventful. It was made for the purpose of being a trilogy, so it pretty much explains why the game feels gutted in terms of content or storytelling. Very interesting design and interface I completely loved.

 

I played DOTT without ever playing Maniac Mansion.  It was kind of weird not to know the characters, but that game is so wacky in a way it made sense that I didn't know anything.  Maybe there are some references I missed, but I still loved it and I'm confident you'll have fun either way.

Hmm, I think the references don't really do anything for the game, outside of the funny references to the hamster in the microwave controversy in the first game. The Edisons just reference some of the events in the first game, but it otherwise works completely alone. Green Tentacle references his band, but he pretty much reexplains his band.

 

Strangest and perhaps the most essential references it makes is to the obscure Maniac Mansion TV show that was incredibly short lived. I have no fucking clue what happened in that show or even what it looked like. I imagine it's a terrible sitcom with a laugh track. I don't think I realized the meta TV show references for Dr. Fred's fortune until it dawned on me a few years ago.

 

Bernard is the only returning playable character, and he might as well not even be the same person. He doesn't speak much about the the original events and may as well not have been involved had you not chosen him in Maniac Mansion. About all he says is, "We must go back to the mansion!" in the intro and acknowledges that Green Tentacle had a band.

 

Really none of this is a major part of the charm of the game and I feel like a lot of the best parts are just derived from colonial humor. The two games are constructed very differently in terms of puzzles as well. Before Day of the Tentacle came out, I had played Maniac Mansion more than a few times NES and PC only to get stuck and lose interest time and time again, no matter how short it is. I tried again in my teens and finished it just for the sake of seeing it all.

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So I see a consensus forming that I should probably skip 1 (if I play that at all), 2, and 3 and maybe play them later. Any recommendations on whether I should start with 4 or 5 or just jump straight to 8?

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Do 8, and save games to do the multiple paths! It really is like three games in one. Actually closer to 2 games doing the math in one since it's about 2/3rds of the game that's different every time.

 

Also is anyone against Escape from Monkey Island? I still like that game. I played it again on PS2 a couple of years ago and it was actually even better than I remember. Still ugly as all hell, just as it was the first time. Such awful art direction. At least the animation is good.

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I'm going to go against the consensus and say play all the pre-Monkey Island 1 titles starting with Maniac Mansion, even if it's just to clear them all in an afternoon-long binge session with walkthroughs in hand.

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I'm going to go against the consensus and say play all the pre-Monkey Island 1 titles starting with Maniac Mansion, even if it's just to clear them all in an afternoon-long binge session with walkthroughs in hand.

 

(I'm secretly a completionist and was hoping someone would recommend this)

 

Mmmm... decisions decisions.

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Last Crusade is HARD.

 

Loom is super short.

 

Dunno if that will convince you either way, but there you go!

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I'm going to go against the consensus and say play all the pre-Monkey Island 1 titles starting with Maniac Mansion, even if it's just to clear them all in an afternoon-long binge session with walkthroughs in hand.

This is a great Idea, do this. I want to do this now too. I only finished Loom out of those, do not skip Loom, it's wonderful.

The feeling you get after each of the later games up to escape is that of sadness of never being able to experience them for the first time again. Lucky you. =)

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