#8: The Curse of Monkey Island (1997)


Many will absolutely disagree with me, but I say bring them on. For me, this has a story and writing panache that lives up to a stand-out novel such as The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

Think about it - how often has a game caused you to literally laugh out loud? Maybe you are one of those people, but for me, enjoyment and laughter (out loud) don't go hand in hand. I can have a ball of a time watching a comedy, but if I'm alone, I'll laugh in my head, and not out loud. I might crack a smile, but nothing more. But this changed that. I couldn't help splitting with laughter at all the hilarious lines of dialogue, in-jokes for fans of the series (which I definitely am), comical settings, hysterical characters and so on.  

                                  

From the way "Guybrush" was named, to his nemesis, the undead zombie pirate LeChuck, this never ceased to delight and blow the mind with entertainment. Yes, the puzzles often had hilarious solutions, but unlike "Sam and Max: Hit the Road", they were ALWAYS logical. I'd give an example here, but I don't want to spoil for anyone who might still want to play this marvel of story-telling.



You might very well wonder: "What makes this better than no. 2, LeChuck's Revenge? I've always heard that was the best." In pure gameplay terms, that one is indeed the best. It's also, by quite some margin, the most difficult, inaccessible and cryptic. It has some of the best moments in gaming, sure. However, Dominic Armato's voice-acting as Guybrush, and the way this story was told in its cinematic presentation, pushes it over the top as my personal favourite. The soundtrack composed by Michael Land, the full voice-cast, and the beautiful graphics all combine to make it akin to a top-notch Disney animated cartoon offering.



From insult sword-fighting, to the talking, disembodied skull Murray, to the demented captain LeChimp and his crew of monkeys, to waking a dormant volcano-god worshipped by a bunch of pieces of fruit, the Crazy Train never stops going at full velocity with this adventure. I loved it then, and still do now. 

Honourable Mention: Diablo II (2000)


With an extreme cult following, I can't say I don't expect to be flamed for this one. Many mods, myths and magical late-nights were caused by this game. It had a sublimely entertaining story. Like Pokémon, this suffers from only one flaw, which is also its biggest draw-card: endless grinding. While at times, very addictive, there were better games IMO. Stay tuned to find out what they were.




Comments

  1. Hannes De Kock10 August 2013 at 14:10

    Totally agree with the abovementioned statements. This game is a true classic.

    Every time I use the word "serrated", my mind wanders back to good 'ol monkey island primary school afternoons. "Serrated bloody bread knife" Took me the better part of a week to figure out that tough problem.

    Nice Blog Konrad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Slick10 August 2013 at 21:54

      Hehe, great to hear you say that, Hannes! Glad you enjoyed it, and have great memories of this game! :-)

      Delete

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