My Favorite Game of All Time : Monkey Island 2

Released during one of the best years of all time for video games, Monkey Island 2, or LeChuck's Revenge as it was subtitled, is this author's favorite game of all time. The game certainly came at a golden point in gaming's history. So, just ahead of the Monkey Island 2 PC Special Edition release (also available on PS3 and XBOX360), it seems appropriate to take a step back in time to 1992, the release year of LeChuck's Revenge on the heels of The Secret of Monkey Island aka Monkey Island 1's release in 1990.

Video Game History

The year 1992 was monumentally important for both PC and console gaming. In '92 a game called Mortal Kombat made its way into arcades all over the United States causing much controversy and establishing a franchise which has lasted for nearly two decades. This same year, a little company by the name of id Software released a game called Wolfenstein 3D which popularized the First Person Shooter genre and cemented id Software's place in video game history. Again in 1992 Westwood Studio produced a title called Dune 2, which established the foundations for the Real Time Strategy genre that we know today, and was the ground work for a franchise you might have heard of called Command & Conquer.

Nintendo had a remarkable year all its own in 1992. They dropped prices of both their Super Nintendo System and their hand-held Gameboy. This was in celebration of the SNES system releasing in Europe and the rest of Asia, and the Gameboy selling its 10 millionth unit. This was also the same year that Nintendo released A Link to the Past for the SNES (Zelda franchise) and announced that they would have a CD-Rom add-on the following year. That CD-Rom system after a huge debacle between Sony and Nintendo became the Playstation.

And of course, adventure gaming was thriving in the early 90's. It was a staple genre for most gamers back in the day. Sierra and LucasArts led the way. With the 6^th game from their ScummEngine, and the 1^st to use the revolutionary iMuse sound system, LucasArts then released Monkey Island 2 - LeChuck's Revenge for the Amiga and IBM PC compatible systems to rave reviews.

Guybrush Threepwood - Pirate Wannabe/Hero

Guybrush Threepwood returned, still having the silliest name for a hero ever created and sporting a brand new beard and captains jacket. The game was accessible to all players with a lite mode for the more casual player. The game expanded on the humor of The Secret of Monkey Island and created some of the funniest dialogue of any game... ever. The graphics were sharp with full VGA support on the PC. Monkey Island 2 was one of the best looking adventures games of the time. The musical score was also expanded with Soundblaster and full MIDI support and features some of the best and most memorable cues of any game in memory. Just the opening title scene itself takes me back to my childhood.

The story of Guybrush and his nemesis LeChuck continues in this installment (as the title would imply), and this battle is an epic one, spanning no less than 3 islands this time around. Guybrush again must save (or attempt to save) the world and Elaine from the evil LeChuck, all while searching for the legendary treasure of Big Whoop. If you are a student of gaming history or an avid adventure game player, you owe it to yourself to check this game out. It is the strongest in the series. Now, with the open source ScummVM engine you can play the original on your modern windows machine; or you can purchase the special edition remakes.

Monkey Island in the Modern Gaming Era

LucasArts surprised everyone when they announced a special edition of The Secret of Monkey Island. Though some did not agree with the new art direction of the game, the ability to switch between old graphics to the new ones on the fly soothed many concerns. The re-orchestrated soundtrack was an excellent touch and really helped to bring the game into the modern gaming age. As most younger gamers were not used to the adventure games model a Monkey Island hints system was built-in to the game to help players who got stuck, which we used to call pixel hunting back in the day. Some players did not like that you could not carry the new voice-acting and music over when you switched to the old graphics. This has been remedied for the sequel.

The first game sold so well that the developers almost immediately started working on LeChuck's Revenge. It features more updated music and graphics, with some different visual styling than the first. The hint systems is back, as wel as the switch-on-the-fly to old-school graphics, though this time you can keep the voice acting and music.The game will be released Wednesday, July 7^th 2010 for your personal computer or PS3/XBOX 360 consoles with a suggested retail price of $9.99. Join Guybrush Threepwood, Governor Elaine Marley, Stan of Stans Previously Used Coffins (formly previously used ships) and the nefarious Ghost Pirate LeChuck with his new side-kick Largo LeGrande in the first-class special edition remake of Monkey Island 2 - LeChuck's Revenge.

1992 in Video Gaming - Wikipedia
Lucasarts Homepage
Monkey Island 2 - LeChuck's Revenge - Gametrailers
Monkey Island 2 Special Edition Home
ScummVM Homepage