Ron Gilbert speaks of MI1 remake... in 2007
I was reading through this interview again, conducted by Dalixam from World of Monkey Island, and was quite surprised when I came to this question, and even more so when I read the answer:
Some fans would like to see MI1 remade with today's graphic and voices. Is that something you think is a good idea or do you feel it should be left as it is, for nostalgic reasons.
Remaking MI1 would be a huge mistake and wouldn't add anything to the game. Having recently played the game again, it's just fine.
Some fans would like to see MI1 remade with today's graphic and voices. Is that something you think is a good idea or do you feel it should be left as it is, for nostalgic reasons.
Remaking MI1 would be a huge mistake and wouldn't add anything to the game. Having recently played the game again, it's just fine.
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I've read many posts that negatively criticize the controls for EFMI. Anyone who's played the game knows that while the option "Open (use) Door) exists as an 'ENTER' option, if you simply walk boldly to that door, Guybrush will faithfully open it for you without any further commands. No "OPEN DOOR" option need be chosen. Now, I quote Gilbert: "UI for having to open and close doors independently from walking though them was obnoxious." http://grumpygamer.com/ (current entry, titled, "Stuff and Things and Monkey Island," June 1, 2009)
So, you naysayers: Do you love Gilbert, yet scorn the control system that powered EFMI, distinguished it from its predecessors, and was faithful to the Gilbert vision?
Obviously, as the OP correctly points out, Gilbert's word is not to be trusted. He sells his opinion to the highest bidder. I don't think less of him. I expect this from any and all public figures. (So, take my opinion with that grain of salt) In 2007, he was selling to his fanatic-base. In 2009, he is selling to LucasArts, who is giving him a healthy sum for his public opinion.
Seems clear to me.
This is certainly not what I was pointing out. LucasArts can do whatever they want with Monkey Island without consulting Ron Gilbert, since they own the license, and Ron can think what he wants of it. In this case, Ron thinks the special edition is going to be "very cool" and he is "very excited". What I was pointing out was how Ron had changed his opinion, whether that be because of how the project turned out, or just because he'd had time to reflect on it (or something else entirely). I really doubt "he was selling" out.
lol nice!
To me, SoMI:SE is not a remake, its more or less a remastering like what LucasFilm did with Star Wars, except without any alterations to the core story. The game wears a slightly newer overcoat, but it is the exact same game underneath.
I believe Gilbert thinks the same way, and that's why he now endorses what LucasArts is doing with his game, since its not truly a "remake" by any means.
I'm having trouble reconciling your definition of "remake" against what we've all agreed is the English definition of the word.
Please, explain how SOMI:SE is not made "anew" in a 'different form.' The graphics, though not true 3D are "anew" and thus present the game in a different form, else, why would the same form be included in the options to view in the original graphic presentation? The creators, themselves, will tell you this is a remake.
How do you all feel about the recent (last two years) stage-play, which we are all familiar with. Is it nott a "remake." Certainly, taking Gilbert at his word. a stage-play would be a bad idea, as it is definitely in a "different form."
Before you answer, you'd better check his blog entries of yore to see what he has to say, eh? Most assuredly, you Gilbert-fanatics should get your story straight before commenting on a very different form of the original SECRET OF MONKEY ISLAND, as in a stage production of the story.
Tell me again how Gilbert's opinion is not mercurial.
"To make anew or in a different form"
The "or" is the keyword here, in this case applying to the latter definition. The game is not being reworked in a different form - its the exact same form with updated (albeit, the same) "fluff", if you will. The only thing new here is the voiceover work, which is just using a spoon rather than a fork to eat a piece of cake.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_remake
I say, either you reject wikipedia for the tripe it is or fully accept that SOMI:SE is a "REMAKE"
As for the OP, I'm suspecting that he really doesn't know what he's saying
Sure is an option I would enjoy being able to view how the game was originally compared to the new graphics. The CD music version also had items shown is images instead of words, which was a nice touch. I really had to look things up once in a while to not be completely guessing what the items were, like gopher repellant.
I think it is a good time to make a remake. As I think others has commented, there should be some years in between the orignal and the remake of a game or it probably wouldnt be much different. And adventure games has had a few years were they werent exactly popular. I think it was due to just about all of them trying to make them 3D even though it was too early for 3D in adventure games. Graphics would have been better with 2D for many of them and with better gameplay. Especially Simon 3D which is a good example. I would opt for point n click any day.
There was a comment about having to open and close doors in the two first games, but usually that just meant right clicking. Not much annoyance there, but I guess it was a bit in the first Monkey game. As I remember in Monkey 2 right clicking choose the most common verb to use on the object.
I ve only played SoMI with EGA graphics. Never liked the VGA version; i was told (maybe this is wrong, so correct me) that the "stump joke" in the forest was deleted from the VGA version. Is it true?
Anyway since the VGA was a remake, and now this new version is made over that last one, its kinda a re-remake.
And i thinks its cool and its ok. Personally, im not gonna buy it cause im really attached with my EGA game, but i thinks it will be really atractive for a lot of young people who get really scared when they notice a pixel.
I am sure gonna try to find a copy and play it once, some scenes are really beatiful (like the outside of the scumm bar), but im sticking with my old game.
Kind of.
You have three main versions on PC,
(1) the EGA one (16 colors),
(2) the 1st VGA one (256 colors, it has the stump joke, same as the EGA one),
(3) the VGA CD one (256 colors, it has cd music, replaces the text inventory with a graphical one like MI 2, removes some of the redundant verb commands, removes the stump joke because it is on 1 cd, not multiple disks).
EDIT: More here:
http://www.worldofmi.com/thegames/monkey1/index.php#Versions
Yup, first time I played Monkey Island was on an Amiga, and it was VGA, and I remember the stump joke, which has a great comeback in CoMI I think it was
Changing your mind doesn't necessarily mean being a sell-out, or inconsistent. Anyway, I think he couldn't expect such a faithful remake like the one Lucasarts is actually working on, which - like SRTie4k said - really doesn't add anything but the voices. Graphics are updated, true, but they still retain all the naive simplicity in perspective, detail and animation they had in 1990.
In those terms, yeah its obviously a remake.
I also liked the follow up on MI 2, when you bug the HINT line lady about it.
That would have been brilliant!
SoMI:SE I'll probably buy the day after it comes out.
In CoMI it seemed to me they had gone back to SoMI style Guybrush. But as I wrote before, it seems to me that adventure games is popular again, and I guess they werent. So its probably best (for them) that they waited. And so far I like Telltale games.
Sam and Max was only 3 years later...not long after , not by a long shot. DOTT was prob about 3-5 ....games like Fate of Atlantis or Last Crusade had more adventure, life in them . I like Mi-one -two but today is a bash some one day and Ron is frankly over rated. He is good, but he sure the hell aint better than Mi-3 and DOTT and Sam and Max or even maybe even telltale games ....Curse of monkey island was about 7 years later .But alot happened in between and to be frank I think it was a more lively , humorous direction that when he was there.