Monkey Island: Special Edition Collection Review

Today, we will be reviewing another exciting new game of the 21st century. This time, the game in question is Monkey Island: Special Edition Collection, a game that was specially created by LucasArts along with LucasFilm Games. These two entities, which this collection is made of, were both two very popular names in the computer gaming world in past years and here we again see them extending their wings to provide to us this interesting video game. If you should look up the PC Game charts over the years, you would realize that the charts were regularly topped by games created by these companies and, as such, its developers were often recognized for incredible quality.

Many people know the aforementioned companies for their high quality Star Wars games, but little do they know that before the company went almost entirely Star Wars focused, they were extremely popular for creating captivating graphic adventure games. In fact, they created so many adventure games, that people played them not knowing that they created it. One common game that people generally play without knowing it is a LucasArts creation is the film-franchise game of the famous Indiana Jones series. You didn't know that, right? Well it was, along with a whole host of others, including another well-known game series still popular even today. Know what I'm talking about? You guessed it, the Monkey Island series.

Yes, it is true that, over the past few years, the demand for this type of game has declined and coupled with the fact that the genre became neglected and near-forgotten, many people began to move on to newer, or more refined game genres. But, the die-hard fans never lost hope in their precious gaming style and, alas, The LucasArts Company has struck gold again for them with the release of Monkey Island: Special Edition Collection. After the emergence of the Nintendo Wii and DS, as well as the evident growth in the field of downloadable gaming along with so many independent developers emerges, adventure games were given the chance to climb slowly back into the public's eye.

It got such a large boost that the elements of the adventure games began to become evident into other genres of games, such as action and puzzle games. This was, in fact, what boosted the developers of this video game to create this personified adventure game that was somewhat re-mastered from the previous version of their magnum opus – The Secret of Monkey Island.

From the get-go the title was a hit, consumers loved it, and this tied in perfectly with the fact that there was a high demand of adventure games, so arguably it was the perfect time for the superior sequel to be released. Thus, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, was soon graced with the release of its own Special Edition. After its release date, both versions were made available via digital download across multiple platforms. As time went on and demand grew, Activision began to take notice of this speeding investment deal. As such as of late, Activision has released a retail collection that partners up the Special Edition version along with the original game into one amazing package. But, now on to the million dollar question, after all this background work, does the Monkey Island: Special Edition Collection really holds its own like the initial game? Let's find out by exploring the concept and features of the game.

Not to worry if you have never played the game before, you can continue to read as we won't spoil it too much for you as, if you are like me, hearing too much about the pleasures of a game before trying it can turn you off from it. None the less, I will give you a preview; in Monkey Island games, the players are given control over a wannabe pirate, Guybrush Threepwood, who has just landed on Melee Island. His sole desire is to learn how to become a real Buccaneer and make a large fortune. This proves to be somewhat difficult, as you soon learn that Guybrush, despite his intentions, is rather soft and not as ruthless of a marauder as you would like to imagine. He gets by due to mere luck and, to his surprise, he stumbles upon an amazingly beautiful woman who happens to be the local Governor Elaine Marley, and as he gets to know her, he falls for her.

As his luck would have it, he gets wrapped up in an attempt to kidnap her by an evil Ghost Pirate called LeChuck. Due to this, LeChuck and his zombie crew now becomes the antagonists of both titles. This, of course, makes Guybrush very distressed, and he now finds himself to be struggling against the powers of the undead hordes to both make his name as a pirate and save his love.

So what is the verdict we find of the Monkey Island Series?

It's a tricky one this game, I mean; if you have never experienced the pleasures of any of the other games in the Monkey Island series, then this would be a great game for you. Plus, if you played the original games, but not the remastered versions, then again, this would be a great game to purchase. Unfortunately, if you are a seasoned Money Island series gamer, then you won't be of the same opinion, as it is essentially the same games in a new, commercial package. Another thing that will turn you off as a longtime fan is the fact that the concept of the series has somewhat changed. On a brighter note, you will be excited to find that of the concept art in the series has a lot of art never before sene and some very exciting content for avid fans. The Monkey Island: Special Edition Collection has definitely proven that there is still a lot of life left in the adventure game genre, although we might have to look back at past versions in order to find out what we are missing out on. So despite the fact that it does have a few disadvantages, the game is still a good overall game and if you look at this along with its incredible cost it, paves the way for excellent adventure gaming.

Final Verdict: 8/10