So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
Monkey Island" adventure game?

Well, actually, I know the answer to that question; yes, a lot of
people dislike it (a lot of people love it too, and even more are
ambivalent over the whole thing, because that's the Internet). But,
you know, I meant, like "does anyone HERE dislike it. Other than me,
obviously.

If you're not familiar with the new style... well, here's an example
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uhWRNUhks63vCJ6Sff5ssj-1920-80.jpg.webp
It's almost Picasso-esque, full of angles and flat shading; it's very
stylized and quite unlike the cartoonish visuals of the earlier game.
It's not just that it's changed that bugs me; I generally dislike that
style in any sort of animation, preferring a rounder and more
realistic appearance in general. But this version appears too much
like a cheap Flash game from the mid 2000s.

Of course, I'm not incredibly excited about the game's existence in
the first place; as much as I enjoyed the earlier games, I'd rather
see newer IPs than constantly returning to old stuff. Even without
the artistic change, there was a likelihood I'd have skipped this
game. This new style only makes that more of a certainty.

I'll give Ron Gilbert - the designer - credit for this much, though;
he's ignoring his critics who are dismayed over the visuals; despite
the potential loss in sails made by his choice, he's sticking to his
guns and making the game /he/ wants to make. A lot of other developers
would have caved in to demand and changed back to a more traditional
style.

On Mon, 18 Jul 2022 19:45:04 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
>Monkey Island" adventure game?

I checked your link. The graphics look colorful to me which is what I
expect for this series. I have no issue with these graphics.

On Mon, 18 Jul 2022 19:45:04 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
>Monkey Island" adventure game?
>
>Well, actually, I know the answer to that question; yes, a lot of
>people dislike it (a lot of people love it too, and even more are
>ambivalent over the whole thing, because that's the Internet). But,
>you know, I meant, like "does anyone HERE dislike it. Other than me,
>obviously.
>
>If you're not familiar with the new style... well, here's an example
>https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uhWRNUhks63vCJ6Sff5ssj-1920-80.jpg.webp
>It's almost Picasso-esque, full of angles and flat shading; it's very
>stylized and quite unlike the cartoonish visuals of the earlier game.
>It's not just that it's changed that bugs me; I generally dislike that
>style in any sort of animation, preferring a rounder and more
>realistic appearance in general. But this version appears too much
>like a cheap Flash game from the mid 2000s.
>
>Of course, I'm not incredibly excited about the game's existence in
>the first place; as much as I enjoyed the earlier games, I'd rather
>see newer IPs than constantly returning to old stuff. Even without
>the artistic change, there was a likelihood I'd have skipped this
>game. This new style only makes that more of a certainty.
>
>I'll give Ron Gilbert - the designer - credit for this much, though;
>he's ignoring his critics who are dismayed over the visuals; despite
>the potential loss in sails made by his choice, he's sticking to his
>guns and making the game /he/ wants to make. A lot of other developers
>would have caved in to demand and changed back to a more traditional
>style.
>

*--

I just started The Secret of...after waiting seemingly forever for the
credits to stop and that screenshot doesn't look a whole lot different
than the initial start of the game.

But, I don't trust the new crew! :-)

-pw

On Tue, 19 Jul 2022 16:50:31 -0600, PW
<iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:

>On Mon, 18 Jul 2022 19:45:04 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
>>Monkey Island" adventure game?
>>
>>Well, actually, I know the answer to that question; yes, a lot of
>>people dislike it (a lot of people love it too, and even more are
>>ambivalent over the whole thing, because that's the Internet). But,
>>you know, I meant, like "does anyone HERE dislike it. Other than me,
>>obviously.
>>
>>If you're not familiar with the new style... well, here's an example
>>https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uhWRNUhks63vCJ6Sff5ssj-1920-80.jpg.webp
>>It's almost Picasso-esque, full of angles and flat shading; it's very
>>stylized and quite unlike the cartoonish visuals of the earlier game.
>>It's not just that it's changed that bugs me; I generally dislike that
>>style in any sort of animation, preferring a rounder and more
>>realistic appearance in general. But this version appears too much
>>like a cheap Flash game from the mid 2000s.
>>
>>Of course, I'm not incredibly excited about the game's existence in
>>the first place; as much as I enjoyed the earlier games, I'd rather
>>see newer IPs than constantly returning to old stuff. Even without
>>the artistic change, there was a likelihood I'd have skipped this
>>game. This new style only makes that more of a certainty.
>>
>>I'll give Ron Gilbert - the designer - credit for this much, though;
>>he's ignoring his critics who are dismayed over the visuals; despite
>>the potential loss in sails made by his choice, he's sticking to his
>>guns and making the game /he/ wants to make. A lot of other developers
>>would have caved in to demand and changed back to a more traditional
>>style.
>>
>
>*--
>
>I just started The Secret of...after waiting seemingly forever for the
>credits to stop and that screenshot doesn't look a whole lot different
>than the initial start of the game.
>
>But, I don't trust the new crew! :-)

The "new crew" is the old crew, being led by Ron Gilbert, the guy who
created the original games.

Which doesn't necessarily mean the game will be good or anything that
will match player expectations; the goals and ideas of artists change
with time, and Gilbert may not want to create a clone of his earlier
"Monkey Island" games; his newest creation may be nothing like what
players expect. Or it may be... but there's no guarantee either way.

(It's not a movie, but a similar thing happened with Ridley Scott and
"Prometheus"; nominally a part of the Aliens franchise, it was tonally
and visually very different from the earlier movies. Just because the
creator is returning to a franchise doesn't mean he doesn't still want
to make something new)

On Tue, 19 Jul 2022 19:34:47 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
<spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Tue, 19 Jul 2022 16:50:31 -0600, PW
><iamnotusingonewithAgent@notinuse.com> wrote:
>
>>On Mon, 18 Jul 2022 19:45:04 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson
>><spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
>>>Monkey Island" adventure game?
>>>
>>>Well, actually, I know the answer to that question; yes, a lot of
>>>people dislike it (a lot of people love it too, and even more are
>>>ambivalent over the whole thing, because that's the Internet). But,
>>>you know, I meant, like "does anyone HERE dislike it. Other than me,
>>>obviously.
>>>
>>>If you're not familiar with the new style... well, here's an example
>>>https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uhWRNUhks63vCJ6Sff5ssj-1920-80.jpg.webp
>>>It's almost Picasso-esque, full of angles and flat shading; it's very
>>>stylized and quite unlike the cartoonish visuals of the earlier game.
>>>It's not just that it's changed that bugs me; I generally dislike that
>>>style in any sort of animation, preferring a rounder and more
>>>realistic appearance in general. But this version appears too much
>>>like a cheap Flash game from the mid 2000s.
>>>
>>>Of course, I'm not incredibly excited about the game's existence in
>>>the first place; as much as I enjoyed the earlier games, I'd rather
>>>see newer IPs than constantly returning to old stuff. Even without
>>>the artistic change, there was a likelihood I'd have skipped this
>>>game. This new style only makes that more of a certainty.
>>>
>>>I'll give Ron Gilbert - the designer - credit for this much, though;
>>>he's ignoring his critics who are dismayed over the visuals; despite
>>>the potential loss in sails made by his choice, he's sticking to his
>>>guns and making the game /he/ wants to make. A lot of other developers
>>>would have caved in to demand and changed back to a more traditional
>>>style.
>>>
>>
>>*--
>>
>>I just started The Secret of...after waiting seemingly forever for the
>>credits to stop and that screenshot doesn't look a whole lot different
>>than the initial start of the game.
>>
>>But, I don't trust the new crew! :-)
>
>
>The "new crew" is the old crew, being led by Ron Gilbert, the guy who
>created the original games.
>
>Which doesn't necessarily mean the game will be good or anything that
>will match player expectations; the goals and ideas of artists change
>with time, and Gilbert may not want to create a clone of his earlier
>"Monkey Island" games; his newest creation may be nothing like what
>players expect. Or it may be... but there's no guarantee either way.
>
>(It's not a movie, but a similar thing happened with Ridley Scott and
>"Prometheus"; nominally a part of the Aliens franchise, it was tonally
>and visually very different from the earlier movies. Just because the
>creator is returning to a franchise doesn't mean he doesn't still want
>to make something new)
>
*--

It will end up Woke, star BLM, Antifa and funded and privacy stolen by
communist china :-)

-pw

Am 19.07.22 um 01:45 schrieb Spalls Hurgenson:
> So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
> Monkey Island" adventure game?
Do I like it, well, dunnot, but in the end it is not that important the
game must be good.
I did not like the Artwork of MI3 either but the game was good, M4 had
an anrtwork I liked, the game was not good.
I always have a love hate relationship with this kind lets say cubistic
cartoon style which I have seen first in the cartoons of Genndy Tartakovsky.
But in the end it does not really matter.
I just wonder why Ron Gilbert is so surprised that many people simply do
not like this style.

On Mon, 18 Jul 2022 19:45:04 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
>Monkey Island" adventure game?
>
Artwork is fine by me. I always like artistic innovation, which is why I
also liked Zelda: The Wind Waker and it's cell shaded cartoony stuff,
while a very vocal community of Nintendo gamers hated it.

That it's the original Monkey Island is not okay with me. I have the DOS
version, the CD version, I've kitted them all out for SCUMMVM, and I also
have the Special Editions.

I don't see how such a dated game will succeed, but I certainly won't be
buying yet another copy of it.

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

On Wed, 20 Jul 2022 12:26:43 -0500, Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com>
wrote:

>On Mon, 18 Jul 2022 19:45:04 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
>Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
>>So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
>>Monkey Island" adventure game?
>>

>That it's the original Monkey Island is not okay with me. I have the DOS
>version, the CD version, I've kitted them all out for SCUMMVM, and I also
>have the Special Editions.

>I don't see how such a dated game will succeed, but I certainly won't be
>buying yet another copy of it.

I'm not sure what you mean. "Return to Monkey Island" is not the
original game revamped with new visuals, but a sequel. Being part of a
franchise, it will obviously share characters and settings with the
older games. Nominally it's a sequel to the second game ("LeChuck's
Revenge") as that's the last one Gilbert had direct involvement with,
but it will apparently reference characters and events from the later
games as well but its plot will be new and surely will feature new
locales and characters.

As to its gameplay, information is limited but some assumptions can be
made: it's going to be a third-person (side-view) point-n-click
adventure game, presumably with a simplified interface (e.g., it won't
use the original MI's "verb-object" system). Lots of dialogue and
oddball logic puzzles can be expected too. In other words, arguably
dated in its mechanics but modern in a technical sense.

I expect it will sell, but mostly out of nostalgia and not in any
great numbers (almost certainly more than enough to recoup its
development costs, however). Classic adventure games are fairly niche
these days, and have little draw amongst younger or casual gamers, so
I don't see "Return" resulting in a sudden resurgence for the genre.
But for the dedicated fans - mostly old-timers who grew up with those
older games - it will likely be popular enough to be considered a
success.

On Wed, 20 Jul 2022 15:40:43 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>I'm not sure what you mean. "Return to Monkey Island" is not the
>original game revamped with new visuals, but a sequel.

Oh, okay. The screenie you posted looked straight out of "Secret." I
presumed it was a remake.

I guess we're going back to the original island and the original blind
lookout for a thrilling new adventure then.

I'll probably pick it up for nostalgia's sake.

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

On Wed, 20 Jul 2022 16:00:17 -0500, Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com>

>Oh, okay. The screenie you posted looked straight out of "Secret." I
>presumed it was a remake.

I am not sure how I missed it but you are right. The screenshot Spalls
posted does really look straight out of the first scene from the
original game. The only real difference (besides the graphics
obviously) is that Guybrush is dressed like he was in the second game.

On 19/07/2022 00:45, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> I'll give Ron Gilbert - the designer - credit for this much, though;
> he's ignoring his critics who are dismayed over the visuals; despite
> the potential loss in sails made by his choice, he's sticking to his
> guns and making the game/he/ wants to make. A lot of other developers
> would have caved in to demand and changed back to a more traditional
> style.

I did briefly read about it and yes yet another case of a section of the
gaming community that think it's scandalous that games aren't made based
around what they personally want. It's one of my pet peeves, the amount
of people who can't just accept that this may not be the game for them
then. I did read a little exchange with someone complaining that they
couldn't understand how Desperados III got such good reviews. Their
reasoning, it didn't play like Commandos. That's some interesting
thought processes right there.

Didn't Gilbert basically say, well if you don't like it don't play it.

I supposed I should have commented on the graphics style, I quite like it.

On 7/18/2022 4:45 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
> Monkey Island" adventure game?
>
I never played any of the Monkey Island titles. I've looked at the
picture provided and didn't particularly like the style.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

> So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
> Monkey Island" adventure game?

Hate, no. But that art style definitely isn't the kind that makes me
want to part with my money. But still, I'll wait for some gameplay
video.

On Monday, July 18, 2022 at 4:45:14 PM UTC-7, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> So... does anyone else hate the art style of the upcoming "Return to
> Monkey Island" adventure game?
>
> Well, actually, I know the answer to that question; yes, a lot of
> people dislike it (a lot of people love it too, and even more are
> ambivalent over the whole thing, because that's the Internet). But,
> you know, I meant, like "does anyone HERE dislike it. Other than me,
> obviously.
>
> If you're not familiar with the new style... well, here's an example
> https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uhWRNUhks63vCJ6Sff5ssj-1920-80.jpg.webp
> It's almost Picasso-esque, full of angles and flat shading; it's very
> stylized and quite unlike the cartoonish visuals of the earlier game.
> It's not just that it's changed that bugs me; I generally dislike that
> style in any sort of animation, preferring a rounder and more
> realistic appearance in general. But this version appears too much
> like a cheap Flash game from the mid 2000s.
>
> Of course, I'm not incredibly excited about the game's existence in
> the first place; as much as I enjoyed the earlier games, I'd rather
> see newer IPs than constantly returning to old stuff. Even without
> the artistic change, there was a likelihood I'd have skipped this
> game. This new style only makes that more of a certainty.
>
> I'll give Ron Gilbert - the designer - credit for this much, though;
> he's ignoring his critics who are dismayed over the visuals; despite
> the potential loss in sails made by his choice, he's sticking to his
> guns and making the game /he/ wants to make. A lot of other developers
> would have caved in to demand and changed back to a more traditional
> style.

*shrug* It's fine. At least it's not the 3d cartoon bulky WoW style which really
turns me off.

- Justisaur