Secret of Monkey Island remake drops anchor July 15

  • By Matthew Peters, GameSpot
  • Posted Jul 6, 2009 1:00 pm PT

LucasArts announces rework of franchise progenitor will hit XBL, Steam on July 15; another platform may be announced "very, very soon."

Publisher LucasArts revealed today it would bring a bit of the Star Wars universe to the Steam network with 10 of its PC titles going live this Wednesday, including Star Wars Battlefront II and Star Wars Republic Commando. In the publisher's same announcement, it also revealed it would bring a revamped version of the progenitor of the Monkey Island universe, The Secret of Monkey Island, online on July 15.

Graphics redrawn. The old version on the right, with the reworked special edition on the left.

The publisher announced that the 1990 action adventure reboot would be released on Xbox Live, Steam, "and other online distribution channels." LucasArts also "may have another platform announcement to make very, very soon" for the game, according to producer Craig Derrick in an interview with UK daily The Guardian posted on June 29. The release of The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition will come about a week after the release of another franchise game, Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 1: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal. That game will be available for PC download on Tuesday.

As outlined in GameSpot's preview, the game features several major changes, including revamped high-res hand-painted art, "close-up" cutscenes during dialogue scenes, full-speech voice acting, and a brand-new score recorded from live instruments. The special edition also allows players to revert the graphics to nostalgically look exactly like the original game's, with pixelated characters and noiseless dialogue.

Check out the video below to see an E3 demo of the upcoming game.

40 Comments

  • oskuuu

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 7:37 pm PT

    okay its july 15 here... drop the anchor already! pretty please =)

  • Contelis

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 4:37 pm PT

    you fight like a dairy farmer!

  • RedneckGamer87

    Posted Jul 8, 2009 10:52 pm PT

    Finallly.... I'm exited to play the game once again!!!

  • charma

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 8:48 pm PT

    When you walk off that cliff in the original you get the classic "death screen" from the Sierra games. Then it says, just kidding! and puts you back.

  • oskuuu

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 8:25 pm PT

    can't wait to play this game "again" =)

  • caketoo

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 4:15 pm PT

    A vast ye matey! indeed

  • kca89

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 2:48 pm PT

    Forgot to add to my other post...

    Not only would I also like to see Loom remade on top of this, but I would also see old Indiana Jones games like the Fate of Atlantis and some of the other Monkey Island titles remade and/or released as their original selves. I would easily pick up all of them because they all were great games.

  • robdar602

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 2:46 pm PT

    WooHoo!! Now if only EA would put American McGee's ALICE onto the 360. That would be AWESOME!

  • meateater79

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 12:00 pm PT

    It'll most likely be 800. I'll probably get this, since it's been so long that I touched the original that I probably won't remember how the story goes.

  • mr_laurie

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 11:39 am PT

    Ooh I'm shaking, I'm shaking.... =)

  • raheeldad

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 10:58 am PT

    bring it on

  • Autolycus

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 8:29 am PT

    Everyone should get this CLASSIC adventure game...yes even you need young pups that seem to ruin everything good in life...

  • CaseyMJones

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 8:23 am PT

    This is a great idea and it looks like they're doing it with the TLC that the project deserves . Hopefully other classics like Grim Fandango etc. will get the same treatment in the future.

  • il0x0li

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 7:54 am PT

    I'm really very excited and cant wait for this because i cant play the original and everyone (including my dad ) has told me how great it is.
    @wickenheiser. I want to play Grim Fandango also.

  • wickenheiser

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 7:25 am PT

    Now if only they would bring back Grim Fandango and make available on XBLA - that would be sweet!

  • Excedra posted Jul 7, 2009 4:13 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Excedra

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 4:13 am PT (hide)

    The graphics are so 2001.

  • Irve

    Posted Jul 7, 2009 2:11 am PT

    @kca89
    what ??
    400 points ?
    what is this 2005 ??
    this will be 1200 points ..
    in fact i'm affraid they will try and slap a 1600 point tag on future games
    XBLA is getting too expensive ... we need more arcade hits and the 1200 point games should be 600 points when they go on there.

  • Nicksonman

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 10:28 pm PT

    Hopefully there'll be new puzzles cause I know all of the solutions.

  • JackfnBurton

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 8:00 pm PT

    Well I like secrets. I like islands. And who doesn't love monkeys? I'm in!

  • Undernet01

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 7:06 pm PT

    yes yes omg yes

  • Trixxstrr

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 6:51 pm PT

    woo! Can't wait!

  • peachka2

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 5:59 pm PT

    Ask me about Grim Fandango

  • Microwin

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 5:36 pm PT

    oooh, I'm downloading them as soon as they come out!! I hope their server won't be weak.

  • sTyLnK

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 5:30 pm PT

    His neck is so long in the reworked edition. Looks like an ostrich. lol

  • brianpoetzel

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 4:25 pm PT

    Oh man, Loom. That brings back memories. I loved that game.

  • kca89

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 4:09 pm PT

    I loved the original game back in the day. I'll probably pick it up if its only 400MS points. Don't really think its worth anymore than that even though I like the game. Would be nice to see remakes of other old LucasArts classics like Loom.

  • mvlbr

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 3:41 pm PT

    I remember playing Monkey Island on an old Packard Bell computer with a 386 processor that my parents had bought at Price Club (to those who don't know it was a competing company to Costco before they got bought out by Costco). BTW I had purchased the game at Software ETC another store that went away and eventually became Gamestop. Good times

  • BloodMist

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 3:37 pm PT

    Goin back to the days where games actually meant something...can't wait.

  • thief_ac

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 3:24 pm PT

    Best adventure game A great news for nostalgic video gamers. Can't wait for it!

  • KillTheGrimace

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 2:34 pm PT

    Oh my god, this is great news! The Monkey Island games were funny as hell.

  • tuna_leg

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 2:26 pm PT

    yeah it's coming next week!!! this is probably my all time fave game

  • jazzyrider

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 2:10 pm PT

    Nice! Hoping to play Tales of Monkey Island tomorrow!

  • luis1972

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 2:09 pm PT

    Awesome to hear about LucasArts adventures. Now, if only Sierra can do the same...

  • Morlunnis

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 1:58 pm PT

    Look behind you! A three-headed monkey!

  • ChidoriBoyU

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 1:49 pm PT

    @land-0-funk lol but everyone has opinions

  • strahd01

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 1:48 pm PT

    More XBLA classics! Were are the sierra games the simon the sorcerers the rex nebulars!

  • Land-0-Funk

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 1:47 pm PT

    i really really hate your opinion...can't wait!!!

  • ChidoriBoyU posted Jul 6, 2009 1:42 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    ChidoriBoyU

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 1:42 pm PT (hide)

    i really really hate this game

  • konradak

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 1:27 pm PT

    Sweet

  • Fandango_Letho

    Posted Jul 6, 2009 1:07 pm PT

    I wished for so many years to have Guybrush back. It's been nine years since Escape of the Monkei Island.

    And now, we gate Tales and Secret. * tears *

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