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Escape From Monkey Island




  developer LucasArts
  publisher LucasArts
  designer Sean Clark <br /> Michael Stemmle
  engine GrimE
  released 2000 <br /> 2001 ( PS2 )
  genre Adventure Game
  modes Single Player
  ratings ESRB : Teen (13+)
  platforms Macintosh , Windows , PlayStation 2
  media CD (2)
  requirements '''PC''': 200MHz processor, 32MB , PowerBook G3 , PowerMac or newer
  input Keyboard
  preceded By The Curse Of Monkey Island


''Escape from Monkey Island'' ('''''EFMI''''') is the fourth, and currently final, game in the '''' (''MI2''), and '' The Curse Of Monkey Island '' (''CMI''). ''EFMI'' was the second and last game to use the GrimE engine, which was upgraded from its first use in '' Grim Fandango ''.


STORY

The game begins with Guybrush Threepwood and Elaine Marley returning to Mêlée Island from their honeymoon, which they embarked on in the epilogue of ''CMI''. Here they find that Elaine has been declared officially dead, her position as governor has been revoked and her mansion is scheduled to be demolished. The governorship is up for election, and suddenly a person known as Charles L. Charles presents himself as the lead candidate.

Guybrush later meets again with three of his old 'friends', Meathook, Otis and Carla (see Minor Characters In Monkey Island ). Together they discover a conspiracy seeking to extinguish all pirates from the Caribbean , making the islands suited for tourism. LeChuck , the old arch nemesis of Guybrush, is once again involved, as well as the Australian Ozzie Mandrill . They seek the Ultimate Insult, a secret kept among monkeys on Monkey Island .


DETAILS

''EFMI'' used a slightly improved version of the GrimE engine introduced by ''Grim Fandango''. There is an in-game joke about the replacement of -oriented "Lua Bar." The IMUSE music system continued to be used, albeit with MP3 compression.

The game was also released on PlayStation 2 in 2001 . Apart from obvious control differences, the PS2 version only varies by a slightly higher polygon count and use of less pre-rendered material.

''EFMI'''s introductory music is identical to that of the third game, unlike the earlier sequels which featured newly-composed remixes of the well-known Monkey Island theme.


REACTION

Reactions towards the game were mixed. For some fans the change to 3D was seen as a bad move, and many felt that the game's look did not live up to the hand-drawn animation style of its predecessor. Some were also unhappy with the game's interface, which was only slightly modified from ''Grim Fandango'', whereas all previous ''Monkey Island'' titles had had a completely mouse-driven interface.

Some fans felt that the series had suffered an inappropriate change in atmosphere, particularly in the Jambalaya Island -part of the game, which many fans found to be profoundly depressing. The game's main plotline, about the vulgar commercialization and tourist-friendly remodeling of the fictional ''Monkey Island'' universe, was potentially an unpleasant experience to fans who'd come to enjoy the series' swashbuckling, escapist atmosphere. In-game locations clearly based on modern franchises, like "Planet Threepwood" and "Starbuccaneers", and the inclusion of things like giant robots and sushi bars, while often quite funny, were a departure from the more or less colonial-era Caribbean setting of the previous games.

Some fans were unhappy with the unveiling of Herman Toothrot 's identity, which actually creates a plot-hole in the series continuity. A small but vocal subgroup of fans of the first two games in the series took offense when the "Secret" of Monkey Island, as apparently revealed in the fourth game, did not match their own ideas about what that "secret" might or might not be.

In spite of these points, some long-time fans of the series were delighted to see locations and characters from the first game updated in 3D, and found the game a satisfying and humorous experience overall.


TRIVIA

  • The SCUMM bar gets changed to the Lua bar, a reference to the fact that ''EFMI'' uses a new engine that was programmed with the Lua Programming Language .

  • In the Mysts of Time, Guybrush receives a gun from his future self. He can then use it to shoot his future self. "I guess gun owners really are five times more likely to shoot themselves," comments Guybrush. This creates a paradox, and Guybrush goes back to the beginning of the scene.

  • Also in the Mysts of time, Guybrush receives a rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle of it. This is an homage to the original Monkey Island game.

  • Guybrush can approach a cliff side by the Governor's Mansion and will have the option of jumping off the cliff; he will walk to the edge shout: "Goodbye cruel adventure game!", then step back and say, "Eh, forget it."

  • At one point you have to go to a coffee shop called Starbuccaneer's, a parody of the real world Starbucks .

  • Monkey Kombat , a feature in the third act of the game is a parody of '' Mortal Kombat '', a famous line of fighting games.

  • Additionally Guybrush's Monkey Kombat victory dance appears to be modelled after the dance moves of Michael Jackson .

  • Prior to release of the game, there was an easter egg that let the user make Guybrush fart.

  • An easter egg in the game let the user play pong using Murrary the Skull as the ball.



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