Information AboutManiac Mansion |
''Maniac Mansion'' is a graphical Adventure Game originally released in 1987 by Lucasfilm Games (now known as LucasArts ). ''Maniac Mansion'' has become known among Video Game Player s and programmers for its highly-acclaimed Gameplay and its introduction of new ideas into gaming, including multiple possible endings, multiple user-selectable characters with significantly different abilities, and critical clues contained in numerous Cut Scene s. PLOT SUMMARY At the start of the game, the hero, Dave Miller, finds that his girlfriend, Sandy Pantz, has been abducted by Dr. Fred Edison, and sets out to save her, with two of his friends. The player could select the friends from a group of six, and the game would play somewhat differently depending on which friends were selected. The game was clearly a parody of the Horror B-movie genre, featuring a secret lab, leftover tentacles, and an Evil Mastermind . ''Maniac Mansion'' was notable for its multiple possible endings, depending on which characters the player used (and which ones survived) and what those characters did. For instance, you can send the adversary off into space, or have him arrested by the Meteor Police, or make him famous by having his autobiography published. The game was somewhat notorious for featuring famous ' for which there was no fuel, despite many wishful rumours to the contrary. In one of the in-jokes that are a hallmark of the LucasArts adventure games, the second SCUMM game, '' Zak McKracken And The Alien Mindbenders '', contains some fuel "for chainsaws only", but no chainsaw. Plus, in a later remake of the Maniac Mansion game, the heroes can read a poster of the Zak McKracken game in the arcade room, and say "I wonder what was the use of the gas can on Mars?". In another reference, the entire game is contained within its sequel, '' Day Of The Tentacle '', on a computer in the bedroom of one of the characters. Another is the staircase in the library (with a sign, 'staircase out of order') that appears to be a puzzle, but in fact there is no way to fix it or cross it (to fix it, a saw to procure some wood planks would have been needed...). ''Maniac Mansion'' was also the first game to feature Chuck The Plant (found in the library); Chuck is later found in just about every other LucasArts adventure game, and several games by other publishers. OTHER CHARACTERS Unlike most adventure games, ''Maniac Mansion'' had several possible playable characters. The player controls Dave and two other characters, chosen from six additional characters, each of whom has their own distinct skills and quirks:
Dave, however, has no special talents of any kind on his own, and is only required on account of being Sandy's boyfriend. In addition to the playable characters, Doctor Fred and Sandy, a number of other colorful characters (metaphorically and literally) populate the mansion in the ''Maniac Mansion'' games.
VERSIONS AND PORTS The game was originally released for the Commodore 64 and was the first game to use the SCUMM engine, allowing relatively quick Port s to other platforms. ''Maniac Mansion'' was ported to the PC with EGA graphics in 1988 (though it was also compatible with CGA graphics). The project leader was Ron Gilbert , and the game was designed by Gilbert and Gary Winnick . The game was scripted by Ron Gilbert and David Fox . Versions for the Apple II , Amiga , and Atari ST computers were also released. In s, eventually becoming widely available on several websites. In the essay, Crockford details the arguably Absurdist policy Nintendo held in the early 1990s regarding its videogames; essentially, the policy held that all videogames had to be completely family oriented, and could not contain anything that anyone could find offensive in any way (such as religious references, foul language, violence, or sexuality). Jaleco had released an uncensored version of the game for the Famicom in Japan two years earlier; this version, however, featured vastly inferior graphics, with simplified non-scrolling backgrounds (many of the rooms, which featured elaborate details such as photographs and wallpaper patterns in Western versions of the game, were here presented as solid-colored screens devoid of anything except objects necessary to complete the game) and characters redrawn in a more cartoony, Super Deformed style (apparently an attempt to make the game more palatable to Japanese audiences; many of the characters ended up looking like blocks with faces). However, this version used excessively long passwords which were 104 characters long to save progress. In 2004 , a free 256-colour fan-made remake entitled ''Maniac Mansion Deluxe'' was released by a group called LucasFan Games . The company as well as the website are down, but the game is available for download at Abandonia Reloaded . There was also a Sitcom of the same name, very loosely based on the game, which aired from 1990 to 1993 on YTV in Canada and The Family Channel in the United States. In the series, Dr. Fred Edison ( Joe Flaherty ) is a scientist with a meteor in his basement which has turned his four-year-old son Turner ( George Buza ) into a very large man and his brother-in-law Harry (John Hemphill) into a fly with a human head. Rounding out the cast were Fred's wife Casey (Deborah Theaker), their other children Tina ( Kathleen Robertson ) and Ike (Avi Phillips), and Harry's wife Idella (Mary Charlotte Wilcox). Much of the cast and crew, including creator Eugene Levy , were alumni of SCTV and as a result the two shows share a similar style of comedy. An interesting notation: ''Maniac Mansion'', although including many horror/'', '' Monkey Island ''), or an alternate version of reality ('' Sam And Max ''). REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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