Oh Look! A Talking Monkey

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3dB0qEcG20[/youtube]

I love that intro music. Has to be one of the best and most recognised pieces of music in the gaming industry. If for some reason you have been hiding under a rock since 1990 and have no idea what Monkey Island is, then you, sir, fight like a cow! Okay, Im terrible at insults, sorry. I remember when I first heard this theme tune. I was about seven years old and was round at my grandparents’ house, bored out of my skull. I then heard my cousin go into the study and set his computer up. That’s when the toe tapping sound hit me, I had to investigate and see what wonder this was. My cousin had loaded up Secret of Monkey Island and was sat watching the intro play. He too was in love with the music. He let me try the game and told me how to get the fish from the seagull, release Otis from his prison cell and handle Elaine Marley’s deadly piranha poodles! We still talk about it today and how I fell in love with the series.

Guybrush Threepwood, mighty pirate has always been a fantastic protagonist for me. He reminds me very much of George Stobbart from the Broken Sword series with his wit, the ability to use useless items and (eventually) getting the girl. Guybrush has made me laugh so many times and I have to laugh when everyone gets his name wrong. How hard is it to remember Guybrush? Poor guy, I know the feeling! Many times I’ve been called Laura, Laurel, Louise! We have a connection. Except I don’t have an undead pirate wanting to kill me at every given opportunity. I doubt I would be able to thwart any evil pirate plans, that’s Guybrush’s area. LeChuck will always be a good villain cause the guy just doesn’t quit! He’s been a ghost, a demon, a zombie and human again. And none of this has stopped him in hunting down Sheepgood (Hee! love it when he mocks Guybrush!) or attempting to kidnap Elaine. Now Elaine Marley is Guybrush’s wife. Of course, she didnt start off as his wife. Guybrush had to win her over and what better way than by saving her? Elaine is a tough pirate woman and can handle herself, but when it comes to LeChuck, she is always getting kidnapped or dragged into his evil schemes to rule the Caribbean. Is a woman like that really worth that much trouble? The answer for Guybrush is yes. I do like Elaine because she is an intelligent woman, but she is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I guess if she didn’t get into trouble, then we wouldn’t have someone for Guybrush to fight for. So there would be no Monkey Island.

The Monkey Island series is one of those cult classics that never gets old and makes you pick your brain even more when trying to use a random item in a sticky situation. I was so happy when both Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge were remastered and released on Xbox LIVE Arcade. What was even better was the ability to toggle between the new graphics and those of the original! The old cutscene conversations looked great for their time and now look beautiful in comparison to the new animation art style. I played Secret of Monkey Island in the old graphics, just to bring back the memories of being a kid again and experincing the world of Ron Gilbert’s Monkey Island. The series is now on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, branching out to new generations of gamers. The games are still available for PC; I doubt that will ever change. Who knows how long Guybrush will continue to thwart LeChuck’s evil plans for Caribbean domination? How long before Elaine realises she is best locking herself up in her mansion and how long will it be till we meet Murray the evil talking skull and cowardly Otis again?

Oh! I need to use my favourite insult:

” You fight like a dairy farmer!”

“How appropriate. You fight like a cow!”