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Good but not excellent-and stop trying to be funny, damn it!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: January 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

OK, Monkey Island series have got to be one of the best adventure games ever(too bad that no one makes good adventure games anymore). Well, the fourth installment of the series seems to me like bunch of "wanna be" Monkey island stuff put together. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game. I LOVE the voice acting and music in the game; and I still like the characters (especially Murray!!). But the more I played the game, the more I felt as if makers of this game were trying way too hard to be funny to live up to what fans of MI have come to expect.

This game also has lots of bugs. In one part, I could not get out of a conversation because the game won't let me. I got stuck there until I found out from LucasArts website that there's nothing I can do about it. I ended up having to go back to where I had saved earlier and went over the same thing again (this is why you should save your game often, unfortunately).

You have to move Guybrush just right in the right position to get the right options appear on the bottom of the screen - this makes it very easy to miss important items. Then there's the stupid way of having to choose it. It is very annoying. Controls (which is very similar to Grim Fandango - if you haven't played GF, it is a must have game) are clumsy and confusing, but it is functional once you get used to it. It works for Grim Fandango, but it doesn't work for this game. I want the classic "point and click" back! I also hate having to continue to sit and watch guybrush run from point A to point B - I wish there was a better way than having to hold down directional buttom while I see the same scenery for the 20th time.

The puzzles are not bad. I actually enjoyed it until towards the end where you have to do some kind of baboon fight or something. Now, this is just stupid.

Overall, if you are a fan of MI, you should already have this game. Even if you are not, still you should definately give it a try for it is a good game. It is just not out of this world kind of game (it doesn't compare to the 2nd and 3rd MI - LeChuck's revenge/ Curse). I know I've been very negative about the game, but it is still a very good game. It has excellent voice acting, good story line and wonderful music. I'm just waiting for the 5th one to be made and hope that it'll go back to the original roots.

No really, when's the fourth Monkey Island coming out?

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: June 29, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I'm sure I was like every other fan of the Monkey Island series ..., ready to immerse myself in its latest chapter. What I got ...was a fantastic letdown.

First of all, I have to say I'm a little jaded; Curse (number 3 in the series) is a beautiful, funny, well-written game and arguably the best of the bunch. And in my opinion, the translation to the third dimension fails in every respect. Where is the sense of romance and atmosphere that was so wonderfully conjured in the previous game? The rich, lucious (if computer-dealt) painstrokes, the deep colors, and the caricatrued backgraounds and cast-members? It's all been replaced with low-poly, poorly animated, poorly designed 3D blandness that shapes up to be a major disapointment.

In fact, it's completely devoid of anything that would make it feel like a Monkey Island game. Here again, I think the translation to 3D is entirely to blame. ....With the implementation of the movement arrows, the challenge is no longer in the logic or puzzles area, it's now getting from points A to B. Remember clicking on a guy across the screen to go talk to him? A thing of the past! Make way for a pointless, ugly 3D engine which requires the player to navigate obstacles (most of which actually turn Guybrush in the opposite direction upon contact), make sure the character is looking in the right direction, and then talk to the guy, only to hear five minutes of uninspired dialogue.

Perhaps this would not have been such a monumental disappointment if the maps were laid out well. The whole game seems like it is restricted by the engine: rooms are no longer filled with interesting articles; now simple tables and chairs line the walls in completely monotonous fashion because that's the way it's done in a 3D space. Characters are no longer cartoons; they're horribly disfigured lumps of spheres and cylinders. The entire style of the series is altogether absent, save a few swirly clouds and skewed walls, poor atempts at recreation of once beautiful design. It is the epitome of 3D for the sake of 3D.

The voice acting is all similarly disapointing, but I believe this stems from another huge weekness: the screenplay. Not once did I find myself caring about a character or wondering what was next in store for him or her, not once did I feel like sitting through dialogue (which is your only option, as it is impossible to skip it), and most offensive of all, not once did I find myself laughing. This is the most serious blow to the game; it's not funny.

Throw in some ... logicless puzzles and a few far-reatching references to the previous games (which are the only jokes that are remotely humorous, perhaps sheerly for nostalgia) and you have yourself Escape from Monkey Island, whose only redeeming value is a guy named Guybrush Threepwood that I vaguely remember once being funny. Would that there were a 1.5 star ranking.

Best of the bunch

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: October 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

"Escape From Monkey Island" has the distinction of being the very first PC game i ever played, and finished. From the very beginning, it draws you into it's wacky world of pirates (living and undead), and it keeps you glued to the PC until you've unlocked all the mysteries to be found. It's not the hardest game to master, but in all honesty...you stick with it because it's always entertaining and different. I've since played the other MI games, and this is by far the best one....it has just the right mixture of sarcastic humor, and unique puzzle solving. Highly recommended.

a GREAT game! .. but hard to sell :(

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I absolutely loved this game!
The characters, the music, the art, the dialog .. it's all just done so amazingly well.
The worst part about it for me was when it ended .. I just wanted it to keep going.
I really, really hope they make another one.

Unfortunately a game like this is not easy to sell to the general gaming public. It's hard to advertise to people what is so great about it and because of that I would imagine that it's difficult to sell many copies.
I can only guess about the outrageous number of hours and the extreme amount of effort that must have gone into making this game.
I don't know how many copies have sold, but I don't think it's nearly enough to make up for the amount of work that went into it.

If you can manage to do so, I recommend playing all the other monkey island games first (in order) to really immerse yourself in the Monkey Island world.
Monkey Island 1 and 2 are pretty old so don't expect to be impressed with graphics or sound but they're both still great fun.
Monkey Island 3 (The Curse of Monkey Island) is a more recent release that is comparable to this game in quality .. even without the 3D graphics .. it too is a great game!

Escape from Monkey Island, tops all other Monkey Islands

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 12
Date: May 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I played the Curse of Monkey island - it was great! It was so much fun, that I went and bought Monkey Island 2, not as good because it was made for old computer system with large pixels. I thought no other game could beat the excitement of the Curse of Monkey Island, until...I played Escape from Monkey Island. Not only is it like the amazing game of the Curse of Monkey Island, it is much better and has 3D graphics. You will have a great time with this game as you, Guybrush Threepwood have your journey as you ESCAPE from MONKEY ISLAND! This game is A+++! Excellent!!...I also recommend Grim Fandango!

Arggggg! Be ye lookin' for a great computer game?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 29, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Well you've found one! Actually, you've found one of four! The Monkey Island games are by far THE best games that you could possibly find if you're lookin' for hillarious tounge in cheek humor and a great challenge. The fourth installment in this classic series promises to be one of the best; with blood thirsty pirates, insult arm-wrestling, schmear wizz, and a giant monkey head, all rendered in wonderful 3-D! If you're an old fan of the series or even a newcomer, ye sure to be lovin' Escape from Monkey Island!

Gimme Me Booty!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 01, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Escape from Monkey Island is the forth game in the Monkey Island series which started out in 1990. With each new release of each Moneky Island sequel, there was always something new and fun to do. for example, in the third release : Curse of Monkey Island, the hero Guybrush Threepwood went for a complete make over to become a goofy, lanky, lovable pirate in a long interactive animated cartoon. Escape from Monkey Island is no exception. It has something new to offer for everyone.

Let's start with the storyline. It continues from Curse of Monkey Island where Guybrush and Elaine returns from their honeymoon to find out that they were pronuced "dead". Apart from that, Melee Island was about to be taken over by a villian Charles. L. Charles (For die-hard Monkey Island fans, no prizes for guess who that is). The plot thickens when an Australian real-estate tycoon buys over the Tri-Island Area and turns it into a tourist spot. And somehow, all this seems to be linked to a voodo artifact- The Ultimate Insult, in which Guybrush has to find out.

What I liked about this game as with all other Monkey Island games is its humour. The game makers pokes fun at today's hip and happenin' culture, for example, on one of the island there is a guy called Hugo selling perfumes. Apart from that, its wicked usages of puns will here you brusting with laughter-perfect for anyone who is feeling down.

The music: Let me say this- it is fantastic. Although most of it is repeated from Curse of Monkey Island, the music really puts you in a tropical mood to sail around the Caribbean.

The voice acting: The actors has done a pretty good job doing the voice acting for the characters, bringing them to life!

The graphics: Escape from Monkey Island is different from all other Monkey Island game because it is in gorgeous 3D. That means you have to have a 3D acclerator card to play this game. The way the game designers took time to model the 3D areas really pays off, the graphics are "smooth" and bright and beautiful to look at.

What I dislike about this game is its controls and some of the puzzles. The game interface is difficult to master and to have Guybrush lined up in a particular manner, e.g to enter a room,is frustrating. Another thing with this game is that if you accidentally have Guybrush stand to close to a door he may enter the room automatically, which a again is frustrating as you may not want him to enter the room.

Some of the puzzles in the game makes no sense. It will have you tearing out your hair when you can't solve it. For example, you have to cause a parrot by giving it beer so that it can help you solve the puzzle. How logical can that be ?

Overall, this is a fun game to play although it does have some illogical and difficult puzzles to solve that will dampen your mood. However, it is worth your every cent to get it if you are looking for something new to play.

Played the demo, Ready for the game!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: October 17, 2000
Author: Amazon User

For all of you that are chomping at the bit to see this game, play the demo first. It takes a little getting use to but it is very enjoyable. It will give you a small glimpse,(I mean a very small glimpse, It took me longer to download that to finish it),but it will give you a good idea of how great this game will be. I am an avad adventure game player and have missed seeing more of them. This game brings back some great memories of some very long days and nights of puzzle solving and belly laughs.

Great advancement to last "Monkey Island"

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: June 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game. To start, if you liked the last monkey island, you have to love this one. The diffirence between this and the last game, "The Cuse of Monkey Island, is, it's mainly in 3D with 2D backrounds, better story (plenty of laughs), and it's a great wrap up to it's preccedors. Yet it's worst downfall, is that the puzzles are almost impossible to solve alone. (I needed complete online assistance to beat it) And if you have a slow computer, you can't view the cinematic clips (it skips through the images) Also, make sure that you have a 3D acceleration card, or else the game won't work.

A delicious little tidbit

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Escape to Monkey Island is the last in the Monkey Island series and it is a follow up to the Curse of Monkey Island in which Guybrush and Elaine were married. In this game, trouble is afoot. The Governor's mansion is being torn down, LeChuck is back and he is looking for a vile vodoo talisman called the Ultimate Insult. This horrific weapon will make anyone's soul a permanent egoless lump of goop. Help Guybrush to oust this wicked demon pirate and save Elaine. I gave this game a 4 because at one point the game froze and some of the puzzles like finding Tiny Lafeet's hat, the boulder puzzle, and the Matrimonial Lava Plunge were pretty annoying. Overall, this is a pretty good game.

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