Secret of Monkey Island for Xbox 360?

By Robert Purchese Published 20 May, 2009

German ratings board reckons so.

LucasArts may be revamping The Secret of Monkey Island for Xbox 360.

German ratings board USK listed a Special Edition of the game for the console yesterday, although the database has since broken, helpfully. Still, GamerBytes managed to take a picture before everything went wonky.

Activision, LucasArts' European distributor, told us it couldn't comment on "rumour and speculation".

The Secret of Monkey Island was made by Tim Schafer, Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman back in 1990. It was funny and brilliant.

An XBLA revamp would hardly be out of the question and also most welcome, although we wonder what the Special Edition parts could entail.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (46) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • quantumsheep #1 3 years ago

    \o/

  • udat #2 3 years ago

    This might work better on the Wii, what with the pointer.

    Still... awesome game. For the right price I would buy this*


    *again!

  • Monkey_Puncher #3 3 years ago

    I'd jizz in my pants!

  • Aggesan #4 3 years ago

    This would be nice, but I doubt it will happen. Also, ever tried playing a point-and-click game with a controller stick? It's terrible, absolutely terrible. When you have to scan the whole screen for that particular pixel that will advance you in the story, it's a damn irritating job to do with a 360/ps3 controller. I would prefer if this game came to Wii instead, even though I don't have one. It's just a platform better suited for this kind of game.

    Oh, and completely redrawn graphics are a must. It was only a couple of weeks ago I played The Secret of Monkey Island again, and the graphics simply don't hold up today. No speech, 200x320 resolution, limitid midi sound and music. No, a whole remake is what we need...
    But why not make a completely new Monkey Island instead then?

  • midnight_walker #5 3 years ago

    I'm playing Beneath A Steel Sky right now (don't tell my boss!), and while it's hardly mind-blowing, I'd say the graphics still hold up. Mind you, Scumm games will always hold a special place in my heart, so perhaps it's just nostalgia talking. Whatever, if this was released even with the same old graphics I'd buy it. But I think they'll redo it. It's not a 'special edition' for nothing. Agreed that Wii would be a better choice if it is true point n' click though.

  • chrisno21 #6 3 years ago

    I finished playing Escape from Monkey Island recently on PS2 so this would be great. Can't beat the original, who cares about the visuals, but voicework would be nice.

  • dsmx #7 3 years ago

    My brain tells me they're testing to see if there is a demand for this kind of game, which leads me to think if it sells well monkey island will return.

  • Malek86 #8 3 years ago

    Cool. Maybe it will be a total remake. If they remade it with a Grim Fandango-esque control style, there would be no need for the pointer, and the joypad will do just fine.

  • Wastelander #9 3 years ago

    Grim Fandango had the worst controls in the world!

  • TheBard #10 3 years ago

    How appropriate. You fight like a cow.

  • Malek86 #11 3 years ago

    Wastelander: Grim Fandango was just fine. Sure, they should have put some lines that told you what you were looking at everytime, but that happened with MI4 (unfortunately, MI4 sucked for other reasons).

  • BigE0n #12 3 years ago

    Maybe it will support the new xbox fluid camera, via the gesture controls, using you finger to move the mouse pointer, would be a good idea for these sorts of games (like using the wii mote would)

  • Domovoi #13 3 years ago

    Also, ever tried playing a point-and-click game with a controller stick? It's terrible, absolutely terrible. When you have to scan the whole screen for that particular pixel that will advance you in the story, it's a damn irritating job to do with a 360/ps3 controller.

    Who says they're going to use the same control scheme as the original?

    Anyway, instant buy.
    Edited by 1 at 20/05/09 @ 12:47

  • homerramone #14 3 years ago

    Secret of Monkey Island would be cool. I might even have to break my 1200 pt boycott for that...

    Grim Fandango on the other hand.. I would almost certainly have to break it for that...

    So the boycott is probably very safe :-)

  • Aggesan #15 3 years ago

    @midnight_walker

    Funny coincidense, I'm playing Beneeth a Steel Sky at moment. ISn't it sweet that it's free for download now? :-)
    Anyway, there's a huge leap in graphics between the first Monkey Island game and Beneeth a Steel sky. The resolution is higher, there's a lot more detail in both the backgrounds and in the characters, and it has voices acting. It was actually the first point-and-click adventure game to have recorded voices.

  • coomber #16 3 years ago

    I'd rather see another sequel.

    I am rubber, you are glue.

  • b00n #17 3 years ago

    SE! DLC with extra costumes and monkeys for a sweet low price of 800 points. Why not on the Wii also.

  • Olemak #18 3 years ago

    Bring on the full remake. Update everything, even the fabled combat mechanics. Full 3D, full voice acting, loose the point and click... I mean it. If you want point and click, play the original. The core concepts of this game, the humor and the characters and even the story would be a great starting point for a modern day game with "real" action segments, platforming bits and treasure hunting. Bring it on please.

    They do the same thing for movies, which are usually reviled by the audience of the original, but it is about bringing the Monkey Island (And Steel Sky, and Fate of Atlantis, And Grim Fandango, and Full Throttle, and Tentacle and all the other epics in case I forgot one) to a new audience and a new generation of players. They deserve it. And I deserve it too. Bionic Commando is a good example of an updated franchise. Bur rather than making some sort of sequel, I think the reboot/remake route is better, for Monkey Island and countless other gems of gaming history.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #19 3 years ago

    YES YES YES YES YES

    PLEASE do this. I'll buy it even if they fuck it up with 3D graphics and voice acting, but if they just give the original an HD lick of paint and release it on XBLA I'll buy it twice.*

    Edit: no offence to anyone who DOES want a 3D remake, BTW, but I basically just want the original Monkey Island in a form I can play peacefully. I'd be even happier if they released it on Steam, TBH.

    *Okay, I'll only buy it the once, but I'll love LucasArts and MS forever and ever.**

    **Technically, it would be the second time I'd bought it anyway, so I suppose I will have bought it twice.
    Edited by 2 at 20/05/09 @ 14:14

  • el_pollo_diablo #20 3 years ago

    Please bring this to PSN.

    Please Please Please.

  • Quickstick4 #21 3 years ago

    I hope its kept exactly the way it was. I still have the original PC version of this game (Doesn't work on Vista without the blessed DosBox). The graphics are really nice, the music the style everything.

    I hope if they do re-vamp it, they do it how Rare planned the goldeneye one: HD option, but also the ability to play it retro style.

    I loved this game (even if it was infuriating as hell at points, the amount of times my 7 year old self was shouting at the computer "WHAT DO I DO NOW!!???!!?";) and would love to play it with out the music popping all the time from dosbox emulation.

  • geeza2020 #22 3 years ago

    ahhh i can hear those steel drums already....... and Murray, wahey!!!

  • Domovoi #23 3 years ago

    Best thing about a revamp: 5.1 mix of the Monkey Island theme. Worth 1200 points by itself.

    Anyway, ScummVM has some interesting filtering options for upscaling to higher resolutions, with a bit of effort they could make this look pretty neat on 720i. The cartoony look helps.

  • space_ace #24 3 years ago

    hi, i want to be a pirate on the xbox

  • LeChuckie #25 3 years ago

    I want an Xbox!

  • JonFE #26 3 years ago

    If this is actually true, along with the inclusion of Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis as a bonus on Wii's Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, could it be that LucasArts finally came to its senses and realised that adventure games can be revived?
    Edited by 1 at 20/05/09 @ 14:02

  • Ryze #27 3 years ago

    BIG!

  • RedSparrows #28 3 years ago

    The Wii gets Fate of Atlantis?

    BASTARDS

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #29 3 years ago

    See, now I want Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings. Think I'll go tap up LucasArt's PR department...

    Incidentally, seeing as everyone in the world agrees that the best thing LucasArts have ever done are their 90s adventures, I'm amazed it's taken them this long to finally get around to re-releasing them, or even exploiting them at all.

  • kangarootoo #30 3 years ago

    I think its important to make a dictinction between a bad idea, and a badly implemented idea.


    "When you have to scan the whole screen for that particular pixel that will advance you in the story, it's a damn irritating job to do with a 360/ps3 controller"

    There is nothing really that bad about controlling a pointer with a stick (its not ideal I agree, however). In the example above what we are really saying is that the target area is too damn small. Nobody should be having to select a tiny active area, be it with a mouse pointer or a stick controlled one.


    "Grim Fandango had the worst controls in the world!"

    Again, Grim Fandango was simply a bad implementation of a direct control system. Such a system can work fine in an adventure game, and could work fine in a Moneky Island game... just so long as the direct control system was implemented properly AND was taken into consideration when building the environments.


    I would really like to see MI on a console, but its success would depend on the amount of work put into the port. If it were no better than running the same thing under ScummVM on a chipped XB, I would be a little diappointed. If however, it were rebuilt for the platform and the controls, it would definitely be a buy for me.

  • andywilkie35 #31 3 years ago

    One of those games that I never played but have always said I'd buy if it came to XBLA/PSN/VC

    And its here!

  • Optimaximal #32 3 years ago

    Sadly, all you people requesting upgraded graphics and a talkie version will just be disappointed when the voices aren't as expected and the graphics have stripped any and all charm from the game...

    Also, the guy requesting an update to the combat mechanics? What the fuck? <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_from_mon key_island#Monkey_Kombat'>They tried that already</a> and it was horse shit.

  • brappbrap #33 3 years ago

    Grim Fandango! My favourite ever game. It would work excellently on the 360 as well because you controlled Manny like any other third person game. Instabuy if it was released on XBLA.

  • AgentCool #34 3 years ago

    If this is true, they HAVE to re-release Grim Fandango. I love the Monkey Island games but Grim Fandango is on another level. It's an absolute masterpiece and one of the greatest games ever made but unfortunately it had the misfortune of being played by hardly anyone.

  • CallousB #35 3 years ago

    It's quite confusing why it's taking them so long to exploit their back catalogue.

    I never understood why they didn't port their Super Star Wars games to the GBA...or why they didn't port their point and click games to the DS....and for that matter why they haven't they put their SNES/N64 games on the virtual console.

    So much money left on the table.

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #36 3 years ago

    MI2 was the best. They moved up to hand drawn, scanned graphics and it made all the difference. MI4 was ruined by the fact that it was 3D and non-mouse, absolutely ruined. MI3 is really the sort of thing they should be aiming for in both graphics (although I preferred the look of Guybrush in 2) and controls.

    Update MI to that sort of thing and I'll be very happy.

  • dsmx #37 3 years ago

    I thought MI3 was the best one because it refined the interface to a point where it was simple yet it did everything you needed it to. M12 was good as well but the third one was a much better game.

  • gaselite #38 3 years ago

    Doesn't anyone else think that if the Monkey Island games got a re-release on Steam tomorrow they'd probably do really well?

  • FooAtari #39 3 years ago

    Olemak

    Bring on the full remake. Update everything, even the fabled combat mechanics. Full 3D, full voice acting, loose the point and click... I mean it. If you want point and click, play the original. The core concepts of this game, the humor and the characters and even the story would be a great starting point for a modern day game with "real" action segments, platforming bits and treasure hunting. Bring it on please.

    They do the same thing for movies, which are usually reviled by the audience of the original, but it is about bringing the Monkey Island (And Steel Sky, and Fate of Atlantis, And Grim Fandango, and Full Throttle, and Tentacle and all the other epics in case I forgot one) to a new audience and a new generation of players. They deserve it. And I deserve it too. Bionic Commando is a good example of an updated franchise. Bur rather than making some sort of sequel, I think the reboot/remake route is better, for Monkey Island and countless other gems of gaming history.

    No. They will fuck it up, as they do with most film remakes. Very very few are better than the original.

    Just bringing MI out on Live will bring it to a new audience and generation of players who have never played it.

  • esperanto #40 3 years ago

    This may be the best news this year - just finished The Broken Sword Directors Cut on DS so would be well up the what is the finest example of a point and click adventure EVER*

    *Aside from SoMIII of course:)

  • XdarXideX #41 3 years ago

    Oh please god let this be true!

  • Pulsar_t #42 3 years ago

    Umm.. ScummVM DS rings a bell? :p

  • ricpamiwor #43 3 years ago

    Combine it with the following story and I'm even more excited!!

    http://ne ws.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/80...

  • sega #44 3 years ago

    Surely the Wii is a better option for this game. I don't mean to try and deny 360 owners of such a great title but surely with the Wii having Broken Sword, Sam & Max and Fate of Atlantis it'd make a lot of sense to release it on there too. It works just great for point n click.

  • septimus #45 3 years ago

    Awesome, currently replaying 3. Have the first 2 on the iphone and it works great.

  • Quickstick4 #46 3 years ago

    so you want to play as Gybrut Treeptop again?

    NOOO!!!!

    THREEPWOOD! Guybrush Threepwood!!!!!