Monkey Island

Judging from the discussions being held on podcasts and messageboards these days, I must be the only person to miss playing the Lucasarts games when they first came out. I did play Maniac Mansion, but only because it was on the NES. That was a game I really got into, from its strange story to quirky sense of humor, it was something that taxed my brain and tickled my funnybone at the same time. Hearing about how much everyone loves the recently released Secret of Monkey Island: SE, I decided that I'd jump in and test my adventure game abilities...

...Only to find out that I'm an idiot. It must be all the years of being spoonfed game content, or maybe it's because I have two young kids, a job, a wife, a house, etc. to worry about, but the puzzles that I think I could have figured out pretty quickly when I was 14 now involve me beating my head against a figurative brick wall until I give up and hit the hint button. I'd like to think that I'm starting to get back into the state of mind and thinking required to solve the later puzzles, but if my performance so far is any indication, I'm in for some trouble.

Don't get me wrong, the game is fantastic so far. I'm currently about 20% through the game, according to the handy dandy progress display on my latest save game. The writing is sharp, witty, and laugh-out-out funny, something that today's games (for the most part) lack, while the voice acting is spot on for the tone of the lines being conveyed. I just wish I could better grasp the puzzles without feeling like such a moron.

I'll continue to struggle with this game (which is a testament to its quality), and if I sense any improvement in my brain function, maybe I'll dive into the Telltale epsiodic experience, or possibly hunt down the older sequels to the original. I should ask my 18-month old twins to help me with it, as they probably would have more insight into these puzzles than me. :)