Tag Archives: Dominic Armato

by Martin Mulrooney | 05/10/2009 · 11:47 pm

GAME REVIEW – Tales Of Monkey Island: Chapter 3 ‘Lair Of The Leviathan’

By Marty Mulrooney

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We are now at the halfway point in Telltale’s take on the Monkey Island Universe. Tales of Monkey Island has so far provided fans with two excellent games that we are still amazed have even seen the light of day in the first place… although I did note in my review for The Siege Of Spinner Cay that some technical shortcomings were ruining the proceedings somewhat… So now, it’s crunch time. We can no longer let nostalgia and love for this classic adventure franchise cloud our judgement. How does Chapter 3 measure up as an adventure game in its own right?

Well first of all, any technical shortcomings from the last two chapters have disappeared with this, the third chapter in a five-part adventure of piratey proportions. I am happy to say that Lair Of The Leviathan had addressed nearly every single niggle I had with the previous two episodes: it is tightly woven, consistently funny, and a joy in both the graphics and sound departments.

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Mini Interview – TOMI: The Siege Of Spinner Cay (What Does Dominic Armato Think?)

By Marty Mulrooney

After every new episode of Tales Of Monkey Island is released, Alternative Magazine Online of course posts a review. However, what we shall also be exclusively doing is asking Guybrush Threepwood voice actor Dominic Armato a few episode-specific questions every month, so that our readers can get some further insight to accompany the reviews. This month, it is of course all about the second chapter in Tales Of Monkey Island, entitled The Siege Of Spinner Cay… Continue reading →

GAME REVIEW – Tales Of Monkey Island: Chapter 2 ‘The Siege Of Spinner Cay’

By Marty Mulrooney

After the euphoria that came along with the realisation that NEW Monkey Island games were being made started to wear off, I began to panic. Perhaps my review of Narwhal had been over generous? Perhaps the only way forward from there on was downwards. After all, there is a lot riding on this new series of games, not just for the future of the franchise, but perhaps for the future of the genre. Luckily, although there are some minor hick-ups in the second chapter of Tales Of Monkey Island, it largely builds on the strengths of the past episode. In fact, it served to remind me exactly why my review for Chapter 1 was justified in it’s praise: Monkey Island is back, and it is never less than a pleasure to watch Guybrush in his latest crazy adventure, doing what he does best… and some other stuff he sucks at! Continue reading →

INTERVIEW – In Conversation With Hannes Appell (LONECLONE VFX, Creator Of The Monkey Island II: Special Uber Edition Youtube Phenomenon!)

By Marty Mulrooney

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The recent release of LucasArt’s The Secret Of Monkey Island: SE (in 2D) and Telltale’s Tales Of Monkey Island (in 3D) have shown that nothing can stop the allure of an aspiring pirate named Guybrush Threepwood fighting an evil ghost/zombie/ demon/ voodo pirate called LeChuck, a phobia of porcelain and a three-headed monkey, all rolled into a traditional point-n-click laugh-fest. Regardless of being 2D, or 3D, the franchise has always done well, and now it’s back with a vengence baby!

But what if you could have the best of both the 2D and 3D worlds all at once? Even more intriguing, what if there was a way to apply some voodoo magic, and completely update the visuals of classic games from the past, whilst still retaining a faithful look and feel to what has gone before?

In our recent interview with Dominic Armato, he whispered oh so gently of a video that allegedly showed just that. A clip that has become a youtube phenomenon, splashed out over various Monkey Island fan sites and game news sites, sending fans into a frenzy. Alternative Magazine Online knew of this video, and of course we linked to it. We decided this wasn’t enough. We wanted to know more. So we tracked down the man responsible. The man behind the magic. Get ready, ever faithful reader, to witness an interview with Hanns Appell… Continue reading →

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Filed under Alternative Musings, Games

Tagged as 2d vs 3d, Crytek, Deluxepaint, Dominic Armato, Filmakademie's Institute Of Animation & Visual Effects, Guybrush Threepwood, Hannes Appell, ILM, Loneclone, Lucasarts, Monkey Island 2, Monkey Island 2 Special-Uber Edition, Monkey Island II LeChuck's Revenge, Monkey Island II Special Edition, NBC Giga Games, Photoshop, Tales Of Monkey Island, Telltale, The Secret Of Money Island: Special Edition, VFX, Voodoo