INTERVIEW WITH MIKE STEMMIE AND SEAN CLARK (2000)

GameSlice: This series has a lot of history to it, so what are some of the things that gamers who didnt play the previous titles need to know when going into this new title?

Sean Clark: Weve tried to make this game accessible to gamers who are diving into the Monkey Island pool for the first time.  All you need to know is spelled out in our gorgeous, opening cut-scene.

GameSlice: How hard is character development for a series like this?  Obviously there are many fans, and it seems like it would be hard to create a new adventure for such established characters.  So do you ever see that youre re-inventing the same people again?

Sean: Good question.  For us, the constraints of working in serial fiction havent been too much of a hassle, probably because this is the first time weve done any significant work with the characters.  The challenge of getting the voices of Elaine, Guybrush, and company just right has actually been, well, fun.

GameSlice: Is there anything you can tell us about Guybrush that those new to the world of Monkey Island might need to know?  Can Guybrush be described as a misguided rogue? 

Sean (with Michael Stemmle looking over his shoulder): For those who may have slept through the last 10 years, Guybrush Threepwood is a young, dashing pirate wannabe. Despite his attempts to be a scurvy-loving sea dog, he's never really taken seriously.  In the last game, he finally got the girl of his dreams, the lovely Governor Elaine Marley.  It wasn't easy.  Over the years and past adventures, he's had to eliminate his competition, the ghost-demon-zombie pirate LeChuck, three times over with ever-increasingly weird voodoo talismans. Escape From Monkey Island begins as the couple returns from their honeymoon and come to realize that once again their peaceful, piratey way of life is threatened.

(Sean adds questioningly): Misguided rogue?  Hmmsounds like a Star Wars game.  Guybrush is not really a misguided rogue.  He's more of a nebbishy do-gooder.

GameSlice: Is Guybrush carrying any baggage from his past adventures either in terms of unsettled debts and vendettas or maybe some plundered luggage? 

Sean: Not really.  He's mostly carrying the weight of three games worth of (partly nonsensical) plot and characters.  Many of the characters from the previous games are in this one, as well as some familiar -- assuming you really didn't sleep through the last 10 years -- locations.  That being said, there are no intricate plot twists that rely on knowing the Monkey canon -- but some of the jokes may be funnier.

GameSlice: How has Guybrush developed since the previous titles?  Has the 3D engine given him more ability and character?

Sean: Over the years, Guybrush has become surer of himself.  He no longer worries about becoming a pirate; as far as hes concerned he is a member of the swashbuckling community.  Of course, most of the rest of the pirate world treats him pretty shabbily, but he doesnt care.  Hes gotten the girl, defeated his blood enemy (three times!), and learned more about insult sword fighting than anyone else on his side of the globe.  The Tri-Island Area is his oyster.

The only thing that 3D has added to his character is the ability to spin on a barstool without looking choppy.

Spinning in a barstool is always a hard thing after a few pints of grog, but the new Monkey Island is rendered in 3D and uses that fine looking Grim Fandango engine so fans of the series can look forward to quite an improvement visually with the newest adventure for Guybrush and Elaine. 

GameSlice: Since the first title in the series came out, there have been numerous technological advancements better graphics, faster computers, more memory so are you able to put things in the new title that you couldnt do before?  And do you think this makes for a better game?

Sean: Naturally, ten years of advancements have allowed us to put all kinds of spiffy bells and whistles on the game that wouldnt have even been considered when the first game was released.  That having been said, better technology doesnt make better games.

GameSlice: What improvements were made to the games engine from when it was used two years ago for Grim Fandango? 

Sean: Weve rebuilt the animation engine from stem to stern, borrowing heavily from the Obi-Wan engine.  Other than that, its mostly been trivial tweaking and tuning.  The Fandango guys left us a pretty stable system.

GameSlice: What does the 3D engine bring to Escape from Monkey Island that was not present in previous Monkey Island titles?

Sean: Among other things, freedom to move the camera: in purely 2D adventure games, every time you wanted change the camera, youd take a budget hit, because all the characters in that new scene would have to be redrawn at that new angle.  With 3D characters we can put the camera wherever we like.

GameSlice: What, if anything, has been brought over from the Sam & Max Hit The Road title?

Sean: A lingering rash that itches when it rains. While hardcore fans of Grim Fandango are probably welcoming the word that Escape from Monkey Island will be using that games engine, it seems reasonable to suspect that LucasArts is hoping for more than just that adventure titles followers to give this new game a try.  After all, Grim is a word that could also easily describe the state (or at least the perception) of adventure gaming sales in North America.

GameSlice: Over the last couple of years a number of traditional straightforward adventure games have been critically acclaimed but yet didnt really do that well at retail so do you have any thoughts on why gamers are turning away from adventure games?  Do you think as a genre it will continue to grow or are its days numbered?

Sean:  Wait a minute, adventure games sales are declining?  Why didnt anyone tell us?  Cripes, we couldve been building a first person shooter!

Seriously, we tend not to think about such things.  We just want to build a cool game.

GameSlice: If this title is successful can we expect more Monkey Island titles and is there a possibility of a reissue of those previous titles?

(At this point, Tom Byron, director of Product Marketing, enters the interview arena to answer these marketing related questions -- were thinking Sean has one of those special red alert buttons under his desk to summon the marketing guy at a moments notice).

Tom Byron: Monkey Island is a very popular and very important franchise for LucasArts. It is a franchise that we hope to continue building.

As for re-issues, all I can say is stay tuned.

GameSlice: On the flip side, if the sales sink like a pirate ship that took on too much rum in the last port and too many cannonballs in the last battle, will this signal the end for Guybrush?

Tom: Given the past worldwide success of the Monkey series, and given the quality of this latest instalment, we're confident Escape will do well this fall.

GameSlice: Of course as followers of the series wed like to see more success.  Were also interested in whether you think that genres will continue to blend together.  Would you ever do a first-person shooter/sneaker version of the Monkey Island series?

Sean: The concept of blended genres is intriguing, and will probably continue.  As for an action/adventure version of Monkey Island, well, stranger things have happened

GameSlice: What elements would you like to put in a future adventure title that you havent been able to do yet?  Do you think well ever reach a point where the sky's the limit for adventure titles?

Sean: Mikes always wanted to do an all-singing, all-dancing adventure game, much to Seans abject horror.

Creatively well always be bound by three factors, no matter what kind of game were building: technology, money, and time.

GameSlice: About how many hours of game play can gamers expect from Escape from Monkey Island?

Sean: Lots.  We think its somewhere between the size of Curse and Grim.

GameSlice: Though there will be characters and elements from previous titles, what new things can we expect?

Sean: Weve got two-and-a-half new islands, forty or so new characters, a new big villain, two new styles of insult combat, ducks, termites, a half dozen or so prosthetic devices, and man with no nose.  And a really, really big ending.

GameSlice: Is there any last thing youd like to mention about this new title or Guybrush?

Sean and Michael (in unison): Guybrush for president!