Verdict: Didn’t I order a side of epic?
In a Nutshell: Rise of the Pirate God is the fifth and final chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series.
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Our piratey heroes meet their ultimate match with the Rise of the Pirate God. Can the world of Monkey Island be saved? Find out as the Tales of Monkey Island saga comes to its thrilling conclusion.”
Verdict: very nice
In a Nutshell: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood is the fourth chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series.
“Guybrush returns to Flotsam Island, but forget about a hero’s welcome. Handed over to De Singe by the backstabbing Morgan LeFlay, Guybrush is seized by an angry mob and put on trial! With a silk-tongued prosecutor in his face and a hangman’s noose dangling over his neck, Guybrush must figure out how to defend himself against grave accusations. Meanwhile, the determined Marquis sets his sights on a new and far more attractive test subject. How on earth will the Mighty Pirate get out of this mess? The monthly Tales of Monkey Island tension continues to mount in “The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood.” Brace yourself for a shocking revelation that will rock the world of Monkey Island to its core.”
Verdict: Avast! (sea of fun)
In a Nutshell: Lair of the Leviathan is the third chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series.
“Trapped in the belly of the beast, our hero encounters a surprising band of castaways, including the long-lost (and obsessive-compulsive) explorer Coronado De Cava. Can the Mighty Pirate win the suspicious De Cava’s trust? Will sexy pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay prove to be a ruthless enemy, or an unlikely ally? Will the group find La Esponja Grande in time to save Elaine from the rampant Pox of LeChuck? And will the world be crushed by the gnashing teeth of a certain demonic skull? Tales of Monkey Island’s moist and absorbing third episode, Lair of the Leviathan, will answer some of these urgent questions — and raise still more — as the five month adventure builds to its epic climax!”
Verdict: monotonous Arr.
In a Nutshell: The Siege of Spinner Cay is the second chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series.
“Guybrush’s adventures continue on the high seas as pox-plagued pirates lay siege to the innocent Mer-People. In between defending the Mer-People and dodging the persistent pirate hunter hot on his trail, Guybrush manages to catch up to his beloved wife and despised arch-nemesis — but their reunion is short-lived. Now Guybrush must focus on eradicating the Pox of LeChuck before more harm can be done. And as the Mighty Pirate draws closer to a cure, the waters will only grow murkier in this thrilling chapter of the epic saga.”
Verdict: delightful
In a Nutshell: This is a point-and-click adventure about a robot trying to save his girl and the leader of the city and was one of the 2009 PAX 10.
“Machinarium is an independent puzzle / adventure game developed by the makers of popular web-games Samorost and Samorost2. A little robot who’s been thrown out to the scrap yard behind the city must return and confront the Black Cap Brotherhood and save his robot-girl friend. The game takes place in a strange rusty metallic city populated only by robots. The story is about a little robot who has been unjustly thrown out to the scrapyard behind the city. In the game he returns to the town where he meets the bad guys from Black Cap Brotherhood – they are just preparing a bomb attack on the central tower where the town ruler has residence in. Of course our hero must stop them and also rescue his friend robot-girl.”
Verdict: my swash is buckled!
In a Nutshell: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal is the first chapter in the Tales of Monkey Island adventure game series and picks up where the Lucasarts Monkey Island series left off.
“While explosively stripping the evil pirate LeChuck of his demonic mojo, Guybrush Threepwood inadvertently infects the entire Caribbean with the arch-fiend’s expelled voodoo, which threatens to transform buccaneers into unruly pirate monsters. Pursued by a notorious cut-throat Pirate Hunter and a creepy French Physician who believes that Guybrush’s eerily-infected hand holds the secret of eternal life, Threepwood sails the seven seas in search of La Esponja Grande, a legendary sea sponge with unparalleled voodoo exfoliating abilities. But little does Guybrush know, his quest is part of a larger, more sinister plot, and good and evil are not always as they seem…”
Verdict: A satisfying second helping.
In a Nutshell: The Last Resort is the second episode in this adventure game series. You play as Wallace and Gromit trying to manage your basement beach getaway for the locals.
“When unrelenting rain ruins their holiday plans, Wallace & Gromit bring the beach to 62 West Wallaby with a makeshift resort — in their basement. Keeping customers satisfied is tricky business, especially when one of them is clocked on the head by an unknown assailant. Whodunnit? Find out… with a little help from Wallace’s latest invention, the Deduct-o-matic!”
Verdict: not bad
In a Nutshell: Fright of the Bumblebees is the first episode in this adventure game series. You play as Wallace and Gromit and have just started a honey delivery service that has the town all, ahem, abuzz.
“Enter the colorful world of West Wallaby Street in a series of four cracking adventures brought to you by Aardman Animations, the creators of the Wallace & Gromit animated films, and Telltale, the award-winning studio behind Sam & Max.”
Verdict: graphicketeering at its best!
In a Nutshell: 8-Bit is enough is the latest episode in the Strong Bad adventure game series.
“Trogdor must be stopped! The beefy-armed dragon of legend has broken free from his arcade cabinet and is burninating the land. With classic 8-bit games leaking into the real world and Strong Badia a fiery mess, only Strong Bad can take back the night and conquer this scorching menace once and for all. Does anybody know how to kill a dragon?”
Verdict: Steampunktastic!
In a Nutshell: This is an action/adventure meets RPG, third-person perspective game with turn-based combat about evil gods, robots that ravage tree-based produce, and those that would stop the nefarious ways of both.
“Whether you’re a fan of the first installment or new to the series, you’ll be able to pick up and play Episode Two as a standalone experience. This time, armed with a new gardening implement and witty repartee, you rejoin Gabe and Tycho in searching for more clues and another place to live.
Explore new areas, combat bigger, badder and stranger enemies, solve even more puzzles and move one step closer to unraveling the mystery hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia.”