4 ms·

I've always wanted to play this and never got around to it. Would someone who's played both Grim Fandango and Secret of Monkey Island (one of my all-time favori

I've always wanted to play this and never got around to it. Would someone who's played both Grim Fandango and Secret of Monkey Island (one of my all-time favorite games, also released by LucasArts about 8 years prior to Grim) be willing to provide their comparison of the two?

carise 12y ago
I played Escape from MI (which I am assuming is kiiiinda similar to Secret of MI) and Grim Fandango. Loved both. * possible spoiler alert * Both are puzzle kind of games. There isn't anything like the insult fighting in GF. Both storylines are fascinating and suck you right in. Great voice acting and sidekicks. I think (if I recall correctly) both games make you travel to different places. I found that GF moved me a lot more emotionally than MI (subjective, yeah) and I think it's probably because the GF storyline is a little darker/serious (not to say it didn't have funny moments). When I finished MI, I felt accomplished. When I felt GF, I felt like I was saying goodbye to friends that I'm not sure I would ever see again. That kind of feeling. I could go on and on, but I don't want to spoil it too much more. :)
- pcthrowaway 12y ago
  Thanks! I highly recommend the first MI game since you haven't played it. It was my favorite in the series.
  - carise 12y ago
    Thanks! I'll need to check it out for sure. I wanted to do all of them in the MI series but didn't get around to it. Lately I've been trying to play through some old games so I will put that on my list.
    - Otik 12y ago
      Escape was probably the weakest of all the MI games and hasn't aged as well Grim Fandango or any of the other MI games due to its art style and the early 3D engine. The Curse of Monkey Island still looks amazing (if low-res), as does Full Throttle. I'd love to see the return of big-budget games with 2D art.
- andrey-p 12y ago
  > When I felt GF, I felt like I was saying goodbye to friends that I'm not sure I would ever see again. That kind of feeling. To me playing GF felt like reading a really, really enjoyable novel. The plot really stands up on its own. While in MI you travel back and forth different places to do various things, GF has a bit more of a journey feel to it, and you can see the main character learning and developing along the way.
kemayo 12y ago
They're both excellent games: well written, with engaging gameplay (assuming one enjoys the adventure-game format; some don't). Beyond that, they're trying to do different things. Monkey Island is laugh-out-loud funny. It's very much a comedy game, with gags and a ridiculous world. Grim Fandango is more subdued. It does have funny bits, but they're more in the absurdity of the situation. It has a lot of /style/ and attention paid to evoking a particular noir-esque mood.
tekmate 12y ago
the basic lucasarts adventure game style is there but the biggest difference apart from its style is also one of grims only problems: its controls, they are made for a gamepad and relational movement of the character as opposed to the classic point&click (with residualVM there is a hack available to make it point&click which works surprisingly well) it can be a bit clunky to get used to it. despite that, while TSOMI is one of the best adventuregames of all time, grims story, characters, style and music elevate it beyond just the medium of games. this is a cultural masterpiece of that time
- PhasmaFelis 12y ago
  The Remastered edition enables standard point-and-click controls, I believe.
trevelyan 12y ago
If you enjoy both, be sure to check out Psychonauts, also by Tim Schafer. One of the best games ever made, and extremely story-driven although more of a platformer than a traditional point-and-click adventure.

carise 12y ago

I played Escape from MI (which I am assuming is kiiiinda similar to Secret of MI) and Grim Fandango. Loved both. * possible spoiler alert * Both are puzzle kind of games. There isn't anything like the insult fighting in GF. Both storylines are fascinating and suck you right in. Great voice acting and sidekicks. I think (if I recall correctly) both games make you travel to different places. I found that GF moved me a lot more emotionally than MI (subjective, yeah) and I think it's probably because the GF storyline is a little darker/serious (not to say it didn't have funny moments). When I finished MI, I felt accomplished. When I felt GF, I felt like I was saying goodbye to friends that I'm not sure I would ever see again. That kind of feeling. I could go on and on, but I don't want to spoil it too much more. :)

pcthrowaway 12y ago
Thanks! I highly recommend the first MI game since you haven't played it. It was my favorite in the series.
- carise 12y ago
  Thanks! I'll need to check it out for sure. I wanted to do all of them in the MI series but didn't get around to it. Lately I've been trying to play through some old games so I will put that on my list.
  - Otik 12y ago
    Escape was probably the weakest of all the MI games and hasn't aged as well Grim Fandango or any of the other MI games due to its art style and the early 3D engine. The Curse of Monkey Island still looks amazing (if low-res), as does Full Throttle. I'd love to see the return of big-budget games with 2D art.
andrey-p 12y ago
> When I felt GF, I felt like I was saying goodbye to friends that I'm not sure I would ever see again. That kind of feeling. To me playing GF felt like reading a really, really enjoyable novel. The plot really stands up on its own. While in MI you travel back and forth different places to do various things, GF has a bit more of a journey feel to it, and you can see the main character learning and developing along the way.

kemayo 12y ago

They're both excellent games: well written, with engaging gameplay (assuming one enjoys the adventure-game format; some don't). Beyond that, they're trying to do different things. Monkey Island is laugh-out-loud funny. It's very much a comedy game, with gags and a ridiculous world. Grim Fandango is more subdued. It does have funny bits, but they're more in the absurdity of the situation. It has a lot of /style/ and attention paid to evoking a particular noir-esque mood.

tekmate 12y ago

the basic lucasarts adventure game style is there but the biggest difference apart from its style is also one of grims only problems: its controls, they are made for a gamepad and relational movement of the character as opposed to the classic point&click (with residualVM there is a hack available to make it point&click which works surprisingly well) it can be a bit clunky to get used to it. despite that, while TSOMI is one of the best adventuregames of all time, grims story, characters, style and music elevate it beyond just the medium of games. this is a cultural masterpiece of that time

PhasmaFelis 12y ago
The Remastered edition enables standard point-and-click controls, I believe.

trevelyan 12y ago

If you enjoy both, be sure to check out Psychonauts, also by Tim Schafer. One of the best games ever made, and extremely story-driven although more of a platformer than a traditional point-and-click adventure.