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One of the most amusing side effects of taking an interest to classic gaming in the early aughts was seeing the complete devotion people had for the Monkey Island franchise unfold before my very eyes.
Monkey Island was not only the most talked-about franchise on those sites, but it was also the centerpiece... to the point where it was honestly rare not seeing a Guybrush, Elaine or LeChuck somewhere on the banners, logos or wallpapers (one site even blasted the Monkey Island 2 theme upon entering, which was actually kinda annoying).
The userbase was all over it, too... I remember how people were always trying to one-up each other when it came to showcasing their deep knowledge of the franchise, taking it as a point of pride when they told you that you could play the first game on SEGA CD, or the "weird" FM Towns, for example.
Animated avatars featuring Stan flapping his arms all over was such a common sight that people began editing them as to get some semblance of originality (and I partook on this, too, painstakingly repainting each frame on my desired color scheme). This all just scratching the surface, too.
And the games WERE fun, but I never actually understood why it was this particular series that got people so excited. Doom and Stunts both also had incredibly loyal fanbases, but they weren't nearly as vocal when it came to discussing their favorite games (at least not before the advent of multiplayer for both).
I don't know... I really liked the first two games (which were readily available to download on all of those sites), but I never actually got what separated them from their peers like Maniac Mansion, Sam & Max, Loom or Day of the Tentacle, for example.
Still, those conversations and multitude of threads remain a core memory of my early retro gaming journey. Did you experience it as well?
Monkey Island was not only the most talked-about franchise on those sites, but it was also the centerpiece... to the point where it was honestly rare not seeing a Guybrush, Elaine or LeChuck somewhere on the banners, logos or wallpapers (one site even blasted the Monkey Island 2 theme upon entering, which was actually kinda annoying).
The userbase was all over it, too... I remember how people were always trying to one-up each other when it came to showcasing their deep knowledge of the franchise, taking it as a point of pride when they told you that you could play the first game on SEGA CD, or the "weird" FM Towns, for example.
Animated avatars featuring Stan flapping his arms all over was such a common sight that people began editing them as to get some semblance of originality (and I partook on this, too, painstakingly repainting each frame on my desired color scheme). This all just scratching the surface, too.
And the games WERE fun, but I never actually understood why it was this particular series that got people so excited. Doom and Stunts both also had incredibly loyal fanbases, but they weren't nearly as vocal when it came to discussing their favorite games (at least not before the advent of multiplayer for both).
I don't know... I really liked the first two games (which were readily available to download on all of those sites), but I never actually got what separated them from their peers like Maniac Mansion, Sam & Max, Loom or Day of the Tentacle, for example.
Still, those conversations and multitude of threads remain a core memory of my early retro gaming journey. Did you experience it as well?
