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Litmus test your SCUMM values with interactive EGA/VGA comparison 02 Nov, 2024 / 4 comments

In the SCUMM catalog, there are three early games that found themselves produced during a transitional era of graphics cards, where VGA (256-color) was most definitely around, but EGA (16-color) still had the dominant install base.

As a result, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Loom, and The Secret of Monkey Island initially shipped as EGA versions, but had their art retroactively redone (often within a year) in elitist fancy VGA form by other artists.

Over the years, the argument from purists that the EGA originals should be privileged has grown louder -- and also more tragic, as those most definitely don’t tend to be the versions offered by Lucasfilm. Regardless of individual preferences, for which there can be no right answer, the comparison is always interesting, and a typically Norwegian hero has made this inspection easier than ever.

Though he hasn’t gotten to Monkey 1 yet, you’ll have a lot of fun hovering your mouse over backgrounds from Indy 3 and Loom. Check out how much bigger that Sam & Max totem pole got in Indy’s office (and is that a subtle ode to the Great Monkey Head added to the top shelf there?), or how superior Loom was in its original form in every way. Above all, bow down before the one true Cobb:

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Source: SuperRune

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4 Comments

  • Avatar
    Sushi on 05 Nov, 2024, 18:39…

    ThunderPeel2001

    A lot of fun to peruse.

    Was there a VGA version of Zak Mc? The Amiga version of MI1 is where things began to turn, though.



    There was a VGA version of Zak for the FM Towns, once a very rare curiosity, nowadays the most advertised version on digital stores, although I think they do include the EGA version too. (Unlike for LOOM).
    Still, that is the MS-DOS version and we all* know the definitive version of Zak is the C64 one. I think that compares to CGA?

    (* including David Fox)
  • Avatar
    ThunderPeel2001 on 04 Nov, 2024, 15:25…
    A lot of fun to peruse. They really struggled with those early VGA adaptations, didn't they? Irene's office in Indy 3... oof. I guess they thought gradients were a quick win. The more organic rooms don't look at as bad, but the truth is that the EGA versions have a ton of charm.

    Was there a VGA version of Zak Mc? The Amiga version of MI1 is where things began to turn, though.

  • Avatar
    Lord-john on 04 Nov, 2024, 08:50…
    Cobb and the navigator head must be related!
  • Avatar
    Huz on 03 Nov, 2024, 16:48…
    Great comparison. Jason's footnote is so true for Loom that it's unreal. The opening panorama alone is so much better in EGA.

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