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We review "Day of the Tentacle Remastered" totally on time! 22 Mar, 2016 / 19 comments

Well, tie me down and call me Betty—our Day of the Tentacle Remastered review was published in a timely manner, much thanks to Zaarin who buckled down and took one for the team. Yes, we’ve reached the point where playing a game ”on the clock” is considered something of a chore, which means we’re old and grumpy.

Anyway!

Not surprisingly Zaarin gives the game some love, and… Just read the damn thing. We bled to get this thing out on time.

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19 Comments

  • Avatar
    Rum Rogers on 24 Mar, 2016, 22:21…
    Even if I completed DOTT a billion times before, I really felt touched while playing the remaster.
    Nothing like DOTT is ever going to be released again, this kind of perfection is long gone.
    We lived through the highest standards and were lucky enough to have this chance, but knowing they won't come back hurts. Badly.
    It's not simple nostalgia, even after so many years the game is objectively amazing: it's really a matter of class, perfection, clever puzzles, incredible graphics and animations (for the times), inspiring music.
    Yeah, LucasArts really made adventure games with state-of-the-art graphics.
    Rant over, gotta go.
    Long live DOTT.
  • Avatar
    Jason on 24 Mar, 2016, 12:25…

    Nor Treblig

    Note: The enhanced version is actually 16 colors only, v1 was the one with C64 graphics. But there is a fan project (Maniac Mansion Deluxe) with 256 color graphics.



    You are correct. I used to be better at this stuff.
  • Avatar
    Nor Treblig on 24 Mar, 2016, 09:40…

    Jason

    Yes, nice touch that they went for the 256-color version of MM rather than the 16-color version! I actually remember being surprised they didn't do that in the original DOTT. Even in 1993, the "enhanced" version of MM was pretty old, and from a disk space standpoint not bigger to any non-negligible degree.


    I wondered the same back then!
    Note: The enhanced version is actually 16 colors only, v1 was the one with C64 graphics. But there is a fan project (Maniac Mansion Deluxe) with 256 color graphics.
  • Avatar
    Nor Treblig on 24 Mar, 2016, 09:35…

    Zaarin

    I tried saving DOTT itself and when I loaded the save game, the resume option was gone from MM and I had to start over.


    Maybe they patched it in in the last minute so it wasn't included in your review copy? It works in my version (GOG).
  • Avatar
    Jason on 24 Mar, 2016, 02:04…
    Yes, nice touch that they went for the 256-color version of MM rather than the 16-color version! I actually remember being surprised they didn't do that in the original DOTT. Even in 1993, the "enhanced" version of MM was pretty old, and from a disk space standpoint not bigger to any non-negligible degree. Methinks it was motivated by a desire to sell the "Classic Adventures" pack (a 1992 release), by essentially making enhanced MM exclusive to that purchase.
  • Avatar
    Zaarin on 23 Mar, 2016, 22:55…

    Nor Treblig

    Zaarin


    Jason

    Not one word about Maniac Mansion? Is the version included the same one as in the original DOTT release? Do I really have to wait for this download to finish before I know the answer, Zaarin?



    You clearly need to read the review more thoroughly. ;



    Speaking about this particular paragraph: Maniac Mansion is actually automatically saved with the DOTT save game. Though you cannot explicitly save in it.



    I tried saving DOTT itself and when I loaded the save game, the resume option was gone from MM and I had to start over.
  • Avatar
    Nor Treblig on 23 Mar, 2016, 19:04…

    Zaarin


    Jason

    Not one word about Maniac Mansion? Is the version included the same one as in the original DOTT release? Do I really have to wait for this download to finish before I know the answer, Zaarin?



    You clearly need to read the review more thoroughly. ;



    Speaking about this particular paragraph: Maniac Mansion is actually automatically saved with the DOTT save game. Though you cannot explicitly save in it.
  • Avatar
    Zaarin on 23 Mar, 2016, 15:30…
    We actually got a review copy this time.

    Jason

    Not one word about Maniac Mansion? Is the version included the same one as in the original DOTT release? Do I really have to wait for this download to finish before I know the answer, Zaarin?



    You clearly need to read the review more thoroughly. ;
  • Avatar
    Remi on 23 Mar, 2016, 15:25…
    Please, Dave, we received a review copy. Like we always do from Double Fine, except for all their previous games. :~
  • Avatar
    Evil`Dave on 23 Mar, 2016, 10:57…
    When I first saw that Mixnmojo had already review the remastered edition, I thought to myself "Damn, 2am on release day and they already have a review" but then I got home from work installed the game and played it through only to realise that indeed the game could be completed in just 2 hours (without skipping any of the cut scenes of course).

    Well played mojo, well played.

    ps. If anyone catches any of the 24 secret achievements in the Steam PC version, let us know. I already found 1 of them to do with the credits.
  • Avatar
    Nor Treblig on 23 Mar, 2016, 03:05…

    MrManager

    Nor Treblig

    The only sad thing with the UI of this remastered version: Where is the pause function? :-(

    Why is it so hard for modern (adventure) games to have a proper pause functionality which was quite standard in the old days (including console games)?



    I don't know about the PC version but on the PS4 there's a dedicated button that sends you to the option screen. That's kind of an equivalent.



    Yes, but this is not a proper pause function: It works for bathroom breaks, but e.g. how should I look up words in the dictionary when it always takes me away from the game and the dialog? Or another reason to pause could be to admire some details of an animation.
  • Avatar
    Nor Treblig on 23 Mar, 2016, 03:01…

    Jason

    Not one word about Maniac Mansion? Is the version included the same one as in the original DOTT release?


    Contrary to the original DOTT it actually includes the enhanced version (v2, EGA)! They thought about everything :-)
  • Avatar
    Jason on 22 Mar, 2016, 22:39…
    Not one word about Maniac Mansion? Is the version included the same one as in the original DOTT release? Do I really have to wait for this download to finish before I know the answer, Zaarin?
  • Avatar
    elTee on 22 Mar, 2016, 18:26…
    Can't wait to play this. Great review Z!
  • Avatar
    Remi on 22 Mar, 2016, 17:22…
    Your minds will be blown within the next few days, then. ;
  • Avatar
    manny_c44 on 22 Mar, 2016, 15:45…

    AlfredJ

    Mojo reviewing games on time is freaking me out.



    Yeah it's totally weird.
  • Avatar
    AlfredJ on 22 Mar, 2016, 13:47…
    I've been playing this a bit, and it's aces. The art works a lot better for my ingame compared to when I first saw the screenshots. It's hard for me to be sure at the moment, but I'm inclined to say that this will end up being the definitive version of DOTT, just like Grim Remastered was (and the Monkey Island remakes weren't).

    Mojo reviewing games on time is freaking me out.

    Also, escape pauses the game.
  • Avatar
    Remi on 22 Mar, 2016, 13:08…

    Nor Treblig

    The only sad thing with the UI of this remastered version: Where is the pause function? :-(

    Why is it so hard for modern (adventure) games to have a proper pause functionality which was quite standard in the old days (including console games)?



    I don't know about the PC version but on the PS4 there's a dedicated button that sends you to the option screen. That's kind of an equivalent.
  • Avatar
    Nor Treblig on 22 Mar, 2016, 12:15…
    It's definitely a nice version and it's great that you can buy this game again!

    I might add that keyboard shortcuts work normally using the classic verb interface (although not documented in the controls).

    The only sad thing with the UI of this remastered version: Where is the pause function? :-(

    Why is it so hard for modern (adventure) games to have a proper pause functionality which was quite standard in the old days (including console games)?

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