Old School Adventure Games Part 6: Maniac Mansion

Maniac Mansion



This is the game that started it all. The year is 1987. Some of you weren't even freakin' born! Sk! I would have loved to have been 18 and stumbling across this game for the Commodore. This game was doing stuff games today can't even do. Let's explore:



The object of Maniac Mansion was very basic. Your girlfriend had been captured by an evil scientist and you had to take some friends along with you to rescue her. But as I've alluded to in earlier posts, the beauty is in the details and how we get from point A to point fun. The characters are "zany," the humor is fresh, and the scenery was inspired!



This game even holds a place in video gaming scandal history. If you have ever heard of the "microwave the hamster" reference, it's from this game. There is a part where you have to actually microwave a poor little hamster. Well there was zero ESRB back in the day and this went into the final game. This wasn't an issue until a few years later when the game was ported to the NES and though other things were removed to tone down the game - the hamster thing accidentally made it into the game. Hot Coffee x 80s = shit a brick. Nintendo tried to recall the game but it didn't quite work out and there was never a "censored" American version of the game released. The Brits got the censored version though (lulz @Sterling and DanGale).



Anyway, this title was the beginning of the adventure game era by most accounts (mine atleast) and kicked off a whole slew of games that would be released on the infamous SCUMM engine. It even had multiple endings depending on which characters you chose and choices you made. No, Bioshock isn't listening.



Our old pal -D- will be here tomorrow to talk about a game that, next to Monkey Island, is considered the pinnacle of adventure games and an absolute ass chapping MYSTERY as to why there was no sequel made.

Part 1 - Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

Part 2 - Loom

Part 3 - King's Quest: Quest for the Crown

Part 4 - Scooby Doo Mystery

Part 5 - Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge