Top 50 Video Games: Number 24

#24: Maniac Mansion
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Publisher: Lucasarts
Released: 1990
Players: 1


Razor in Green Tentacle's room. Why is he depressed? He's a musician who can't land a recording contract of course.


Maniac Mansion is truly one of the most fun, unique games ever made. It was originally released for the Commodore 64 and the Apple II, though I didn't get ahold of it until it was ported to the NES in 1990. It's an adventure game that takes place in a mansion full of crazy people. You control a team of 3 high school kids who have to rescue Dave's girlfriend Sandy. She's been kidnapped by Dr Fred who is planning on taking over the world - one teenager at a time. You'll also have Fred's wife Nurse Edna to deal with as well as his son Ed and a couple of tentacle monsters in the house. Oh, and Dead Cousin Ted, though he doesn't pose much of a threat. And there's also the evil, slimy Purple Meteor who is controlling Dr Fred (and writing a manuscript on the side.) In case you can't tell, the game's sense of humor is it's best feature.

The game puts you in control of Dave and 2 of his friends which you select from a group of 6. Each of the kids has a special talent that sets him or her apart and allows for end of the game to be reached in a different manner and with a different ending. For example, Razor is a musician and Bernard can repair things (Razor and Bernard were my favorite duo.) It is my understanding that you can finish the game with any possible combination of kids, though I can neither confirm nor deny this. The gameplay is done in standard adventure style. You pick up items, search for clues and solve puzzles using commands such as Go To, Get, Use, Give, etc. The game's humor is classic, and I wish I could've played the original games before they hit the NES. The Nintendo folk demanded a lot of changes to make the game family friendly, though a few things slipped through the cracks.


That's funny shit.


The most notorious example is the exploding hamster. In the game, Ed has a hamster he loves very much. If you get get Ed out of his room, you can sneak in and grab the hamster. If Razor or Syd (the other kids refuse to do it) has it, they can put the hamster in the microwave, blow it up and get the exploded hamster bits. (the Nintendo folks probably never thought to try it or tried it with the wrong kids.) If you then give the exploded hamster to Ed he goes berserk and kills you. Anyways, the mansion is pretty huge, chock full of intersting items and people. There are a few ways to blow up the house and everything within a 20 mile radius, thus pretty much ending the game. The music ranges from memorable to irritating, but luckily each kid has a CD Player that can be turned off.

Lucasarts has made some of the best adventure games ever such as Grim Fandango, The Monkey Island series and of course, Maniac Mansion and its sequel Day of the Tentacle. Most of these were before I owned a PC, though I can vouch for the quality of Grim Fandango. Maniac Mansion remains the most enjoyable adventure game I've ever played and I doubt I'll ever see another like it.