LucasArts had a three-decade career as a developer, publisher and licenser of games. On Wednesday, Disney announced it would be shuttering LucasArts as a studio and publisher, changing the company's focus to distributing licenses to Lucasfilm content.

The news led many fans to reminisce about their favorite games from LucasArts. The company has had a storied history, first in creating some of the most memorable point-and-click adventure games ever, then through publishing some great Star Wars-licensed games.

We wanted to look back at some of the best games either developed or produced by LucasArts, and also wish the staff affected by the closure best of luck in finding new jobs.

The Secret of Monkey Island

The Secret of Monkey Island was released in 1990 under the direction of Ron Gilbert. It's often regarded as one of the most successful adventure games, combining a creative story, hilarious dialogue, and memorable characters; like Guybrush Threepwood and his nemesis, Ghost Pirate LeChuck.

The game, set in a fictionalized version of the Caribbean in a time when pirates sailed the seas, followed Guybrush's quest to become a pirate, find the treasure on Monkey Island, and rescue the Governor Elaine Marley from harm — and win her heart. The game did so well it spawned a sequel: Monkey Island II: LeChuck's Revenge. The game was also remade in 2009 for consoles and tablets; the new version featured updated art and voice acting.

Maniac Mansion

The predecessor to Monkey Island was Maniac Mansion, released in 1987. The game was LucasArts' first foray into point-and-click adventures, and required the development of an engine to run it. The SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) powered several adventure games down the line.

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In Maniac Mansion, you played as teenage Dave who must venture into the mansion to rescue his girlfriend from an evil mad scientist. The game was conceived two years earlier by Ron Gilbert, who apparently used the layout of Skywalker Ranch as inspiration for the house's setup.

Star Wars: X-Wing/TIE Fighter

Ever since Star Wars hit the big screen in 1977, geeks have been obsessed with the franchise's vehicles, from the hulking AT-AT walkers to the swift, alien-looking TIE-Fighters. In 1993 and 1994, LucasArts published games that allowed players to hop in the cockpit of the Rebel and Empire airforce.

In 1993's Star Wars: X-Wing, you fought alongside characters from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope as a Rebel pilot. In the sequel, Star Wars: TIE Fighter, you started off in the Battle of Hoth and moved forward through The Empire Strikes Back, this time as a Galactic Empire soldier. The series was known for its attempts at realism in the cockpit, and all the fun you could have dogfighting enemy spacecraft.

Full Throttle

Another amazing adventure game developed by LucasArts was Full Throttle. It was designed by Schafer, and featured some amazing voice acting by Mark Hamill and Roy Conrad.

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In Full Throttle, you played biker Ben in a dystopian future where motorcycles and hovercars battled for roads and buyers. Ben had to get to the bottom of how his idol was murdered, leaving him and his bike gang framed for the crime. The story was engrossing and fun, and the game's humor and writing were unmatched.

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Unfortunately, Star Wars licenses in the late '90s and early 2000s weren't always used for good, especially after the prequels began showing. One game that bucked this trend was Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996 and developed by LucasArts.

Shadows of the Empire was amazing for how many locations and scenes it took from the original trilogy while still remaining fresh and inventive. You played as bounty hunter Dash Rendar, and moved from the Battle of Hoth to a battle with legendary bounty hunters IG-88 and Boba Fett to sneaking through sewers where you had to fight one of the nastiest monsters in the Star Wars universe. The game paid enough homage to the trilogy while still having a great variety of levels and challenging boss fights.

Sam and Max Hit the Road

Sam and Max were freelance detectives and professional troublemakers; the duo was originally created by comic artists Steve Purcell, and have graced several video games. Sam and Max Hit the Road was especially unique. The duo was called to a carnival after its star attraction, a bigfoot named Bruno, has gone missing. They then zigzagged the country to try and solve the case.

Sam and Max Hit the Road was praised for its edgy humor, high-quality voice acting and great art, especially since it was released in 1992. While LucasArts never successfully created another Sam and Max game, the license was picked up by TellTale Games in 2003, who have created several new, highly rated entries into the franchise.

Day of the Tentacle

If it seems like we're mostly highlighting point-and-click adventure games, it's because, during LucasArts 1990s heyday, that's what the company did best. Day of the Tentacle is another classic adventure game worth revisiting.

At the time of the game's release, most of the LucasArts adventure titles had mastered voice acting and a new menu system. Day of the Tentacle added a whole additional layer of humor to the mix. The game had one of the most unique story ideas ever, as you battled a gang of recently-sentient evil mutant tentacles. Not only that, you time-traveled through different periods to solve crazy puzzles. It again showcased Schafer and co-creator Dave Grossman's dark humor, and it was heavily inspired by the humor of Chuck Jones cartoons.

These are only a few of the great selection of games developed and published by LucasArts. While the company waned in its later years, it's great to remember the golden era of game production, and some of the awesome titles that came out of its access to a bevy of licenses.

What was your favorite LucasArts game? Share your memories with us in the comments.

Images courtesy of LucasFilm