The International House of Mojo

Slipperybrick is reporting a new 3rd party (non LucasFilm produced) lightsaber remote attachment for the Wii.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is headed to the Wii next Spring, but in the meantime you can get your Star Wars fix with this new lightsaber attachment. You can get it now from Play.com.

A few features are a power up/down effect for saber glow. It can also be dimmed down. It sports 22 ultra-bright LEDs and an on/off switch. You?ll need 3 AA cells to keep it lit. These are scheduled to ship later this very month. $31 is all it takes to be a very happy Jedi.

Should be great fun to use with the Wii version of LEGO Star Wars.

Source: Slippery Brick

I don't know if GameTrailers has been slipping Crackpot some notes in a briefcase, but there's a new trailer for Insecticide now up. In SD or flashy-pantsy HD. And still there's no story or dialogue, just a few shots of the main character shooting things. It's looking a mite better since last time though.

Oh, and January 8th has been confirmed as the release date for the DS version.

Still, I think they could do with some lessons in how to make a cool trailer. We haven't seen much story or coolness since that first trailer. Maybe this would help.

Bad news people. Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros' Treasure has been delayed in Europe. I know, you're all devastated.

The first question that came to your mind was probably "Why, God? Why?!" The second was probably "Wait a minute... what the hell does this game have to do with Mojo?"

Basically this game is an adventure game for the Wii featuring pirates, monkeys, humour, cel-shading and fiendish puzzles. It is best described as Monkey Island meets Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It's been getting some excellent reviews too. Oh, and there's an evil talking skull. What more do you want?

Anyway, it's now coming out in Europe in January 2008. Well, I'm interested...

Okay, so maybe I'm leaping to my most wanted conclusion, but...

In case you don't know, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is out on November 9th for all platforms. It's the Wii version you should all be getting excited about though, and this new preview at GameSpot tells you why. Apparently Jonathan Smith of TT Games appeared at Nottingham's GameCity event alongside a number of Stormtroopers to promote the game.

However, what prompted the headline was this quote where Mr. Smith hinted at the possibility of more Lego Star Wars games:

"We've made games that encompass the six movies, but the Star Wars universe is so big, and there is lots of stuff that could be done, particularly in a Lego way."

So, Lego Republic Commando? Lego KOTOR? Lego Yoda Stories? You heard it here first!

The Escapist online magazine has just posted a new interview with Tim Schafer. Unfortunately there isn't any mention of Br?tal Legend or indeed any game beyond Psychonauts, but Psychonauts is still an Excellent Game too remember? Here's a clip:

"During the pitching (and re-pitching) of Psychonauts, the word "creative" was oftentimes said as a slur. "People would just kinda be like, 'Oh, it's very creative.' And it really seemed like the more you could make your game seem more like something else or more derivative of something else, the more comfortable they would be with it."

It's only a short interview, but quite interesting. There's definitely info in there I didn't know about before. Check it out.

And if you enjoyed that, why not check The Escapist's resident pessimist Yahtzee's entertaining review of the Excellent Game, if you haven't already.

Think Lego Indiana Jones won't be playable until sometime next year?

Think again. Looks like we'll be whippin' Lego-style come 6th (US) & 9th (Europe) November as Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga has Lego Indy as an unlockable character! Check out GameTrailers' two movies for proof, here and here.

And we thought a whip would be no match for Droidekas...

While we're still a little wary around these parts when it comes to Star Wars games - too many burnt fingers, too many broken hearts - we are at least vaguely interested in the 'big new game' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. However, what we really want is that lightsaber game on the Wii. Up until now, TFU has only been confirmed for 360, PS3, PSP and, um, DS.

Good news, then! Because LucasArts has apparently revealed to gaming website CVG that TFU is indeed coming to the Wii, along with all the Wiimote-waving we want.

"Wii is a great platform for The Force Unleashed, because the console's motion-oriented controllers really bring the game to life," said Jimmy Jim Jimjimjim Ward. "We've worked hard to make the Wii version of the game unique in order to truly let you unleash the Force." That's good to know, especially as the game's being developed for Wii by Krome Studios and not LucasArts.

Still, motion-controlled lightsabers, being evil, a storyline bridging the movies... and a multiplayer mode to boot, apparently. Can Mojo step up to Cautiously Optimistic now? Yes, I know it means changing the bulb.

Source: CVG

Do we care about Ankh? I'm really not sure. We haven't mentioned it often, as despite having some connection to LucasArts (Telltale helped BHV Deck13 out a bit with the first game) they more fall into the category of 'general adventure news' that we usually leave to the obsessives.

Then this bit of news caught my eye: Ankh is heading to the Nintendo DS. There have been adventures on the DS before, but this is the first time a humorous LucasArts-imitation-style one has appeared on the console.

Maybe if this is some sort of success, we might hold out some hope for... other possibilities?

UPDATE: Speaking of Adventure Gamers, they coincidentally put an interview with Jan Klose of Deck13 today.

And if their next game isn't "inspired by" Monkey Island then I'm Jojo's uncle.

Source: BHV

Okay, not quite that earth-shattering. In reality (I hate living there, spoils all the fun), Capcom are bringing a game called Treasure Island Z to the console known as Wii. It's a humorous piratey point n' click adventure game. Sound familiar? Oh, and a monkey follows you around. And the main villain's a talking skull (just look at that picture with this playing in the background, you'll get the idea).

Of course it's also cel-shaded, which brings to mind Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker as well. Nevertheless, even without the Monkey Island/Zelda vibe it's still a point n' click adventure coming out on the Wii, which is a very good thing indeed. Let's hope Capcom make good on this promising beginning. Okay, vaguely possibly interesting beginning.

A month or so ago gaming sites reported that Zombies Ate My Neighbors received a rating on the ESRB web site, which is usually a dead giveaway that a game will be appearing on Nintendo's Virtual Console service in the near (or not so near) future. (Mojo of course knew about this news at the time but consciously chose to break it now because we prefer being fashionably late.)

For those who don't remember or who have never played this LucasArts gem from 1993, it was a top-down two player game for SNES and Genesis that had you ridding suburban neighborhoods, malls, Egyptian tombs, etc. of the living dead with water guns and weedeaters. The game was a hoot and a half (and even featured an unlockable Day of the Tentacle stage!) and I suggest all Wii owners give it a whirl once it shows up for download. There's a reason it still has a loyal fanbase, you know.

Also, while the game was published by Konami, I hope this is a sign that future LucasArts developed titles might show up on the service at some point. There was a rather cool NES port of Maniac Mansion and the not-half-bad Shadows of the Empire for N64 among others that would make nice additions to the VC library. Fingers futilely crossed!

Update: Tragically, it would seem that the intel was mistaken, as Zombies Ate My Neighbors is no longer listed on the ESRB site. For those who need something to hope for though, know that Konami (the game's publisher) and Jaleco (the NES Maniac Mansion publisher) have previously had their games added to the Virtual Console, so it's not 100% impossible. Just don't hold your breath.

Ben Gorman brings word that a Scandinavian newspaper called Verden's Gang has thrown some love in Psychonauts and Sam & Max's direction.

First Psychonauts, which presumably was released throughout continental Europe this year, was named "best platformer", edging out games like the brilliant New Super Mario Bros. and LocoRoco.

Sam & Max: Culture Shock didn't win as such, but was named a runner up after Dreamfall in the adventure category. Little surprise there, seeing that Dreamfall is a Scandinavian game.

Congrats to both Double Fine and Telltale!

Looking through all the recent Sam and Max news posts on the site, I came across an interesting comment on GameDreamZ.com - basically, Dan Connor says that he thinks "the game would do great on the Wii."

With a DVD release of the game defacto confirmed after all the Webisodes have been released, perhaps we'll get lucky and see it ported over to the Wii? The Wiimote is perfectly adapted to point-and-click games, and Sam and Max is certainly the unique kind of license Nintendo seem to thrive on.

Time will tell, of course.

Source: GameDreamZ.com

Larry Holland's Totally Games, the makers of various awesome flying-type games for LucasArts (X-Wing, Secret Weapons) in years past, are still around and are currently developing a new game! They have teamed up with SEGA of America to develop some sort of action title for the PSP, possibly unrelated to flying. Additionally, they are expanding their Northern California game studio, and recruiting some new developers. What? Here's the entire press release, mostly because I can't remember how to do the "Read More" option:<:MORENEWS:>

TOTALLY GAMES EXPANDING
Totally Games Expands With Announcement Of New PSP(TM) System Action Game in Development

NOVATO, CALIFORNIA (DECEMBER 7, 2005) Totally Games announced today plans to expand its Marin County, California studio with the announcement of a new game project signed with SEGA of America. The technically ambitious and imaginative project will recruit new staff - a move that reaffirms Totally Games' continuing commitment to be a world-class development studio. Lawrence Holland, President and Founder of Totally Games, is confident that growing its studio will allow it to follow-up its phenomenal success on games like the X-Wing series with even more outstanding games for both current and future consoles.

The newly signed PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system project features state of the art 3D graphics in a run and gun blast-a-thon for the PSP system, drawing its inspiration from such timeless arcade classics as Robotron and Smash TV. Players must navigate through expansive and exotic environments while blasting their way through hordes of rampaging monsters. This game will challenge players' reflexes and concentration like no other product on the PSP system.

Over the next month Totally Games will be posting a number of new job openings covering the gamut of skills and specialties necessary to create a top tier, "totally involving" game. Anyone looking for an opportunity to make a difference on a game project, to be a major contributor instead of a cog in a machine, and to work with an experienced team in a flexible, innovative, fun Marin County work environment should join Totally Games. It's a place where they can make great games and significantly develop their careers. Job seekers should check the TG job page at: http://www.totallygames.com/jobs/index.htm or contact hr@totallygames.com in confidence.

About TOTALLY GAMES
Totally Games is a highly respected independent electronic game design and development studio based in Marin County, California. With more than 20 years experience and numerous top selling, critically acclaimed titles to its credit, TG has helped drive the evolution and growth of electronic entertainment. Utilizing its wealth of experience, its staff of high caliber talent and its state of the art technology, Totally Games offers a unique combination of game development services on a wide range of platforms, including the PC, current and Next Gen game consoles, handheld game devices, and mobile phones. Totally Games? Web site is located at www.totallygames.com.

About SEGA
SEGA of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America?s Web site is located at www.SEGA.com.

# # #

...Neat! Are we going to need one of those news category things for Larry soon?

You?ve seen the film now play the game - but read our review first!

To kickstart the Summer of Mojo we?ve taken a look at the official Star Wars Episode III game from The Collective. Sure, it looks pretty, but can it live up the hype? Find out be reading the review here, and may the force be with you.

Apparently, this month's issue of the Official Playstation Magazine includes a PS2 demo of the Excellent Sawfish Psychonauts. Fans of this console should really check it out! I'm guessing that the demo will cover the introduction to Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, as well as the Basic Braining level, but who knows! The existence of this demo is unverified right now, but probably true; we just heard about it from some guy. Also allegedly on the OPM disk is a demo for the Star Wars: Episode III game. Sawfish?

Update: It appears that there's only a demo video of Psychonauts in OPM, nothing playable. Sorry everyone!

Source: GodzillaX8

Dudes and dudettes: If you haven't checked that huge Psychonauts banner at the top of our site lately (it's that banner at the top of our site, the huge one about Psychonauts), you might have missed the fact that EBGames.com has put in a rather sweet bonus for people who pre-order the excellent game Psychonauts. While supplies last, pre-orderers will get a deck of Psychonauts playing cards, apparently designed in the style of that one black velvet level which features playing cards prominently. Rawk.

In addition, you can now pre-order Psychonauts at EBGames for all platforms (that the game is being released for), rather than just that big black and green one. It's probably safe to say that a lot of Mojo readers are into this kind of promotional tchotchke, so I shouldn't have to remind you how much you want these cards. Just go pre-order the damn game, man. Here are some bonus links if you are averse to scrolling up:

Xbox | PC | PS2, too

Yowza! Yowza. IGN PS2 has a new preview of Psychonauts up on the world wide internet. But hey, this time it's a preview where there's some media and information that some mojo readers probably haven't seen or read already! Wooo!

In Psychonauts: The Saga of Goggalor, IGN says many more good things about Psychonauts, as well as revealing a fair bit of new gameplay where enter the world of Lungfishopolis (a city inside the mind of the camp's resident Lungfish) as a giant, and are assigned the title of GOGGALOR by the city's residents. Without spoiling too much more, I'll just point out that there are several new videos and screenshots included with this feature, so it's definitely worth gazing upon. If you want a lot of spoilers.

Source: Kolzig, Idle Forumite

It has been brought to my attention by Marek Bronstring, of the Adventure Gamers website, that Psychonauts.com has had its content significantly beefed up, now sporting twice as many subpages (you can now flip the site's brain over and view whatever's on the right side as well). Now on the site, in addition to the old stuff that was always there, you can view:

• A page for pre-ordering the game.
• Descriptions and photos of many of the main characters.
• A page of Psychonauts Comics! drawn by Scott Campbell.
• Links to Psychonauts fan pages across the Internet. All of which are hosted by us.
• A games page filled with those Magic Eye stereogram things that make your head ache.
• And finally, a pop-up window which Tim is using as spare brain storage for thoughts he doesn't want to bother with.
  
• Also the game is rated T, for Teen.

<:MORENEWS:>Of course all the old stuff is there as well: Screenshots, a sign up page to view the trailer (which you can just get off of Razputin.net if you don't want to sign up), the facts about Psychonauts, a neglected news page, and a lot of press clippings about the game. So you should go take a look at what's new, and the stuff you missed before.

According to a post over on the Razputin.net forums, an Xbox demo for Psychonauts may be in the works, presumably headed to an XBox magazine coverdisc near you. No details are known really, aside from the thought that it "should be done soon." Stay tuned for more on that.

No word on a PC demo, but as Remi says in that thread, a demo on the coverdisc of one of those "official" Xbox magazines is apparently "as effective as getting a good review," so that might be time better spent. Maybe we'll see both though?

Update: Over in the forums it's been confirmed by "Prosky," a tester at Majesco, that the Psychonauts demo in the works is the same one seen recently on Gamespot.

So that means, based on what we saw on Gamespot, we should expect to explore a little bit of Whispering Rock summer camp, and also the game's training/tutorial level: an obstacle-ridden war-torn landscape contained within the mind of the coach.

It's always good to see some people besides us talking about the excellent game Psychonauts, especially a site that gets a lot of traffic and whatnot. Additionally, since these days, pointing out when other people talk about games we're excited for is pretty much what this website is all about, here's some more of that. C'mon, help us reaffirm our social role!

Erm. Anyway, a few days ago, IGN Xbox (pronounced ih-gehnks-bocks) put up an interesting article called "The Fight for Original Games", in which Psychonauts is discussed and praised to some extent, which occurs somewhere around the middle of the article. There's no real new info on the game, but you should probably check out what gets said, anyway.<:MORENEWS:>

The first part talks about some pretty depressing statistics regarding the number of games that were sequels or games based on established franchises from other media (like the upcoming *gaak* Godfather game) compared to the number of games that were original lisences, and (on the Xbox) the stats came out the latter representing less than thirty percent of currently announced upcoming titles in 2005.

They then examine some original titles slated to come out this year, and Psychonauts is the first game mentioned under their "Star Pupils" heading, which I understood to mean as "Games that will likely be awesome, but that they don't expect these titles to seriously compete with established franchieses". Anyway, in regards to Psychonauts, IGN gave it an originality factor score of 5 (out of 5, apparently) and said, among other things:

The game is a tapestry of surreal and psychotic images that play off every ordinary game idea and then twists them into something strange, wonderful, or weird. As originality goes, this is an obvious winner.

So, cool. Again, there's nothing really new about the game, at all, if you've been following our coverage of it for the past few weeks. But the article is pretty interesting all around and might make you irritated and stuff.