You pretty much can't ridicule LucasArts enough for their abject failure to join the 21st century and maintain their library of titles. They are in the enviable position of having one of the most beloved back catalogs ever, but the notion of lifting a finger toward the ambitious and bankruptcy-assuring goal of making these classic games obtainable is too radical to entertain. Want to buy Maniac Mansion? Ain't that too bad. Need a legitimate copy of Full Throttle? Go to hell. How about finding out if Grim Fandango is as good as its reputation? That's what torrents sites are for.
There's no excuse. LucasArts should have been on this years ago, either by launching their own service or by licensing their catalog to one or more of the multiple outlets who would be glad to have it. But even in 2012, when the responsibility and long-term value of preserving the oldies is common sense to publishers dramatically younger in age and lower in profile, LucasArts seems to actively take pride in their refusal to get with the program.
Is there another explanation? Back when Gametap was a thing, the rumors held that the service had acquired the rights to add LucasArts' library to its fold before the studio abruptly threw ice water on the whole thing at the eleventh hour for reasons unknown. Ever since Good Old Games, a fine home for classic PC titles, launched in 2008 there's been fitful chatter about the service's brass trying to open up a dialog with LucasArts. But as a number of companies have learned, a Jew will kiss a cross before LEC will deign to acknowledge an outside business proposal that doesn't begin with, "Hi, I'm THQ and I wanna make a Star Wars iPhone game."
In the end, what we've wound up with are four SCUMM games on Steam and a handful of console gems on the Wii's Virtual Console. Congratulations, LucasArts; you are a stripper.
I rant and I rave and I remind you of all this to prepare you for today's news of nascent disappointment. VG 24/7 reports that GOG is close to signing a deal with one of the three remaining publishers they've been attempting to negotiate with for years, and yes, LucasArts is explicitly identified as one of the holdouts. (The others are Microsoft and Take-Two.)
Is this it? Did someone at LEC slip up and accidentally ratify an idea that imitates respect for their legacy and goodwill toward its hoary fans (and who could just as easily have youthful counterparts)? Is the possibility of a legal transaction in which money is exchanged for legitimate installations of Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders or X-Wing actually in the offing? Will it be possible to buy The Curse of Monkey Island on the level again? The answer, of course, is no, and we all look forward to finally having a convenient portal for purchasing Grand Theft Auto.
Source: VG 24/7
BillieJoe86
Do they not want our money? Do they not care about building upon the legacy of their brands? Do they not care about bad publicity from angry fans? Are they failing (that hard) to see that there is a market for this stuff? Seriously, who the hell runs LucasArts??? Unless, of course, they are about to re-release their classics. In which case, we will be happy again. :)
To me, it looks like they want to be ideally linked with Star Wars by the outside, and that's all. They're kind of ashamed about their origins, they just want to be considered as the Star Wars videogame section and don't give a f**k about their glorious past. The most painful thing is that I'm starting to think that their golden age of adventures was just some kind of killing time until graphics would become good enough to properly render the SW universe. Once it happened, goodbye adventures.
clone2727
Steam also has Dark Forces and Jedi Knight, to their credit. And PSN has Dark Forces too.
To Darrell Rodriguez's credit! That guy was the greatest (and shortest) thing to happen to LucasArts in a while. I really can't understand LucasArts. Do they not want our money? Do they not care about building upon the legacy of their brands? Do they not care about bad publicity from angry fans? Are they failing (that hard) to see that there is a market for this stuff? Seriously, who the hell runs LucasArts??? Unless, of course, they are about to re-release their classics. In which case, we will be happy again. :)
Expect to see a deal made with GOG, followed by Star Wars releases en masse...
But I do have my fingers crossed.
Re-releasing old adventure games in 2012: I mean, come on, it's DIGITAL. It'd require minimal investment and people want to play these games. I really don't get LEC, surely they must be aware of the retro-gaming wave we're currently on?
Jason
I only acknowledged the SCUMM games on Steam, yes. I also laud their inclusion of, for example, Armed & Dangerous. The point stands: not good enough. They've had years to commit to something more than this scattershot half-assery.
clone2727
Steam also has Dark Forces and Jedi Knight, to their credit. And PSN has Dark Forces too.
I only acknowledged the SCUMM games on Steam, yes. I also laud their inclusion of, for example, Armed & Dangerous. The point stands: not good enough. They've had years to commit to something more than this scattershot half-assery.