The International House of Mojo

Brian Moriarty's postmortem on LOOM that he presented at GDC 2015 is now available to view in the GDC vault.

Our very own curator of all things cut and changed from LucasArts and Sierra games, ATMachine, has captured three of the images from the video and corrected the aspect ratio (as the images in the presentation were cropped, meaning the original rooms must have been even wider). He has presented them to you in the most authentic manner possible.

These images are from lost rooms in Crystalgard. They include an alternate shot of the outside of Crystalgard, the hall of mirrors with the Chromax Conundrum, and the infamous lost room with the three sandglasses.

Source: ATMachine

The GOG and Steam releases of I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream included an enhanced version of the soundtrack.

With the help of ScummVM developers, two fans by the names of SirAlastor and Alpheon, went through the game and found all the music cues, and Alpheon posted instructions tto change the music from the included soundtrack to tracks that ScummVM would read, so the music could be played within the game itself. He also posted a video showing the enhanced music in action, compared to the music from the original game, which you can view embedded below or here if the embedding doesn't work for you. The difference is quite striking.

IF Games has announced that their adventure game, The Perils of Man, which has a design by Bill Tiller and Gene Mocsy of Autumn Moon, and is also co-written by Mr. Mocsy, will be released on April 28, 2015 for Windows, Mac, and iOS. Episode 1 of the game was previously only available on iOS, and for those who have already purchased the iOS version of Episode 1, the app will be updated to the full version at no extra charge once it's released. They also released an announcement trailer for the game, which has been embedded below. You can see the trailer here if the embedding doesn't work for you.

Update (26th of March): The Double Fine Adventure Kickstarter page has been updated with the news as well. As suspected, the computer versions won't have separate release dates. Broken Age will release on Windows, Mac, and Linux worldwide on the 28th of April. Only the PlayStation releases will vary by region, since releases on those platforms only happen on certain days, and the release days are different in North America and Europe. The cover art for the Nordic Games retail release has been revealed in that update as well. The backer box will be bigger and will have a different design (although the art of the box will be based on this one).

The release date of Broken Age Act 2 has been announced. It will release on April 28, 2015 in North America and April 29 in Europe. It will be released for Windows, Linux, Mac, and will be available for cross-buy on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. It's unknown if the separate release dates for regions relate to the computer versions as well, since the IGN article makes it seem this way. This is unlikely though since Steam and GOG.com don't have any region blocking for ordering (unless, presumably, required by law), as far as I know. However, even if that ends up to be the case, at least it's only a day.

While you're at IGN, if you don't mind spoilers for Act I and the first part of Act II, they have a video up where they play through the same 12 minutes of the game that was previously revealed, but this time they play through it with Tim Schafer. They discuss what has transpired in the three years since the Kickstarter was announced, the decision to split the game in half and what to expect from the rest of Act 2.

IGN has just posted a video of the first 12 minutes of Broken Age Act 2 from the PlayStation 4 version of the game.

I doubt you're going to be watching this if you haven't played the first act yet, since it's going to be spoiling a bit of Act 2 for you, but just in case, it should be noted that the video does contain spoilers from Act 1.

Telltale just announced the release dates for the third episode of their episodic cinematic adventure based on Game of Thrones. It will be released tomorrow on Windows, Mac, and on PS4 and PS3 in North America. Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, and PS3 in Europe will get it on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, it will be released for iOS and Android.

They also released a launch trailer for the episode, which you can view below, or if the embedding isn't working for you, you can watch it here.

Double Fine has just announced that they have just locked down the release candidate for Broken Age. All that's left now is for one final week of testing to go on to track down any remaining bugs, after which it will be submitted to Sony for certification on PlayStation 4 and Vita, and sent to the pressing plant for discs to be made for the Nordic Games retail release on PC, Mac, and Linux.

Since they are in the final stretch, the promotion period will begin, which will consist of IGN dedicating a week of coverage to the game beginning on Monday. They will also be announcing the release date as part of that coverage, as well as including an interview with preview footage of Act 2.

Since the game is at release candidate stage, 2 Player Productions has nearly finished filming the next episode of the Double Fine Adventure documentary about the project, except for a few interviews. They are going to be working on making a final cut of the episode and making a final audio pass, and then the next episode of the documentary will be released as well. The project is truly reaching the home stretch now.

For those, like me, who have been wondering how the second and final episode of the Bill Tiller and Gene Mocsy designed Perils of Man is coming along, developer IF Games has announced an estimated release window of Spring 2015 for the full game.

Perils of Man will be released for iOS (people who already own Perils of Man Episode 1 on iOS will get the second episode as an update to the game app at no additional charge), and IF Games also have announced their intention to release the game on Steam for PC and Mac in the same estimated Spring 2015 timeframe.

Those of you are have been playing Telltale's Game of Thrones series who are also fans of the show know that Telltale's attempt to weave their "new" characters into the existing canon has been pretty clever. It may be even more clever than you think.

Screenshots for the upcoming third episode suggest that it will take place during the infamous Purple Wedding, and eagle-eyed fans have recognized something intriguing: Mira Forrester, a protagonist of the game and one of Margaery Tyrell's handmaidens, is clearly meant to be the unnamed girl in the TV show that Grand Maester Pycelle (aka Walter Donovan) is making a pass at during the wedding feast.

I realize I'm late to this particular party, but still - damn. My hat is off to Telltale on that maneuver.

Source: Intelligent fans

The still unique and haunting Loom was a welcome addition to yesterday's GOG.com LucasArts drop, but it poses a problem for purists: the version offered - the only version commercially available - is the VGA Talkie version.

This is a fine version of the game and no doubt for some definitive. For others, the original version, with its incredibly inventive EGA graphics by Mark Ferrari, complete script (the voiced version was re-written for disc space restraints) and gorgeous character close-ups is at least as worthy of preservation.

And the game's creator, Brian Moriarty, took to Twitter to count himself among them:

So buy Loom, then play the version of it you want.

Also, this is a good time to mention that the version of Zak McKracken that got released yesterday is the excellent FM-Towns version. No word yet from David Fox on whether he tacitly supports obtaining the older versions after purchase, but my nearest available authority, Remi, feels that "it's probably fine."

Source: Brian Moriarty's Twitter

The timing of this couldn't be better, seeing as his magum opus Zak McKracken is today available after what might literally be fifteen years out of circulation. Industry vet and adventure game icon David Fox was video interviewed for an hour and a half by "Sup Holmes?," which appears to be a weekly Youtube show by some Destructoid refugees that is by all accounts significantly better than its name.

Though the Skype-like video is a little unsettling in effect, I encourage you to power through the creepiness in order to get to that warm nougat center of insight and great stories from Fox, who covers his history at Lucasfilm Games all the way up to his current projects, which include Thimbleweed Park. I guarantee you will be ninety minutes older after watching it.

Source: Sup Holmes?

Now this is more like it. GOG.com has made six more LucasArts games available on its service, and the inductees are:

- Outlaws
- Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
- Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
- Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge: Special Edition (RIP vertical scrolling)
- The Dig
- Loom (Talkie version)

I am pleased by this direction. Naturally, some of those are already available on Steam, but that's fine because we want 'em all, and GOG has knocked 20% off those particular titles. (A savings of over a dollar!) The inclusion of Outlaws and Zak McKracken provokes a particularly hearty fist-pump from yours truly.

I'm now at the optimistic point where I think the only adventure games that will be skipped are the ones that have special editions coming. I use the plural form, because it would not surprised me if Double Fine tackled Full Throttle after Day of the Tentacle.

Anyway, exciting times. And if I find no reason to be a cynic, nobody should.

Source: GOG.com

My dad passed away 15 years ago this month. He was a special education teacher and substitute principal who made a point to teach his students (and my sister and I) that differences should be embraced, and I've begun a Kickstarter project to seek funding to create six 11 minute children's cartoons and a family friendly adventure game in the spirit of the Humongous Junior adventures.

My dad left his greenhouse to his school and his students picked the name and dedicated it "Mr. Mac's Rainbow Greenhouse". The name is going to live on in this project to honor his legacy.

Red Thread Games has announced that the release of the second book of Dreamfall Chapters, the continuation of the saga of The Longest Journey that successfully combines traditional adventure gameplay with the choices and consequences gameplay reminiscent of Telltale's current games, has been delayed from it's planned release today to March 12th. They found and fixed a couple of bugs today and will need a full day of testing to make sure everything runs smoothly before they're comfortable with the release.

The Humble Star Wars Bundle is going on. Pay what you want for Knights of the Old Republic, Jedi Academy, and Dark Forces. There are also 6 other Star Wars games if you pay $12 or more: Empire at War: Gold Pack, The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition, The Force Unleashed II, Battlefront II, Knights of the Old Republic II, and Republic Commando. The site says that there's more yet to be announced.

If Star Wars isn't your thing, the Humble Weekly Bundle is an adventure bundle this week. Pay whatever you like for Detective Grimoire, Broken Sword 1 & 2, and The Whispered World Special Edition. If you pay more than the average, you'll also get The Detail: Episode 1, A Golden Wake, and Cognition: Game of the Year Edition. If you pay $10 or more, you'll also get Broken Sword 5.

Remember that Day of the Tentacle remake that was being created by LucasArts Singapore and was cancelled when it was estimated to be 80% complete?

A lot of people were wondering if this cancelled remake really existed and if Double Fine might use some of the assets in their Day of the Tentacle Special Edition. Well, we now have the answers to those questions, and they are yes, and maybe.

Double Fine's Vice President of Development, Matt Hansen, had this to say on the Double Fine forums:

I have to be careful with being too open since it isn’t our license, but I will say that I am very happy with the stuff from Singapore so far.

They're understandably cryptic about whether the material will be used, but it's good to finally have confirmation that it existed, and that it was apparently pretty good. Hopefully they do use these assets, as this would be the perfect game to become the last released project that was co-developed by LucasArts. Unless of course anyone is bidding to complete Sam & Max: Freelance Police.

Tim took to Twitter to turn the implicit into the explicit:

So buy Grim Fandango Remastered, in other words. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, and you've already bought the game. But have you bought enough? What if you break the very bytes of the game by playing it too hard? Wouldn't you want a backup copy in such an event?

Did you buy a copy for your Mom? Sibling? The child you're pregnant with? The dog you own? To be clear, I'm not saying not buying your dog Grim Fandango makes you a bad pet owner. I'm saying it makes you a terrible one.

Source: Double Fine's Twitter

Find it on GOG and Steam for the PC, and on other places for other things.

Hey, ah. I gotta split, so um...Viva la Revolución!

ResidualVM, the interpreter for playing Grim Fandango and Myst III on modern platforms, has been updated with a bug fix release. Version 0.2.1 fixes a crash when using subtitles in the Polish version of Myst III. In addition, a new port has been added. In addition to Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Amiga OS 4, ResidualVM is now available on SGI IRIX workstations.

I was reminded that we didn't really do anything to acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the Sam & Max 2 cancellation last year. Not that we should have. It's an increasingly irrelevant exercise and plus, with each passing year, it actually becomes more cringey for me to think back on that time when, shall we say, some slightly mortifying behavior was exhibited? Not that I'm absolving myself, but I was in high school in 2004.

One thing we are known to do sometimes is bust out our big honkin' compendium article, which is really just the database entry from Old Mojo that's been sloppily expanded over time as new facts and media came to light. I'm kinda proud of the unwieldy thing, because as far as I know it's still the ultimate resource on all known information related to the game, though I confess I'm too lazy to see if the Wikipedia article has gotten more accurate since I last saw it.

So as to why I'm making this post. I was re-reading that thing, when I got to this part, which made me sit up straight in my chair:

Ha, oh yeah! I'd forgotten about that. I wonder if anyone from the old team still has that lying about? I guess even if they did, Disney would be on them like sleaze on a Remi, but still, eff that Something Awful guy who got to see it!