The International House of Mojo

Telltale announced today that The Walking Dead: Season Two will premiere later this year. It is available for preorder for PC and MAC from the official site. The press release reveals a bit about what we can expect:

There's also a trailer:

A Game of the Year Edition of the first season will also be released next month for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. It will include the 400 Days DLC as well as the soundtrack and a behind the scenes video.

Source: The Telltale Blog

Telltale Games is continuing their goal to port the engine that runs all their games, the LUA based Telltale Tool, to every platform as is possible.

The first season of The Walking Dead (including the 400 Days DLC) is now available for PlayStation Vita. It's also coming to Ouya this Winter.

The Walking Dead Season Two, which will be penned by lead writer Nick Breckon, is also coming to Ouya, as well as PlayStation 4.

The Wolf Among Us, Telltale's episodic series based on Bill Willingham's Fables comics, will begin it's season in the Autumn for PC, Mac, XBLA, and PSN. If you were lucky enough to get tickets before they sold out, Telltale will have the first episode, Faith, playable at their booth at PAX Prime this weekend.

IGN's Up At Noon show has the premiere of the trailer for The Walking Dead episode 4 along with an interview with the writer of the episode, Gary Whitta. Skip ahead in the video to the 10 minute and 25 second mark to view The Walking Dead portion of the show.

Microsoft announced the games coming to Xbox Live in the US in the next few weeks, and Jurassic Park: The Game is scheduled to come out on Xbox Live On Demand on April 10.

So far, there's no news about an international release, but since the non-Telltale published European retail Xbox 360 version was cancelled in Europe, the presence of an online version in the US is a still-slim chance that European Xbox 360 owners may receive this game through a Telltale published online release.

If you ever wanted to dance with Han Solo to Jason Derulo's "Ridin' Solo", then there's good news for you. Kinect Star Wars is in stores now.

The reviews so far say that the dancing mini-game, the rancor destruction mini-game, and the pod racing mini-games are fun, but the game's most anticipated feature, the Jedi fighting mini-games, are unresponsive, making the game overall a let down.

Double Fine's Psychonauts was one of the first games in Microsoft's short lived Xbox Originals line for the Xbox 360. But while the other games in the line are still available to purchase through the Xbox Live Marketplace, Psychonauts was removed last August without notice.

Tim Schafer explained that the reason it was removed was due to the rights to Psychonauts transferring from Majesco to Double Fine. Microsoft policy is that games without licensed publishers aren't allowed on the Xbox 360 (outside of the Indie Games), so it was removed.

Double Fine is working on getting the game back up, but as of this month they've still been having problems since Double Fine doesn't technically meet the requirements to be an Xbox 360 publisher (most notably due to a lack of disposable cash). So even though the game was one of Microsoft's flagship products in the Xbox Originals line, it's no longer available (and likely won't be available again any time soon) due to bureaucracy and red tape.

Update: Psychonauts is back on Xbox Live Marketplace, now published by Microsoft (bringing the game full circle). I also checked on my Xbox 360 to be double sure, and it is indeed back.

Update 2: It seems the game is only available on the Xbox Live Marketplace in North America (thanks Pedgey). Double Fine is aware of this and is working on getting Microsoft to re-add the game in other territories as well.

Enough about the Star Wars Kinect game that Craig Derrick's producing just to confuse the management while secretly advancing that lofty goal of rejuvenating adventure games...let's talk about Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, the Double Fine Kinect game headed by Nathan Martz. There was a demo on display at E3 and a bit more info on how the game is going to play.

Like any other E3 story, a write-up can be found on like 500 game sites, but let's go with VentureBeat since they did a video interview with Nathan Martz and Tim that you can watch. And below from Youtube is the live presentation of the demo by guided by Schafer and co-played by some kid followed by a new trailer featuring gameplay:

Source: VentureBEat

This week there's a sale on a few Xbox Live Arcade games, including a couple of favourites: Costume Quest and Monkey Island 2: Special Edition. Both are half-price for this week only - Costume Quest is 600 Microsoft Points and Monkey Island 2 is 400.

Costume Quest is excellent, but I presume everyone's already got Monkey Island 2 on PC. And if you haven't, well, I can't really recommend buying it as it'll mean giving money to LucasArts, and they really hate it when people do that.

Source: Xbox Live

In a move that's sure to delight parents with a taste for the fine wine that is Double Fine, it's been revealed that the next game to come from Tim Schafer's unstoppable studio is Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster.

The game is being developed exclusively for Kinect, Microsoft's creepy body-reading device for the Xbox 360, which means you get to not only enjoy the exquisite experience of playing a Double Fine game with your children — or by yourself should you be particularly into The Muppets — but you also get to look like a dong get fit while doing so!

On a slightly more forward-thinking note, hopefully Double Fine getting more well-known licenses under its belt will give it the funds and clout it requires to develop more of the kind of games we've all been gagging for the studio to develop (Psychonauts 2).

Whether or not this game is part of the infamous 'Amnesia Fortnight' collection is unclear. Considering Ron Gilbert's experience with children's games it's very much possible he's leading this project, meaning we could still see the promised four games in addition to Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster.

Source: Destructoid

You know Stacking, Double Fine's next game, is out next week right? 8th February? It will cost £11.99/1200 Microsoft Points. Apparently though, a certain group of people will be getting it for free: Playstation Plus members.

If you don't know it, Playstation Plus is Sony's recently introduced paid online subscription service - similar to Xbox Live Gold. To entice people to pay a premium for a service that's otherwise free, they offer a monthly free downloadable game. Stacking is this month's free game, which will be given the same day as release.

Great if you're already on the service, but the best thing about it is that it's official support from a console manufacturer, so should hopefully bring Double Fine to a much bigger crowd - and that's a very good thing indeed.

Source: Playstation Blog (via Eurogame

Coming hot on the heels of the recently-released first screenshots, Telltale has announced that Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse Episode 4, Beyond the Alley of the Dolls, will be released on Tuesday, July 20.

July 20, that is, for PC, Mac, and US PlayStation Network users. If all goes as planned, European PSN users should be able to play it on Wednesday, July 21.

I hope you don't have anything scheduled for that date, because otherwise the zombie-Sam-dolls apocalypse is going to put a real crimp in your plans. And possibly a hole in your skull, as the zombies suck out your sweet, sweet brains.

Source: Telltale's blog

When I heard the astonishing news that Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse episode 3, They Stole Max's Brain!, was available to play on Mac and PC, I couldn't believe my ears. I had to make certain.

"Well? Is it out yet? Talk, or I'll pump you so full of lead that you could serve as an X-ray apron in a dentist's office!" I yelled at a specimen of the local human refuse, punctuating my point with a few well-timed open-hand slaps.

The poor sap was so afraid of me he spontaneously developed a stutter. He also sang better than a trained canary. "I-i-it's out! R-r-r-right n-now, in fact! J-just visit T-t-t-Telltale's website, w-w-w-where you can get it! F-f-for Mac and PC! J-just p-p-please don't hurt me!"

I let him be after that. I had more important cases to solve, after all. Like finding a missing lagomorph brain.

We promised it to you earlier, Mojo readers, and here it is. As brought to our attention by professional Mojo forum member/zombie hunter* Threepwood4life, IGN has finally uploaded the video from yesterday's Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, Special Edition stage demo.

Cool Special Edition features include dynamic lighting on the character sprites, the ability to highlight all usable objects on the screen, and the presence of a three-tiered hint system. We can also see some all-new idle animations that Guybrush now has, and there's a demonstration of how the developer commentary works.

Plus, we finally get a good look at the new Verb Coin-style radial interface, which tailors itself to fit the object you've selected. I'd say it's sort of like the icon interface used in Gabriel Knight 3.

Also there's a glimpse of the art gallery, of which the recent 1UP video has a much more detailed look.

The video is embedded below for the benefit of slackers who can't be bothered to click a link. But we both know you're better than that. You DO read Mojo, after all.



*(Note: he may or may not actually be a zombie hunter)

LucasArts is currently showing off Monkey Island 2, LeChuck's Revenge, Special Edition at their E3 booth, and 1UP has posted a video of their visit. Or maybe at a bigger size for you people who need to fill up more space on your monitors. It covers basically the same ground as the IGN live video demo streamed earlier today, which we'll also provide for you just as soon as it gets archived online.

This video contains further evidence that the Concept Art gallery is going to be really neat. I'd say more, but I daren't spoil the surprise.

Source: Telltale Forums

So much news, all in one day?! And you thought we were a bunch of slackers.

It aired live on GameSpot and IGN earlier in the day, but in case you missed it, here is an E3 stage demo video demonstrating the first level of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (2 Force 2 Unleashed).

Go forth and.... watch the darn video, already. (This is the GameSpot version, which has a bit more footage than the IGN feed.)

It's E3, and that means here are some brand spanking new Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, Special Edition screenshots, sure to get you whining about how the whole game is being spoiled or whatever.

Of especial note is this particular screenshot, which gives us our first glimpse of the concept art gallery included within the game. Visible in the image-selection menu are not one but two unused Peter Chan backgrounds from the original game, which happen to be eerie close-ups of the skeletal throne in LeChuck's office.

(Wow, now I finally know what those extra background-image filenames in the MI2 rolling demo meant...)

So. If you're interested in Star Wars: The Old Republic (and why wouldn't you be, it's going to be one of the most expensive games ever made), then check out this stage demo for the game, as shown at the recent EA press conference at E3. Or see it here in HD.

Or check out the trailer from that stage demo, which was really the whole point of the thing. Also, here's a GameSpot hands-on preview of the game, and another from IGN.

Also check out some screenshot galleries: Star Wars: The Old Republic (at Gamespot and IGN; Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 (Force Unleasheder (GameSpot Xbox 360, GameSpot PS3); LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (at GameSpot); and the new LucasArts/Sony Online MMO Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures (again, see Gamespot).

Just in case you hadn't surmised as much from the (rather numerous) previous news reports, LucasArts has finally confirmed that the release date for Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, Special Edition will be July 7.

The news comes in the form of a short but funny new trailer released by LucasArts on Facebook. Also it's viewable (in somewhat smaller form) on the MI2:SE official LucasArts website.

There's no new gameplay footage, I'm afraid, but then again, many of our readers were recently complaining that too much had been revealed already. So no harm done.

Also apparently it's rated E-10+ by the ESRB? And EMI got rated Teen, of all things.

Source: Mojo Forums

So now that we know LucasArts is making a Star Wars game for the Xbox 360's Kinect body-sensing apparatus, Microsoft's E3 press conference has helpfully provided us with some clearer footage of the game in question.

It's buried in this GameSpot video beginning at the 1 hour, 19:30 mark. Basically it's the same footage as leaked from the now-infamous Cirque du Soleil E3 pre-show, but now in higher quality and with the beginning of the trailer included. (Which would confirm that, yes, the Kinect demo at the pre-show was in fact faked.)

According to the video, this Star Wars mystery-title game is scheduled to ship in 2011. It appears it will be an Xbox 360 and Kinect exclusive.

Update: Here's the same SW game trailer, now watchable separately from the massive Microsoft press conference. (And here's an HD version for those of you who are interested.)

Why should Wii owners get all the pirate fun? Telltale has just announced that Tales of Monkey Island will at last become available for the PlayStation 3. It'll be selling in Sony's American online store starting on June 15, priced at $19.99. The European PlayStation Store will receive the game at a later, as-yet-undetermined date.

On another note, Telltale is currently having a sale on all 5 episodes of Tales, which are available in a bundle for PC and Macintosh at the low price of $19.95 through the rest of June. Taking advantage of this sale also nets you a free copy of Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse Episode 1, The Penal Zone.

Yeah, we at Mojo may be shills, but these games are things I for one am happy to be shilling.

Source: Telltale's blog