The International House of Mojo

Develop Online recently interviewed some guy called Tim Schafer about some video game-related things. It's a short interview, but an interesting one. Read this quote:

Rumors that the title will be "Double Fone" are yet to be initiated. Read more here.

Source: Develop Online

If you enjoy things that are awesome, then I feel pretty safe in assuming that you dug the interactive menu for Brutal Legend, which was comprised of live action footage of Jack Black's quest for a 70s-style heavy metal vinyl in a record store. But did you ever wonder how that cool intro was actually put together? Joe Kowalski, UI Artist at Double Fine and the man responsible for this task, has satisfied your undeniable thirst for behind the scenes knowledge in the form of a rather informative Youtube video. The first minute or so discusses various decisions made in coming up with the in-game interface aesthetic, while the rest covers the superb menu. See it!

Requests aimed at Jake to upload a similar video diary about his UI work at Telltale were met with the following verbal response: ¬¬

Source: Youtube

Not sure how else you can really describe the fact that the next iteration of the Guitar Hero franchise will come equipped with a story mode which depicts an epic quest across a mythological world of rock. Kotaku, whose source is the latest issue of Nintendo Power, has the whole story, and I'll let you decide if any of the following seems...borrowed.

The inclusion of this "otherworldly tale, narrated by KISS frontman Gene Simmons," certainly sounds like Activision is taking a few cues from a game they once had on their publishing slate before expunging it in favor of Spyro the Dragon 650. This is also an interesting development given those old rumors that Activision attempted to re-imagine Double Fine's latest project into a Guitar Hero installment before shelving it altogether.

Update by Kroms: In case anyone's actually interested in this - and I can't see why you would be - Activision have just released a trailer and a tentative list of artists and songs. Note how the trailer opens with Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave", which you may know as the song played during Brutal Legend's first gameplay segment. Note, too, that the artists featured in the game include legends such as AFI, Slipknot and My Chemical Romance, which you may know as bands not appearing in Brutal Legend, because Brutal Legend's song list wasn't made of stupid. Rumors of Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit or Kabbage Boy a hint of irony about this whole deal appearing in the game remain unconfirmed.

You could of course buy this. Alternatively, you could just buy a brand new copy of Brutal Legend for $20 off of Amazon. It's not the greatest game Schafer's ever made (the RTS elements are controversial, you can progress in the game without picking up some helpful solos, some other stuff), but it's fun and can, at times, be pretty cool. Seriously and for reals.

Source: Kotaku

A few weeks back, a blog called Dork Shelf published an interview with Scott Campbell, the cartoonist, LucasArts vet, and Double Fine art director who you probably best know for his Action Comics or for being pretty much the guy responsible for the visual style of Psychonauts. There's a a lot great stuff about Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, and Campbell's comics, as well as acknowledgment that the studio is currently hard at work on something "Top Secret," so give it your best read.

In another, decidedly more green, interview with a LucasArts artist alumnus who also dabbles in web comics, Alternate Magazine Online probes the bespectacled Graham Annable about all things Grickle, Puzzle Agent, and awesome.

Source: Dork Shelf

Some sad news: Heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio, who as you may remember was the first choice to play arch-villain Doviculus in Brütal Legend, has died of stomach cancer at age 67.

Dio is most famous for replacing Ozzy Osbourne as lead singer of the band Black Sabbath after the latter left rather acrimoniously.

Ultimately Dio was dropped, somewhat suddenly and unceremoniously, from Brütal Legend, and his character was recast with Tim Curry. Speculation that this was done to get Ozzy to agree to appear in the game remains unsubstantiated.

Our most heartfelt Mojo condolences go out to Mr. Dio's widow and other family members. He will be forever remembered as "that guy who was almost in a really awesome Tim Schafer game." (You're fired. -Ed)

Source: CNN

Legendary rock god, err, fantasy/SF artist Frank Frazetta died on Monday. Frazetta's work, full of savage ur-beasts, highly be-muscled heroes and scantily-clad ladies, was one of the major influences behind the art style of Double Fine's Bru(e)tal Legend.

So what did Double Fine's posse of artists do to pay their respects? Why, draw bitchin' Frazetta-style art in tribute to him, of course!

Kotaku has established a gallery of Frazetta memorial art sent in by various developer studios. The first three submissions in the gallery are from Double Fine.

Source: Kotaku

Who says you have to play adventure games to experience great writing and fascinating characters? Not Valve, whose 2007 first-person-puzzle-em-up Portal featured a malevolent robot and some of the best writing the medium has ever seen.

"First person? **** you elTee! This is Mixnmojo!"

Oh shush. It's free until the 24th of May - so if you haven't played it yet, why not give it a try? There's more to life than pointing and clicking, you know*.

And, as usual when I make rambling posts outside of Mojo's remit, I've attached a bonus LucasArts-related fact in order to satisfy the LFN's strict rules: Portal was co-written by Erik Wolpaw, who, as Kroms will relentlessly tell you, co-wrote Psychonauts.

*Disclaimer: Portal does, in fact, feature pointing and clicking. It's kind of integral...

Source: Steam

There's a wonderful feature up on Destructoid now (which I did a massive detailed post about yesterday but unfortunately the new Mojo news page decided to wipe it) focusing on the art and game world of that wholly remarkable game, Brütal Legend.

They've got an interview with Lee Petty, the game's Art Director, plenty of insight into the game's creation, and a load of pretty art that any metal album cover would be proud to display.

Lee also had this to say about the future of Double Fine:

Source: Destructoid