The International House of Mojo

StarWars.com has released a series of commercials for the upcoming Star Wars prequel, Attack of the Clones. Each focuses on a major character (or group of characters), and are somewhat reminiscent of those "priceless" MasterCard?? ads. Some include never-before seen footage, so they're all worth a look! Check them out here!

Daniel Wishart, webmaster of LucasTones, sends word that version 3 of the site is complete, thanks to the design work of the artist formerly known as Zaarin. Looks great! Be on the lookout for more from Daniel and LucasTones in the near future.

LucasArts has put up the fourth image on their pre-E3 screenshot page. It looks to be concept art from somewhat-recently announced Star Wars Bounty Hunter.

In related news, Planet Gamecube says that LEC will start announcing actual games one at a time starting next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. They go on to say that 3 of the titles will be available for Gamecube.

Mojo hosted site Mediocre Entertainment is back! Mediocre Entertainment is a game developer group whose current project is an adventure entitled Day After The Night Before. They've posted a demo of their adventure game engine "KAGE" so make sure to check that out.

Our own Monkey Island fan site, The SCUMM Bar, has posted an article about cel-shading and how it could possibly be used in the next Monkey Island game. In case you are unfamiliar with it, cel-shading is a method of processing 3D graphics so that they look more like 2D cartoons while still maintaining the same flexibility. While no one knows what kind of art style will be used for any possible Monkey Island sequel, it's a very interesting article that explores the possibilities.

GameSpot.com, continuing in their "Games That Should Be Remade" series, has written an article about Grim Fandango. While GameSpot doesn't claim that they'd like to see the original game recreated, they do plead for another story set in this world. Here's a quote:

Sadly, Grim Fandango was Schafer's last project for the company, as he left LucasArts shortly after the game was completed. So the chances of seeing the return of Manny Calavera, Glottis, and the Bone Wagon are pretty slim, to say the least. But we'd still like to see another Grim Fandango game--one that would have the kind of beautiful artistic design and hilarious writing of the original game. And even though it's unlikely, we would like to see some continuation of the story, or at least have one more chance to visit with Manny, Glottis, Meche, Sal, and the rest of Grim Fandango's great cast.

Thanks to Tomas for the news!

Well, sort of. After months with nothing on it, DoubleFine.com, Double Fine Productions' on-line headquarters, has "returned". Yes, we know there's not much on it to speak of, but there are a couple of contact e-mail addresses and a fine picture!

When questioned about the page, Tim Schafer said, "Yeah, our website is back up. That 'What ever happened to Tim Schafer' article made me think I?d better start acting like I?m not dead."

A few days ago StarWars.com released a music video for the upcoming film, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. It shows conductor John Williams at work with the London Symphony Orchestra, mixed in with AOTC footage.

Although most of the scenes used have been shown already in the trailers, there are a few new gems to look at. Overall, it's a very entertaining video, so check it out!

LucasArts.com has updated their Clone Campaign product spotlight. The update includes a map tour that features a LOT of screenshots for this Galactic Battleground expansion pack.

In additional, there will also be a chat with Battlegrounds director Gary Gaber on on Tuesday, April 30th at 10:00 am (PST). The chat will be held at Games Domain, so make sure you're registered there.

LucasArts.com has a new poll asking whether or not you'd enjoy playing Shockwave-based games at their site. Of course the only answer is yes, so cast your vote (you must be registered at lucasarts.com to vote)!

For those who can't wait, there's always Guybrush Dressup.

The SCUMM Bar has a new fun "game" by our own Andrew "telarium" Langley. In this fantastic flash-based time-waster you can dress Monkey Island 1's Guybrush up in various silly outfits.

The game and art used is by Steve Purcell and appeared in Adventurer #2 in Spring of 1991. You can also print your creations. Play!

LucasArts.com has posted its third image under their E3 Warm-Up page, which you can view directly here. Once again, it seems we've been treated to some interesting concept art that doesn't look to be Star Wars related. Could it be Gladius? Time will tell.

The SCUMM Bar's outspoken columnist, Captain Mystery, has returned with a new article titled Stories Guaranteed To Give You A Headache - Why Your Fan Fiction Ain?t Good.

As the title implies, Captain Mystery has gone and read lots of LucasArts-themed fanfic, and didn't like it so much. Fanfic writers, haters, and bored readers should all read it and write him back.

TheForce.net has obtained this scan of an article from Electronic Gaming Monthly that gives first look into a new and unannounced title. The game, described as "Rogue Leader meets Apocalypse Now", is a 3D vehical combat game set just after the events of Episode II.

LucasArts has teamed up with Pandemic to make this game and will release it for the PlayStation 2 and Gamecube this fall. Judging by the screenshots in this article, it does seem like the second E3 screen up at LucasArts.com is taken from this game.

Update: It seems both the article and the scan have been pulled from the website. We didn't make up this story, we swear.

According to this Fox News story as well as many other news articles, Lucasfilm is promising that there will be less products marketed for the new Star Wars film, Attack of the Clones. However, will LucasArts be affected by the dramatic slash in Episode II merchandise? Probably not. Here's a quote:

"We've scaled it back a lot," Lucasfilm licensing executive Howard Roffman said. "We're going to stick to the basics ? toys, video games ... the things our fans prefer, rather than some of the fringe items."

While this may come as bad news to some fans, we can rest assured that LucasArts has learned a lesson or two from their less-than-wonderful Episode I games.

It's finally that time of year. LucasArts has started teasing us with one screenshot after another from unknown games.

On Friday we got a mysterious ninja-like guy, and today their E3 page has some crazy tank. Is it from a Star Wars game? Who knows? You can never tell with these futuristic tanks.

Update: Yes, it's a Star Wars Episode II game. Note the Republic emblem all over it.

Schmatz has posted an interesting tidbit on the Mixnmojo forums having to do with the role of everyone's favorite gungan in the upcoming movie, Attack of the Clones. This information was taken from Jar Jar's Episode 2 action figure packaging.

Highlight for spoilers:

Now a Senate representative from Naboo, Jar Jar wears the elaborate Gungan outfit deemed proper for the ceremonial grandeur of the Senate. In a twist of fate, Jar Jar is manipulated to propose the motion that gives Chancellor Palpatine the powers of an emperor.

Post your reactions in this thread.

The staff of the MI Art Connection have added a new dimension to their ever-expanding site: Music. They've already gotten a couple of talented people to put up their creations, and they could use some more! One of these musicians is Animutation's Trapezoid, who has been entertaining the Monkey Island community with his LEC-themed songs and remixes for a while now. If you haven't checked out MIAC yet, you really should.

Hot on the heels of JK2Radiant comes an add-on program that allows maps from Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight to be imported to Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast. I'm not sure how it all works, but it looks to be a useful tool for old-school and aspiring mapmakers (cartographers?) alike.

Check 'er out!

The editing tools for Jedi Outcast have been released by Raven, although they are officially unsupported by any of the companies involved. These tools include the map editor called JK2Radiant, two model viewers called MD3View and ModView, ShaderEd for editing and viewing the shaders, and sof2map for compiling maps.

Visit JediKnightii.net's Essential Download Section to download all the tools you'll need. If you have a hard time getting through, check out this news story for a list of mirrors. Hmm, maybe this would explain the server problems we've been having today, eh?

Trapezoid of Animutation fame has put together a Sam and Max Sound Board for use with phone pranks and any other sort of mischief you can think of. That's right, phrases like "Goodbye you nutsy manbeast, you" are now at your fingertips! For evilness on the run you can also download the standalone .exe version. Enjoy!

In addition to the one mentioned in the previous news post, another elusive easter egg has now been discovered in The Curse of Monkey Island. This easter egg provides an interesting look at a scene we last saw in another LucasArts graphic adventure, The Dig.

After Serge and I did some more searching through decompiled SCUMM scripts, Serge discovered that if you enter Stan's crypt around 35 to 36 times, a spider web will appear in the upper left hand corner of the screen with Maggie stuck in it. Then, the famous alien spider enters the screen and consumes Maggie. I guess she was out of life crystals.

Click on the image below to see a screenshot of this gruesome yet humorous easter egg in action. Also check out this thread for any other information.

The legendary but elusive lightsaber easter egg in The Curse of Monkey Island has finally been exposed. As some of you may know, a few gamers claimed that they experienced lightsaber sound effects while insult sword fighting. However, no one had the slightest idea how to activate it at will.

After some extensive decompiling and searching through the SCUMM scripts by Serge and myself, the trick to this easter egg has finally been exposed. During the ship combat sequence (prior to the insult sword fighting), press Shift+J. After that, you should hear the lightsaber sounds during insult sword fighting.

For more information, check out this thread on our own Mojo forum and enjoy!

In response to the recent article up at The SCUMM Bar entitled Why your Fan Game Ain't Legit, Yorick Kingzjester has put up A Lesson on Legal Anarchy 2 over at Adventure Developer. Here's a clip:

The law is not set in stone nor is it made by clairvoyant people -- in fact, most of the legislators possess virtually no foresight -- they act on popular belief. Sir, if you think there is virtue in the folly of the masses that is your god-given right. You can keelhaul me, if so you desire -- I find the water quite pleasant.

You can check out the full article here.

The first teaser image for a new E3 title has been posted on LucasArts.com, but you can view it directly by clicking on the thumbnail below. It appears to be concept art for some kind of ninja-like character. While it doesn't quite seem to fit in the Star Wars universe, there's no telling what kind of game this might be from. Stay tuned.

Four new screenshots for Star Wars Galaxies have been added to its product spotlight over at LucasArts.com. The new screenshots feature some impressive environments complete with colorful mushrooms. Check them out!

According to the LucasArts Insider e-mail, LucasArts.com will have the trailer for Star Wars Bounty Hunter this Friday. The trailer has already been posted on other websites after it was found on the extras to Jedi Starfighter. Bounty Hunter is expected to be released for PlayStation2 and Gamecube systems this fall.

After LEC released some mysterious art in yesterday's Insider, there have been some attempts in the Mojo Forums at guessing what the game might be.

The best so far is mumpizz's Monkey Island/Star Wars Crossover. I'd like to see more of these if anyone can take a stab at it.

The Monkey Island Art Connection needs you! They have updated today with news that they're looking for any new or unknown fan artsists or musicians interested in joining their gallery. If you're interested, be sure to go and sign up. If you're not but know a friend who might be, send them over.

Just got another mysterious press release from LucasArts, this time announcing the renewal of their old relationship with Totally Games (originall X-Wing team I believe, later contracted back to make X-Wing Alliance) to create a new World War II flight game in the tradition of their classic Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe! E3 looks to be mad indeed this year!

The new game, expected to release in 2003, will immerse would-be fighter pilot aces into dynamic, edge-of-the-seat air-to-air and air-to-ground battle scenarios in a variety of combat theaters over Europe and other territories. The story-driven game will drop players into a secret, elite squad of pilots who undertake the most dangerous missions of World War II.

Click read more for the full press release. <:MORENEWS:>

LUCASARTS RENEWS RELATIONSHIP WITH LAWRENCE HOLLAND AND TOTALLY GAMES FOR NEW WORLD WAR II FLIGHT COMBAT GAME
Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe(-Inspired Game Expected Fall 2003 for Next Generation Console and PC Platforms

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- April 17, 2002 -- LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC today announced the resumption of its relationship with Lawrence Holland and his company Totally Games to develop a World War II flight combat game for next generation consoles and PC. Previous associations between LucasArts and Totally Games produced the critically acclaimed and best selling X-wing and TIE fighter series of Star Wars games, as well
as Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe and Their Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain (The latter two games will serve as inspiration for the upcoming World War II flight combat title.

The new game, expected to release in 2003, will immerse would-be fighter pilot aces into dynamic, edge-of-the-seat air-to-air and air-to-ground battle scenarios in a variety of combat theaters over Europe and other territories. The story-driven game will drop players into a secret, elite squad of pilots who undertake the most dangerous missions of World War II.

"Lawrence Holland single-handedly defined the fun, accessible flight action genre with his groundbreaking trilogy of World War II air combat games," says Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts. "Adding the sophisticated storytelling style Holland developed for the award-winning X-wing series, this new game promises exhilarating gameplay with a rip-roaring story of adventure and intrigue. The legions of fans who have been clamoring for a new game in the vein of Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe should be very happy with this announcement."

"I'm thrilled to be back working with LucasArts, for whom Totally Games has developed so many successful titles over the years," says Lawrence Holland, chief executive officer and creative director of Totally Games."My team and I will have a great time building a brand new World War II air combat game for this next generation of hardware. I believe our team has some exciting ideas that will capture the imaginations of players everywhere. Get ready to watch your six!"

According to a recent LucasArts Insider e-mail, visitors to LucasArts.com this Friday will be treated to a first look at an image from an upcoming title. No other information was given. However, there was this small mystery image next to the announcement. What's also interesting is a graphic that was contained in the headline image of the e-mail. It appears to be Ben from Full Throttle with a Monkey Island monkey on his back. Let the speculation begin! - Discuss this on the forums

You know the site, you know the art, but do you know the URL? Well, now it's miac.mixnmojo.com! Yes, the Monkey Island Art Connection, one of the net's larger dedicated LucasArts fan-created art sites, has come to the Mojo.

We're not actually hosting their site directly, since its backend would eat our server for lunch, but we'll be trying to work together more as time progresses.

If you've never visited the MIAC, do so now, you won't be dissapointed. Also, don't forget to also visit The Brim Stone Beach Club and Mojo Art, two other great MI art sites, as well.

DOTTcom has a new section of their site entirely dedicated to Day of the Tentacle and Maniac Mansion add-ons for The Sims. While not all of the pages seem to be working yet, they offer floors, walls, new characters and more for you to toy with.

Now you too can starve Bernard and then set him on fire while Nurse Edna, trapped in a 3x3 tile room with nothing but a coffee pot, soils the floor. Fun!

JediKnightII.net has interviewed Mike Stemmle, LEC game designer and writer, who wrote the script to Jedi Outcast. Mojo readers probably better know Stemmle for his work as co-game designer of both Sam & Max Hit the Road and Escape from Monkey Island, and programmer on Fate of Atlantis.

The JKII interview is pretty amusing, as Stemmle rarely gives a straight answer. Sounds like he enjoyed writing JKII though.

The SCUMM Bar has run a new article, titled "Another Lesson on Legal Anarchy - Why Your Fan Game Ain't Legit (Or Even Good)." The article, obviously a response to AdventureDeveloper's original "A Lesson on Legal Anarchy - How to Avoid the Cold Wrath of LEC," tells why your LucasArts-based fan game has very little chance of surviving in the real world, and little reason to exist at all.

As was mentioned in the comments section at the bottom, the article doesn't address the "Parody" defense at all. This could be viewed as the weak point of a well written article, or the saving grace of fangames (though I sometimes wonder where some fan games lie on the line between "parody" and "rip-off").

Also, Dominic Armato drops in on the comments to further remind us why companies have to chase after fan work, even if they love it more than they love their own work. The article and most all the comments to date are definitely worth your time, so get reading.

Well this news, is in fact old, but I thought I'd post this anyways:
Whilst mooching about at work, I found an abandoned brochure for the Game Developers Conference that took place in San Hose about a month ago. on the first page was a list of people giving Keynote talks at the show, and under Visual Arts was listed Mr. Peter Chan.

As a conceptual illustrator and storyboard artist, Peter Chan has worked on games (Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, Putt Putt, Pajama Sam, Vampire the Masquerade to name a few), films and advertising since 1989. After 4 years at LucasArts, he moved to a remote island in Washington State to launch his freelance career ( a giant and illogical leap of faith initiated by quality of life issues). Film credits include Antz, Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phanton Menace, Monkeybone and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's(Philosipher's) Stone. He recently completed 2 projects for the Xbox (New Legends for Infinite Machine, and an unannounced Tim Schafer game).

So yeah we missed a more than probably interesting talk from the man behind some of our favourite things...
Other LEC folk that we missed included:

• "400 rules of Game Design" - Hal Barwood (who also appeared on the 'Advisory board')
• "Managing the QA Process" -Chuck McFadden
• "Battling Level Design in Hardcore Genres for a Casual Audience" - Tim Longo (Star Wars StarFighter)
  
• "From All Levels: Perspectives of Level Design" - Tim Miller (Jedi Knight)
• "Game Audio Production: Process and Strategy" - Clint Bajakian
• "Learning from the Classics: A discussion of What Made Games Great" - Alex Neuse ( Grim Fandango)

This post is pretty pointless, seeing as it's already happened, but at least we will remember to send someone there next year to see what these people have to say!

Yes it's been very slack from my end recently, but its time to get that sorted. I need all the hosted / network sites out there to email me so I can make sure I have the correct contact address for you.

In the email please make sure you list anything you need such as the banner code. When I think I have everyone listed I will send out a letter with all the relevant information on living at mixnmojo.

The unfinished sections of Mojo will also be completed in this period of what we like to call 'Mojo Smackdown' (that is unless something insane happens to me... again)

LucasArts has issued a press release, announcing that they have obtained the publishing rights for a game called Wrath. This action/strategy game involves one-on-one battles with monstrous characters as well as commanding entire armies.

The game is being made by The Collective, which recently was picked by LucasArts to make the next Indiana Jones game. Simon Jeffery, president of LucasArts, stated that "LucasArts feels it is the ideal publisher; Wrath complements our original game legacy incredibly well and supports our continuing strategy of working with the world's premiere game developers."

To learn more about this game, you can visits its website or click on some of the images below. The game is expected to release for next generation console platforms in 2003.

Our own Andrew "telarium" Langley has posted his review of Jedi Starfighter, the PlayStation 2 sequel to the original Starfighter and soon to appear on the XBox. This game combines the original action flight gameplay with new force powers... but is it really worth playing? Find out in the review, and then you can download the Jedi Starfighter gag reel outtakes and music sample.

About a week ago another Zak 2 fan game has shown up online. Except it's not a new one, it's in fact the original one which was hosted on AdventureGamer.com a while back. They've put up a video trailer for the game, but it looks nothing like the excellent 2D cartoon art featured everywhere else on their site. The video is all 3D and live-action actors.

The biggest question that I'd like answered but couldn't figure out is: is there any connection between this Zak II fan game, and the other one hosted at Zak2.org? If anyone knows of any connection (besides them both being Zak McKracken fan sequels. shh.), please leave a comment.

LucasArts.com has updated their product spotlight for Star Wars? Galactic Battlegrounds?: Clone Campaigns?. In the update, you can find screenshots for this Battlegrounds expansion pack plus some concept art as well. Unfortunately this is the most exciting piece of news to come around in a few days, but that will change in the coming weeks as E3 looms closer.

Daniel Wishart, webmaster of LucasTones, sends word that he is hard at work to get the site finished, and it is near completion.

However, due to a change in policy by his logo service, he is now only able to send custom logos to people in the United Kingdom. He's got a long list of e-mail requests from the US and Europe, and he is sorry to be unable to process those requests at this time.

LucasArts.com has updated its Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic product spotlight with quite a few new screenshots and concept art. This game is looking to be very impressive thus far. Knights is due on the XBox this fall with a PC release in early 2003.

GameSpot.com recently published this article entitled, "Where Have You Gone, Tim Schafer?" The article discusses Tim's new company, Double Fine Productions, and their new mystery title. It also talks about adventure games in general and the successful port of Escape From Monkey Island into video game consoles. While the article doesn't introduce any new information that we didn't already know, it is an interesting read that is worth checking out.

The official Star Wars Galaxies homepage has updated their FAQ to reveal information about how beta testers will be selected. Here's a quote:

There are many factors in selecting potential first round beta testers. In the process of trying to make the best possible use of test, we will primarily be hand-selecting people from our community. Beta selection will not be based on number of posts. Please do not be discouraged if you are not selected for an early Beta. Eventually everyone will have the opportunity to participate.

Click this link to read more.

Yes, there are so many of them I can't keep track. Readers interested in more LEC/Monkey Island fan art should check out The Brim Stone Beach Club.

According to the site's webmaster, mymipage, the BSBC is the eldest MI fanpage out of it, the MIAC, and Mojo Art. Go take a look at The Brim Stone Beach Club. Sorry I took so long to update about it!

Just noticed there is a poll at LucasArts.com asking what your favorite PlayStation 2 game is that LEC has released. The choices are Starfighter, Jedi Starfighter, Racer II: Racer Revenge, and Escape From Monkey Island.

I didn't know LEC remembered that there was a PS2 port of EMI. Go vote for your favorite game, even if you don't plan on giving EMI your vote (it's currently winning at 40%).

Want to know what your beloved Mixnmojo staff thinks about Jedi Outcast before you decide to purchase? Then read our review which is located here. Be sure to post your comments on this game as well!

Crazy amounts of reviews of the game with the small box. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.

Games Domain

AllOutGames

LoadedInc

games xtreme

Game Rankings

Game Revolution

Gamer's Hell.

bgbennyboy has released version 3.0 of LEC Quick and Easy, a utility that lets you run old LucasArts graphic adventures with original sound functionality. This new version adds support for The Dig, Monkey Island 1, and has fixes for various other issues. Of course, like always, you must have VDMSound installed for this to work. Enjoy!

So, no, Monkey Island 5 isn't real. Yet. It was all a poorly orchestrated farce from some bored webmasters and a lovable voice actor. People have asked for the history of our overly-elaborate joke (not to mention the music and any unused lines), so here it is:<:MORENEWS:>

First off there was the leaked "I'm Guybrush" line. Following that was a clip from what appeared to be cutscene audio re-introducing Largo. And, finally today, April 1st, some dialogue between Guybrush and the 2 puppets from EMI surfaced. Of course, it's all lies.

Considering the Monkey Island series' roots in "Pirates of the Carribean," it's only fitting that this years April Fools gag was thought up during a Mojo trip to Disneyland at last year's E3. Originally we were going to turn Mojo into a porn site for the day. Use of the winking Elaine gif was debated and, thankfully, dropped after two seconds of discussion.

Once we realized that idea was idiotic (and disgusting) we settled on forging the existance of Monkey Island 5.

After checking with the appropriate people that the plan was okay to do, we secured the help of Dominic Armato, who was eager to help (yes, it's really him). Following approval from the powers that be and Mr. Armato, we set about writing everything down. Almost all of the dialogue was written by Mojo staff writer Andrew "telarium" Langley sometime in early March.

Dom dissapeared for a month and panic ensued. Finally, on Friday March 29th, recording was completed. For the next two nights Andrew and Jimmi "Serge" Th?gersen from HighLand Productions worked on fixing up music, and editing together the cutscene and puppet bits.

The joke started getting out of hand when World Of MI posted a fake Monkey 5 box by notable fan artist Paco Vink. "Return to Monkey Island" it is! Though not everyone was fooled it was still pretty fun, and we hope you all enjoyed it!

As a bonus, here are some recorded lines we didn't use, as well as the 2 music tracks separated from the dialogue:

• "Return of Largo" cutscene music
  By Andrew Langley and Jimmi Th?gersen
  
  
• "Puppets Reunited" music
  By Andrew Langley
  
  
• "I'm Guybrush" outtake reel (unused lines)
  Written by Andrew Langley, Guybrush voice by Dominic Armato

And, in case you missed them the first time around, here are the three "authentic" "leaked" sound clips from Monkey Island 5:

• "I'm Guybrush Threepwood..." line
  Written by Andrew Langley, Guybrush voice by Dominic Armato
  
  
• "Return of Largo" cutscene
  Writing by Andrew Langley, music by Andrew Langley and Jimmi Th?gersen, Guybrush and Largo voices by Dominic Armato
  
  
• "Puppets Reunited/April Fools" audio
  Writing and music by Andrew Langley, Guybrush voice by Dominic Armato

There's always the failed April Fools ideas. For instance, Jedi Outlaws: Six-Shooter Lightsaber was scheduled to make a guest appearance today but due to the excessive laziness of Mojo staff it didn't happen. However, we do happen to have the theme song for your not so listening pleasure.

Tremendous thanks to all who helped out and weren't credited (and thanks to those who knew about it and kept their mouthes shut!). And, biggest thanks of all to Tom Sarris!

We have another MP3 from the next Monkey Island game, which you can download here. The file arrived today from our anonymous source, and contains a conversation between three characters that we last saw in EMI. We've been told to expect at least two more sound files by Friday at the very latest, so keep checking back!