The International House of Mojo

It seems that the internet's arsenal of Telltale interviews from PAX has yet to be depleted. Gaming Today had a few questions for Telltale, and, almost as some sort of trade, got some answers. You should read what Emily - the Emily who is not Jake - had to offer in the category of Season 2 details.

Also, in a new blog, Telltale shares a bit more about that wacky "Build a Sam & Max Episode" PAX panel. Included is a video of the finished gameplay scene without audience background noise, as well as a "rehearsal" put together at Telltale's offices prior to the event. Interactive text!

You'd better believe it. At the moment the Season 2 page is mostly a place to house the amazing trailer, but also included are brand new screenshots (the first?) and a baby FAQ that reveals a few compelling tidbits, like what's new about this season. Improvements and additions include:

Changes to all the recurring locations, and a few brand new ones! More lively NPCs who move around the world instead of standing rooted to one spot like pieces of furniture! Even more bizarre scenarios that will take Sam & Max from the arctic to the tropics and beyond! All-new, unique mini-games in every episode! Characters who pipe up of their own accord with useful information if they think you're stuck! Updated driving game with improved controls and the ability to upgrade your DeSoto! ... Flint Paper!

Also, Sam can run now if you want him to, and the games will finally support those giant widescreen monitors the kids seem so crazy about these days.

If that all sounds awesome, that's because it is.

The great Marek Bronstring has taken an illuminating first look at the upcoming adventure game Mata Hari, which as you should know by now has the very capable hands of former LucasArts adventure veterans Noah Falstein and Hal Barwood all over its design.

Just when you thought the standard point-and-click interface "ain't broke", a game comes along that shows it might just be a little bit broken after all, while elegantly fixing it. Mata Hari's interface is remarkably balanced between simplicity and representational richness, making me very curious to see how it will be carried through in the full game.

The preview is awesome, and contains several new screenshots. (The first?) The game is aiming to come out in the first quarter of 2008, so get excited.

GameZone previewed other games at PAX too you know. Like Sam & Max Season 2! The details found in their preview are unsurprisingly scarce, but it's certainly worth seeing. So see it, is what I'm getting at.

That's what I said. A pretty brief look at the game from PAX, but a bit on the the combat system is elaborated on. The preview also lists both versions of the game as coming out in early 2008 which, if true, would indicate a delay in the DS version. We shall see though.

Update: Whoops! You should also check out the impressions by Pro Game News, also from PAX.

As you know from being told about it awhile back, Telltale hosted a rather interesting panel at PAX today - "Build a Sam & Max Episode with Telltale." A unique demonstration of their engine, the presentation collected audience input to construct a Sam & Max gameplay scene within an hour. As Emily Jake notes, Joystiq put up a video of the final product for the world to see.

Whether you watch the video on Telltale's blog or Joystiq's site, you'll want to read Joystiq's thoughts on the event because they include a Q&A with Telltale that occurred after the concoction was made and some of the responses are pretty interesting. Note that the Q&A is in Joystiq's own words rather than a transcript, but hey, maybe the prospects of Sam & Max on the Wii are as good as they make it sound.

At one of yesterday's PAX panels, "Once Upon a Time...Storytelling in Games Today," people discussed...well, you know, storytelling in games today. People named Dave Grossman, Ron Gilbert, and Nate Fox (Sly Cooper). If you weren't there to hear their thoughts in person, experience the next best thing by reading the write-ups by Gamespot and Gamasutra (the latter seeming to have mistaken Grossman for Steve Purcell).

The same and other Mojo Messiahs were present at other panels at PAX, so keep an eye out for more such summaries in the near future.

With the penultimate week of nourishing Sam & Max extras finally upon us, the remaining batch of commentary tracks and concept art galleries is now available, these of course being for the season finale, Bright Side of the Moon. The episode's pre-release Q&A and Play It Again list also make their expected and welcome appearances.

This all feels very conclusive, but don't forget that there's still one more week of this madness left. The update in store for us on the 28th remains a mystery, but it's hard to ignore the fact that the Season 2 trailer will premiere at PAX this weekend.

The Summer of Sam & Max was much like any ordinary summer. But with Sam & Max.

As you were hopefully already aware, Tim was tasked with giving the keynote address at the GC Developers Conference in Leipzig. So how did the big speech about creativity turn out? Read Gamasutra's snazzy write-up to get the answer to that question.

Update: Gamespot reports that while Schafer didn't give out any details on the new game (which is unsurprising to anyone who's read Schafer's recent statements to Shacknews), he did reveal that the game is scheduled for release some time next year. While this may not satisfy those who recall Psychonauts' projected Spring 2003 release date, it's nonetheless an exciting development.

Source: Gamasutra

Crimson Cow's official A Vampyre Story web site is no longer a placeholder as you can clearly see for yourself with the chilling new site for the game now up! Much like yesterday's Double Fine revamp, the site contains some groovy new content as well as some yet to be available features.

New stuff includes some extensive details about the story, characters, and locations (where you'll find some stupendous new background art) as well as a new blog by Lead Writer Dave Harris. On the Coming Soon front we have a Downloads section and some spooky new forums to look forward to. It would also appear that an upgraded online store is in our future, which hopefully means the abandonment of Cafepress. Halloween's come early.

Because he'd apparently rather post it there than here, ATMachine started a thread over at the Adventure Gamers forums documenting some discrepancies between footage of LEC adventures he found while scouring the Internet Archive versus the final product.

For example, what's up with the Lucasfilm logo looking different in the Last Crusade promo? What's the deal with there evidently once being a 256 color North American disk version of Loom? And how come that inventory item got cut from DOTT? If you're a fan of ATM's web site (and let's face it, we all are) you'll surely enjoy his latest work.

Yes boys and girls, it was bound to happen; Double Fine has a brand spanking new web site, and it looks pretty kicking. Currently there aren't too much new stuff when it comes to content (there is a forum and a wallpaper section however), but apparently we'll get both minigames and projects "soon."

So, sweet!

But just the same: Spoiler warning for the following links.

If you happen to find yourself within the walls of this site you could type "indiana jones" in the search box and discover what are apparently set photos from the location shoot in Hawaii last month. There seems to be no shortage of vintage cars in the movie, but other than that your guess as to the significance of these locations to the story is as good as mine.

Similarly, you could also search for "spielberg" and "harrison ford" on the site to pull up what look like set photos from the shoot at Yale. And who knows what else you might find should you prove to have a wider attention span than yours truly?

TVShowsOnDVD reports a few tikiriffic new details on the upcoming 3-disc Sam & Max animated series set being developed by the excellent Shout! Factory. Read the source forum thread by the set's producer Brian Ward to learn about several of the extra features as well as his personal feelings toward the product. You can't help but respect Shout!'s business acumen.

According to Brian we're still several months away from a release date which, due to the arbitrarily sensitive nature of the project, can't be announced at this time. You probably won't be too off if you set your sights for early '08 though.

Source: TVShowsOnDVD

It seems that The Adventure Company has put out a video interview with Dave Bogan, Telltale Art Director, to raise interest in its retail release (out in North American stores now, headed for European shelves September 5th). The 90 second interview is possibly a snippet from TAC's exclusive making-of documentary, but I can't be sure. In any case, download the video and be amazed.

No, not Telltale. TT Games, formerly Traveller's Tales, purveyors of all things Lego (that being Star Wars, Indy, Batman and, um, Bionicle Heroes) sit down with Mojo for a quick interview about games past, present and future. Pull up a Lego Set and then click here to read the interview.

Although I forgot to ask them about whether Lego Hitler is going make an appearance. Oh well. Enjoy!

(Additional note from Gabez: you may also notice that we've restored a lot of our old articles. I did this ages ago and forgot to mention it).

So no news on Double Fine's next game until they want to properly announce it, which is fair enough. Luckily, though, we can at least unveil our scoop on Ron Gilbert's next game...

Telltale has just uploaded what is perhaps the single most significant product they have or ever will create - video footage of the Sam & Max costume from the Comic-Con. There's no point in telling you about all the great stuff that's in the video since that's the only kind of stuff that's in it, though I should point out that what transpires between 2:13 - 2:28 will give you much more entertainment than you'll feel you deserve. Really, just watch.

It's amazing how the Bone possum music can elevate an inherently creepy situation to a delightful, lighthearted romp. You probably shouldn't test the limits of that power, though.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that a DVD release of the semi-educational The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles TV series has been loudly requested by its fans for years. After countless internet rumors and promises on the part of LucasFilm that date all the way back to 2002, such a set was eventually announced. What was taking so long? The fact that the DVDs include a ridiculously extensive supply of documentaries to complement the episodes.

With the release date for the first of the three volume release, October 23, looming on the horizon a few new details have been made known. Expect this 12-disc leviathan to run you a healthy $117.99, and expect the disc space not reserved for the episodes themselves to be filled to the brim with extras.

Highlights of the series included a handful of episodes penned by Frank Darabont, infamously rejected screenwriter for Indiana Jones 4, though I'm not sure if his episodes are encompassed by this first release.

More info here.

Source: TVShowsOnDVD

As they did last year, Telltale will be taking the trip to PAX from August 24-26. There they will have a booth which they will use to display and demo Season 2, as well as premiere the trailer for it (which will hopefully appear online soon after).

Additionally, there will be a signing session with Dave Grossman and Ron Gilbert, and Telltale personnel will be involved in no less than four panels over the course of the event, including a neat sounding one where Sam & Max game content will be created on the fly with audience participation. Check it all out.

Crackpot has given the official Insecticide web site a slight overhaul. There's nothing terribly new information-wise, but there is a lot of new art and screenshots to uncover in all the Flash heavy fun. Check it all out.

Edit: Kotaku scored itself some exclusive desktop backgrounds for Insecticide which seem to be little more than high quality stills from the trailer but are awesome nonetheless.

The content that this week has washed ashore is a spiffy blooper reel for the season - a collection of voice acting flubs with some interesting (and hilarious!) visual accompaniment.

Where would you be without summer? In a place bereft of loads of awesome Sam & Max extras, that's for sure. Probably pretty cold, too. Sadly, there's only two weeks of this ecstasy left, but who knows what the fall will bring?

The crazy cats who operate 4players.de have finally lost their minds and put up a video interview with Steve Purcell that is so lifelike you'll believe you're actually watching a video file of him on a web site.

Purcell discusses, among other things, the conception and realization of Sam and Max's sexed up new Desoto. It's the sort of thing that only a fool would miss out on.

In other Sam & Max news, Telltale Games is set to hold a focus group playtest for the first episode of Season 2 on August 26th. If you live in the Bay Area or just really hate money you might consider making an attendance and demand that Telltale make the game into an FPS.

At the request of Double Fine we took down the story that was up a few moments ago. Double Fine is awesome, and to help perpetuate that awesomeness, we deemed it in everyone's best interest to comply and pull the story. Sorry, Jason!

It's safe to assume that some actual awesome news will be coming from them soon, though.

When asked about the original story, Tim Schafer issued a short comment, saying, "The whole thing was a lie. What I'm really working on is Zak McKracken 2 for the PSP."

Six potential titles for the fourth Indiana Jones film have been registered with the MPAA. Here they are for those who can't be bothered to click.

Indiana Jones and the City of Gods

Indiana Jones and the Destroyer of Worlds

Indiana Jones and the Fourth Corner of the Earth

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Lost City of Gold

Indiana Jones and the Quest for the Covenant

I think I'll put my money on City of Gods which has been rumored forever. It's a good thing too, because the other titles are pretty horrible. Place all bets here!

Leading the updates this week are cutscene commentaries for Reality 2.0 by the usual suspects, giving you valuable enlightenment and immeasurable entertainment. Also included is the usual smorgasbord of concept art and some already available but nonetheless irresistible reading material. If a misguided friend tells you that Sam & Max and summer are like oil and water, counter with this as compelling evidence to the contrary.

Wait, one more thing. Double Fine has thrown caution to the wind and intrepidly continued their line of Action Comics buttons with this fourth edition. Try hopelessly to contain your excitement while you order the set, christened "Polaroids," and read the interview with Mark Hamer at the same time.

Forget that previous Sam & Max interview - it was only two pages, and you were going to die anyway. This puppy is five pages long and is guaranteed* to make you live forever. Dave Grossman and Dan Connors had their brains picked by GWN at the Comic-Con about Sam & Max, and after the lobotomy they answered some interview questions too:

DAVE: Season two is going to be good. It's going to be good gradually. I'm hoping the things that are good about it are the things you won't necessarily notice until you're through it.

DAN: My hope is that it is something that will cause people to feel more engaged in it. They don't necessarily at the end of it say, "it was this or it was this or it was that," they are just even more intensely anticipating the next episode than the last one. And I think they will, because we've looked at things that worked really well and done more of it, and looked at things that didn't work and reduced it, and those are the kind of things that just show. Those are the details that seem little, but if you do a whole bunch of them, everything feels better. We removed some major annoyances, too, I think.

Sure, you have an eternity, but now's as good a time as any to read the full interview.

*not guaranteed

Source: N4G

The endearing souls of TwitchGuru cornered Steve Purcell and Dave Grossman at the Comic-Con to ask about the development and success of Sam & Max: Season 1 and of course, what's going on so far with Season 2.

Grossman: We're going to spend more time developing some of the side characters. The controls for driving will be a little more complex, too. And Sam can run in Season 2.

Purcell: Can Sam put his hands in his pockets, like in the trailer?

Grossman: That's a good question.

Purcell: Because that made me excited when I saw that. I know it's such a simple thing, but watching him do obscure little things like putting his hands in his pockets is really interesting. I think it's reflective of his character.

What trailer are they talking about? Did you see a trailer? You'd tell me if you saw a trailer right?

Source: TwitchGuru

As if you really needed convincing to buy it Music 4 Games has some very good things to say about the recently released Sam & Max: Season 1 soundtrack album, featuring the melodies of the superb Jared Emerson-Johnson. Beat the rush and place your order for one or twelve copies of the soundtrack (Now shipping!) today.

And Season 1 is out in stores now. I saw it myself. I saw it, I felt it, ...and I saw it. Pick up your copy while you can still say you picked up a copy when I said so.

Gamasutra reports that Tim Schafer will be giving a keynote address at European game developer conference in Germany in three weeks time:

Organizers of the upcoming European game developer conference, GCDC, due to be held in Leipzig from August 20 to 22, have announced that the event will feature a keynote address by Double Fine founder Tim Schafer (Psychonauts, Grim Fandango, Full Throttle)...

Commented Frank Sliwka, GCDC conference director, "Tim Schafer is an exceptional figure within the development community and his keynote speech at this year's GCDC will provide exciting insight into the creative game development process.?

You may well be able to find out more at the official website.

Source: Gamasutra

Are you one of those wonderful people who ordered the Sam & Max Season One Box Set along with the Bonus Disc and the Case File because you want a load of useless junk to accompany it? And are now getting worried after Jason posted that the game was shipping but you've had no word from Telltale whatsoever?

Well, maybe you shouldn't have ordered that extra DVD case-sized load of junk, because the Case File (as Jason sorta mentioned) is what's causing the delay.

Good news though, 'cause a quick email from Telltale informs me that the Case File should be in sometime next week, whereupon the DVD should suddenly spring into action, leaping majestically in the direction of your mailbox. You can breathe now, guys.

UPDATE: Yeah, what they said.

On their blog Telltale has put up a short animation clip of Stinky, the possible proprietor/waitress of Stinky's Diner, whom we were introduced to in last week's render. This video was first shown to Comic-Con attendees, but now you're invited to see as well.

In other Telltale news, that quirky caveman inventor Dank has received an update to his web comic, bringing Graham Annable's cartoon masterpiece to a healthy 24 issues.

As you've been told countless times, the North American release of Sam & Max: Season 1 by Dreamcatcher is slated for August 28th. According to Adventure Gamers, however, Dreamcatcher/TAC/JoWood has begun shipping the game to retailers today. This may or may not bump up the originally reported release date, which is now listed everywhere as August 7th. The European releases will follow in September, with confirmed targets Germany, UK, France, Italy, and Spain.

Remember, this version of Sam & Max is a different beast from what Telltale is offering to season customers. The extras indigenous to the retail counterpart include a foldout poster (I believe featuring this art) a new behind-the-scenes video, and some character bios. Start checking stores next week for this baby.

In their latest blog Telltale continues its journal of their wacky Comic-Con escapades complete with more, realistic-looking photos from the event to accompany the sensational written account.

Furthermore, after making a premiere appearance at the Comic-Con, two new merchandise offerings have been added to Telltale's online store. First up is an 11"x17" poster print of the artwork Steve Purcell did for the Season 1 DVD cover, with the option to have it signed. Additionally, Telltale is stocking a brand new sketchbook by Purcell entitled "The Effigy Mound," a compilation of various Sam & Max sketches, concept art, etc. that will certainly appease you. These products need a home - your home.