The International House of Mojo

Yes, things are happening, we're just slow.

First all of Telltale's [iPad damn it] games are now $2.99 until February 10th. Of course, no new episodes have been released yet, and chances are slim they will be if history is anything to go buy. (The Penal Zone has been out for closing in on a year now.)

Also, if you haven't subscribed to their newsletter, you probably should, as the newest edition has some new Back to the Future images. Which is awesome. They're also offering the full season of Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space for $4.99 to newsletter subscribers.

So yes. Do it. And stuff.

Prepare to be shocked - doubly - by this brief video interview with Tim Schafer and Lee Petty at DualShockers. The subject is, of course, Stacking, and the four minute probe sees Lee Petty describing how he came up with the concept and attempts to define the area between "casual" and "hardcore" that the game occupies. Stacking!

Source: Dualshockers

In North America, the retail release for Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures was almost identical to the collector's DVD Telltale offered to season subscribers, minus the "almost." In the characters' home country, however, things are a little bit different. Mastertronic, the publisher responsible for bringing Telltale's adventure game to UK stores, has seen fit to bifurcate the four episode season into a pair of boxed releases. Recently released is the second pack, finally fulfilling that waking dream you had of getting the series for two easy payments of £10.20!

Not sure what you Brits did to cheese off Mastertronic so much, but they clearly hold you in pretty low esteem. I don't even think Monty Muzzle has the nerve to attempt to pull a stunt of such transparent greed. Fortunately, you're likely to find the games for well under the sticker price but really. Two releases? Almost never have I seen such silliness.

Source: GamePress

Telltale Games is supposedly going to announce five multi-platform projects this upcoming February the 17th. They even sent out invites and everything! 1UP thinks The Walking Dead, a popular series of comic books about anorexics zombies that was recently adapted into a TV series could be one of them, as one invitation says, "one [game is] based on a just-launched property from the TV and comic book world whose popularity is changing life as some know it."

Are these announcements episodes or new games? Has 1UP misunderstood something, or has Telltale actually gone bonkers? Are they even games at all? Wait with bated breath until February the 17th. Unless you can't hold your breath that long. Then don't.

UPDATE BY TINGLER: Alan Johnson on the Telltale Forums has confirmed that it's not "just five new episodes". Eek.

Source: Eurogamer

Usually we have to wait years between Double Fine games. That ends now, as their eagerly anticipated (especially by us) sort-of return to the adventure game, Stacking, is out February 8th on PSN for $14.99 and February 9th on Xbox Live for 1200 Microsoft Points. I'm not sure what either of those equate to in real money.

So, will you be getting it?

Source: Destructoid

And tfarr isn't the only one loving it!

The look of justice you're wearing on that headset-adorned face of yours tells me you're already more than aware that DeathSpank's soundtrack was, in a move that some would call "awesome," released for free by Hothead, but have you read this new interview with composer Jeff Tymoschuk?

Source: Gamasutra

In a move that will likely invite the consternation of actual LEGO blocks, the upcoming LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars will apparently be receiving a version for Nintendo's hotly anticipated 3DS platform, release details for which were not-so-incidentally announced today. The third installment of Traveler's Tales block-building take on the Star Wars franchise appeared in this list of confirmed 3DS games, but I have no idea whether or not it's a launch title.

And you naysayers thought LucasArts wasn't up to anything.

Source: Gamasutra

Here's a head-scratcher to start off your day with: when someone says "Monkey Island" to you, do you think of: a) monkeys, b) pirates, or c) pornography? Because this is the internet, someone, somewhere, thought "pornography" and then, perhaps because the internet just wasn't weird enough, "tetris".

All of which leads us to this, The Secret of Spunky Island, a tetris parody of the original Monkey Island game plus a dash of porn. If you've ever wanted to see Bob the ghost get it on with Guybrush but have been afraid to ask, click here.

Hey, Mojo cookie pirate points to anyone who can think of lines from Monkey Island you're likely to hear in a porno. Post them in a comments.

Source: 1UP

Touch arcade is reporting on the forthcoming release of the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch/web game 'Smuggle Truck' a side scrolling physics based driving game where you have to stop your cargo of illegal aliens/stowaways/kidnapped hostages/extended family members [Note to self: delete as applicable before going to press] from flying out of your truck.

What sets this new Owlchemy Labs title apart is that Autumn Moon's Bill Tiller has been hired to redo the art from scratch. The game started out as an entry to a 48 hour game creation contest, where all the games had an Immigration theme.



The game also features a full level editor, and there's a contest to get your own likeness as one of the cargo into the game by using that editor to design your own level prior to the game's March release. Check out the Owlchemy Labs website for more details, or watch the below clip.

Source: Touch Arcade

Telltale have written on their facebook wall "Heads up! The February issue of Game Informer magazine has some exclusive new content from an upcoming project!"

First thoughts go to Jurassic Park. However somebody in the post's comments claim Game Informer say the title in question is a sequel, though no source has been provided. On Telltale's forums user StLouisRibs says that subscribers are allegedly due to receive their copies of the magazine today, so keep your eye out for the news / scans popping up soon.

Update: Alan at Telltale writes "So I know you guys have been waiting with baited breath to find out just what it is that's going to be in the February issue of Game Informer magazine so I'll spill the beans right now - it's the first look at Jurassic Park.

The two page preview features some exciting in-game screenshots and some insight on what to expect on our upcoming title! It should be hitting subscribers' mailboxes soon!"

Update by Zaarin: You can check out a scan over here by reader Jannar85.

Update by JP: Game Informer has the story online now, so you can get a better look at those images (including some not included in the print article).

Source: Facebook

Tim "The Man" Schafer and Lee "Almost Bearded" Petty of Double Fine Productions have recently been talking in a 1UP podcast in a series called "Games, Dammit!"

The podcast can be listened to here. It's like listening to some annoying buffoons talking loudly in a pub, except you can't join in with their conversation, and one of them is Tim Schafer.

Source: Twilo

Rejoice fellow brick-and-mortar gaming emporium browsers! Barely a year and a half after Tales of Monkey Island was released on that new-fangled accursed web-net thing, publisher Lace Mamba Global have announced that they're bringing the entire game to shop shelves everywhere!

To prove it they and Telltale have released a really snazzy trailer for the series. The first thing you might notice is that Earl Boen is playing LeChuck in Episode 1, which Telltale (I believe) still haven't patched into the online PC version.

TMI will be in your local game store (actually, do those even still exist?) on 25th March, although only on PC and only in Europe. A proper full-graphics Wii release would be most welcome, guys. Still, that's all five Monkey Islands now available in shops at last! Okay, not all at the same time. If they were though, that would be the best game shop in the world.

Source: GameTrailers

Of course I care - the talk is going to be about Maniac Mansion. On his blog, Ron reports that he has been invited by Game Forum Germany to hop a plane over to the country where adventure gamers flow like wine to speak on the topic of his choice. The topic will be the making of the first SCUMM game, the first game to feature a can of Pepsi and, perhaps most influentially, the first game to deal with the taboo subject of death by sexually aggressive tentacle:

Ron also mentions his anticipation for visiting the home of the frankfurter for the first time since his days of doing international pimping for Total Annihilation as well as his discovery of some LEGO Maniac Mansion fan art, so you should probably make your head less emulative of a tuna and read his words.

(To at least one willing German who will be in attendance: Please record his words as well.)

Source: Grumpy Gamer

The Escapist's Brendan Main has written a comprehensive article about Grim Fandango.

You might like to read the whole piece?

Source: The Escapist

Everyone's favourite ex-LucasArts CEO and Tea-Bagging Congress Candidate James "Jim" Ward is back, baby. The Phoenix Symphony has named James Ward interim president and CEO of the orchestra.

Congratulations, Jim, on your new position on behalf of The International House of Mojo.

Source: AZ Central

A show called Feedback on a site called G4 invited Double Fine CEO Tim Schafer and art director Lee Petty on the other day and the results can be seen right here.

Read more...

Source: G4TV.com

What's that? Features? Well, a feature for now, but we expect to see the old stuff populating the database soon. "Soon" meaning "over the next few years" in Mojo-speak.

To kick it off, we have our annual review. What was the game of the year according to you? Was it a good year? For heaven's sake don't read this to find out, read that!

It's been a long time since we've had any Indiana Jones news at all, let alone Indy gaming news! Fortunately that ends right now, as fans once again show that if the people in charge don't care, just bloody do it yourself!

First off is Screen 7 and Indiana Jones and the Fountain of Youth, who are promising an exciting year - hopefully culminating in a release! Their new year surprise is a revised demo, featuring an updated game engine and a small Easter Egg. Let's just say it involves a mysterious ring and someone who might know about it! They're also promising a new mini-adventure, entitled Indiana Jones and the Valley of the Kings. Let's hope for great things, since the demo is arguably more impressive than even Fate of Atlantis!

The second fan project is Binary Legends with Indiana Jones and the Seven Cities of Gold, who have just released their first demo.

We wish both projects luck, and we can only hope that LucasArts are inspired by their efforts that they stop f***ing around and give us some Indiana Jones news from them too. If not, I think these two are enough to get excited about for now!