The International House of Mojo

Proving that a simple bankruptcy cannot hold a closed company down, the three first episodes of Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode is now available on Netflix. I have not played the original, nor is this version something that sits high up on my list, but if you are wondering how it all works . . .

Yeah, I don’t even know, but feel free to give it a go.

Source: Comicbook

I was browsing my GOG library in search of something to play and noticed I had new copies of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People and Tales of Monkey Island. I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (who looks anything in the mouth besides dentists, anyway?), but I had to check there wasn't a mix-up. Imagine my delight when I found this:

Well, two games. That does make me worry less about where on earth to store any purchases I made from the Telltale Games website. I'd suggest any readers here do the same; I suspect my status as a high-rolling InstagramMixnmojo influencer isn't the only reason I nabbed an extra chance to have that damn song stuck in my head.

Source: GOG

It's a slow news week—the first of many, probably—so here's an article Variety published two days ago on the closure of several game studios in 2018, with a focus on Telltale Games.

It's worth the read.

If, like me, you still find yourself uncharacteristically sad over the death of Telltale and the way its employees were treated, you should check-out VGOScore's beautiful rendition of The Curse of Monkey Island's main theme. It's an orchestral version complete with music sheets arranged by Pablo Guerrero M., and so lovely it'll take your mind off things. Give it a listen here. Its use of the oboe is A+.

Source: Variety

It's Black Friday, even though it's Thursday, which is to say that both GOG and Steam have discounts on their LucasArts games. If for whatever reason you still haven't vacuumed-up both attempts at Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Star Wars: TFU, or STFU if you're in a hurry), now's your chance.

Additionally, Steam's got a sale going for Double Fine's games, including The Cave; both Costume Quest games will put you back $3.24 together. And there are other adventure games on sale, such as the excellent Kathy Rain or all the Wadjet Eye stuff (highly recommended).

Telltale's output isn't included in either sale. Wonder why that is.

As an aside, I was curious about the name "Black Friday"; surely, I thought—being an edgy, black-clad cynic—the name also referred to other, less capitalist Fridays? As it turns-out, it does: Hollywood Black Friday was part of the eventual break-up of the Confederation of Studio Unions. Which doesn't seem so bad. And also a lot of other Black Fridays, all of which are depressing.

On the one hand, never say Mojo isn't educational. On the other, people suck. Anyway, you could forego the sudden urge to drink the sorrows away by playing some sweet games instead.

Obligatory second link here (in the sense we don't play favourites).

The Internet, best known for being the last bastion of reason in a world of crumbling empires, is not keen on Kevin Bruner. Telltale's former CTO-turned-CEO is blamed for its demise by every anonymous op-ed, and the Internet—or, at least, Reddit—is riding it. While I can't name the subreddit in question (we got kids reading this), you can find it here.

Granted, I came across the subreddit while looking for something to post so that the Mojo crew (read: Zaarin) could fix my login details, and I have no doubt that Bruner made the company toxic, but—and allow me to get on my soapbox here—it's worth nothing that the exodus from Telltale began under Dan Connors; by the time he stepped down, people like Mike Stemmle, Sean Vanaman, Jake Rodkin, and Dave Grossman had left. It's at least suggestive that Telltale's problems start from before Bruner. Only the employees know, really.

Telltale's death still sucks, though, even if I haven't bought a game of theirs since 2013.

Source: Reddit

Coming as a surprise to no-one, Skybound has confirmed that the feel-good finale of The Walking Dead is back in development, with members of the original team returning to finish Telltale’s abruptly aborted game. If you’ve already pre-paid for the season, you will not have to re-purchase the game. And, the previous seasons will be back for purchase again, too, so I can only assume Skybound got pre-opening passes to the fire-sale.

I haven't actually read the post, but at least I have the gusto to post about it. Unlike some . . .

I’m sure you’ve read it elsewhere, but just in case you haven’t, a slew of LEC games have appeared on Steam. I thought they already were there, but there you go. The list:

• Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
• Sam & Max Hit the Road
• Outlaws + A Handful of Missions expansion pack
• Afterlife
• Escape from Monkey Island
• Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
• Star Wars Episode 1: Racer
• Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb

Go get them if you love yourself some DRM. ¬

Reported all over the web (and in timely fashion at Mojo a day later), Telltale is now truly and fully dead. Games are disappearing from Steam, though are, for now, still to be found for purchase on GOG. If you already have bought them, you can still download them, and I’m sure you’ve already read Jason’s PSA on how to keep your purchases secure.

Either way, Telltale assets are being liquidated, so we'll see soon enough what ends up where.

Source: Variety

Have you ever wanted to see Tim present eight inspirations for Grim Fandango? Of course you have, and if you use Twitter, you probably actually have already done so, but in case you haven’t… Here ya go:

I guess we were too busy justifying the unjustifiable to acknowledge Dave Grossman's annual Halloween tradition in a timely fashion.

But let's acknowledge it now - Dave has give the reliable Pumpkin House of Horrors its 2018 update, which includes two - count 'em, two - pumpkins on the receiving end of inventively unaccountable cruelty. In these capricious times, when seemingly robust studios capsize at a moment's notice, it is comforting that there are still some things you can hang your hat on.

Source: Phrenopolis

The most colorful expression of the white-out outrage that was ignited by the cancellation of Sam & Max 2 undoubtedly came from The Wibble Wobble Hat Stand (W.W.H.S.), which found its true calling as an “LEC Hate Site” in March 2004. Refusing to stop at merely collecting the various works of “hate art” righteously spewed forth by the greater Mojo community, deceased virtuoso Gabez went the extra mile and produced a few games of grandiose hostility under the W.W.H.S. banner. Despite their uncommon artistic virtue, these Adventure Factory classics have been sadly lost to time.

Or have they? Don’t ask me how, but we’ve managed to locate copies and get them uploaded, an act of nobility that we figure is at least as big a deal as Netflix finishing Orson Welles’s last movie. There are no guarantees that these will work on your machine, but then, wasn’t that the case from day one? So download these zip files and try the executables out for yourself. They’re probably not just viruses:

(NB! The games currently only work on Windows (or Wine). We expect ScummVM will add support any day now. - Remi)

• LEC Killer
• LEC Killer 2: Ron Gilbert's Revenge
• Ron Gilbert's Christmas Challenge

I might have missed . . . something, seeing I can’t find an announcement from Double Fine . . . but Costume Quest, quite possibly the most charming games in the Mojo-verse, is being turned into an animated series for Amazon. There’s even a trailer:

Yeah, I don’t really know -- it looks nice enough, but I can’t help but feel some of the charm was lost in translation. Either way, the show is scheduled for 2019 release.

OK, I was a bit quick on the trigger last time, but Grim is officially out on Switch now, unless Double Fine is lying to all of us. Don’t have a Switch? No worries -- iam8bit has your back, with a boxed PS4 20th Anniversary Edition for $30, and also a soundtrack on vinyl for $40. Go shell out.

There are also "more announcements coming real soon!" so we’re pretty sure Grim 2 will be announced in the next few hours.