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The Simon Jeffery chat has just concluded, and LucasArts will probably be posting the transcript soon. However, until that time, enjoy these highlights:
RAL_Thrawn: You've said that the focus right now is on Star Wars games, and that you will be working on other projects soon. Are there plans for new games in other series, such as Indiana Jones and Monkey Island, or are there completely origional games in development?
Simon Jeffery: We are working on a number of original titles, some of which will be very familiar to you. We haven;t forgotten about Indy either...
Bret: Mr. Jeffery, when will the PC version of Starfighter be released?
Simon Jeffery: Starfighter for PC will be released shortly after the Holidays.
Chas_2001: Out of every Lucasarts game EVER! Which one would you say is the best?
Simon Jeffery: I can't say which LucasArts game is the best, but I can say that the Monkey series are my personal favorites.
Trapezoid: Any hopes of my heros Steve Purcell or Tim Schafer returning for anything?
Simon Jeffery: lunch! ;)
stu_the_monkey: Are you enjoying this??
Simon Jeffery: Yes, though some of the side chat is kinda 'interesting'
It sure was, Mr. Jeffery. It sure was.
The LEC webmaster has reminded us all of the official chat tonight with the LucasArts president.
Please join us at LucasArts.com on Wednesday, July 25th, at 6 pm (PST) and spend some time with LucasArts President, Simon Jeffery. Simon will be on hand to answer your questions and bring you up-to-date on our recently announced titles and future activities at LucasArts. The chat room will open at 5 pm (PST), so stop by early and spend some time with other LucasArts fans! Please pass the word and get your questions ready!
Hope to see you there!
- LEC WebJedi
Note that this time is 2AM Thursday GMT for our friends in foreign lands. "Foreign to whom," you may ask? Well, me, of course! :)
According to an article at securitynewsportal.com, the official LucasArts support site was hacked yesterday by someone calling himself "Young Thief". It would seem that Young Thief hacked into the support site and added a Portuguese message which reads, "Brazil rules. I thank the master Splinter, without his training the Turtles would be nothing." This just goes to prove that Brazil and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are not a good mix. The site has already been repaired, but you can click here to read the original message in its entirety.
Source: securitynewsportal.com
Calimonk was very kind to supply us with a scan of his issue of a 30 page magazine that accompanied PC Format in 1994. It includes reviews of Xwing and its add-ons, Rebel assault and TIE fighter. Interviews with Lawrence Holland and Edward Killham. Then we get reviews of all the classic adventure games starting with Maniac Mansion and finishing with Sam and Max. Interviews with Mike Stemmle, Sean Clark and Steve Purcell and then previews of Dark Forces, The DIG and Full Throttle. All of this and way more all from back in the days of 1994 and introduced by the then president of the company Randy Komisar.
It's a fun read.
LucasArts have sent in their heavies again and shut down a MOD, this time its a MOD for Unreal Tournament. The MOD included scenes from Star Wars' Death Star, the Millennium Falcon, Endor and Tatooine.
LucasArts said that the project was of a poor quality and would possibly stop people from buying there games (Although it seems they were doing a pretty good job on there own).
This news seems to be the first of its kind since last years smackdown on Matt Shaw's project, and at a time when one of their upcoming games will be the first to officially support Modifications: Galactic Battlegrounds.
Anyone wanting to make a MOD involving Starwars should probably wait until after GB comes out, and see how LucasArts and the world feel after some officially LEC Freindly mods have been produced.
Update: If you didn't read the (rather slanted) PC Zone article because of their requirement that you subscribe, you can view Pat Fitzsimons' (the guy who made the mod) web site here.
Source: PC Zone
Reader Jason Savage just sent me word that as of July 30th the Mac version of Episode I: Racer will be "retired." The LucasArts Company Store says this piece of "Mac History" pretty much won't be available anymore ever, so if you still want it get it now. Whats abandonware?
Just reminding you all that on Friday LucasArts put up a new poll, as they do every Friday. This one, though, contains the option to vote for Chewbacca, so you'd better all go vote right away. For the curious, the poll asks with which Lucas character (Star Wars, Adventure, or otherwise) would you like to spend your Summer? Vote Mojo!... err, Chewbacca!
Update: I've been getting complaints that I should be instructing the masses to vote Guybrush, not Chewbacca. Shut face? Yes.
Well... this is our first ever piece of Outlaws news I think. Outlaws has been around for about 4 years, and LEC have just released a patch for it! This new patch makes Outlaws Win2K compliant, work in Direct3D and it is possible to play in a resolution up to 1600 x 1200.
Having visited the Outlaws support site, I discovered that old updates of Outlaws have provided many new maps to play on, so if you didn't know that, you can re-live some classic cowboy moments.
I'm off to download the patches and shoot some varmits, or whatever the hell that word is.
BadTech have a hilarious satrical comedy strip based on a parody of not only Star Wars but LucasArts "milking the cashcow" use of the Episode I franchise. Among SW & LEC, they also have a pop at AOL, Microsoft, Windows NT, Taco Bell & others!
Click here to view the comic from the beggining or click here to go to the end few pages of the parody of LucasArts.
PC Gamer, as it usually does, has had some charts! Top 5 gaming characters in different categories:
Female Character:
1) Cate Archer, No-One Lives forever
2) April, The Longest Journey
3) D'Arci Stern, Urban Chaos
4) Elaine Marley, Monkey Island
5)Alice
King of Comedy:
1) Guybrush Threepwood, Monkey Island
2) Bob, Messiah
3) Manuel Calavera. Grim Fandango
4) Morte, Planescape Torment
5) LeChuck, Monkey Island
What about Murray in that last one? *sigh* anyways, not bad going for lucasarts and adventure game characters in that one eh?
Source: Croc
A new chat with LucasArts president Simon Jeffery will be held on the official LEC site on July 25th, at 6pm (PST). This is the first public chat with Simon since September of 2000. LucasArts site members can attend and ask Simon questions about current projects, future projects, and general stuff about the company. Maybe now he'll fess up as to why he destroyed New York City! Go here to read more about the chat.
Recently The Clearly Unoffical EFMI Site ran a competition where you could win a copy of EMI for the PS2. The winners have been announced, so take a look to see if you're one of the five lucky winners. If you're not and want to have the chance of winning your very own copy of EMI for the PS2 (plus some other goodies, just for good measure) then there's still time to enter our Make us a banner competition.
As of yesterday, LEC's fan-site poll topic is officialy finished. Both Mixnmojo.com and Thescummbar.com finished with good scores. Statistically speaking, Mojo owns one-tenth of the Lucasarts online community! Mwahaha ha ha ha *cough*. LEC's new poll poses the question: what's your favourite chat username for Guybrush Threepwood. Vote! Now!
P.S. I am recently engaged
LucasArts are holding a poll, 'Which of the following fan sites do you visit most often?' I am sad to say that Mixnmojo has only 14%.
I demand you make this site higher in the rankings. Alas, I'm sort of split between two sites as I have my own site at escapemi.com. Nevertheless, I have voted for MOJO and you should too.
Sorry, I can't dilly dally all day, as I have hands to kiss and babies to shake! YAAAARRGGGHHHH!!!!
P.S. It's my birthday today.
Oops... Looks like Spaff beat me to it.
Source: LucasArts
Jake and myself are currently updating from the Metreon in San Francisco. Why are we here? Because last night we attended the launch party for EMI on the Playstation 2.
The party was held on an old clipper ship in San Francisco Maritime museum, and we managed to snag loads of goodies for prizes and chat with Mike, Sean, and Dom (not to mention a few other EMI team members).
A full scale report will be available accompanied by photos, as soon as we get home.
In likely the second highest point of the evening, the first being the Weezer performance, George Lucas presented the 'Best New Director' award at this year's seminal MTV Movie Awards. The reciever of the award was whoever the person was that directed The Virgin Suicides. First person to find her name and send it to me wins a prize.
Update: The contest is over! Fuurgh wins!
Gamespy has posted their E3 Awards, and Star Wars Galaxies has won the Best Online Game Award. However, the more interesting award presented to LucasArts was the Comeback Player of the Year Award. Here's a quote:
All of these games were shown at E3, and generated a great deal of buzz as individual titles, especially Galaxies and JK II. As a group, it's hard to think of a publisher with a better stable of games in the pipeline, and much credit goes to LucasArts for entrusting the revered Star Wars license to the best developers in the industry. It looks like all PC gamers are going to benefit as a result -- we can only wish they'd done this sooner.
It will be interesting to see what people say at next year's E3 when there are more original titles present, eh?
TheForce.net is reporting that Lucas Learning has now decided to shift its focus away from consumer products and put it into school curriculum products. Does this mean that we'll be seeing no more games like Super Bombad Racing coming from Lucas Learning? It looks that way.
Source: TheForce.net