The International House of Mojo

Now up.

Also, there are some pretty sweet deals on the Telltale Hub-Chamber if you pre-order the game now...

Update: You can also apparently download another version of the demo, a "a limited edition, GamePro-branded" version exclusively from its site (direct download here).

Source: Gamepro

If you've played and enjoyed the Wallace and Gromit demo, or just want to give Telltale some props and recognition, please register at FileRadar and "Blip" the demo. Think of it as Digg: the higher the blips, the more likely people will check it out. Awesome? Awesome. So are you, once you Blip it. (Blip it good.)

Source: Telltale Forums

From what I can tell, all you have to do is sign-up to Twitter and then follow Telltale's, and you might be one of the three lucky winners who gets free copies of the PC version which you so graciously pre-ordered.

Source: Twitter

As reader AlfredJ noticed in the comments of the previous related post, Jeff Smith has addressed the reference to an upcoming Bone video game made by Publishers Weekly:

You know, I don't know what the video game thing is all about. There is no new Bone video game in the works. I think it may be refering to something Scholastic is planing for its website - - a little flash game, maybe, or it could just be an internet rumor that made it onto the list!

Damn.

Despite the assurance that the keyboard/mouse controls for the PC version of Wallace & Gromit (the company's first non-point 'n click game) are quite manageable, Telltale has long insinuated that they would offer gamepad support for those with the means to replicate the more fluid console controls found on the 360. This feature has been confirmed, with Kevin Bruner stating that the PC version will support Logitech and Xbox gamepad controllers. woot.

The guys at joystiq have noticed an intriguing bit of information in Publishers Weekly's writeup about this month's top ten best-selling comics, a list which includes Crown of Horns, the final of the colorized Bone books released by Scholastic. Here's the book's entry as it appears in the list.

6. Bone: Crown of Horns.
Jeff Smith.
Graphix/Scholastic, $9.99 ISBN 978-0-439-70632-2
Crown of Horns vol. 9 is the final volume of Jeff Smith’s acclaimed comic fantasy adventure saga. Originally self-published in black & white in 1991, Scholastic/Graphix began publishing the series in full-color in 2005 and it has gone on to sell more than 2 1/2 million copies of the new edition. The Scholastic/Grahix edition released a 100,000 initial printing of the concluding volume and the new edition has been translated and sold in more than 30 countries. Look for a new Bone videogame to be released in the spring.

Underlining by me. This should definitely be considered rumor material, and even assuming it's true a new Bone game doesn't necessarily have to be developed by Telltale, not to mention that if a Bone game is indeed slated for Spring (which we're in), it seems odd that there's been not a peep about it anywhere. Definitely an interesting rumor though, and we'll see what comes of it, if anything.

Dank, Graham Annable's still regularly updated (despite him departing the company long ago) webcomic about the caveman inventor of the same name, reached its 100th installment two days ago.

You're probably familiar with the comic, which has been running on Telltale's website since February of 2005, for crying out loud, which is over six months prior to the release of Bone: Out from Boneville. Can you remember the days when Dank's head graced the header links of the Telltale web site? Can you remember when everyone assumed that he would be the star of the company's first adventure game, with the fact that he was modeled serving as evidence?

Anyway, if you haven't been keeping up with the comic, do so now! And we're always happy to plug Annable's work in general, which is why I'd also encourage purchasing such masterpieces as Further Grickle and Stickleback. And did you know that he was storyboard artist on the movie Coraline, still playing at a theater near you?

Telltale is now finally ready to start taking pre-orders for Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, with the first of the four episodes being released on March 24th - less than two weeks away! If you pre-order the season, you get it at a price pf $26.00 as opposed to the standard $34.95 you'll pay if you wait until it premieres. As a part of the special, you also get episodes 201 and 104 of Sam & Max and Strong Bad respectively as free bonuses.

As with Sam & Max and Strong Bad, Wallace & Gromit will run on a monthly schedule with episodes 2-4 following in May, June, and July, though specific days have not yet been hammered out. Also, as always, Telltale is offering a physical disc of the series for season customers after all the episodes have been released. (On a similar note, the disc for Strong Bad is said to become available very soon.)

Finally, some exclusive marketing is being done through Yahoo! Games, which is currently hosting the game's new trailer, and will on this coming Monday (March 16th) have a playable demo up for download. If you want to re-read everything you just did in the form of a Doug Tabacco forum post, click here!

Some spiffy new information about the control scheme, structure, and gameplay of Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures (the new voice actor is absolutely amazing, apparently!), plus an interview, all courtesy of the awesome Adventure Gamers.

Source: Adventure Gamers

The criminally under-appreciated-but-still-hailed Dave Grossman has been interviewed by Videogamer about the upcoming Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures, and it's one hell of an interview. He explains how the control scheme works, how the interactivity between the titular characters and everyone else is structured, how Aardman helped Telltale make the game as authentic as possible, and a window for a release date. Just go read, it's an excellent interview.

Dave has also been listed in IGN's Top 100 Game Creators of All Time, although at a criminal 73rd spot. Baffling. Ron Gilbert too is underappreciated at a measly 81 out of a 100. The top 60 have not yet been revealed, but expect Tim Schafer, to name one potential idol of Mojo obsession.

Update: Tim makes it on number 21. Congratulations to all three.

Source: Videogamer

Some number monkey has generated a list of the "most consistent" publisher based on scores from the horror of the game industry: Metacritic.

The results put one-trick-pony Rockstar at the top with 19 points, followed by Telltale Games with 14 points!

Source: gamesindustry.biz

Gamespot has put up a hands-on preview of the first episode (now completely done) of Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures. Aside from the all the other great information you'll get out of reading it, the preview also provides the names of all four episodes:

Fright of the Bumblebees
The Last Resort
Muzzled!
The Bogey Man

Thanks to AlfredJ on the forums for the heads up!

Discuss this in our forums.

Not much of a surprise here, but now it's official - your favorite duo's two seasons will hit the Microsoft Xbox 360 on Live. There's no concrete release date yet, but there is a name-change: on Xbox, the games are called Sam and Max Save the World (that's Season One), and Sam and Max Beyond Time and Space (Season Two). Emily explains why, including other details.

In other news, Sam and Max: Season Two won several Aggies on the first annual Adventure Gamer awards. Awesome. Rock on, Telltale!

Mojo's favorite suit, Telltale CEO Dan Connors, was recently interviewed by Joystiq in the wake of Telltale's recent announcement of the Wallace & Gromit release specifics. The lengthy Q&A is highly recommended reading due to the new information learned (including an interesting tidbit about the Wallace & Gromit demo) and the wide range of topics covered.

Obviously Wallace & Gromit is an existing IP. Sam & Max is an existing IP. Bone is. Strong Bad is. Any plans for you guys to do original IPs in the future?

Well, in the future, we plan to be around for a long time and right now we are really starting on getting the channel set up, getting the engine moved to the different platforms, getting a real distribution channel that allows us to self publish, and once we have that kind of reach, and hopefully a type of brand recognition for Telltale that allows us to sell enough units to make it profitable, I think that's a huge goal for us and a real important step for us. All that being said, we have always claimed to be the storytelling game company and there are so many great stories out there and whenever we bring a franchise in, and bring all the talent that comes behind that franchise, like Aardman, or like Steve Purcell, or like the Chapman brothers, or like Jeff Smith, that really adds to our ability. We are bringing great storytellers into our world and hopefully that's showing in our product. So, going on and doing original property certainly has its value in a lot of different ways, but we still put a lot of value in working with great storytellers and telling great stories as well. And working with great characters that have stories already written.

Read it all while impatiently awaiting Telltale to be ready to take your credit card number in exchange for their latest season of episodic graphic adventure goodness.

The latest issue of PCZone magazine (out in the UK next Thursday for non-subscribers) has a short preview of Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures. Mostly it's just a collection of new screenshots, including a rather neat one of Gromit clearly showing off the thumbprints on his arm.

However, the bad news is the PCZone have confirmed that Peter Sallis will not be playing Wallace. However, his voice will instead be played by Aardman's official back-up actor for Sallis, "you know, the bloke who did his voice on that rubbish novelty alarm clock you got for Christmas".

According to USA today Strong Bad's Cool Game for Atractive People will be released on disc next month (that's March), and as far as I can tell it's only coming to Wii for the time being. No PC version on disc as of yet.

Hey, did you know that everytime someone says "no PC version", somewhere in the world, a PC pirate dies? True fact.

Update: "Wii-only disc version" is not a solid fact. It's just what I made-out to be implied in the linked article.

Update 2: Emily clears-up a bit. "I haven't read the story yet, but I can say with certainty he's talking about the collector's DVD from Telltale's website.

March is a possible timeframe, but as always, it's done when it's done. We'll put it up in the store when we're the DVD's completion is comfortably in sight." Awesome. Thanks Emily!

Source: USA Today

Nintendo fans, rejoice. A game with guns for your console of choice, all in top-notch quality. If for some twisted reason you haven't picked it up yet, or for some awesome reason you want to buy it yet again, then prepare your wallets for Sam and Max: Season Two.

The game's being published by Atari by the way, who published Season One on retail. This hopefully means that the first Season did well on retail, which is all kinds of awesome.

Source: Joystiq

Yessssss! So cool! On XBLA and PC!

Wallace and Gromit get the lovin' they deserve.

New screenshots here!

Also if you subscribe to the Telltale Newsletter like all the cool kids are you'll get a free episode of either Sam and Max or Strong Bad. But then again if you were cool you'd already have them.

Woohoo! Wallace and Gromit!

Update: The PC version of the game will be point-n-click, whereas the Xbox version will rely on a joypad scheme specifically designed for it - this is according to Eurogamer, who also mention "with XBLA titles set to be announced in the coming months." Interesting!

Source: Telltale

Gamefocus managed to nab...err, someone, I think Emily, from Telltale Games and interview them about Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People and the possibility of more of it this year.

We’re not talking about a season 2 at this point. We generally come to new game seasons with a clean slate. There isn’t anything I can think of that we really wanted to get in but didn’t.

So I guess we'll just have to wait a little. I should add: for those of you who haven't played it, Strong Bad lives up to its name and is actually a lot of fun, slowly transitioning from being a for-fans game to a game anyone with a love of adventure games can enjoy. I highly suggest you pick it up, right after reading this one of many interviews.

A great interview with Jared Emerson-Johnson, Telltale composer extraordinaire, has been conducted by the blog Original Sound Version. The article, which discusses the tracks and intersperses tons of comments by Emerson-Johnson, is well worth reading for anyone who was a fan of the music in the season (in other words, everybody), and among the cited inspirations for the compositions is the music from the old LEC classics. Here's what Jared has to say about the underwater cavern theme in 202, for example:

I’d like to add that this track was also meant as a respectful ode to some of the music that Peter McConnell has written for various underwater environments over the years. The parallel was obvious to me in the visuals, so I couldn’t resist peppering the music with some little nods to him.

Read it all and remember, Telltale sells soundtrack albums for both Season 1 and Season 2 at their store, complete with original Purcell covers.