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A Monkey Island sequel from creator Ron Gilbert is coming this year
'Return to Monkey Island' is the first new entry in the series since 2009.
Telltale's Jurassic Park games to be 'cinematically much more serious'
Ever since Telltale announced an agreement with NBC Universal to develop an episodic series of games based on Jurassic Park, we've been kept awake at night, wondering just how one goes about defeating a Tyrannosaurus Rex using nothing but an umbrella handle, a lightbulb and a unicycle. There are at least seven ways to do it -- trust us -- but Telltale design director Dave Grossman informed us at E3 that Jurassic Park won't quite fit the company's traditional adventure structure. "... in the case of Jurassic Park, we've wanted to kind of step out and do something that's cinematically much more serious than the kind of.... you know, we feel like we're getting pigeonholed a little bit as a company that makes funny cartoon games about talking animals, whereas really what we think of ourselves as is a company that makes games about cinema," Grossman said. "And so we want to explore some different territory. How is the gameplay supporting the tension of the scene, and what kind of tension is it? How is the game paced? And so you're going to find all of that stuff in the Jurassic Park series." While Jurassic Park will feature adventure mechanics deemed "appropriate," it seems its focus won't necessarily be on laid-back lateral thinking. "I don't want to have it be a game about hanging around and solving thinky puzzles at your own pace," Grossman explained. "It just doesn't seem like the right thing to do for that." And while that might seem to suggest an action-oriented approach, Grossman wasn't willing to characterize it to such a simple degree. "You can definitely expect tension elements, let's say. Whether they're action or, well, there are a lot of ways to do that. I think there'll be a liberal mix of stuff in that game." Let's hope we learn more before Telltale's Jurassic Park begins its monthly excursions from Isla Sorna Nublar this winter.
Telltale engine doesn't support PlayStation ... yet
Telltale has been churning out some fantastic adventure games as of late. The team responsible for Sam & Max, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People and Wallace & Gromit has found its games on both WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade. But why no love for the PlayStation Network? It's "easy," explains Dave Grossman to The Guardian. "Our engine doesn't run on the PlayStation yet."We'd like to think that the developers are working on making the engine that powers these games fully multi-platform. We don't see why Telltale couldn't handle the PS3, especially considering the success found by the folks behind Penny Arcade Adventures.
Telltale: Tales of Monkey Island might come to XBLA 'later on'
Speaking to Eurogamer, Telltale's Dave Grossman spoke to the possibility of seeing Tales of Monkey Island on Xbox Live Arcade. Currently slated only for Wii and PC, Tales of Monkey Island could eventually see the light of day on XBLA, according to Grossman. "We didn't so much decide not to put it on Xbox Live Arcade as we decided not to put it on XBLA now," said Grossman, explaining that Telltale has been alternating platforms for each release. Joystiq readers will recall that Strong Bad is on Wii, while Wallace & Gromit is an XBLA title. Grossman indicates that Tales of Monkey Island may wind up on XBLA, saying, "Yeah, I mean I wouldn't rule it out. We might do that one later on." Regarding Telltale's overall strategy for future titles and other platforms, Grossman says that Telltale would eventually like to release "on every downloadable channel there is." When that will actually happen revolves around "how and when and can [Telltale] actually afford to do it."
Telltale's Dave Grossman promises Tales of Monkey Island will be more 'epic'
A brand new episodic Monkey Island adventure is heading to PC and WiiWare this summer. While some are weary of the game's new 3D look, series co-creator Dave Grossman reassures players that the upcoming adventure is a true sequel. "The series takes place a couple of years after the end of the last game. The characters are a little bit older, but haven't really learned anything," he says in this exclusive video.The episodic format is giving Telltale an opportunity to create a grander adventure for the upcoming game. "It's going to come out one chapter at a time over the period of five months, and the story's going to be told that way. So, it's more of an epic saga," Grossman says.The first episode of Tales of Monkey Island will be available on PC in July, with the Wii release to follow shortly thereafter. To check out this video on your Wii, check out the Nintendo Update channel next Monday.%Gallery-64680%
Classic LucasArts artwork turned into movie posters
All too often when mixing genres, the results – like that Mountain Dew left over from last night – fall flat. However, one enterprising forum-goer has has defied convention (and warmed our hearts), successfully marrying classic LucasArts adventure games with our wall's longstanding desire to be covered in nostalgia. The results consist of several beautiful posters, most based on original artwork lifted from an era when LucasArts wasn't afraid to point and click, including Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman masterpieces, The Secret of Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle. Designed to be printed and hung, we can't think of a better way to hide that unsightly crack above your bed.
Joystiq interviews Sam & Max designer, Dave Grossman
Apparently, the streets of San Francisco are simply bustling with adventure game designers wandering about in search of inspiration and that one inventory item they callously overlooked. We were in possession of one microphone and one unbelievable obnoxious blogger, both vital items for an upcoming, uh, life puzzle. Look, we just needed an intro paragraph, alright?Above you'll see Telltale's game designer and dedicated poet, Dave Grossman, being interrogated about things like episodic content, the hiring of console programmers and, of course, Sam & Max Season 2. (SPOILER: It's is in the planning stages.)
