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The 1997 ‘Blade Runner’ PC game is now on GOG
Blade Runner, Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi noire, has had a complicated history. The production was plagued with setbacks, it bombed in theaters, multiple versions of the movie exist and fans can't agree on whether or not the protagonist is an android. The point-and-click PC game adaptation fared a bit better, until the source code was lost. This meant that the release of a digital download version of the title was extremely unlikely. Fans intervened, though, and together with GOG.com they've reconstructed the game, which is available for less than $10.
Westwood’s 1997 ‘Blade Runner’ is playable again on PC
For years it seemed Westwood's Blade Runner might be lost for good. The 1997 adventure game that meticulously recreated the film's universe has becoming increasingly difficult to play on modern PCs. In 2003, the game's source code was lost, and it seemed like Blade Runner would never get the face lift that other retro-games have received. Now, it appears Blade Runner's fate might be changing.
PSA: LucasArts' Steam-distributed games don't work on ScummVM (but they could!)
The first thing we did after firing up our Steam client this afternoon to check in on the status of those LucasArts games was ... well, the first thing we did was write a post about the prices for you, dear Reader. The second thing we did, however, was download The Dig to discover if this classic adventure game – as delivered through Steam – would work via ScummVM, allowing this blogger in particular to play the title in another operating system, sans Steam (namely: Mac OS X). Well, since The Dig is having some issues and won't play in Windows through Steam (@lucasartsgames says it's "looking into Dig issues") we went with LOOM. Another brief, $5 download later and it works ... in Steam at least. Our attempts to get it to run in ScummVM weren't as successful, despite having all the necessary files available to us, unencrypted. So we went digging, and came up with this blog post by ScummVM team co-leader Sev who writes, "As of the ScummVM compatibility, we see that here were some changes that make the games incompatible with the current ScummVM version."So, did LucasArts intentionally change the files to break compatibility with ScummVM? Doesn't sound likely. Sev calls the changes "very trivial" and says they "do not seem to constitute any kind of copy protection." Since this isn't any kind of copy protection or encryption, patching ScummVM to work with these new releases would be a "five minutes hack." However, much to our surprise, he and his team have "decided to abstain from it at least for now." He writes, "We do not want to interfere with their sales and/or any upcoming plans for other platforms. Also we are really open for cooperation in this regard and will be more than happy to make any upcoming releases run with use of ScummVM." Sounds like an honorable stance to us, though one that will deprive this blogger of the ability to play these two games anywhere but Windows. We've reached out to LucasArts for a comment on the format changes and their thoughts on ScummVM enabling playback of these games.
ScummVM now has limited GameCube and Wii support
The homebrew community is the best. Not only have they allowed us to do things that we never thought possible on the Wii (like play GoldenEye 007 and watch our favorite movies), but now they're hard at work coming up with ways for us to enjoy classic point-and-click adventure games on the platform. While we won't be able to, say, play Sam & Max Hit the Road yet, the current release (version 0.12.0) has support for 5 games. These include: The Legend of Kyrandia: Book Two: Hand of Fate The Legend of Kyrandia: Book Three: Malcolm's Revenge Lost in Time The Bizarre Adventures of Woodruff and the Schnibble Drascula: The Vampire Strikes Back Sure, it's no Secret of Monkey Island or anything, but progress is being made so that we need not rely entirely upon Telltale for our point-and-click fix. We're excited for a future where we can enjoy all of those classics on our Wii. [Via Slashdot] The homebrew community has been hard at work creating wonderful experiences for you to enjoy with your Wii. Did you know about homebrew game Masteroids? Or how about the shmup OpenTyrian? Outside of games, people have been using the Balance Board to come up with some really neat stuff. Keep up with the homebrew scene by staying current with our Homebrew category!
Emulating the gaming world on DS
One of the first things homebrewers do when they gain the ability to run unsigned code on a game console is to see what other console's games they can get running. Although the use of commercial ROMs varies from legally ambiguous (in the case of backup copies of your own software) to unambiguously illegal (in the case of just downloading stuff), emulator programs are perfectly legal -- and capable of running legal homebrew software designed for the consoles. We don't really want to get into the legal and ethical issues. We think that programs designed to run like old hardware are just cool.Just like every other console, the advent of DS flash cards has brought with it a booming emulation scene. And since homebrew is so easy to run on the DS, and MicroSD cards so copious, it's easy to turn the humble DS into a classic gaming Swiss Army System.We've outlined some of the most important DS-based console emulators below, along with a ton of lower-profile emulators.
Adventure gaming to Wii: "Help me!"
Do you ever miss the old days of King's Quest, Space Quest, Gabriel Knight, Full Throttle, Monkey Island, and other adventure gaming series? No? Well, you should. Because while Microsoft is bringing sexy back, the Wii can hopefully bring adventure back, in a big way. The point and click interface of these PC games is perfect for use with the Wii-mote. If you've ever played any LucasArts title that uses SCUMM, then it should be pretty obvious how well it would translate over. If not, then go download ScummVM and try it out. You'll thank us later.Gaming Target has posted an article that'll refresh your memory (or inform you for the first time) about some of these games and how it could work. We would truly love to see Sam & Max on the Wii, hopefully it won't be a GameTap exclusive forever. Now if someone would just publish a one-disc collection of all the Infocom games, then we'd be in business. Heck, since they're text-based, make 'em a download. Plug in a USB keyboard and bingo. Ahhh, the nostalgia.What old adventure games would you see come back on a console?[Thanks, John (for the article) & Anubikai (for the sweet image)]
Like to emulate? You're such SCUMM... v.0.9.1 Binary!
Emulation is amazing. Most of us have probably experienced the joy of such things, whether it be downloading a ton of games you'll never play just because you want to say you have them, or reliving a classic game that stopped working on your old Nintendo systems long ago. Heck, even downloading Japanese titles just to check out what you're missing (assuming you're not living in Japan). It bears repeating: emulation is amazing. The downloadable titles coming out on all the systems and the classic library found on the Wii are sorts of emulation, but you've got to pay. Paying is lame! Sometimes. Here's a solution for some of your emulation desires.Over at the psp-spot.com forums, there has been posted a thread about the new SCUMMVM v.0.9.1 binary -- a way to emulate SCUMM and non-SCUMM games on Linux, which you should install on your PS3 as soon as you can! SCUMM games include many of the Lucas Arts titles, like Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle. It's still under heavy development and a few bugs have been reported, so download it at your own risk.
ScummVM update improves point n' click emulation
It's been four months since the last update for ScummVM, the multiplatform point-and-click emulator. Just released v0.9.1 adds official support for DS and GP2X, with a GP32 port promised soon, but bug-fixes for existing versions (e.g., Dreamcast, PS2, PSP) are not be overlooked. Highlights include: Fixes for Humongous Entertainment games, including better support for international versions Improved detection for the FM-TOWNS version of Indy3 Fixes for The Feeble Files (more non-English versions are supported) Parts of the Kyrandia engine have been rewritten (requires less CPU power) PSP, PS2, and WinCE ports have been "greatly improved" PalmOS port is up-to-date; features separate build for Tapwave Zodiac WinCE port supports 2002 devices again Is this new version gonna keep you from updating your PSP's firmware for the holiday flood of titles? Are you running ScummVM on a different portable?
LucasArts-adventuring ScummVM hits 0.9.0
Eight months in the making, the latest build of the fantacular ScummVM virtual machine lets you play all sorts of games (notably LucasArts' venerable point-and-click adventure games using the SCUMM engine) on all sorts of platforms. In addition to a shiny, new GUI (pictured ... ooooh), the obligatory bugfixes, the addition of some new titles (The Legend of Kyrandia and The Feeble Files), 0.9.0 also features a "much improved WinCE port." So for any of you that have refused to upgrade your PSP's firmware for fear that you'd lose your precious ScummVM, now you can try running it on that fancy new Windows Mobile 5 phone.
