Issue #95: From Your Head to Your Feet
Kiln hits open beta and we complain a lot. Not about Kiln. Just in general.
Welcome to The Adventurer – Sometimes Things Happen, But Not Always
I know it’s trite to start these newsletters with “there’s not much going on right now,” but… there’s not much going on right now. Not in our corner of the digital universe, at least. Part of me wishes there were, though, as that would mean more work for me, it’d be a bit of a double-edged sword.
Looking back, this was a somewhat action-packed week during the aughts. Bone: The Great Cow Race hit the streets twenty years ago, a game I gave a pretty decent score, probably not expecting I’d be sitting around doing this while stumbling toward 2030.
Nineteen years ago: Sam & Max Season 1: Reality 2.0 released to a 4.5-skull applause. (Remember when we scored games? Those were innocent times.)
And a mere eighteen years ago, “What's New, Beelzebub?”, the Sam & Max Season 2 finale also got a 4.5 rating. We didn’t know how good we had it.
About the only thing I can dig up for you this week is the cover for “Pajama Sam 3 jazz vinyl,” which was sent to us by the artist, “Tim the Curator.” It looks pretty sweet.
We’ve mentioned the OST earlier, but in case you missed it, you can procure the vinyl for a cool $35 – $75 if you want it signed.
Finally, Double Fine kicks off its Kiln open beta today, so check it out on Steam.
Love and hugs,
Remi
Return to Trivia
Let’s toss in some fun courtesy of our (somewhat in need of a good sprucing up) trivia database. Did I only take the time to visit one page? Sure, but c’mon, this is the stuff you crave, maybe.
Return to Monkey Island: The Big Whoop Meat & Cheese Shop
Deep in the concept art, you can find a depiction of what looks to be a meat and cheese shop. Was it to be located somewhere in Big Whoop? Note the digital register.
Return and Secret: The Chef’s Dad
In The Secret of Monkey Island, it’s fairly apparent that there is a picture of the Pillsbury Doughboy in the Scumm Bar kitchen. In Return to Monkey Island, you can steal the painting—of a rather bad boy-looking Doughboy—after you give the Chef the cookbook. Later, the Chef will tell you the picture is of his father. Which puts forth the question: Is the Chef actually Pillsbury Doughboy’s son?
Return to Monkey Island: Prologue With Original Audio
Return to Monkey Island had lines recorded using Guybrush and LeChuck’s voices as opposed to Boybrush and Chuckie’s. This is what it would have sounded like.
Return to Monkey Island: Missing Evidence
An unused close-up from the resource files shows Guybrush grabbing a key, shovel, and a map(?). This scene was completely cut from the game.
The Four Mop Heads and Rose’s Reactions to Them
Show Rose the four different mops, and she’ll have a different reaction to each of them. Bonus: You will also receive the “Mop Top” achievement by doing so.
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue
For no particular reason, let’s toss in the OST from Ronzo’s super-fun DeathSpank.
This Week’s Poll
Last week, we threw out some non-LEC+ recommendations and asked if you’d be interested in checking out any of them. 33% jumped straight to Lamplight City, and 13% on Life is Strange. Another 13% might check both out, while another 13% had no interest in either. The rest of you had already tried ‘em all.
I completed the latest Life is Strange last week, and I will say: aside from some bugs, it is an excellent game. Emotional, fun, all the feels. I highly recommend it.
Semi-related, it looks like Broken Sword Smoking Mirror: Reforged is imminent – Thrik is already excited.
So, today’s poll is particularly inspired:
Historical Moments in History
20 years ago this week, Bone: The Great Cow Race released.
19 years ago this week, Sam & Max Save the World: Reality 2.0 released. (Technically released Mar 29, but who the hell subscribed to GameTap?)
18 years ago this week, Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space: What’s New, Beelzebub? released. (One day earlier on GameTap, but who subscribed to that?)
Merch for the People
Only the best! The Adventurer has a web store for all your apparel and decoration needs! Don the original LucasArts logo, Manny Calavera’s face, or the OG Adventurer logo, though be warned: Popularity will smack you in your face when you wear – or display – these masterpieces.
Last Week’s Mojole Results
It’s the game that sweeps the nation! Can you beat Mojole, our fiendishly difficult daily puzzler? Only hardcore LucasArts aficionados need apply.
02 Apr: “ozzie##” – Ozzie Mandrill -- a cherished villain in EMI.
03 Apr: “lucre##” – Starbuccaneers -- a cherished location in EMI. It’s EMI week here at Mojo!
04 Apr: “miss###” – ... Rivers. Voiced by Edie McClurg herself.
05 Apr: “three##” – The three trials. C’mon.
06 Apr: “pedro##” – ... Pascal. I thought he was in the new Indy film, but turned out it was Antonio Banderas.
07 Apr: “story##” – A Vampyre Story. Also, most LEC games have stories.
08 Apr: “crew###” – You need that crew to sail the ship.
And for the competitive amongst you, the Mojole forum thread has gone strong for more than two years. The two juggernauts to beat: Sushi and Huz.
Your Daily Challenges
Mojole too easy? Too hard? (Probably too hard.) Here are other daily challenges to get the brain cells firing on all cylinders.
Monkey Island Frantic: A Monkey Island scene-guessing game at a frantic pace. Image updates at midnight Pacific time. Brag about your results on the Mojo Forums!
Guess That Tune: Each daily game features a clip from Monkey Island music. Guess the tune in up to 6 tries, and return each day for a new challenge! Here, too, you can post your results on Mojo Forums.
Return to Monkey Island Trivia Card Game: The card-guessing game, now in your browser.
Become a Mojoer! (sponsored content)
Hey, kids, do you want to become one of us? Why not join our Patreon? One single dollar will make you a Friend of Mojo. And for the privileged few, there’s the $5 Diamond Club tier, which will earn you a special mention in The Adventurer. Join now! Our interns are hard at work finishing up the special mention section!
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