Issue #98: Did Somebody Say “Birthday”?
No, nobody did, but we’re still celebrating with a giveaway.
First, happy Cinco de Mayo!
And yes, that’s as close as we came to a culturally appropriate screenshot. Anyway, let’s have a contest! In the comments, name the exact title of the screenshot’s origins. A correct answer earns you an entry to win this Xbox One copy of Grim Fandango Remastered. And, we’ll give you a bonus entry if you can figure out what platform the screenshot is from.
Why Grim? It’s what I got lying around in my closet, gimme a break.
Status of Our Kiln Review
My current progress:
Download Kiln. ✔️
Moving right along…
Return to Monkey Island and ReMI and How Narcissism Is a (Literal) Construct and How This Is All elTee’s Fault…
… per usual.
Over the past four years, many fans have angrily noticed that Return to Monkey Island is commonly abbreviated ReMI. And frequently, they blame us for it. To wit…
Well, Mojo’s fact-checkers decided to dig into it and went to the subject’s one source of truth: Claude.
But are the detractors correct? Is ReMI in any way related to Mojo and the narcissism of one Remi (that’s yours truly, in case you haven’t already figured that out)? This is what the always-reliable, never-wrong ChatGPT has to say.
“ReMI” is, and I quote, “so natural that it doesn’t really need a deeper origin. [..] no evidence the abbreviation was coined with him in mind [..]“ So, I guess that’s that. No gaming on Mojo’s part – it’s a rock-hard fact.
I mean, unless you look back at our Slack archives from April 4th, 2022, the day Ron announced ReMI.
Whoops… OK, fine, maybe we did come up with it, but as evidence shows, it’s clearly elTee’s fault.
As far as AI goes, in the words of the man himself:
Even the AI machine designed to stroke your ego can’t comprehend the possibility that this was all narcissism
My final words on the subject:
Either 1) AIs are incredibly intelligent and good-looking, or 2) manipulating an AI is ridiculously simple.
And if your takeaway from all of this is that we have preciously little to write about these days, you aren’t incorrect.
This Week’s Trivia
Tim Schafer sprung an interesting tidbit of trivia after seeing one of our “Screenshot of the Day” posts – looks like he was the one responsible for drawing the Hook Isle sign:
The screenshot in the post was the Amiga version; presumably Tim’s artwork originated in the original EGA game…
He proceeds to say:
I think Steve Purcell added the shading on “restrooms” and “souvenirs.” And then was like, “That’s it. I can’t look at this anymore. It’s done!”
Which is a good point – those are the only two words with a drop shadow.
The river called SoMI keeps on flowing.
Soundtrack of the Week
People also loved our SeMI abbreviation…
… so let’s just give that a listen.
This Week’s Poll
Last week, 73% of you said you were not grabbing Kiln. 9% already got it, and 18% are waiting for our review. So… yeah, we’re getting there ever so slowly.
This week:
Historical Moments in History
19 years ago this week, Sam & Max Save the World: Bright Side of the Moon released. (Technically released Apr 26, but who the hell subscribed to GameTap?)
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.
28 Apr: “hugh###” – Hugh Bliss. See, I did the ol’ switcharoo there.
29 Apr: “huz####” – Likely the world’s most dedicated Mojole player, which says a LOT.
30 Apr: “jimmy##” – ... Two-Teeth. Rat in Sam & Max.
01 May: “mary###” – ... Two-Teeth. Rat in Sam & Max.
02 May: “steve##” – ... Purcell. Famed Pixar director.
03 May: “cave###” – The Cave: Majorly underrated Ron Gilbert/Double Fine game.
04 May: “rad####” – Double Fine game. Didn’t do it for me.
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!
The Mojo Network
The International House of Mojo: Web, Bluesky, YouTube, and Mastodon.
Aha! It's THEM from Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space. I'm guessing it's, for whatever reason, the Nintendo Switch version? And you've got Wally's Desk Mat on your, well, desk!
I probably helped "the algorithm" pick up in "ReMI" and I'm not sorry about it. And then "SeMI" is just beautiful in its simplicity and double-meaning while following the "ReMI" naming pattern.