Rumor Mill: Night Dive Might Digitally Publish LucasArts Games

Night Dive Studios, the company that managed to untie the legal mess surrounding System Shock 2 to negotiate the digital re-release of that game, is apparently negotiating to digitally re-release more games that are currently unavailable.

In this case, it seems they are trying to free the LucasArts adventure games from the Disney Vault, since they posted a teaser on their Facebook page that they are "Heading to Corley Motors!" (complete with a shot of Ben Throttle on his Corley motorcycle). After posting shout-outs to more LucasArts adventure games, such as Sam & Max Hit the Road on their twitter page, they were asked by twitter user BJ Wanlund to clarify the meaning of their LucasArts teases. Night Dive Studios responded by saying "We're hoping for it as much as everyone else, that's all we can say at the moment!"

So it seems like more classic LucasArts adventure games might come out on digital distribution sites some day after all. Or, they might not. We'll just have to wait and see how this situation develops.

Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded Is Out Now

Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded, the remake of Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, is out now. Those who didn't pre-order the game through a kickstarter pledge can purchase the game for $20 USD from many retailers including the store of game's co-developer (N-Fusion developed the engine) and publisher, Replay Games. It's also available from online retailers such as GOG.com and Steam.

Kickstarter for Nelly Cootalot II: The Fowl Fleet

The Nelly Cootalot 2 Kickstarter has been going on for a while now, but somehow it slipped past my radar.  This is a sequel to the free adventure Nelly Cootalot: Spoonbeaks Ahoy! They are only looking for a total of £15,000 only have just under £3,000 to go with 11 days left. So, it's quite doable.

For just  £8, you'll get a DRM-free version of the game for Windows (and Wine-wrapped versions for Mac and Linux).  For £2 more, you'll get digital versions of the game's poster and wallpapers.  £15 will get you a physical DVD, and £50 will get you a physical poster.  There's a lot more tiers to choose from, so pick a tier and support the Nelly Cootalot 2 Kickstarter.

The Cave is Coming to iOS

The Cave, Double Fine's adventure game designed by Ron Gilbert (of Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island fame), and co-written by Double Fine's Chris Remo, is coming out soon for iOS. According to an E3 preview by Touch Gen, the game has been converted to use swipe controls in lieu of the cumbersome virtual thumbstick that most iOS platformers use. The updated control scheme reportedly works well. The iOS version of the game is scheduled to be released later this summer.

ScummVM Through Your Browser With HTML5

ScummVM for HTML5 is a project by Jukka Jylänki, which uses enscripten to convert ScummVM's SCUMM engine to HTML5.

On the ScummVM for HTML website, you can play demos of Maniac Mansion, Loom, The Secret of Monkey Island, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Day of the Tentacle, and Sam & Max Hit the Road directly in your browser.

The Walking Dead 400 Days DLC Announced

Telltale Games has begun their first foray into downloadable content territory with their newly announced 400 Days DLC for The Walking Dead Season One.

It is one episode that contains five new stories to play through.  It is scheduled to be released this summer.  A bundle for PS Vita has also been announced. The bundle will include the original 5 episodes and 400 Days for the PlayStation Vita, and is scheduled to be released this August.

A Vampyre Story: Year One Kickstarter Is Live

The crowd funding campaign for A Vampyre Story: Year One, the prequel to Bill Tiller's A Vampyre Story, is now live on Kickstarter!

The game, which is set in the first year that Mona is captive in Castle Warg, begins when she first meets Froderick the bat. It is episodic (on Facebook, Bill Tiller mentioned that the first episode will tentatively be called Spring, with the other three being the remaining seasons of Year One), and the first episode should be about one third the size of A Vampyre Story, and have about five total hours of game play.

The Kickstarter goal is $200,000 for episode one, and (according to the afforementioned Facebook page) the other episodes could be funded through this kickstarter as well, depending on how much money is pledged.

The minimum tier with the download of the first episode is available for only $8 (with beta access included!). If you pledge higher, you'll get a soundtrack download at $25, a digital artbook at $50, a special collector's "big box" version (made with the dimensions of the Curse of Monkey Island box) at $100, a hardcover art book at $500, and even more goodies at the higher premium tiers. So, choose your tier and pledge your support for this classic style adventure game.

For those of you wondering about A Vampyre Story 2: A Bat's Tale, the reason that one's not being Kickstarted is because the rights lie with the publisher, Crimson Cow.  But, Bill Tiller did mention on Facebook that if this Kickstarter does well, the chances of A Vampyre Story 2 coming out soon ("fall 2014 or sooner") go way up.