Indiana Jones and other LucasArts classics to become downloadable

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — July 6, 2009 — Fans have asked and LucasArts has delivered! Today the company announced a new initiative in its effort to revive its classic and beloved franchises by making its games available for the first time ever as digital downloads online.

In this first round of releases, ten fan-favorite LucasArts PC games will be made available Wednesday, July 8 on Steam®, Valve Corporation’s delivery and management platform for the PC. Scheduled for release are classic adventure titles like LOOM and The Dig and hit action games including Star Wars Battlefront II and Star Wars Republic Commando.

The complete list of games to be released on July 8 via Steam includes:

Armed and Dangerous™
Indiana Jones® and the Fate of Atlantis
Indiana Jones® and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure
LEGO® Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure
LOOM™
Star Wars Battlefront® II
Star Wars Republic Commando®
Star Wars Starfighter™
The Dig®
Thrillville®: Off the Rails™

“This effort is going to make it possible to introduce a whole new generation of gamers to LucasArts’ classic games,” said Darrell Rodriguez, president of LucasArts. “It also gives more people a chance to play our games by making them available long after they’ve disappeared from store shelves. We hope our fans are as excited as we are about our plans and we can’t wait to share what’s coming next. This is just the beginning.”

This series of launches continues LucasArts’ new mission to revitalize its deep portfolio of beloved gaming franchises.

LucasArts previously announced the return of the classic Monkey Island® franchise with two new projects due to be released in the near future. Tomorrow, July 7, Telltale will premiere the Tales of Monkey Island® game series on PC, delivering a completely new epic storyline and swashbuckling flair that will unfold across five monthly episodes. The first Tales of Monkey Island chapter is expected to release for WiiWare™ in the coming weeks as well.

The Monkey Island celebration continues on July 15 when LucasArts publishes The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, a completely re-imagined version of the first game in the series that adds updated high definition graphics, a re-mastered musical score, and full voiceover to the classic adventure game originally launched in 1990. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition will be made available on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PC via Steam and other online distribution channels.

Future announcements about the re-release of LucasArts’ back catalog titles will be made through LucasArts’ Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/lucasartsgames.

About Steam
The leading online platform for PC games and digital entertainment, Steam delivers new releases and online services to over 20 million PC users around the world. For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com.

About Valve
Valve is an entertainment software and technology company founded in 1996 and based in Bellevue, Washington. For more information, please visit www.valvesoftware.com.

About LucasArts
LucasArts, a division of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd., is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.

LucasArts, the LucasArts logo, STAR WARS and INDIANA JONES are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. © 2009 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. & ® or ™ as indicated. All rights reserved.
Nintendo trademarks used under license. WiiWare is available only through the Wii console.

Tags: Indiana Jones, lucasarts, Video Games

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull snags Visual Effects Society nominations

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull garnered four nominations from the Visual Effects Society including Best Single Visual Effect of the Year for its “Valley Destruction” sequence. Indiana Jones series producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall will also receive a lifetime achievement award from the organization for their outstanding work in the industry and Phil Tippet, effects creative consultant for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, will receive the George Melies Award. The award ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2009.

For a complete list of nominees please click here.

‘Tis the Time for Toys for Tots

You may have already seen the big cardboard boxes out in stores and that means it’s Toys for Tots time. If you’re like me and love looking at and/or buying toys then you can very easily pick up an extra action figure, some Play Doh or a yo-yo and drop it in one of the Toys for Tots boxes. Or if your area is like my area there are plenty of Indiana Jones action figures warming the pegs at Target, Wal-Mart and Meijer just waiting for a child to open and have adventures. You can go to the Toys For Tots Web site to find a dropoff location or learn more about this United States Marine Corps organization that has helped children have a merrier Christmas and happy holiday season.

LEGO Indiana Jones Hitting Macs Soon

Even though playing games has never been the main draw to a Mac, Feral Interactive is bringing LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures to the Mac on Nov. 28. The game thrusts players into adventures from Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is priced at US$39.95 and is available for pre-order now at the Feral Interactive Web site.

Muppet Babies and the Temple of Doom…in Spanish

I’ve been looking for this Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom inspired episode of Muppet Babies, or in this case a clip, for a while now. Unfortunately it’s in Spanish.

Tags: Indiana Jones, muppet babies, muppets, temple of doom

Welcome!

Welcome to the extension blog of I Hate Snakes. Here I will post non-collectible related news and reviews of all things Indiana Jones, and even some pop culture related items I find interesting. Everyone else seems to have a blog so why not me?