Goodbye, LucasArts...

Snarky · Wed 03/04/2013 19:55:27

So, Disney is closing down LucasArts.

For many of us, I'm sure, this was the company that introduced us to adventure games. They may have been only a shadow of their former self, but it's sad to see them go.

DoorKnobHandle · Wed 03/04/2013 19:57:40

Just saw this on twitter. Having a beer. Not like there were any good Lucasarts games in development anymore, so it's purely a 'theoretical' end-of-an-era kind of thing. Still.

waheela · Wed 03/04/2013 20:00:23

Aghhh! Snarky, you beat me to the punch on this thread by 3 minutes!

Yeah, all this was sad, but not surprising, especially since they were doing so poorly. My nostalgia feels are still crying though regardless.

Bluke4x4 · Wed 03/04/2013 20:39:10

Damn. Looks like we're never going to see Sam and Max: Freelance Police. And I was really looking forward to a fifth Monkey Island game. Now it looks like literally none of those things will ever happen.

Gribbler · Wed 03/04/2013 20:57:35

Thank you, LucasArts, thank you for my beloved Monkey Island, Fate of Atlantis and Day of the Tentacle, the games I grew up with which caused me to fall in love with the genre...

[delete} · Wed 03/04/2013 22:18:59

I played the hell out of the demo of Outlaws! Loved the intro cutscene and the stunning soundtrack of this overlooked masterpiece. The 3D was dated, yes, but that's forgiveable.

Eric · Wed 03/04/2013 22:23:31

Quote from: Bluke4x4 on Wed 03/04/2013 20:39:10
Damn. Looks like we're never going to see Sam and Max: Freelance Police. And I was really looking forward to a fifth Monkey Island game. Now it looks like literally none of those things will ever happen.

I actually feel like those things are more likely to happen, depending on how much they want for the licensing. Am I wrong to think this?

Here's Ron Gilbert's response.

Stupot · Wed 03/04/2013 22:29:42

Sad news. And a shame that people have to lose their jobs. I hope they are all snapped up by good companies. But it makes little difference really, unless you're a massive fan of their Star Wars games. We still have the same memories and nostalgia we always did.

SinSin · Wed 03/04/2013 22:37:02

Awwwww I actually feel really sad about this!!
However we do have the knowledge that Ron Gilbert, Dave Grossman, Steve Purcell etc(many many great people) have all gone on to do great things. e.g Steve Purcell was a driving force behind the film Brave.

Which fair enough was a kids film but hey still its really nice visually..

Mati256 · Thu 04/04/2013 00:17:31

I don't think Ron would make another Monkey Island if he had the rights. I really believe he just says this things to keep the fans on his side.

Ghost · Thu 04/04/2013 00:48:22

I tip my hat and raise my glass. Fare thee well. That company gave me hours of fun; no Whatever Quest game ever felt that fun and well-rounded to me. But clearly this can not be *the* end. I was promised a DOTT sequel and a live-action Captain Future movie by the Interwebs, that's gotta count for something!

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Thu 04/04/2013 01:58:48

Let's face it, Lucasarts wasn't exactly turning out impressive new content and their remakes of the first two monkey islands looked and felt very half-hearted. I'm actually suprised they weren't closed sooner.

I wouldn't mind it if Tim Schaefer or Ron Gilbert acquired the rights to one or more of the classic franchises if only to keep them out of the hands of people who would do shitty cash-ins that would do nothing but befoul the memory of the originals.

Ponch · Thu 04/04/2013 02:54:13

Dark Forces, X-Wing, and Full Throttle are still among my most cherished gaming experiences ever. As others have pointed out, LucasArts wasn't good for much these last few (ten?) years, but once upon a time they were very special.

Armageddon · Thu 04/04/2013 02:59:25

Quote from: DoorKnobHandle on Wed 03/04/2013 19:57:40
Just saw this on twitter. Having a beer. Not like there were any good Lucasarts games in development anymore, so it's purely a 'theoretical' end-of-an-era kind of thing. Still.

Star Wars: 1313. I wanted it so much...

Ponch · Thu 04/04/2013 03:00:19

Quote from: Armageddon on Thu 04/04/2013 02:59:25
Quote from: DoorKnobHandle on Wed 03/04/2013 19:57:40
Just saw this on twitter. Having a beer. Not like there were any good Lucasarts games in development anymore, so it's purely a 'theoretical' end-of-an-era kind of thing. Still.
Quote from: DoorKnobHandle on Wed 03/04/2013 19:57:40
Just saw this on twitter. Having a beer. Not like there were any good Lucasarts games in development anymore, so it's purely a 'theoretical' end-of-an-era kind of thing. Still.
Star Wars: 1313. I wanted it so much...

So much you quoted it twice? I can understand that. It looked pretty cool.

Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens · Thu 04/04/2013 04:20:08

As a single company they probably have more games that suited my tastes than any other. Just from memory, here are some of the games I've enjoyed:

1. Monkey Island 1
2. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
3. Maniac Mansion
4. Day of the Tentacle
5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Adventure version)
6. Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
7. Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
8. The Dig
9. Full Throttle
10. Sam and Max Hit the Road
11. Star Wars: Dark Forces
13. Star Wars: Jedi Knight
14. Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Mysteries of the Sith
15. Grim Fandango
16. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
17. Star Wars: TIE Fighter
18. Star Wars: X-Wing
19. Super Star Wars
20. Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
21. Super Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi

Looking back, that's a lot of memorable games from one developer.

Ponch · Thu 04/04/2013 04:25:47

22. Outlaws (and the Fist Full Of Missions add-on pack)

Fanning the hammer on the pistol was so much fun. But having to reload it (and all the other guns) one bullet at a time was such a cool idea at the time. I hated it but I also thought it was very cool. It made me approach every firefight with a completely different mindset from Doom or Duke 3D.

EDIT: At least they were able to release their true masterpiece before they were gobbled up by Mickey.
[embed=425,349]http://youtu.be/x_xJqkzngBI[/embed]

Igor Hardy · Thu 04/04/2013 04:36:35

Quote from: Snarky on Wed 03/04/2013 19:55:27
So, Disney is closing down LucasArts.

For many of us, I'm sure, this was the company that introduced us to adventure games. They may have been only a shadow of their former self, but it's sad to see them go.

Not even a shadow.

It was a mercy kill from Disney, I say. Better to die when the glory days are only 15 years behind you than to continue such joke existence as LucasArts has fallen into.

Armageddon · Thu 04/04/2013 05:01:26

Don't forget JKJA and Republic Commando.

Disney is probably going to shop around for a good dev to become THE Star Wars game maker that will pump out awful games every year, starting with a watered down 1313.

Cyrus · Thu 04/04/2013 06:13:16

And what's about Handsome Halibut?