Bad Mojo Redux Review

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            Bad Mojo Redux

Review by MrLipidDecember 2004

Happy Holidays!

Last December, some eight years after the initial release of Bad Mojo, it was my privilege to offer a review of this extraordinary title, easily one of the best adventure games I’ve ever played. And replayed and replayed and, well, you get the idea. Not that getting it to play was particularly easy. Over the years, as the software and hardware upon which I attempted to run it advanced, running Bad Mojo got progressively more difficult.  Born on Windows 3.1, The Roach Game insisted on QuickTime 2.0.3, a palette of 256 colors and a resolution of 640×480.  Dragging a modern system—or even a somewhat less-than-modern Win98SE system—back to such primitive specs can be an adventure in itself. Who knows, year after year, what other apps won’t run once all but the oldest version of QuickTime have been banished?  And what’s with all those enormous icons?

This December, in what has to be one of the most unexpected holiday treats in a long, long time, Got Game Entertainment, in association with Pulse Entertainment, has brought Bad Mojo into the new millennium. No more fussing with an ancient version of QuickTime and no more dialing the color palette down to a mere 256. For technical reasons, the best resolution is still 640×480, but that’s the only hint remaining of the title’s age. And once you’re at that resolution, Bad Mojo will fill your screen and, in time, perhaps the darker parts of your dreams.

If the rerelease had consisted of nothing more than restoring Bad Mojo’s ability to play, without excessive tweaking, on current systems, that would have been reason enough to celebrate. But when, especially with regard to celebrating, is just enough ever really enough? Never! Fortunately, there’s more and, in this case, the more takes the form of the companion DVD, which includes all sorts of goodies, including a section entitled “Goodies.”

Stern Warning

If you have never played Bad Mojo, resist the temptation to look at the DVD until you have finished the game. Or, if you can’t resist, confine your viewing to the “Hints” section.  Don’t look at the “Making Bad Mojo” documentary, and don’t look at the “Goodies.” Think of Bad Mojo as a magic show and the other sections as peeks behind the curtain.  Do you really want to know how all the tricks were done before you see the show? Enchantment is a rare state of mind and, when the infrequent opportunity comes along to fall into it, I like it straight, no chaser. Insights into how the machinery was arranged to produce the effects, while endlessly fascinating, belong after the show.

And in the case of Bad Mojo, the insights are indeed fascinating.  Interviews with key members of the production team (Vinny Carrella, Director/Writer; Phill Simon, Producer; Alex Louie, Producer; Larry Chandler, Art Director; Dan Meblin, 3D Technical Director; Bill Preder, Audio Engineer), supported by concept art, screenshots and behind-the-scenes footage, detail, step-by-step, the process by which the original idea was nipped, tucked, shaped and adjusted to become the finished game. What emerges from the interviews is a portrait of a team committed to listening closely to what the game itself was saying about what it was and, of equal or perhaps greater importance, what it was not. As a consequence, there is nothing in Bad Mojo that feels out of place or tacked on.  The game’s uniqueness may have less to do with its provocative content than with the unwavering focus with which its concept was realized.

One Short Step for a Roach …

Art is a matter of choice and, in the case of computer games, the choices available often reflect technical limitations. Before Bad Mojo was Bad Mojo, it was a technical question: how to create a graphically rich game experience while not overwhelming the data streaming capacity of mid-1990s CD players. The solution was to come up with a small sprite-based character that would provide the game with clues as to the direction of the player and allow the preloading of backgrounds. Once the decision was made to make the lead character small, the next question was what form it should take. Would it be better for that character to be appealing or compelling?  Appealing would have been the easier choice. Fortunately, The Roach Game crew made the edgier choice. Instead of turning into a ladybug, Dr. Roger Samms would turn into a roach.

And so on down the path. If the lead is a roach, what’s the story?  Where does the story take place? What sorts of things will the story require the roach to do? Or, turning the question around, now that the lead is a roach, how will the limitations of the lead shape the story? What sorts of puzzles could a player, controlling a roach, solve? And how should the player control the roach? If the direction of the exercise is toward photorealism, what sort of interface would make sense? Should there be any interface at all? And if there is no interface, how will players figure out what to do?

Those who snapped up Bad Mojo during its initial release had no trouble figuring out what to do. Use the cursor keys to drive the roach. Those who snap up Bad Mojo Redux will find that, in addition to the cursor keys, navigation can also be handled with W-A-S-D or I-J-K-L. One other menu change: instead of the cursor bringing up a Win3.1 menu bar at the top of the screen, the space bar now brings up the main menu.

Extreme Makeover

To give you some idea of just how much better the new version of Bad Mojo looks, here are two images, both captured at 640×480.  The image on the left is from the original 1996 game, and the image on the right is from the enhanced 2004 version. Amazing what moving from QuickTime 2.0.3 and 256 colors to QuickTime 6.0 and millions of colors will do. Also, the game no longer insists on a specific color depth or resolution before running. 640×480 is the ideal resolution because it fills the screen and shows off the superb detail in the environments through which you’ll be driving the roach.

Old QT (click to enlarge) New QT (click to enlarge)

The latest version of QuickTime is finally up to the graphic standard of the original Bad Mojo. And with the QuickTime portions no longer serving as chunky punctuation between the navigable areas, there is nothing to break the moody spell of Peter Stone’s superb sound design. Stone found a line somewhere between processed ambient audio and techno that remains fresh, arresting and utterly appropriate.

Just Go Buy a Copy!

For those who’ve never played the original, Bad Mojo Redux is a must-have. Load it up and see what all the shouting was about.  For those who’ve played the Win3.1 version, Bad Mojo Redux is what the game should have looked like and, when coupled with the companion DVD, is the deal of the year. The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Pulse Entertainment Publisher: Got Game Entertainment Release Date: December 2004

Available for: Macintosh Windows

Four Fat Chicks Links

Player FeedbackMrLipid’s Original Bad Mojo Review

Screenshots

Click to enlarge Click to enlargeClick to enlarge Click to enlarge

System Requirements

PC: Pentium III 800 MHz Windows 98/00/XP System 9.0 (or OSX Classic mode) 50 MB available hard disk space 8x CD-ROM drive or faster 24-bit color video display

Macintosh: G3 or better System 9.0 (or OSX Classic mode) 50 MB available hard disk space 8x CD-ROM drive or faster 24-bit color video display

Where to Find It

Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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