LEC and me.

I don't care what the truth behind this article is. Either way, it's indicative of the general mood and gives me reason to look back and think about how it all went wrong for Lucasarts Entertainment Company. Of course, doing that in any detail would involve, y'know, actual research, so instead I'm just going to vent some spleen for a while.

"They're brilliant," I enthused at a classmate, years ago, "I'd buy anything with LucasArts written on the box." It was true, as well. I couldn't say it about any other developer that I can think of. I didn't fall in love with every LucasArts game I encountered, but the hit rate was high enough and I could at least come away from the shop knowing that I'd got myself something of unmatched quality and style. I don't remember the last time that was true but even around the time of Grim Fandango - my all time favourite LEC game, no less - that faith was starting to waver.

It was 1998, then, and it seems that 10 years is a long time in gaming, because nowadays the words 'LucasArts' on a box are, if not an outright condemnation (after all, some outsourced projects like those LEGO games have been rather good), at least something of a warning.

With the Star Wars prequels, the merchandising machine got all fired up again but we LucasArts faithful were unconcerned. For a start, Star Wars games had always been part of LEC history. It was only be expected that games would accompany the film. What was more disappointing was the standard of most of these games as compared to the X-Wing/TIE Fighter and Jedi Knight fare we'd been treated to in the past. Even then, though all was not lost in our minds.

'So they had a few cash-in games,' we thought, naively, 'Fine. Just leaves them more money to do the stuff we know they really love, such as those lovely adventure games.'

I suppose the first clue should have been the disappointingly substandard Escape from Monkey Island which clearly had neither the time or budget attention paid to it as the same-engine but far more polished Grim Fandango. But everyone can make mistakes, right? At least they're still trying.

Then came Full Throttle 2 - or not, as it turned out. Not much was ever revealed about the project, but by all accounts it was less true to its roots as people had perhaps hoped and it was ditched after a surprisingly candid admission that it just wasn't up to standards. The cancellation caused a few wobbles in the community but most people - myself included - genuinely believed that it was better this way. It gave us hope that LEC were still concerned with quality.

When Sam and Max 2 was announced, it gave people more hope still. Steve Purcell fully on board and all accounts saying it was shaping up to be a great sequel; the little tidbits provided delighting fans everywhere, this was to be where LucasArts found its way again. Then, to everyone's (not least Steve Purcell's) surprise, it was cancelled, most-way through its production.

The reason?

'Current marketplace realities.'

Have a look at that. That's the actual wording on the press release. That's how LucasArts were willing to represent themselves to the world. I had always seen them as a group of people who derived genuine joy from the creation of games. Almost like they were indie developers, except with more money, so they couldn't have collided 3 more dismaying words together. How could I possibly have any enthusiasm for anything they ever did again after that statement?

The answer is that I couldn't, and I still can't. I can't even muster up much enthusiasm for the next part of the story. Basically, all the familiar names and faces from the LucasArts we loved had left and formed their own studios, and some have gone on to bring back some of that magic we missed too, in the shape of the excellent Psychonauts and Telltale's Sam and Max episodes (with which I nevertheless have a few issues). For all that, however, nothing could match the power of all those people working in the same place, at the height of its powers.

It's long dead now. I imagine a giant, lumbering zombiefied LucasArts, unaware of its own demise, searching for franchises upon which to feast. I only hope someone does the kind thing and brings a shotgun to its head before it goes for anything I truly hold dear, like another Monkey Island or -heaven forbid- Grim Fandango.