#bad mojo redux

[bluntshavingrazor]

All the games I have on Steam that involve live-action FMV sections, ranked entirely in order of how good the acting is.

This is in ascending order, so while I might say something has a 'low' ranking, I actually mean it's near the top. Just to keep you on your toes. Also, please be aware that a low ranking on this list is not intended as comment on the gameplay itself, or meant as an insult towards the actors involved. Many of these games were recorded in front of blue-screens with minimal interaction with characters, props, or context. Anything that is intended as an insult towards the actors will be openly addressed as such.

BAD MOJO (REDUX) - 1996

Vaguely inspired by Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, Bad Mojo sees the protagonist Roger Samms transformed into a cockroach moments before he attempts to run away to Mexico with a suitcase of stolen money. With how much he eats the scenery, he might have been better off getting transformed into a termite instead (affectionate insult). OK, they were clearly going for a surrealist vibe here so the acting choices are fitting, but I still ranked it lowest because most of the other speaking characters are insects who speak to you in rhyming couplets for some reason and that got real irritating after a while.

Roger Samms was played by Michael X. Sommers, who later went on to have a recurring role in the show Sense8 as 'Bug'.

HARVESTER - 1996

An young man named Steve wakes up to find himself in a small US town with no memory of who he is, how he got there, or who any of the people claiming to be his friends and family are. This is a really hard one to grade, because despite being an English-language game developed in the USA, the characters are dubbed over by different actors to the ones who play them physically. As far as I know it's the only game on this list that does that. Like Bad Mojo, it does help to increase the disturbing, surreal tone of the game. Unfortunately, that doesn't raise it higher on the list.

Steve Mason was voiced by Ryan Wickerham, who went on to voice act in many other video games including Turok 2, Deus Ex: Invisible War, and DC Universe Online. He was portrayed physically by Kurt Kistler, who went on to be arrested in 2010.

PHANTASMAGORIA - 1995

Remember when I said that the ranking on this list was not intended as an insult to the actors? This is why; Victoria Morsell does her best as Adrienne Delaney, a mystery writer who recently moved into a needlessly big and inevitably haunted house with her husband Don. But you can find the BTS footage of them doing the scenes, where she is acting in a set that is completely blue. You can't be expected to perform well under those conditions.

Then there's the housekeeper and her son, who are played by a comedy gnome and Lennie from Of Mice and Men, respectively. (Insult? I dunno.)

As far as I can tell, Victoria Morsell quit acting a few years after the game when she married David Hemingson, writer of 2023's festive comedy drama The Holdovers.

TOONSTRUCK - 1996

This is the part where we get into cast members that have actual IMDB credits to their name. The story of a cartoon animator who is pulled into a cartoon world to help save it from corruption, Toonstruck features Christopher Lloyd and Ben Stein, as well as some other people who don't count because they are voicing animated characters. Yeah, Lloyd and Stein (Protagonist Drew Blanc and his boss, Sam Schmaltz) are the only live-action actors in the game and Stein only appears briefly during the start and ending cutscenes. Honestly I debated even putting it on the list. I compromised by only rating it by the live-action parts; Lloyd is good throughout but Ben Stein sucks. Both as an actor and just in general.

Christopher Lloyd later went on to appear as Granddad in King of Van Nuys, the poorly conceived US remake of beloved British sitcom Only Fools and Horses. The pilot was never picked up. He also did some movies about time travel back in the 80s or something.

NOCTROPOLIS - 1994

Peter Grey, recently divorced and living in the back room of his failing bookshop, gets transported into the world of his favourite comic book superhero Darksheer and has to take the hero's place to fight five of his greatest enemies.

OK, I'm gonna be honest here, the acting in Noctropolis is also not that great. It's almost all character portrait things where the actors speak directly into the camera in response to the dialogue option chosen; there isn't much in the way of acted cutscenes I could make a proper opinion over. I would have put it before Toonstruck if not for one reason, and that is because during the ending credits they do a blooper reel from the recording sessions and the actress playing Stiletto (another superhero) has a really adorable laugh.

Peter Grey was played by Michael Berger, who was apparently in one episode of Malcolm in the Middle.

Stiletto was played by Hope Marie Carlton, who snorts when she laughs.

DOCTOR WHO - THE LONELY ASSASSINS - 2021

Yes, you read that right. This one is actually from the 2000s. Amazing. This is a tie-in game for Doctor Who and actually involves Ingrid Oliver and Finlay Robertson, who play Petronella Osgood and Larry Nightingale, respectively. The acting is fine, I guess, but the dialogue itself often comes across as very This Is Exposition-y, and that's hard to sell.

Sally Sparrow was played by Carey Mulligan, who does not appear in this game despite being the central character of Blink, which this game is a sequel to. Probably couldn't afford her these days.

PHANTASMAGORIA: A PUZZLE OF FLESH - 1996

The first Phantasmagoria was done entirely on a blue-screen set, and it shows. Phantasmagoria 2 was done almost entirely on an actual, physical set and holy shit it shows. Characters actually interact with their environment in a convincing, realistic way. Dialogue between them feels natural, like they're not simply reading their lines from a script. The game feels like you're watching a low budget, made-for-TV horror movie which, while that would be a terrible review for an actual movie, is a win for this list.

It also plays like you're watching a low budget, made-for-TV horror movie but gameplay is not a factor in this list.

Curtis Craig is played by Paul Morgan Stetler, who now has a YouTube channel where he talks about old adventure games and interviews people involved in the industry. He did a playthrough of the game there as well.

[mechanicalinertia]

STMPD Recommends Black Lagoon Fanfiction: Ragna Crimson's Bullets

Oh. You didn't notice? Over the past two months or so I've gotten really into Black Lagoon. Like, to the point that I'm working on a BGC crossover fic with the franchise. The Knight Sabers in Roanapur... whatta concept.

But that's not what I'm here to talk about! That can wait! Instead, I'm trying to get my creative mojo back by talking about a fanfic I just finished reading last night, but which is unfinished, and oh boy it's a blast. That's the only adjective which fits Bullets: A blast.

Look, I think the author summarizes it perfectly in the FF.net description, anyway:

We are moving away from murky, emotionally strong stories and dark plots. This story is about a bunch of characters doing crazy shit, where anything can happen.

So. Lot of people, specifically those in the Lagoon fandom, like Black Lagoon for the murky emotionally strong stories and dark plots. And Ragna Crimson, who seems to speak Spanish as his first language (Bullets is in both languages), is acknowledging that. Okay. Good.

But... Crimson also is 'moving away from that'. Which is an interesting challenge, because as much as the fandom likes the dark stuff in Lagoon, plenty of people who are just anime fans seem to find those parts... annoying? The parts where Revy goes ranting about how the world has no kindness and all one can do is keep on killing because otherwise you'll be killed in turn? Yeah. Those parts. I've always held that as much as they tell us a lot about the franchise's philosophy - which I don't necessarily track with all the time - they tell us more about Revy and how she's put herself in this nihilistic hole that's just as bad as Rock's own naivete, as if both characters' morality is more their own thing than it is a gospel truth. Well. Whatever. Moving on. We have to move on, because Bullets doesn't give a shit about any of that.

It is, after all, a story about a bunch of characters doing crazy shit where anything can happen.

Which... isn't that when Lagoon's at its best, anyway? Larger-than-life characters with big guns, pulpy people doing pulpy things? And that is the essence of Bullets. More than that - Bullets distills and amplifies that devil-may-care sense of things. It's action, yes, but it's also nonstop comedy of a sort.

Anyway! The plot. Rock doesn't want to stay with the Lagoon Company, so he decides to be a bartender for Bao at the Yellow Flag, despite the fact that said bar gets destroyed in almost every arc of, well, everything. This seeking peace doesn't last long, though. First we've got a redux of the Roberta arc, and then Hansel and Gretel show up... only this time around, they're working (sort of) for Balalaika, and promptly slip her grasp to fuck shit up with grenades. By chapter four, they take mercy on Rock and agree to call him 'Boss' (Gretel wants to do it more than Hansel, and in fact constantly calls Hansel the more psychotic one. A change from canon - these two bicker incessantly). Only, they've, uh, blown up most of Hotel Moscow and Chang's base already. Including Balalaika's toilet specifically. Hansel blowing up toilets because he's bored, specifically Balalaika's toilets, becomes a running gag.

From there, the fic can be split up into various arcs where Rock and the Twins work with the Lagoon Company, Hotel Moscow, and the Triads to varying degrees. In one, they break a Triad boss from a Taiwanese prison by sneaking in through the sewers and also hosing the entire place down with a minigun. In another, the Washimine-gumi comes to Roanapur and Ginji immediately decides to get in a fight with Revy at Rowan's nightclub. And so on and so forth. You might call the whole series a remix of canon, with familiar locations and characters, but unfamiliar ways everything plays out.

Okay, so it's not entirely unfamiliar. If anything, the familiar is amplified. More swearing. More stupid jokes. A few instances of leaning on the fourth wall (calling other people 'side characters', Rock calling Revy tsundere to Ginji, one Bakemonogatari reference). More weird ambiguous romantic-ish feelings between Rock and Revy. And, uh, Rock's great in this one.

I mean, holy shit, folks. He's still the boy who can plan and / or talk his way out of any situation, no matter how ridiculous. And this time, his manipulative gambits actually pay off, and all the while he becomes more and more... villainous, I guess you might say. More and more of a thrill-seeker, willing to do not-great things for fun. More and more willing to tease Revy so they can have a nice bicker. Also, he helps the Lagoon Company sink an entire cargo ship run by Koko Hekmatyar (from Jormungand, the great and terrible We Have Black Lagoon At Home) using plastic explosives. So you start to root for Rock being less wishy-washy about where he's at in life, and hoping that even when he does dumb shit he'll get away with it, the scamp. That's hard to do - get us to root for a character like that and not bemoan Rock's descent into the darkness - and yet Ragna Crimson does it!

In sum... Man. Fuck. I dunno. Read the fic. Some Black Lagoon fanfics make you think, some make you cry, some make you cringe, but few make you grin and laugh the way Bullets does. I guarantee it.

[supergreatfrien]

Bumbling Through Bad Mojo: Redux p.2 - Still a Cockroach

Look, we're just figuring out how to get from to room to room as a cockroach, and that's kind of all there is to do.  Sometimes there's FMV.

[gabsmolders]

hi Gab i was just curious about a game that u may try someday as i see u play some old school games? as i'm watching your playthrough of the 7th guest right now :) would you ever play the game Bad Mojo Redux? it's a fun story based puzzle game and its like 5$ on steam :) and it takes like idk 3 hours to beat? i would love it if u played it, thanks

Yoooo this seems right up my alley!!! Thanks!

[rogueclass]

Game backlog clearing!

I have so many video games (so. many.) I have either bought or gotten for free and then never played. So I made a list of all of them and now i’m at least trying every single one. I’m going to list them here as I go. with notes! :o

wish me luck.

sorted by platform i have them on.

! = completed.

GOG.com

1954 Alcatraz

point&click 3D adventure game. might play more at some point.

Anodyne

zelda-like indie. could be fun?

Bad Mojo Redux

FMV game about a cockroach with tank controls. no thanks.

Beneath a Steel Sky

old school point&click. might play.

Black Hole

indie platformer. i rarely enjoy platformers. nah.

Divine Divinity

isometric RPG. a bit clunky to play nowadays. also i can recognize an obvious time sink when i see one.

Dragonsphere

old school point&click. reminds me of king’s quest. might play.

! Dungeons II

dungeon keeper mixed with warcraft. i’m low-key obsessed. edit: Finished the campaign!

Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy)

a david cage game i’ve wanted to try for some time. i’m sure i’ll get the urge at some point...?

Fallout

i wish i had time for this. a bit clunky to play nowadays. you have to actually read the manual?

Fallout Tactics

i have absolutely no interest in this.

Fallout 2

only after playing fallout 1 (if i ever get to it).

Firewatch

lovely walking simulator. I’ll complete it next.

Heroes of Might and Magic III

do not engage. you’ll just get obsessed again and lose your whole life to it.

Jotun

a hand drawn action game that i might return to at some point but right now it isn’t really what i want to play.

Mount & Blade

a medieval rpg that i have absolutely no interest to play more.

! The Witcher

already completed this.

The Witcher 2

in the middle of playing this on Steam instead.

The Witcher 3

only after finishing witcher 2!

Tyrian 2000

arcade shooter. not my type of game at all.

Warsow

I think it’s an FPS? it kept crashing so i didn’t even get to try it.

Battle.net

Hearthstone

i’ve played enough. i don’t need to play more.

Overwatch

I already play more overwatch than is good for me.

Epic Games Store

Origin

Steam

Twitch/Amazon Games

! Spellcaster University

Really fun magic school management sim.

Playstation

! Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles

exploring and farming game. finished 100% 

Playstation Plus

Itch.io

Radical Solitaire

it’s solitaire. with eyestrain graphics.

Nintendo Switch

[phoenix]

So I was legit thinking of that video game Bad Mojo the other day, and now that recent post just casually mentioning it, and it got me thinking if I could find an old copy and maybe it would work, so I went searching.

And OH SHIT EVEN BETTER.  Bad Mojo Redux on Steam, awww yeah.  I am so tempted to drop the few bucks on it, even though I’m trying to be very tight with my spending right now.

(Warning, the video game is pretty dark, and going to the link will lead to blood and gore and uncomfortable images.)

[linuxgamenews]

GOG Halloween Sale 2017 hits Linux, Mac, Windows

Scary good deals are coming to GOG.com – the digital game store that's all about DRM-free treats. Come and knock on our door, grab a handful of Halloween offers from 200+ deals up to 90% off. Spend $15 or more to get a free game, and check out horror games on GOG Connect. Get Tales from the Borderlands for FREE when you spend $15 USD or more during the Halloween Sale. Hence the story-based romp through the ridiculous world of Borderlands (Windows). And one of the most beloved Telltale Games productions. Horror comes to GOG Connect, add nearly thirty scary games to your account during the sale, including: Hand of Fate, SOMA, Amnesia, Layers of Fear, and more. GOG Connect is a great way to build up your GOG library, letting you claim select Steam purchases for a DRM-free copy on GOG.com – learn more on GOG.com/connect

Over two hundred games on sale with bundles (Linux, Mac and Windows):

Quake and DOOM classics (-66%); D&D Bundle with Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft and more (-66%); Hotline Miami (-80%), Call of Cthulhu: Prisoner of Ice & Shadow of the Comet (-75%); The Suffering series (-20%); Darkest Dungeon (-60%) and its Crimson Court expansion (-20%), The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (-80%), Bad Mojo Redux (-90%) – find over two hundred more offers available throughout the entire sale. So discounts are as high as -90%, across Linux, Mac and Windows. There are some epic games in the mix, no question. I'd recommend using the GOG Connect link above. Since this added 9 more games to my library. What's more, every Halloween bundle is a "completion bundle": get even better discounts when you grab all games in a bundle – and if you own some of them already, you just need to get the games you're missing! The 2017 Halloween Sale will last until November 2, 10PM UTC / 3PM PDT / 6PM EDT. Also, the amount required to unlock the free game can vary between regions. Free game codes will be distributed via email when the stretch goal is reached.

[emotionalmultimediaride]

Halloween 2018 Gaming Special, Day 4: "Bad Mojo: Redux" (PC)

Halloween 2018 Gaming Special, Day 4: “Bad Mojo: Redux” (PC)

Anyone who has a problem with creepy crawlies, rotting food, and blood will find Pulse Entertainment’s FMV adventure game Bad Mojo: Redux even more difficult to swallow than Harvester, but everyone else will be in for a very unique Halloween treat.

Bad Mojo: Redux (PC) (USA 2004, developer: Pulse Entertainment (now defunct), publishers: Got Game Entertainment (now defunct)/Night Dive Studios,…

[supergreatfrien]

Bumbling Through Bad Mojo: Redux p.5 - The Other Endings (FINAL)

Not every ending can be a happy one, which seems appropriate for Bad Mojo.

[wildyoungboy]

[Groupees] Remute XX RETURN now live | $1.86 for The 7th Guest Wizardry 6 & 7 Tony Tough and the Night of Roasted Moths | $3.86 for D: The Game Shadow Man Wizardry 8 The 11th Hour Bad Mojo: Redux Tender Loving Care

[yayninjabob]

A story behind a story

I have never wrote 100,000 words of anything in my life and 9 months ago when I first sat down to write Villain: Redux I definitely did NOT anticipate the length it would reach by the end of Part I. Now that it is done though I feel like I can talk about it.  Well not really the story but the story behind the story?  

A very lengthy and personal author's note for Part I: Remote Control

How I started writing again: My relationship with my writing was non existent for years.  I honestly went through a very long drought where I felt like everything I created just sucked so bad and I had zero motivation for creating shit.  I would talk with my therapist or my wife and friends about feeling so out of touch with my creative side and feeling pretty lost without it.  Really, I pretty much felt like it was dead forever.  I eventually started a personal journal again... And little drabbles here and there would come to mind... It felt alright but meh. "What did you enjoy about writing that you still feel is missing?" I was asked. Ffffffuck me I dont know.  Writing as a teen and in my early twenties wasn't something I ever thought about even when I did it every damn day of my life.  I guess I missed having that ongoing plot in the back of my head that I could escape to whenever life was lame. Daydreaming crazy stories as a kid was just my favorite past time and writing went with it.  But I just didnt have any more stories in my head. Nothing new or exciting enough at least. Anyways. January was my dads bday.  2019 and that year my dad asked for something.  Now my dad isn't one to ask for gifts. No, normally he is extremely frustrating and expects everyone to read his mind while saying "I dont care" yet if his gifts dont meet his secretive expectations he gets all butthurt and emo and says that nobody knows him.  Ok but January 2019 he asks me to write him something.   "What?  A story?  A poem?  A birthday card?" "I dont care just write me something." Typical. "I dont care."  Yeah right.  What the hell does he expect from me jeez.... My dad was the OG storyteller in my life- real shit or bullshit- he could spin a crazy story like no one else. My uncles and his friends would sit around smoking and drinking and listening to one wild tale after the next.   He could entertain people for HOURS just with the shit he’d say.  I always thought he'd make a brilliant stand up comedian but my dad would just laugh at the idea. So for his gift I figured I'd retell one of his personal wild tales - his first encounter with a mountain lion at 12 during a hunting trip with my late great uncle Joe who was his adoptive father figure.  Honestly my dad was always so incredibly descriptive and I heard that tale about a bazillion times growing up, and even though he hadnt shared it in probably 15+ years, it was easy to recall. I could just close my eyes and see it clear as day.  I stayed loyal to his story but I used my own words.  It really surprised me how easy I found those words though.  Writing had been such an impossible challenge for so long yet when I finished the short story I had written 12 pages in a single afternoon and I was shocked but in a good way.  It was his story so I was pretty sure he would like it. He's got a pretty big ego lol. I typed it up on the typewriter my dad had gotten me back when I was a teen and serious about becoming a "real writer."  I figured he would appreciate that.  I gave him the story on his birthday.  He didnt read it right away. We went to the backyard and the two of us shared a joint and while I started chasing the dogs in the yard for a bit I saw he finally picked the story up. And when he finished he started crying. Which is always weird when it's your dad right?  He isn't one to cry easily. Last time I saw tears in his eyes was three years prior at my wedding but even that wasnt like this.  He told me "You need to write again.   You need to try." But I still felt like I couldn't. I never really thought I was good at it anyway.  Sure, people told me they liked my writing and it meant a lot that my dad was moved so much by my short story that I started to believe “hey maybe I can write,” but... I dunno.  I had a rough idea for an original novel that I sat down with later that month and tried to work out... But it just felt forced and uninteresting.  It wasnt a story my mind could just escape to effortlessly.  The passion just wasnt there. After a while my wife suggested to me "Well when you retold your dad's story that was easier right?  Maybe you should retell another story that you love." And so in August 2019 I sat down and wrote what would eventually become the scarring scene for Villain: Redux

Part I:  Remote Control I spent the rest of August, September and October slowly falling back into my old world of Villain.  I reread both Villain and VillainE for the first time in yeeeeeears.  What. A. Trip. So much stood out to me that was like "Ok young me, I see where you were going but this could be so much better."  I made my list of what I liked and what I wanted to change.. Constructed my outline and then I just went for it.   Halloween night that year was spent finishing my first draft of chapter 1.  It was still in Buttercup's limited POV.  I liked it OK enough but I wondered if it would be improved if I tried third person instead.  I said "fuck it why not" and went for it again but in third person, adding the beginning history of Townsville and then the opening scene with Mojo.   When I finished it I was pretty amused with it and I found myself just starting right away on chapter 2 and adding even more details to my overall outline- it became a trilogy.  It was flowing SO easy and for once writing didnt feel like some forced chore I was performing.   The entire time though I debated whether or not to share any of it.  I didn't think anyone would read it.  But personally, I was falling in love with my new rendition and I really didn't want to stop writing it. So once again I said "fuck it why not" and I started this tumblr to start documenting my new commitment to rewriting Villain for good.  I edited the first chapter and uploaded it a couple days before Thanksgiving. And the support I got from readers honestly made me cry haha... I really really thought the story would go unnoticed.  After all, when I first started writing for the PpG fandom it was always an uphill battle and 90 percent of my first reviews were just flames and criticism.  The original Villain really took a while to gain much of a readership and even though it had its moment of somewhat popularity in the fandom, that moment came after it was completed. A brief glance at the PpG section on FFnet showed me that things really hadnt changed- still 99 percent PpGxRrB romances.  Man, it just seemed so unfair. I freaking love this show and TBH I will never understand the fandom's fixation on those damn Rowdyruffs.  Whatever.  It is what it is.  But because of that and because I hadnt been an active writer in the fandom for like a decade I really thought I'd be lucky to get one review.   And I did!  On the first day!  And I was PUMPED lol.   Then over the next couple of days I got more and most from names I recognized from the past!  I was so touched by some of the things you guys said, you will have no idea what those first 7 reviews meant to me.  And of course the reviews to follow throughout the next chapters only continued to motivate me further. And now I'm done with Part I.  Jeez what a freaking journey.  I feel like I've learned a lot though and I hope that the story only improves from here.   Today, this story invades my subconscious more than I would like to admit.  But.  It is so nice to have an exciting story to escape to once more.  And I feel like I can say that my creative drive is finally restored again which feels amazing.  Who knew it would be this rewrite of all things to do it. So yeah.  I owe the biggest thanks to my readers (the reviewers especially), my wife, and of course my dad.   I know we are just at the beginning of this story, but personally I just feel like I've accomplished more than I could've imagined already... like I said... 100,000 words is something I’ve never done before lol.  And I cant wait to share the rest of the story with everyone.   Anyways that’s my long soppy backstory on how I decided to rewrite Villain.  Thanks for reading. :)

[artemispanthar]

Yo, you can get Bad Mojo Redux on Steam right now for $0.59. It's an old adventure game where you play a cockroach and there's cheesy live action cutscenes. It's great So yea, if you ever wanted to play a cockroach navigating a filthy apartment building, nows your chance to get it for cheap (It's been years since I've played it so I can't recall all the trigger warnings that may be needed other than that it has blood, animal death, spiders, and of course, insects)

[savingcontent]

The Kafkaesque adventure puzzler, Bad Mojo Redux hits GOG

The Kafkaesque adventure puzzler, Bad Mojo Redux hits GOG

[responsive_youtube qOk7l86mbvM] (more…)

[supergreatfrien]

Bumbling Through Bad Mojo: Redux p.3 - Bad Mojo: The Drink

You know the drink is good when it creates a portal (?)

[letande]

Bad Mojo: The Roach Game Redux - Bad Ending #1 - Poor Eddie.

From the sewers, run to the bathroom (turn to the right once and enter). In the bathroom, go to the north and find the urinal. Climb up the west part of it and find a cigarette. If you've done all the possible things in the game (glyphs, puzzles, etc, check out my videos to see all the stuff), you'll be able to push it. So, do so and make it fall down. Now climb down to it and push it to the paper towel. A little fire will raise the fire alarm and Eddie will wake up. Now you may do what you want. After some time you'll get the first bad ending.