Mule Be Home Soon (April 8, 2008)

Bandit LOAF

Long Live the Confederation!
Self-described lurker Radovan was kind enough to forward us an interesting article at XBox Family which suggests an interesting - if flawed - theory for the secret franchise behind Project RedLime. Their guess? M.U.L.E.:
This news comes to us directly from a student of one of the original creators of the M.U.L.E. game - Alan Watson, who still pursues game design in Georgia where he teaches. The rumor appears to be true based on Watson being the only living license holder of the M.U.L.E. name due to the death of co-creator Dan Bunten in 1998. We’re still looking for more confirmation, but believe that if this franchise is to be resurrected, it could very well be the much talked about Redlime project that EA has recently announced as being outsourced to the creative minds at Starbreeze.
The idea that a new MULE could be in development is fascinating, but it doesn't really fit with what we know about RedLime - that it's coming from a studio known for action titles and that it is reviving a franchise with some form of established fiction. These don't really apply to MULE, an amazing puzzle game from the earliest days of Electronic Arts history (on the other hand, Mules have surprised people before -- just ask the guys who ran The Foundation...)

Moreover, though, it's great to see someone, somewhere speculating about this -- the initial announcement of the mystery game doesn't seem to have generated nearly as much commentary as it should have. Where are the hard-working game journalists? Where are the top secret leaks? We want answers!



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Original update published on April 8, 2008
 
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Doh, and I read this article early this morning and decided against sending it in to you guys. Good thing someone decided to, I guess. I didn't think it'd be credible as RedLime, but I'm sure it's in the works for XBLA.

Puzzle game, though? M.U.L.E. was actually the first multiplayer strategy party-game.
 
Yeah, XBLA/Wiiware/PS3whatever or some EA Replay equivalent... or just a case of corporate governance -- wouldn't be the first time a corporation has gone back to secure lost rights to its early material.
 
Still, M.U.L.E. is a perfect candidate for XBLA more than any other platform. It was born and bred for competitive multiplayer. I still fire it up on my Atari emulator from time to time to bankrupt some chumps on Kaillera.
 
That the only way to get this game these days?

Emulator and ROMs?

I remember playing this game when I was a kid with my aunt and uncle, back with classics like Red Storm Rising and Starflight.
 
The only legal way of getting them is ebay or scouring discount software bins.

The other way of getting them we don't condone or discuss here.

[/administrator]
 
*chuckle*

Thank you for the distinction. After a good 30 minutes of winding down from work and a rereading of my post made me realize the same thing.

I wish I still had my Commodore 64 and my Amiga. I had several games on that I played even into the CD-ROM era. My copy of Wing Commander among them. Heck one of the reasons why I conned my dad into getting me a Amiga back then was from a pre-launch review of Wing Commander in some Computer Magazine somewhere.
 
*chuckle*

Thank you for the distinction. After a good 30 minutes of winding down from work and a rereading of my post made me realize the same thing.

I wish I still had my Commodore 64 and my Amiga. I had several games on that I played even into the CD-ROM era. My copy of Wing Commander among them. Heck one of the reasons why I conned my dad into getting me a Amiga back then was from a pre-launch review of Wing Commander in some Computer Magazine somewhere.

Speaking of which, I found a whole bunch of old Amiga WC magazine reviews the other day.
 
Score!

I remember reading some of those reviews and thinking "This is will be the greatest video game of all time!"

But, back to topic.

What I did like about M.U.L.E was the fact it was a PvP game, but instead of todays preference for buttom mashers most times a game of M.U.L.E required a great deal of forsight, as well as a little bit of luck to win.

Of course, the giant mountain of gold didn't hurt either.
 
As cool as it would be, I wouldn't bet on seeing a new MULE immediately because of this. I know a number of people who did freelance work for Origin in the 1980s who retained the rights to their material -- artwork, music, etc... and whenever EA happens across some record of this fact they cut a check so they'll own the whole game. Doesn't mean I expect to see a re-release of Ultima III or AutoDuel any time soon...

(Re: puzzle game - I was trying to figure out how you quickly explain MULE to a generation whose experience with strategy games is StarCraft... but I don't think I was very succesful.)
 
It's a rough science that has more to do with audience than actual meaning -- I once advised on a straight Privateer remake pitch which was described to executives as "Battlefield 1942 meets Grand Theft Auto."
 
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