Here's a big heads up for the guys with an eye for some old school adventuring. ScummVM 0.11.0 "Your Palindrome" has just been released for download, and carries several improvements including new games and an equally new port for the Apple iPhone. More details are available in the full article.

Download: ScummVM 0.11.0 "Your Palindrome" (DS)
Download: ScummVM 0.11.0 "Your Palindrome" (PSP)
Download: ScummVM 0.11.0 "Your Palindrome" (iPhone)

The ScummVM team have announced that a big testing season for ScummVM v0.11.0 is coming up. This means that they plan on releasing a new version of the emulator which will have support for even more games.

Want to know more about the latest version of the program? Click on the "read link" below for more details.

Whoever said DOS was dead, obviously isn't a firm believer in the power of emulation. Old school gamers will definitely find the ScummVM program a gem for reliving the good ol' days of point-and-click adventure gaming.

The team from ScummVM has released three new games from the classic horror RPG developer Horror Soft. For more information, check out the full article!

Download: ScummVM v0.10.0 (PC)
Download: ScummVM v0.10.0 (Mac)
Download: ScummVM v0.10.0 (PSP)

The team of Joost, Thomas, and Paolo just made an announcement over their official site concerning the new version of emulator ScummVM. Basically, this program lets users run classic, graphical pint-and-click adventure games on different platforms.

Currently pegged at version 0.X.0 (and the homebrew coders lovingly refer to it as the Tic-Tac-Toe version), a lot have changed to ScummVM since the last release back in October last year. So that you won't get confused, here is the complete changelog for this version:

• Several new engines and thus new games supported:       
• Sierra AGI engine: Space Quest I & II, King's Quest I-III and many more, including a vast number of fan-made games
• Cinematique evo 1 engine: Future Wars
• GOB engine: Bargon Attack, Gobliins 2, Goblins 3, Ween: The Prophecy
• AGOS engine: Simon the Sorcerer's Puzzle Pack
• Parallaction engine: Nippon Safes Inc.
• Touche engine: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer
  
• DXA movies (higher quality than MPEG2) can be compressed better now and can be used for the Broken Sword cutscenes.
• Added "Mass Add" feature to the Launcher, which allows you to scan for all games in all subdirectories of a given directory (to use it, press shift then click on "Add Game").
• Many nice improvements to our ports.
• And as usual a gazillion small fixes, tweaks and improvements.

Download: ScummVM v0.10.0
Download: ScummVM v0.10.0 (source code)

We all love our emulators, now don't we? So what would happen if, say, PayPal forced ScummVM to stop asking for donations and to take them (PayPal) out of ScummVM's sight site. Yes. It's sad news in the emulating world, folks. For those of you who don't know, ScummVM is a multiplatform emulator (even available in DS and PSP) that allows you to play certain LucasArts adventure games (like the above Sam and Max).

So now, how could we support emulator developers if we can't even forward donations? It happened a few days ago, actually. PayPal is severing ties with ScummVM with a response that states:

You have developed a game modulator that allows games produced and developed by multiple companies to be played on their non-designated hardware platforms. This act in itself violates the PayPal [Acceptable Use Policy] and we request that you remove PayPal from [your website].

There are many arguments surrounding this issue, including the fact that ScummVM is actually supported and sometimes even actively assisted by original game developers and studios.

Well, we're sure both side have their own reactions to this matter. And surely PayPal has a good reason for not supporting ScummVM anymore. Besides, don't worry. It's not the end of the world. ScummVM is currently looking for other alternatives to seek donation, and we're sure to hear word from them again. So, drop a line, and tell us what you think!

Joost, Thomas and Paola, after a four-month hiatus since the last release, have updated ScummVM to v0.9.0 "The OmniBrain loves you" and are near distribution for the PSP (as soon as they build the port!). ScummVM is a multi-platform program that allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games (i.e. LucasArts releases from years passed).

Changes to the latest PSP build include:

• Reworked detection code for SCUMM games
• Added subtitle configuration controls to the options dialog
• Numerous bug fixes in the SCUMM engine

To the end user, the most noticeable change will be the new and improved GUI, but support for two new games (The Legend of Kyrandia and The Feeble Files) has also been added.

Please note, that you will need to already own an original copy of the game, as ScummVM just replaces the executable files from the software.

Thanks to Trackstorm for the heads up!

UPDATE: The PSP build download is now available.

Download: [ScummVM v0.9.0 for PSP

Joost, Thomas, and Paolo has updated ScummVM PSP port to version 0.8.2. ScummVM is a multi-platform stack-based virtual machine which allows one to play LucasArts adventure games which use the SCUMM system on platforms other than those where versions were originally released. There is no special changes included for the PSP version according to the Readme.

Download: [ScummVM v0.8.2 for PSP]

Thanks for the email heads-up, tharubberchicken!

Joost, Thomas, and Paolo has updated ScummVM PSP port to version 0.8.1. ScummVM is a multi-platform stack-based virtual machine which allows one to play LucasArts adventure games which use the SCUMM system on platforms other than those where versions were originally released. Changes in this version:

- Fixed a bug that caused Broken Sword 1, and games that use ripped CDDA tracks (most notably the CD version of Monkey Island 1), to stop functioning properly after a while.

Download: [ScummVM v0.8.1 for PSP]

Thanks for the email heads-up, tharubberchicken!

The ScummVM team, in light of the recent ScummVM Emulator v0.8.0 release, have updated the freeware ?Beneath a Steel Sky? game which can be played on the PSP using the ScummVM Emulator. To install, place all the files in a directory named BASS on your PSP, and select the directory using the ScummVM emulator to play the game. In their words, here is what they had to say about the release: ?

In light of the 0.8.0 release, which requires the additional SKY.CPT file to run Beneath a Steel Sky, we've updated the archive of the freeware CD version to include this file, and while we were at it, updated the data files to the last-known released version of BASS, which should fix some text issues that appear when playing the game in non-english languages.?

You can get it with the SKY.CPT file in our PSP Download section [here].
You can discuss ScummVM in our active forums [here].

Currently, this program will only run on PSPs with firmware version 1.0 or 1.50. If you do not know which firmware version your PSP has, or if you need help installing this program on your PSP, check our Ultimate FAQ.
If you have a higher firmware version than 1.50 on your PSP, please check the information below:
? To downgrade the firmware from a version higher than 1.50, please visit [here].
? If you want to try to run it on a 2.0 PSP, please visit our forum for the latest 2.0 eboot loader [here].

Joost, Thomas, and Paolo have just emailed us about their newest release of the ScummVM port to the PSP, developed using free open source tools and SDK's. ScummVM is a multi-platform stack-based virtual machine which allows one to play LucasArts adventure games which use the SCUMM system on platforms other than those where versions were originally released. Here is what they had to say:

We are pleased to announce a long-awaited ScummVM 0.8.0 release. We, the ScummVM Team, have prepared a big pack of new features for you. the new version of ScummVM (0.8.0) was just released, which also marks the first official, non-beta, release of the PSP port! The PSP version contains vastly improved support for The Dig and The Curse of Monkey Island, a 2.00 EBOOT loader compatible version, and various other fixes and improvements. Some additional features are:

• New improved launcher and in-game GUI
• Support for Inherit the Earth and Gobliiins
• Playstation Portable, Playstation 2 and EPOC/SymbianOS ports
• CGA and Hercules rendering modes for some games
• Preliminary support for NES and C64 LucasArts games

You can get the v1.0 and v1.5 versions in our PSP Download section [here]
You can get the v2.0 version in our PSP Download section [here]
You can discuss this in our active forums [here].
You can report bugs at the ScummVM forums [here].