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Sam and Max voted as next Telltale franchise on the Mac
When Telltale Games kicked off their Mac revolution at Macworld a few weeks ago, they also set up a poll on their website where players could vote on the next franchise in their company to get a full release on the Mac. The vote is now over, and the Sam and Max franchise was chosen as the next group of games to see a full Mac release. The original characters were created by Steve Purcell a few decades ago, but since then, the franchise has created a storied gaming history, starting at LucasArts and moving on to Telltale's classic titles. The series of point-and-click adventures is known for its stories and humor, and it's definitely a worthwhile choice by fans. Rumor has it that there's a brand new Sam and Max season (the games are released in "seasons" of smaller episodes) around the corner -- we're hoping to see Telltale at GDC 2010 next week, so we'll let you know if we get to see anything new from them there.
Macworld 2010: Telltale Games and their Mac revolution
Well, there you go. After consistent rumors that the whole catalog would be coming over to the Mac, Telltale Games announced at Macworld last week that that's exactly what was going to happen. Starting with the Tales of Monkey Island series (based on the Lucasarts games, where many Telltale developers formerly hung their hats), the company will co-release Mac and PC versions, giving customers versions for both platforms at the same time. Telltale is hosting a vote on its website right now as to the next game set to be released, but as we learned directly from co-founders Dan Connors and Kevin Bruner, eventually the whole platform, including Monkey Island, Sam and Max, Wallace and Gromit, and Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, is coming over. And it's probably not long until the iPhone and the iPad follow suit. Kevin Bruner spoke with us on the livestream during the show, and Dan Connors sat down for a longer interview about Telltale's past, the decision to join the Mac gaming community, and what both founders think of Apple's newest platforms and the Mac community at large. Read on to see the full text of the interview.
Sam & Max Surfin' the Highway bundles games with funny
Sam: Whatcha got there, little buddy? Max: Why, Sam, it's a book about us? That's creepy!Telltale Games is selling the 20th anniversary edition of Sam & Max Surfin' the Highway, bundling together the 197-page graphic album with the publisher's Sam & Max episodic adventure game for the PC. The book, which has been out of print for nearly a decade, contains the complete collection of Steve Purcell's Sam & Max comics, including 25 new pages of previously unreleased artwork. The collection is currently available in paperback for $29.95, which includes both the book and a DVD containing the most recent 5-episode season of Sam & Max. A more pricey $59.95 hardcover edition is also available, which ships with both seasons tucked between its supple pages. Closet lagomorphs with some extra geld can also shell out for the $99.95 bundle, which nets the book, games, soundtrack, the complete animated series and a Sam & Max t-shirt and hat. Sam: And look, the thing was also nominated for an Eisner Award. That'll look good on the wall.Max: Yup, right next to Hitler's head!Sam: You're a scary bunny.
Joystiq interview: Holy crap! Telltale talks Strong Bad
It won't be long before our wallets are drained of life thanks to Nintendo's freshly delivered digital download service, WiiWare. However, we're saving a few Wii Points under the mattress for Telltale's upcoming episodic take on iconic internet flash cartoon, Homestar Runner, in Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. It's dot com. With the series announced to launch in June and new first episode details expected to drop later this week, we headed over to Bubs' Concession Stand for more information on the upcoming game. Of course, he wasn't much help, though he did point us over to Telltale, where we spoke with marketer extraordinaire Emily Morganti about all things Strong Bad. For the complete breakdown of what went down, hit up the interview below and pop open a one -- just make sure it's cold. A one which is not cold is scarcely a cold one at all. Gallery: Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People
Lego Batman: Riddler, Catwoman trailer
Although it appears the music licensing isn't complete yet for Lego Batman, TT Games has released some gameplay footage featuring Catwoman and The Riddler. Gotham City's notorious crime-causing couple ... wait, wait one second. Did Riddler and Catwoman ever even work together? That's an open invitation for comic book geeks to show off.Expect a lot more videos (like the one above) leading up to the game's release later this year featuring Batman's gallery of villains. We're definitely looking forward to seeing Mr. J and Harley Quinn in all their blocky glory. Too bad we won't hear Harley's nails-on-a-chalkboard voice though.
Reminder: You can still win Sam & Max Season 2!
"Holy rollerblading geriatrics on a steeply inclined lido deck, Max! The deadline for our Season 2 giveaway is set to pounce tomorrow at 5PM EST!""Dead lion, Sam? I thought we adopted a strictly enforced ban on ferocious, undead felines in the office.""You crack me up, little buddy. Who did you name as your favorite adventure game character in the giveaway post, anyway? Was it ... me?""None of your damn business, Sam."
Episodic 'Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People' coming in June
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Strong_Bad_episodic_series_coming_to_WiiWare_this_June '; Telltale Games has revealed that the "new WiiWare episode series" hinted at during GDC08 will be Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive people, based on the character from Homestar Runner. The series will be a five-episode season with installments promised monthly on Nintendo's download service as well as the PC. The first episode is due out in June; further release date and pricing details are promised later, according to the press release.If you need a refresher on Strong Bad, we'd appriciate (yes, you read that right) it if you checked out the "sbemail" archives. More details, assets and an official trailer are expected later today.Update: Check out this April 1 video from Homestar Runner that might've hinted at this announcement.Update: Website and trailers launch.%Gallery-20305%
Reminder: Win Sam & Max Season 2!
Wouldn't it be terribly sad if you missed the opportunity to play Sam & Max: Season 2 for free? As far as deeply depressing events go, we'd say it's on par with a plane full of puppies crashing into an orphanage. Only you can prevent it by naming your favorite adventure game character on our giveaway post! No, not here, there. On the giveaway post. You have until 5:00PM EST on Friday, April 11th!
Joyswag: Win Sam & Max Season 2!
Update: Entries are closed. We'll be alerting the winners via e-mail soon, so please keep an eye on your inbox!In celebration of this Friday's release (Thursday if you're on GameTap) of the Sam & Max Season 2 finale, "What's New, Beelzebub?" Joystiq and Telltale Games are giving away three full Season 2 bundles (valued at $34.95 each). If you've yet to point and click your way through the highly untrained duo's second stab at episodic adventure, you can start right here and right now. These rules are all self-explanatory, so be sure to carefully explain them to yourself: To enter this giveaway, leave a comment naming adventure gaming's best character (any game). You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). Limit 1 entry per person per day. If you enter this giveaway more than once each calendar day you'll be locked up in a circus cage alongside the amazing giraffe-necked girl. This entry period ends at 5:00pm EST on Friday, April 11th. We'll randomly select 3 winners at that time (please check your email!). For a list of complete rules that you can blow away with a very large Luger, click here.
GDC Quest Quiz II: Steve Purcell
We did a terrible thing at last week's Game Developer's Conference. Aside from our usual barrage of photographs and "reporting," a select group of attendees had to endure a particularly inane and utterly pointless line of questioning -- just for laughs. This is what happens when you hunt down several adventure game connoisseurs and challenge them to solve a typically obnoxious adventure game puzzle.The PlayerSteve Purcell, illustrator and writer best known as the creator of Sam & Max. We're surprised he even talked to us after last year's drunken debacle. The PuzzleYou're standing in front of a cave. The goal is to get inside the cave, taking care to foil the ferocious robot bear guarding the entrance first.The Inventory (1) perforated parasol (1) rubber chicken with a pulley in the middle (1) sealed manila envelope (1) miniature macaroni Tim Schafer statue Find Steve Purcell's solution to the "meta-puzzle" after the break.
Rumor: Sam & Max coming to the Wii according to German press release
It's been almost a year now since the rumor of a Wii version of the Sam & Max series surfaced after Telltale Games began searching for a Wii programmer to add to their staff. Now, a German press release for JoWooD Productions' latest creation, a Wii adaptation of the PC adventure title Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None, has all but confirmed a Sam & Max adventure on Nintendo's console, which JoWooD is apparently porting.A translation of the press release specifically mentions that "Sam & Max will soon be hunting criminals on the Nintendo Wii," though Telltale Games, the developers of the PC adventure, have not yet confirmed their intent to port the game to consoles. However, the press release seems on the level, and based on earlier evidence, we're fairly certain that we'll be seeing everyone's favorite revolver-toting, anthropomorphic dog and hyperkinetic rabbity thing on the Wii in the near future.[via Evil Avatar]
Joystiq interview: Telltale's Dan Connors tells tales
Sam & Max: Season One was one of the first real success stories of digital distribution, where folks could download episodes of the game from month to month, and then after everything had been released, pick up a DVD copy of all the episodes with some extra content. Season Two launches on November 8th (tomorrow, kids!), putting Sam & Max right back into the fray.We sat down with Telltale Games founder and CEO Dan Connors during E For All to talk about all things Sam & Max, Bone, and what's coming up for the young studio. We started off by waxing poetic about E for All or E3 possibly moving to Vegas, so we could have done this over drinks and then hit the tables. We'd like to think Sam & Max would have been proud.
Sam & Max episodes now available on Steam
What did the folks at Telltale Games do today? We'll tell you! They turned a Valve and streamed their sparkling Sam & Max episodic series out of a GameTap and straight into a kettle. Then they, uh, boiled it. Because Sam & Max Season 1 is now available for purchase on Steam, you see. Also, we're terrible at this. Let's try again.Telltale Games and Valve have announced that the first episodic series to become available on Steam (yes, there was a joke there) is Sam & Max Season 1, with single episodes priced at $8.95 each. There's a 10% discount to be had during this first week of release, and those who balk at bit purchases can buy in bulk -- bundles of the first three (or last three) episodes go for $19.95 each. If you manage to miraculously avoid adventure's detective duo on Steam, GameTap and Telltale's website, you'll still have to deal with August's retail release from JoWood and The Adventure Company. You'll have nowhere to run, you lagomorph loather.
Telltale secures $6 million for multi-platform episodic content
Displaying a respectable level of business acumen, Telltale Games has announced that the $6 million in funding it recently secured will not go towards the procurement of the world's largest ball of twine, but rather the expansion of its episodic endeavors. Provided by San Francisco-based venture firms, Granite Ventures and IDG Ventures SF, the funding will allow Telltale to continue building upon their current franchises, such as Bone and Sam & Max, and pave the way for new episodic projects. "This funding will allow us to stay on the cutting edge of innovation by building out our team and our tools, and by taking on new licenses for the episodic treatment," says Telltale CEO and co-founder, Dan Connors. The Telltale team also plans to develop for multiple hardware platforms, a goal that seems right in line with its previous job listings and the success digital distribution has enjoyed on all current consoles. It's about time proper episodic content moved beyond the PC, wouldn't you say?
Sam & Max season finale released on Telltale's website
For the last seven months, the edges of our lives have been softened by the knowledge that a turn of the calendar page would bring with it a new episode of Sam & Max. With the sixth and final chapter becoming available for download on the Telltale Games website, however, the only thing left on the next page is a shocking reminder of just how boring calendars are. On the topic of the final episode, Sam & Max creator, Steve Purcell, has this to say: "With huge dollops of creative frenzy tossed into episode 6, the Telltale crew nicely tops off a great season. I'm really pleased." Telltale's design director, Dave Grossman adds, "Bright Side of the Moon is the snuggly-fitting cap on the Serious toothpaste of Season 1. I feel clean."Feel pleased and clean by grabbing the season finale from Telltale's Website for $8.95, or the full season for $34.95. The latter option will also net you a disc containing the episodes and a whole host of extras. Finally, if you flip your calendar to August, you'll see the series getting its retail release. %Gallery-2534%[Via Telltale Games press release]
First screens of Sam & Max season finale, 'Bright Side of the Moon'
Telltale Games has unveiled the first images and trailer of the inevitably ludicrous finale to its episodic Sam & Max series, Bright Side of the Moon. In their continued mission to save civilization from hypnotic enslavement, the highly untrained duo embarks on a mission to the Earth's only natural satellite (sans paper bags) and attempts to foil an unspeakably nefarious mastermind (what other kind is there?). The action, the adventure and the depravity will become available on Gametap April 26th, and will hit Telltale's website shortly afterwards on May 10th. The penultimate episode, Reality 2.0, is already available on the official site. %Gallery-2534%
Sam & Max Episode 5: Reality 2.0 released on GameTap
First they faced off against a deranged eye fitness guru, then a talk show host followed by the toy mafia and Abe Lincoln. Now Sam and Max have to overcome a foe of a different kind: the internet! The fifth installment of the episodic Sam & Max adventures is available today on GameTap. Reality 2.0 is filled with the signature Sam & Max humor wrapped in an adventure-lite game. This time around the jokes poke fun at everything geek-related. Expect some video game parodies as well, such as when Sam yells "Its-a me, Sam!" before leaping into the air to collect a coin.You can grab Reality 2.0 from GameTap starting today, or download it from Telltale Games on April 12th for $8.95.
Digital distribution panel: Retail and downloads work together
Newsweek's N'Gai Croal hosted a GDC discussion about digital distribution, featuring panelists from Bioware, Valve, Microsoft, Telltale Games, and GameTap. The session interested us most for its comments on how retail and digital distribution work together and thoughts on the media's lack of digital-only games coverage.Valve's Jason Holtman said, "The myth of digital distribution cannibalizing retail sales isn't true. ... The first couple times we ran [free weekends for games], we found out they increased retail sales as well [as digital sales.]"Holtman later said, "We love selling our boxed products. We like selling our digital products, too. ... Retail is going to be here to stay. It's a great channel for games. Digital is also a great channel for games."Ray Muzka of Bioware said, "They're incredibly complimentary. ... You can get research, you can get data from your digital distribution to make better games."Dan Connors of Telltale Games described how his company's games benefit from initial digital distribution. He said, "By the time it gets to retail, it's a known quantity. ... It was thought of from the ground up that we're going to launch online and [move to retail.] ... I think we've managed to take revenues from a range of places."Near the end of the session, Croal asked if he and other journalists had covered digital distribution enough. Rick Sanchez of GameTap vehemently said that the press hadn't and that they don't know how to treat his game-download service. The other panelists thought their projects were getting enough coverage, although they echoed the slow recognition of their digital projects.Other than Microsoft's Xbox Live games, GameTap represented the only company with a digital-only distribution method. Could that affect GameTap's recognition, because the public -- and journalists -- still need a boxed copy to take notice?
Joystiq interviews Sam & Max designer, Dave Grossman
Apparently, the streets of San Francisco are simply bustling with adventure game designers wandering about in search of inspiration and that one inventory item they callously overlooked. We were in possession of one microphone and one unbelievable obnoxious blogger, both vital items for an upcoming, uh, life puzzle. Look, we just needed an intro paragraph, alright?Above you'll see Telltale's game designer and dedicated poet, Dave Grossman, being interrogated about things like episodic content, the hiring of console programmers and, of course, Sam & Max Season 2. (SPOILER: It's is in the planning stages.)
Joystiq interviews Sam & Max creator, Steve Purcell
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Joystiq_interviews_Sam_Max_creator_Steve_Purcell'; Following the careful application of alcohol and a sufficient number of thinly-veiled threats, Joystiq managed to maneuver Sam & Max creator, Steve Purcell, in front of a camera to discuss his role in the deeply disturbed duo's episodic endeavors. As you might expect, ancient mysteries are unearthed, the very nature of humor is dissected and generally, hilarity ensues. Take heed: this will undoubtedly be the greatest Steve Purcell interview that deeply involves the Power Rangers you'll ever see.
