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Zombie Cow to make episodic Dan and Ben games
Well, this is the perfect way to start a Tuesday morning. Zombie Cow Studios, the guys behind the brilliant Ben There, Dan That and Time Gentlemen, Please have told Rock, Paper, Shotgun that they're working on new, episodic adventures for Dan and Ben, prompted in part by the game's ridiculously good critical reception.Chunks of the new series will be short -- hovering around an hour -- and self-contained, so newcomers can hop on at any point. Well, "newcomers" is Zombie Cow's Dan Marshall's language. We prefer to call people who haven't played Ben There, Dan That "bad people."
Telltale's final Wallace and Gromit episode arriving on PC Wednesday
You've likely got no shortage of clever adventure games to work your way through at the moment, so we almost feel bad throwing another one atop your to-play pile -- the fourth and final chapter of Telltale's Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures will arrive on PCs tomorrow. Titled The Bogey Man, the episode places the titular duo in the Prickly Thicket country club, where the pair encounter "an ancient dispute threatening to tear the town apart." Hey, that sounds less hazardous than having to deal with robot pants.The episode will cost $8.99, or can be picked up in the Grand Adventures bundle for $34.99.
BEN 10 MMO officially announced
We kind of already knew this one was on the way, thanks to a listing on TurnOut Ventures' product page that was spotted last month, but now it's official: BEN 10 Omniverse will be coming to a browser near you in Q4 this year. TurnOut Ventures made the announcement and gave a description of what to expect from the free-to-play title:BEN 10 Omniverse will let players participate in the evolving story arc of Cartoon Network's BEN 10 saga, featuring Ben Tennyson, a 10-year-old boy with the ability to morph into different aliens using a strange alien device called the Omnitrix.They also mentioned that the game will be episodic in nature (the launch game will actually be called BEN 10 Omniverse Episode 1: Rise of Heroes), with content updates bringing new zones, quests and other additions on a regular basis. The gameplay will consist of both PvE and PvP, with each of these activities offering the opportunity to group up with other players. According to the official site for the show, a closed beta application process is coming soon.
American McGee says XBLA, PSN need to evolve
When it comes to digital distribution on consoles, American McGee feels that the model "still has some evolving to do." The game designer -- whose credits include Alice as well as Doom and Quake -- recently told Geek.com that while his ambitious 24-episode experiment Grimm could be ported over to such platforms as Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, the process needs some work before that would happen."Porting this sort of stuff is straightforward," claimed McGee, who added that "the biggest issue" sits with the platforms' content approval and distribution model. XBLA's certification process has long proved a cumbersome hurdle for developers, with McGee noting,"When a single title might take months to get through review and approval (take Braid, as an example), pushing 24 episodes through would translate to years of approval process."McGee is currently spinning his creative wheels on the recently announced sequel to Alice, a property that's also been mentioned in movie circles for some time. The rights currently sit with producer Scott Faye, who was responsible for 2008's big screen take on Max Payne, a film McGee lambasted, saying, "I wasn't able to sit through the entire thing ... I just couldn't connect to the film version." You, sir, were not alone.[Via 1UP]
Telltale not frightened by more competition
The tough thing about being the first to perfect something? Everyone else thinks they can step in and repeat what you did, only better. That's the position Telltale Games CEO Dan Connors finds himself in now. Connors says that he expects more companies to move into the episodic gaming field -- in fact, many have approached him about working on a deal.But before the beef has even started, Connors is squashing it, reminding all comers that Telltale runs the game: "I think there's still that point about people needing to understand what it is, and Telltale is always going to define its own kind of game." We know he was talking about literal games rather that the game of the streets, but we're just going to pretend.
Captionable: Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures
[Update: A winner is you, Steveorsz. A winner is you. Thanks for all the entries everyone.]The most challenging part of being a blogger isn't the frequent trips to the sweatpants store or having to keep a Cheetoh dust rag on hand at all times. No, the biggest hurdle is firing up Comic Life and adding those hilarious speech bubbles to game images. We're finally taking a stand against the hardest part of our jobs and asking that you, the Joystiq Biomass, help us out. Just comment with your best caption for the above screenshot from Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures and check back in a few hours. We'll add our favorite to the image and thank you in the post. Be sure to check out all the new screens below for some added inspiration.%Gallery-39989%
New trailer, screens for Sam and Max: Season 2
Following up this week's announcement that Sam & Max: Season Two would be releasing on Wii, Atari was kind enough to shoot us over some new screens and a trailer for the upcoming compilation. As one would expect, it's business as usual for the duo, with the above trailer showcasing the wacky hijinks one should expect in a Sam & Max game. So, watch the trailer above, then head into the gallery for the new screens.%Gallery-38371%
Sam & Max coming back for a second season
Click image for new screens Nabbed a copy of Sam & Max: Season One and looking for more? Well, the second season of the most excellent episodic series will be available to Wii gamers in another compilation disc, titled Sam & Max: Season Two. This gathering of all of season two's episodes is planned to reach store shelves some time early next year. Be sure to check out our gallery below for some screens.So, who's ready to enjoy season two of Sam & Max's antics?%Gallery-38371%
Wii Warm Up: Episodic
Having gone through the first three episodes of SBCG4AP now and having thoroughly enjoyed them, we were thinking about other episodic games out there. There's LostWinds and its near-promised second installment. There's Penny Arcade Adventures, Sam and Max (which we received all on one disc), and those Half-Life episodes, just to name a few.Are you a fan of episodic gaming? Have you taken the plunge, either through WiiWare, Steam, or the services of those other guys? Do you favor a smaller, more regimented gaming experience for less coin than the ticket price for a AAA title on the retail shelf? Thoughts?
Wii Fanboy Review: Baddest of the Bands
We've been waiting for the third installment of SBCG4AP for a little while now, jonesing for a new episode after thoroughly enjoying the first two. For myself, this third episode is my favorite, as the combination of a "band off," and what I found to be the best writing in the series so far, have come together and dropped hot, delicious gaming action all over my face. Grab your leopard print pants and Squealin' Larry Limozeen Microphone and head past the break for the full review. Well all right!%Gallery-33956%
Rock out with Strong Bad this Monday
Telltale Games has just informed us that the latest episode in the ongoing saga of Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People has been dated for release on WiiWare this coming Monday, October 27th. If previous episodes are any indication, this latest installment in the series is going to be quite fun. Look for it on Monday, where it'll be available for download at the usual price of 1,000 Points.%Gallery-33956%[Via press release]
Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 2 done, priced at $15
The elaborately titled adventures of the webcomic duo, Gabe and Tycho, are set to continue this Fall in Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness Episode Two. We're told that developer Hothead Games has just completed the downloadable RPG-adventure, bestowing "Gold Master" status upon the Windows, Mac and Linux versions. The Xbox Live Arcade and PSN iterations are presumably still being tweaked (much like the PSN's Episode One), but will share the same price of 15 earth bucks. Hooray for subsequent episodic games becoming cheaper!%Gallery-30963%
Wii's Sam & Max Season 1 premieres on Oct. 7
Telltale Games continues to display respectable business acumen by releasing the first season of its episodic adventure, Sam & Max: Freelance Police, on the Wii. You can expect to find the lovable doggy detective and his demonstrably deranged bunny thing in North American stores on October 7th, complete with newfangled "widescreen" support and a tutorial. Remember, point ... then click.If you consider yourself of a fan of the highly untrained duo, you'll want to investigate a pre-order offer from Gamestop, which sweetens the $30 deal with a bonus CD (see: behind-the-scenes "making of" featurette, trailers, concept art, a soundtrack sampler, and desktop wallpapers). Nice, though we would have preferred a Prismatology book.%Gallery-32134%
Telltale dishes out new Strong Bad trailer, screens
Telltale has just sent out a press release, which was chock full of screens for the next episode of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. As you all know, we found the first episode to be quite good (although, we never did have our copy freeze on us), so we're looking forward to this month's new episode. Oh, and along with those lovely screens (check them out in the gallery below), we've also got a new trailer for you above this very post. Did you download the first episode? Enjoy it?%Gallery-30447% Strong Bad's Game for Attractive People isn't the only notable WiiWare title. Capcom's upcoming Mega Man 9 has managed to turn a few heads (and might have even gotten other companies to think about retro revivals). There's also the upcoming Tetris Party and Alien Crush Returns, both from Hudson. Oh, and let's not forget Space Invaders Get Even!
Wallace & Gromit go episodic with Telltale
Not content with merely developing one episodic game series featuring a charming dog, Telltale Games has revealed a new game starring Aardman Animation's eccentric duo, Wallace & Gromit. In Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, players will be able to control both the absentminded inventor and his expressive dog, no doubt developing bizarre Rube Goldberg machines, mechanized articles of clothing and an insatiable lust for delicious, delicious cheese.Though details regarding price and number of episodes have yet to be confirmed, Telltale CEO Dan Connors has assured fans that the show's distinct clay-mated look will be maintained, and that Grand Adventures wouldn't seek to emulate previous (see: not so good) games based on the property. "We feel like the gameplay should be more of an experience," he said. "You should be able to interact with the other characters and really feel like you're in the world of 'Wallace & Gromit..." Given said world's clay constitution, that provides even more reason for us to stay out of the sun.%Gallery-39989%
Watchmen based games to go episodic
Let's go off-topic for a moment. Watchmen is probably one of the greatest graphic novels ever created and the film looks totally rad. From director Zack Snyder, the guy who directed the film adaptation of Frank Miller's 300, and partially penned by David Hayter, of Metal Gear fame, it looks like it's going to be one helluva flick. The problem with creating a great movie is that, inevitably, someone will want to create a game based on it. Variety is reporting that Watchmen is no exception to this rule but the game based on the film (based on the graphic novel) is taking a different approach. Warner Bros. has announced it will release two downloadable episodic games on Xbox Live, PC and PSN to coincide with the theatrical and DVD releases of the film. Developed by Deadline Games, which is currently working on Faith and a .45, we don't know much about the content of the games but we hope a smaller game will work out better than licensed titles of the past. We also hope for world peace and an end to fanboy flame wars -- guess how that's going so far? [via Joystiq]
Watchmen becomes two-part episodic PSN game
Any graphic novel nerd will hold a special place for Alan Moore's Watchmen. In addition to the upcoming movie (trailer, above), there will be a coinciding licensed game. Watchmen will be released as a two-part episodic title on XBLA, PSN and PC. The first part will release in tandem with the theatrical release, while the second will release in time for the DVD/Blu-ray release. This should, hopefully, give developers more time to work on a quality title. "We don't want a low-quality console game that will get lost at retail," said WBIE senior veep of production and development Samantha Ryan. "A downloadable game allows us to deliver the experience that fans expect." The Watchmen games are expected to be rated M. [Via Joystiq]
American McGee's Grimm: All episodes free for first 24 hours
GameTap is taking a most unusual approach with its first weekly episodic game series. Each episode of American McGee's Grimm – individual "fractured fairytales" from the designer of American McGee's Alice – will debut as a free download and remain free for a 24-hour period. After that, episodes will go into GameTap's archives and be available to download individually for a yet-to-be-determined price.The model is likened to that of the iTunes or Xbox Live video download services. Catching a Grimm episode during the initial download-for-free window will be like watching a new episode of a show on network TV. Once it's "aired," you can download it if you missed it – for a price.The episodes will be supported by minimal up-front advertising and the first one, "A Boy Learns What Fear Is," will debut on July 31. We had the opportunity to play the first three Grimm episodes yesterday and will post our impressions later today.
Pushing buttons in Sam & Max
IGN had some hands-on time with the Wii version of Telltale's Sam & Max: Season One and found the experience pleasing. This should come as no surprise, since the game has been out and good on the PC for a couple of years now. But at least it doesn't sound like a disastrous port!The report describes the experience of using the Wiimote instead of a mouse -- specifically how Telltale mapped the controls. In addition to basic point-and-click movement, Telltale has implemented a feature from the PC Season Two that causes Sam to walk more quickly to a spot when the A button is tapped twice. The Wiimote can be used in two ways in the game's driving segments: either to steer the car or to shoot at stuff using the pointer.If you're using the Internet Channel, we suggest using its unique point-and-click navigation system to maneuver to IGN's screenshots. Or just the mouse, if you're on a normal old computer.%Gallery-23759%
New screens, video, 'tech demo' for Telltale's Strong Bad
click to enlarge It won't be long now. Despite a short delay into the far-off month of July (or: "next month"), Telltale's episodic adaptation of Strong Bad – delicately titled Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People – will be opening mail on WiiWare and PC shortly. To get you in the mood, Telltale just dropped a handful of new screens along with a new gameplay video on our doorstep (seriously, just left it there).What we'd really like for you to check out is the "tech demo" showing off the game's incredible engine. Series creators Matt and Mike Chapman write that their "engine is about 98% finished" but they're still having "some trouble with the fence physics or 'phensics' as they say in the gaming industry." It's true, the phensics don't look quite right ... %Gallery-24933%
