episodic
Latest
Siren Blood Curse debut trailer features more English than before
Siren: Blood Curse looks set to terrify PlayStation 3 owners when it launches this Summer in the US and Europe. Tsubasa Inaba, Senior Producer for the game, has posted a new trailer up on the PlayStation Blog for all of you phobophiles out there. This video is different from the one on the European PSN Store but is easily as, if not more, scary. We hope to hearing more about this episodic scare-a-thon on the PlayStation Blog soon, including the release date for the first episode. We're hoping soon.
Telltale details first Strong Bad episode, 'Homestar Ruiner'
If our recent interview and the latest screenshots from Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People weren't enough to a satiate your interest in harassing the residents of Strongbadia, publisher Telltale has released some additional details for the forthcoming adventure game's first episode, titled "Homestar Ruiner," which will be released over WiiWare and the PC in June.According to Telltale, the plot, for people who care about such things, will see the bobble-headed Strong Bad scheming to win the tri-annual 'Race to the End of the Race' while also working to get a disgraced Homestar Runner from loafing around his domicile. As mentioned in the past, the game will include a variety of mini-games and other diversions, two of which Telltale has now revealed to be Snake Boxer 5 from Homestar's fictional game development studio, Videlectrix, as well as the ability for players to create their own Teen Girl Squad comics. SO GOOD!%Gallery-22983%
Strong Bad could eventually check mail on Xbox Live, PSN
Today's launch of WiiWare reminds us that next month we'll be pointing, clicking, and harassing the residents of Strongbadia in Telltale's Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, an upcoming episodic adventure title developed for the Wii's new digital delivery service as well as the PC. However, while the title's launch remains dedicated to these two platforms, we couldn't help but bug TellTale marketing guru Emily Morganti in a recent interview about the possibility of Strong Bad checking his email over Xbox Live or PSN as well."Maybe down the line," she told us, "but for now we're focusing on WiiWare and the PC." Morganti added that the team feels WiiWare is a "natural fit" for the Homestar Runner license, which she notes has "deep roots in old-school Nintendo nostalgia." We're inclined to agree, given that the first Homestar cartoon was put together using Mario Paint. However, TellTale is keeping other console digital delivery services on its radar, as Morganti donned her diplomatic marketing hat and told us that "we'd like to be on all of these at some point. They're all great platforms for episodic content. WiiWare just happens to be the one we're venturing onto first."Look for our complete interview later this week for more from Telltale on Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, including how the project came to be and how much kicking The Cheat will drain our wallets.
Siren goes episodic with 'Blood Curse'
Serialized spookiness news now, with Sony Computer Entertainment revealing that survival-horror franchise, Siren, will be coming to the PlayStation 3 this Summer in gruesomely severed chunks. Or "episodes," if you prefer. Documenting the inevitably harrowing experiences of an American TV crew in the cursed village of Hanuda, Siren: Blood Curse hopes to be "the most terrifying game in the Siren series to date." The game marks the return of the "Sight-Jack" system, which allows you to peer through the eyes of enemies and be right on the money every time you scream, "It's behind yooouuuuu!" Following Blood Curse's debut this Summer, Sony promises to eek out the series with 11 more episodes via the PlayStation Network. Let's just hope the gaps between the gasps are small.
Telltale speaks about Sam & Max, Wii
We don't have to tell you longtime readers of the site how excited we are for Sam & Max on the Wii. No longer will those of us who don't have the desire or hardware specs to download the game on our PC be left without an option to play these undoubtedly great episodes (not to mention Strong Bad, which we have high hopes for). Sad to say, though, that this doesn't mean the episodes from Season Two will see a simultaneous release on the Wii.This, and more, were said in an interview with CVG. Telltale's Emily Morganti and Dave Grossman took time out of their day to explain a bit about the Wii version of Sam & Max, as well as comment on what they think it takes to make a successful adventure game. Their secret? Mountain lions.
Microsoft: GTAIV DLC to include "hours" of gameplay
A statement released by Microsoft on Tuesday reminds everyone living under a rock that Grand Theft Auto IV is now available and features online play and future DLC. One line in the statement may reveal the size of the content stating, "starting this autumn, Xbox 360 owners will also have access to exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV episodes that will provide hours of additional game play." Recently Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser discussed the scope of the forthcoming episodic content with Next-Gen's Edge. "... You'll get a lot of content for your money, which I think is really important. You know, there are too many stories at the moment of people having the feeling that they're not getting enough for their money in terms of downloadable content, and it's easy for publishers to get away with," he said.Houser also joked that the team at Rockstar North plans to "fry those Xbox Live servers" when the content is finally released. Currently, no pricing details or gameplay specifics for the downloadable content have been announced by Rockstar Games or Microsoft.
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."
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.
Sam & Max coming to Wii after all
Remember when Telltale said they had a WiiWare game on the way that wasn't Sam & Max? The part that they didn't say was that this was in addition to a game that was Sam & Max. Telltale has announced that they'll release the collected first season of the episodic Sam & Max game on Wii, published by Dreamcatcher in the U.S. and JoWood in Europe. Sam & Max: Season One comprises six episodes, originally released in 2006-2007. A similar collection on the PC retails for $29.99. Will the Wii pricing be in line with the PC box? No idea! We'll find out as the fall release approaches.[Via NeoGAF]
Joystiq interviews DeathSpank's Ron Gilbert
Described as "the perfect melding of a Monkey Island style adventure game with the wicked RPG gameplay of Diablo," Ron Gilbert's episodic endeavor also formed part of our recent GDC interview with Hothead Games. Though the Orphans of Justice still have quite a bit of growing up to do, we quickly quizzed designer Ron about Deathspank's upcoming lampooning of adventure game heroes, as well as the series' inevitable downward spiral in quality after the, uh, 600,000th episode.
Joystiq interview: Penny Arcade Adventures
It's fair to say that quite a lot is expected from Vancouver-based developer, Hothead Games. The group not only has to deliver a series of downloadable and episodic adventure RPGs in regular intervals, but also appease a fanbase so large and rabid that it can click your website to death -- accidentally, if you're lucky. On top of all that, the poor developers are occasionally dragged into a tiny room for the sole purpose of being poked by a plethora of questions regarding their upcoming games.Penny Arcade Adventures producer, Joel DeYoung, and Hothead creative director, Ron Gilbert, had to endure just such a prodding during GDC, the results of which can be viewed after the break. Appropriately enough, our interview's almost as long as the title of the series: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.%Gallery-1545%
GameTap previews Sam & Max Moai Better Blues
The gang over at GameTap (how did they ever manage to get this exclusive?) have a new preview on the second episode of Sam & Max Season Two, entitled Moai Better Blues. What's important to know is that the changes seen in the first episode Ice Station Santa are here to stay - for those who didn't play it, that means more organic, less illogical puzzles and "slightly racier themes, references and language."This season will feature more of a cohesive, multi-episode story arc, according to Telltale Games' Emily Morganti. "Our goal is present a game that tells a story more like a TV show, like Lost, where those who pay attention to the whole series will be rewarded," she said. Moai Better Blues is coming to GameTap next Thursday, January 10; new gameplay footage for the episode (here's the old one) after the break.
GameTap Thursday: Sam & Max Season 2 begins
It's time for the dog detective and his rabbity-thing companion to start their second season of Telltale Games' Sam & Max. The second season, of the series that got episodic gaming right, starts with the duo taking on the vile Santa Claus in Ice Station Santa. New episodes will premiere monthly on GameTap with the conclusion in April; there will be five episodes this season instead of six.The new subscriber games this week are: Virtua Fighter (Saturn) - Any other week we would have found an awesome picture of the original blocky fighters and made it the featured game of the week. The Sega Saturn classic that changed fighters as we know them comes to the service. Shadow Watch (PC) - A secret security force must prevent a conspiracy seeking to stop humanity from exploring space. Sam & Max: Ice Station Santa (PC) - The boys survived their first season and return for more adventure game hijinks. This season promises to be tighter and more engaging than the first great season as Telltale gets a better feel and continues to write the book on how this whole episodic gaming concept works. American McGee better be taking notes for Grimm. After the break we have GameTap's list of free games. New free games are bolded for easy reference. Topping the list is the addition of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, which is part of GameTap's continuing Hitman promotion leading up to the film's debut in theaters. Also be sure to check out the Hitman retrospective premiering on the "watch" channel.
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.
Rat Race brings episodic comedy to PSN
No, no, no. We're not talking about the god awful Jerry Zucker film, so stop thinking about Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Whoopi Goldberg right now. The Rat Race we're talking about involves Super-Ego Studios, PlayStation Network, and episodic content. Just announced over at the PlayStation.Blog by Greg Easley, co-founder of Super-Ego Studios, the game "is a PS3-exclusive comedy/adventure game ... that will be available as individual episodes on PSN beginning this winter."According to the post, the premise reads as if someone thought turning an amalgamation of The Office (British, American, French, or German – take your pick), Dilbert, Office Space, and [insert name of satirical parody of cubical chicanery here] would make for a knee slappin' gaming experience. Easley doesn't deny this, almost confirming its spoofing on the aforementioned works by stating the goal with Rat Race "is to give you the feeling of 'playing' inside an episode of your favorite TV show."While this definitely diversifies Sony's content, trying to launch comedic gaming via an episodic format in a country where Two and a Half Men is what passes for television's highest rated "comedy" seems rather ... misguided. However, the video on Super-Ego's main page clues us into what the appeal will be: LCD (lowest common denominator). Breast reduction! An extramarital affair with a co-worker's wife! Please, no more, our sides are done "banana'd split."%Gallery-8731%
Sam and Max Season Two trailer online
Telltale Games has gotten around to putting up the Sam and Max Season Two trailer that some of our luckier staffers saw during PAX. What you'll find is plenty of nods to the first season with just a few hints as to where the crime fighters will be headed next. (Hint: The presidents are back. One's looking for his head, and one's doing just fine without a body.) There's some more information about changes in the second season too like NPCs who move around the stages and will occasionally offer advice, new mini-games in every episode, better driving, the ability to upgrade the DeSoto and widescreen support. We're sorry that you have to click on the link to see the trailer, like in the caveman days of the internet. But we'd be willing to bet that even with the Cro-Magnon tech you're about to start counting the days until fall.%Gallery-6517%
PAX 07: The Sam & Max panel (we made a scene!)
Despite being told we'd be creating an episode, it turns out games (even episodic ones!) take a little longer than an hour (but just barely we imagine). Improv comedy style, they take suggestions from the crowd for events in the game. First, a favorite fruit? Pomegrenates we yell out. A vacation destination? Someone yells "North Pole." A new career for Sybil? "Taxidermist" two blurt out over each other. The writing process has begun. Sam: Hiya Sybil!Max: What's your story lady? Sybil: I'm an orthopedic surgeon, baby!Sam: Holy heavenly horse radish in a Houston whorehouse!Max: Who cares, I'm running for re-election!Sam: More importantly we need a pastrami on rye to save the world!Sybil: Why do you think I have a pastrami on rye sandwich? Max: Orthopedic surgeons always have pastrami on rye sandwiches!Sam: They use them for lubrication!Max: It's science, Sybil. Sybil: The problem with science is you can't prove it. Also I need condiments. Sam: To Bosco's little buddy!
Sam & Max Season 2 starts this Fall
Telltale Games has officially announced the upcoming return of gaming's deadpan dog and hyper-kinetic rabbity thing, Sam & Max. The uniquely untrained detective duo is back this Fall in a second season of episodic entanglements, playfully putting the kibosh on crime and successfully solving brazenly bizarre, yet intensely intriguing mysteries through the obnoxious overuse of ludicrous lagomorphs and amazingly awful alliteration. Next paragraph! "We're keeping the general structure and gameplay, and focusing on telling farther-reaching, crazier stories," says Telltale's design director, Dave Grossman. He notes that there will be several changes in store, prompted by both the desire to "to make the most fun games anyone has ever played" and fan feedback obtained during Sam & Max's episodic debut. That should translate to more varied locations, longer episodes, tougher puzzles and more adorable cats -- if we're reading these message boards right. Sam & Max Season Two episodes will arrive on the GameTap subscription service first and become available for purchase on Telltale's website the next day. No pricing has been announced for the individual downloads yet, but more information on the season will be divulged at tomorrow's San Diego Comic-Con in a panel entitled "Episodic Games and Comics – Made for Each Other." Look for it in room 1AB from 11:30 to 12:30 if you're attending.
Penny Arcade Adventures new screens and old trailer
Those of you with aspirations to be a rake-wielding hobo vigilante may still have years of hard living and railroad hitching ahead of you before you become overtaken with the impulse to don a stovepipe hat and wield a (no doubt sharpened) lawn and garden instrument. If video games are good for anything, it's for helping people achieve those sorts of dreams (except for you Manhunt 2 fans), so we were quite pleased to see these latest screenshots of the "Create a Player" feature from Penny Arcade Adventures: OtRSPoD.Not interested? Perhaps spaceboots are more your thing? No ... how about maternal insults? Thought there's obviously no pleasing you, we're quite pleased to see they've cranked the cel-shading engine up to 11, as evidenced in last month's trailer from PC Gamer (helpfully included after the break).%Gallery-1545%
