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Telltale Games headlines latest Humble Weekly Sale
The current Humble Weekly Sale spotlights developer Telltale Games in a pay-what-you-want collection featuring multiple episodic adventure games. Bundle buyers will receive all episodes of Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, Back to the Future: The Game, Hector: Badge of Carnage, and Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures. The package additionally includes both entries in the Puzzle Agent series, along with the cross-universe gambling sim Poker Night at the Inventory. Beat the average purchase price (currently $4) and you'll also receive all five episodes of Telltale's acclaimed series The Walking Dead. Steam keys are included for all featured games, and buyers have access to DRM-free downloads for Windows and Mac.
Puzzle Agents 1 and 2 for iOS temporarily dirt cheap
The iOS versions of Telltale's Twin Peaks-meets-Fargo adventure titles, Puzzle Agent and Puzzle Agent 2, are on sale for one week. If you prefer to cut your quest for justice with a dose of riddles, you can grab the iPad and iPhone versions of the two games for $0.99 and $2.99, respectively.
Puzzle Agent 2 now cracking cases on iPhone and iPad
It's time once again to strap on your cold-resistant rabbit fur cap, and then, atop that, your thinking cap. You're going to look awfully silly with your tower of headwear, but it's what's expected if you're going to take on the arctic riddles of Puzzle Agent 2, Telltale's latest iOS opus. The sequel to last year's Telltale pilot experiment (which was apparently a success!) is available now for $4.99 on iPhone, and $6.99 on iPad.
Puzzle Agent 2 cracks the case June 30
Most top-flight puzzle crackers are known for their speed, but the FBI's Nelson Tethers isn't like most puzzle crackers. In fact, he'll need until June 30 to put together the answer to his latest stumper: Puzzle Agent 2, coming to iPad, iPhone, Mac and PC from Telltale. After a brief E3 demo of Tether's second case, we were left with a pretty darn clear message: The game's more of the same, although that's not necessarily bad. Give us the market's largest commercially available magnifying lens and we still wouldn't be able to tell Puzzle Agent 1 and 2 apart by presentation alone. So if you've got a problem with the series' odd humor or slideshow animation, you won't see it fixed here. However, if you were irritated by the tendency of puzzles in Scoggins, Minn. to repeat themselves, you'll be happy to hear that Telltale is including more puzzles with more variety this time around. Considering puzzle repetition was our biggest problem with Puzzle Agent 1, Tethers may have just found the solution for winning back our hearts.
Puzzle Agent investigates PSN April 19
A downloadable PS3 version of Telltale's Laytonic puzzle adventure game, Puzzle Agent, was announced a couple of months ago. On the PlayStation Blog, the publisher cleared up precisely when you'd be able to use your DualShock 3 to guide Nelson Tethers through the mysterious, puzzley town of Scoggins, Minnesota: April 19, for $10. Sadly, you'll have to use that controller, because this version won't be Envelotech-compatible. Find a teaser for the PSN version after the break. Although an even better teaser would be all the media released for every other version.
April Fools: Telltale puts you in the game with Envelotech
Sure, the totally-fake Envelotech device shown off in Telltale's April Fools' Day video below has terrifying properties -- but was Puzzle Agent really the best way to showcase its potential for terror? We probably would have gone with Jurassic Park, or, at the very least, Torturetown.
Puzzle Agent 2 coming this summer; Puzzle Agent 1 coming to PSN this spring
Puzzle Agent, the one-off pilot game of Telltale's Pilot Program, will be renewed for a second episode, ensuring that we'll see Nelson Tethers once more. The company announced that a sequel, Puzzle Agent 2, will launch on the PC, Mac, iPhone and iPad this summer (with more platforms to be announced at a later date). Additionally, Telltale has announced a tentative "Spring 2011" launch window for the original Puzzle Agent on PSN. A teaser for the sequel can be seen after the break.
Best of the Rest: Mike's picks of 2010
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Ninja Theory put a heck of a game together here, with some incredible art direction and animation, level design, and the best adventurous duo since Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher. The world traversed by Monkey and Trip is colorfully portrayed and brilliantly built, the gameplay is perfectly formulated to support the characters and the story, and while I admit the game's early levels outdo the somewhat abrupt ending, this was the best original IP I played in 2010.
Telltale puts three of its iOS tales on sale for a buck
Just a few days after it launched the first episode of Tales of Monkey Island for iPad, Telltale Games has gone and slashed -- with a cutlass, presumably -- the prices on three (well, four if you're being really nitpicky) of its other iOS titles. Specifically, Puzzle Agent (both the iPhone and iPad versions) is now going for 99 cents, as are Sam & Max Episode 1: The Penal Zone and Wallace & Gromit: The Last Resort for iPad. The Grickle-inspired Puzzle Agent might not be everyone's bag but, for a buck, you might as well invite its gum-chewing protagonist, Nelson Tethers, along with Sam & Max & Wallace & Gromit to your (i)Pad.
Telltale releases Puzzle Agent Lite on App Store, 30 days of deals in store
Now you can try Telltale's Laytonesque puzzler Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent without even the teensy investment required for an iPhone game. The publisher has released "lite" versions of both Puzzle Agent and Puzzle Agent HD (for iPads and iPhone 4s), allowing you to get something new on your phone without dropping any cash. If, however, you're more interested in spending small amounts of money than none, Telltale also launched a "30 Days of Telltale" sale today, offering a different discount every day through Christmas. It started off auspiciously enough, with 50% off everything in the Telltale store, except for the new Poker Night at the Inventory and the upcoming Back to the Future.
The Great Adventure Bundle 2010 deal extended until Friday
Oh, you haven't found the time to acquire Telltale's Great Adventure Bundle 2010, a twenty-dollar package which includes a grip of adventure games both new and old, 25 percent of the proceeds from which go to charities like Child's Play and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society? That's too bad -- the offer ended last Friday, and your donation would have given these organizations the resources they finally needed to cure like, nine diseases. Bet you feel pretty terrible right now, don't you? Huh? Huh? We're sorry we had to trick you like that -- Telltale actually just extended the offer until this Friday, September 17, giving you one last chance to correct your shameful oversight. Think of the children! Or, rather, think of your own insatiable hunger for point-and-click adventure games!
Telltale Games bundles Puzzle Agent, Sam and Max, four more for $20
Starting right now, Telltale Games is offering six adventure games for just $19.95. The initial four are The Whispered World, Jack Keane, King's Quest Collection, and Penny Arcade Adventures: Episode 1, with Telltale's own Puzzle Agent and Sam & Max: Season 2 unlocking as more people buy the bundle. Child's Play and The World Wildlife Fund are among five charities receiving 25 percent of the profits from this promotion. The deal is currently being offered only on PC, and will be available via the Telltale Games store until September 10.
Telltale releases Puzzle Agent on the iPhone, iPad
Just an FYI before you start your Labor Day weekend (and any associated trips): Telltale Games has released its latest title, Puzzle Agent, for the iPhone and the iPad. The game got middling reviews on Metacritic, but I think that's mostly because of the genre -- if you're a fan of sharp writing and interesting puzzles to play on the drive or flight out to the country for your vacation, it's a worthwhile title to fill the time with. Even if all of the puzzles aren't perfect, the game's atmosphere is excellent, and the art style is exactly the kind of thing we need more of on the iPhone. Nelson Tethers' adventures as a Puzzle Agent exploring the Scoggins Eraser Company are a worthy addition to the App Store. You can get the small-screen version for US$4.99. The game's also available on the iPad as Puzzle Agent HD, for a premium price of $6.99, though it doesn't offer up any extra features besides of course the larger graphics (and easier to read text in some cases). But whichever one you choose is mostly just a matter of practicality -- both are excellent to play through. And this is an extra bit of news unrelated except for the "Puzzle" connection, but it's always nice to go into a holiday weekend with something to look forward to: Namco has announced that it will be bringing the great Puzzle Quest 2 to the iPhone sometime this fall, complete with Game Center integrated for full multiplayer. We'll look forward to that one for sure.
Mirror's Edge and Puzzle Agent slide and sneak onto iPhone tonight
According to a report from Touch Arcade, the previously iPad-only Mirror's Edge will become available for purchase this evening on iPhone and iPod Touch, alongside Telltale's first "pilot program" release, Puzzle Agent. Given Faith's reduction in size from iPad to iPhone, the price for Mirror's Edge will be dropping accordingly from $9.99 to $4.99. Puzzle Agent will also carry a $4.99 price point, staying in line with the pricing for other Telltale Games on iDevices. Both games are confirmed to be available via the iTunes App Store right now in some international territories and are expected to arrive in the US App Store around 11PM ET tonight.
Review: Puzzle Agent
We're pretty comfortable with most games that walk a fine line between "inspiration" and "plagiarism." Bullets of Shooting is basically just Explosions of Valor, except set after an apocalypse wrought by space bugs rather than space robots. We all know it -- it just doesn't bother us that much. What new Telltale adventure Puzzle Agent asks is, "Would you still be as forgiving if the genre was a bit more ... granular? Say, for instance, a collection of puzzles loosely tied together by a point-and-click adventure narrative?" ... So, would you? %Gallery-96541%
Puzzle Agent trailer is Fargo-esque enough for us
Telltale's debut trailer for Puzzle Agent (posted after the jump) features all the components we expected the game to have: a quirky sense of humor, a healthy number of brainteasers, and a general sense of ominous mystery. Now we just wish they'd do something about that framerate. Yowza.
Puzzle Agent's art and inspirations investigated in first developer video
Game designer Mark Darin and artist/animator/"creative instigator" Graham Annable provide a look at the inspirations, unique visual style, and creepy gnome-filled plot of the recently announced Puzzle Agent in a developer featurette fresh from Telltale Games. There isn't a wealth of gameplay to be seen, but it's still a nice treat for those of us who've been trying to wrap our noggins around the mystery of Scoggins. It seems that something's amiss at the White House's eraser supplier and ... well, we'll let Darin and Annable explain the rest. Be sure to watch it all the way to the end for a special surprise. %Gallery-92249%
Telltale: 'Pilot Program' allows for new ideas at less risk
Telltale recently introduced its "Pilot Program" for episodic games with the reveal of Puzzle Agent, claiming that some of its future franchises (starting with PA) will live or die by the initial episode's reception among players. And last last week, the company's CEO Dan Connors took to G4 to give more detail on the initiative's future, as well as its raison d'être. "The Pilot Program allows us to try some new ideas without having to [take as much risk] and learn more what people like about it before we commit to doing the whole thing." He said that committing to an entire season for a game is, in many cases, far riskier than creating a one-off pilot that may or may not succeed. Additionally, team sizes on the pilot episodes are much smaller, but can be scaled up depending on how the audience responds. "Right now, I think the Grickle [PA] team is probably about a third of the size of an average team to get this started," Connors said. According to him, 50 percent of the work for a series is done up front -- going into full-scale production on PA would require little adjustment for Telltale. That said, he seems more interested in spitballing ideas for additional pilot games in the meantime, saying that the studio is still "in the idea phase" for more pilots. We'll see just how well that first idea pans out when Puzzle Agent becomes available this June.
Puzzle Agent due in June, pre-order now to save on other Telltale stuff
If you're interested in evaluating Telltale's first episodic game "pilot" for yourself, you can now pre-order the new puzzle-adventure game Nelson Tethers: Puzzle Agent from Telltale's website in advance of its June release. As a nice incentive to check it out, when you buy the $9.95 download, everything else in your cart will be discounted by 50%! Not that Monkey Island bundle -- good thinking, though. Graham Annable fans might be interested in adding the new Book of Grickle to their carts. And people writing this post might be interested in throwing in a set of Homestar Runner figurines. The pre-order offer applies to both PC and Mac (you'll get both with purchase), but not WiiWare, iPhone, or iPad. %Gallery-92249%
Puzzle Agent revealed, Telltale's Scoggins mystery solved
After very little nose-to-the-grindstone sleuthing, Telltale has revealed the answer to the Mystery of Scoggins Erasers: Puzzle Agent. IGN was recently shown this first game in Telltale's new "Pilot Program" -- a series of one-off games that could be expanded into larger franchises depending on fan reception. Considering Puzzle Agent apparently mixes Telltale's quirky brand of comedy with Professor Layton–style brainteasers, we seriously doubt this one will have a hard time catching on. The game, which is being developed for PC, Mac, WiiWare and, as we guessed, iPhone and iPad, places you in the shoes of "the Agent," who's called to solve a mystery in the Fargo-esque town of Scoggins, Minnesota. What are the specifics of this mystery, you ask? We have no idea, but based on Telltale's lineage, we're guessing it's going to be pretty wacky, and perhaps even a little bit zany. There might even be some hare-brained hijinks, if we're lucky.
