TelltaleGames
Latest
Telltale talks: Sam & Max on Live Arcade?
Last week, we reported that Telltale Games was looking for an Xbox 360 programmer with a love of adventure games. Speculation ran rampant (rampant, we say!) that Sam & Max was bound for Xbox Live Arcade. Eurogamer caught up with Telltale to see if they could round up any more info. Telltale didn't outright admit that a Sam & Max game is headed to the 360, but a spokesperson did note that Telltale is a proponent of digital distribution and that the company would "look closely" at a service like Xbox Live Arcade.So, Telltale is definitely looking to produce something for the Xbox 360, and if they do make something, they would seriously consider releasing it via Xbox Live Arcade. Do with that what you will (not something gross, please).[Via Joystiq]
Bone: DS adventure renaissance continues [update 1]
[Update 1: The announcement was about Bone for the PC and not for the DS. It mentions that the publisher is "focusing on the PC and Nintendo DS markets", not the game. We apologize for the misunderstanding. Thanks to eric c for the correction!]Before the episodic Sam & Max games, Telltale Games were known among adventure game holdouts for their adaptations of Jeff Smith's Bone comic series. They followed a similar business model: periodic, bite-sized chunks of delicious puzzle solving, set in cult comic book trappings.Now publisher Xider is bringing the Bone games to the DS PC and unidentified games to the DS in Europe in 2007. We hope that they decide to bring them stateside as well, and that they don't decide to shoehorn weird touch screen/microphone puzzles into what is supposed to be a pretty good adventure series. It's still possible, but the identities of the DS games have yet to be announced.We're so proud of our little DS, bringing back two of our favorite long-lost game genres: the graphical text adventure and the 3D adventure game.
Telltale Games talks Xbox Live Arcade and Sam & Max
A week ago, we brought word that Telltale Games, the folks behind Sam & Max, were looking for a Xbox 360 programmer for an unnamed project. Well, the position is still up in the air and what's more, they're talking about it.Eurogamer caught up with Telltale to ask about the ominous job listing and while they don't come right out and spill the beans (naturally), they do point out that it has to do with episodic content and Xbox Live Arcade.Aside from us clawing at our keyboards and screaming like cheerleaders when it comes to Sam & Max, this raises a few questions concerning Xbox Live Arcade. The main one being, Is episodic content even possible in its current state? If Microsoft is just getting by with the skin of their teeth every release, could ongoing content really be delivered in a timely manner?
Joystiq review: Sam & Max - Abe Lincoln Must Die!
By now, you should be quite accustomed to seeing clumps of random and completely senseless phrases appearing on Joystiq. However, the one pictured above might be unfamiliar to you, especially if you haven't been following our coverage of Telltale's episodic Sam & Max series. In my review of Episode 3: The Mole, the Mob and the Meatball, I mentioned my highly sophisticated Sam & Max laugh log. You're looking at the one I kept for the latest episode, Abe Lincoln Must Die! In order to gauge and compare each episode's humor in an unquestionably scientific way, I wrote down a shortened version of every line of dialogue in the game that made me guffaw unmistakably. Worth noting is that this process is entirely separate from jokes that made me giggle, snicker, smirk, snort, smile and titter. As you can see for yourself, my chosen scrap of paper (identical in size to the one I used previously) eventually became a riotous mess of words infringing on personal space and using broken bottles to threaten each other.The writing in Abe Lincoln Must Die! is by far the sharpest in the series, which automatically makes it the best episode released thus far. My silly scrap of paper is testament to that and it helped me realize that every time I wrote down a hilarious phrase, I was actually writing down one more reason to play the game.
Telltale interested in 360 development
Let's keep it simple. There's a job posting over at the Telltale Games website. Said job posting is looking for a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Xbox 360 programmer. Said programmer is desired to move an existing engine and art assets to the Xbox 360. Finally, said programmer must have a "love of adventure games." Put it all together and you get Sam & Max on the Xbox 360. We'll note (as did Joystiq's lovable Ludwig Kietzmann) that Telltale's current Sam & Max adventures are episodic, making them a good fit for Xbox Live Arcade.Granted, it's all speculation at this point -- many things are these days -- but it seems like good speculation so far. If nothing else, at least this points to some adventure games coming to the Xbox 360, an idea with which we are thrilled.[Via Joystiq]
Telltale Games looking to develop for Xbox 360
In this week's installment of our ongoing series, "Is Sam & Max coming to [platform here]?" we examine a job posting for an Xbox 360 programmer that went up last week on Telltale Games' official website. The systems programmer position entails the implementation of Telltale's "core 3D graphics and audio systems on the Xbox 360," as well as the modification and support of existing art and production assets. Furthermore, it's preferred that any applicants have a "love of adventure games."Now, there's no need to leap to any conclusions here. Indeed, the most desirable conclusion lies at the end of a simple game of hopscotch -- minimal effort is required to reach it. Given their recent success, episodic nature and small file sizes, Telltale's Sam & Max episodes seem like an ideal fit for Xbox Live Arcade. Unfortunately, we live in a world that's far from ideal and with no official announcement, there's no telling what tale Telltale is working on next. We've always been rubbish at the whole waiting and seeing thing.
Joystiq review: Sam & Max - The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball (PC)
The number three, being quite unimpressive on its own, is generally not associated with the concepts of success or industry progress. Coming third place in a race will net you a thoroughly unspectacular bronze medal. Off the track, we're constantly reminded that three's a crowd and that death comes in threes. The latter often follows the ill-advised consumption of a three-bean salad. With the release of Sam & Max's latest 66 megabyte-sized adventure, however, the time has come to toss all those clichés and phrases. Telltale's episodic endeavor is the first to even reach its third episode, easily exceeding Valve's trickling of Half-Life 2 games and similar efforts by Ritual Entertainment, just recently absolved from SiN. It would be an empty victory if the three episodes were trivial wastes of time, but thankfully, the opposite holds true. This victory is filled to the brim with sharp writing, engaging gameplay and a level of charm that is quite simply, inescapable. Those three qualities absolutely permeate The Mole, the Mob and the Meatball, though they're occasionally joined by some minor issues. Having now reached the halfway mark of this season, we're given some perspective as to what exactly those are.
Raffle: A Bone bundle, with signed books and game [update 1]
Buy a Bone raffle ticket [Update: This raffle is closed. Congrats to winner #45!]One final charity raffle to finish off '06 in style. We're going to be raffling a bundle including a copy of the IGF-nominated Bone: The Great Cow Race signed by the game's developers, copies of Jeff Smith's first two Bone books, Out From Boneville and The Great Cow Race signed by Mr. Smith himself, and downloadable codes for the Director's Cuts of both of Telltale's Bone episodes! The rules: each dollar in donations purchased using this link earns you one comment. Think of each comment as a raffle ticket. In three days (11:59pm EST this Monday), we'll choose our winner using random.org and verify their donation. More on the rules here.We'd like to thank both Telltale for the great prizes (and for being an official Child's Play sponsor in the first place!) and Jeff Smith for the autographed books!
Raffle: Sam & Max goodies, like a signed sketchbook and GameTap time [update 1]
Buy a Sam & Max / GameTap raffle ticket [Update: This raffle is closed! Congratulations to winners #52, #92, #154, #15, and #146!]Even though the exceedingly generous people at Telltale Games are already official sponsors of the Child's Play charity, that didn't stop them from offering us some incredible prizes for our raffle, beginning with these Sam & Max items: A large Sam & Max Crossbones t-shirt A Sam & Max sketchbook signed by Steve Purcell But that's not all. It wouldn't be much of a Sam & Max themed prize if you couldn't actually play Sam & Max! So GameTap has graciously offered us five 3-month subscriptions which, if you wait just a little bit and time it just right, will get you through the end of the premier season of episodic gaming's favorite freelance police. Or, if you're impatient, fire it up just in time for the GameTap premiere of Sam & Max Episode 2: Situation: Comedy on December 21. One lucky gamer gets the Telltale prizes and a 3-month GameTap code, leaving four codes left for the runners-up! The rules: each dollar in donations purchased using this link earns you one comment. Think of each comment as a raffle ticket. In three days (11:59pm EST this Thursday), we'll choose our winners using random.org and verify their donation. More on the rules here.We'd like to thank both Telltale for the great prizes (and for being an official Child's Play sponsor in the first place!) and Game Tap for the free subscriptions. We'd also like to encourage anyone interested in donating fun charity raffle prizes to contact us!
Sam and Max scope out the DS
It seems like just yesterday (or last week) that Telltale Games was begging for help in getting Nintendo to notice them, and now IGN is interviewing CEO Dan Connors about the possibility of bringing versions of their point-and-click adventure, Sam & Max, to both the DS and the Wii. How time flies!For those unfamiliar with the dynamic duo, Sam and Max, an anthropomorphic dog and his "hyperactive rabbit thing" partner, first debuted in a comic book by Steve Purcell back in 1987. The pair are self-styled "freelance police" (see: private dicks) and have made cameo appearances in several LucasArts games while their creator was working there. They've also starred in their own games and television shows, as well as other comics. Recently, Telltale Games has been panting for notice by Nintendo, but did they bite off more than they can chew?In discussing the possibility of a DS title, Connors expressed some apprehension. They love the DS at Telltale, he says (and we commend their impeccable taste), but for a small company, a project of that scope is somewhat daunting. The Wii would be easier to adapt for their style, Connors said, if only because it needs only one screen and DS games work best when they take full advantage of the handheld's capabilities. While we admire the sentiment, we hope they can grow with new support from Nintendo and manage to bring a new title to the DS.
Sam & Max to debut this fall on GameTap [update 1]
After more than a decade of absence, Sam & Max will be returning in an all-new episodic adventure game this fall. The catch? According to this press release, Turner's gaming service that provides a library of games for a monthly fee. GameTap coproduced the title with TellTale Games.An official website has launched for the title, and an official video will debut on the site Thursday. This is big news for GameTap, but we don't know of any plans to distribute the game via conventional means -- will only GameTap players be able to get their Sam & Max fix? Say it ain't so![update 1: not exclusive to GameTap]
Bone: The Great Cow Race drops in April
Telltale's first foray into episodic distribution was last year's Bone: Out from Boneville, based on Jeff Smith's epic comic of the same name. While nostalgic gamers were ecstatic that classic point-and-click adventure gaming lived on (in the capable hands of the ex-LucasArts crew at Telltale no less), they were disappointed with the title's short length and beginner's difficulty. Luckily, the whole idea of episodic gaming allows for this sort of thing: in their press release CEO Dan Connors says, "We identified a number of things we wanted to improve upon–such as the length of the experience, the nature of the mini-games and nuances in a number of areas–and the team is doing an outstanding job exceeding our expectations."We're watching to see how the second installment of the first major episodic series goes, if episodic content lives up to the promise of adapting to user's demands. More importantly perhaps, this is what we can expect with their their handling of the Sam & Max franchise... don't let us down Telltale!
