The International House of Mojo

And on it you can find links to Telltale-related pieces of internet that we're just too darn overworked to keep up with. These include a GDC video interview with Dave Grossman, an interview about Sam & Max on the Wii by Nintendojo, and a Gamespot preview of Strong Bad episode 3.

And to top it all off, the Telltale blog points out some Halloween themed artwork being posted by the late, great Steve Purcell. Hopefully no one ever suspects the truth, that Telltale is on our payroll.

Shipping today after years of speculation and wishful thinking is the Wii port of Sam & Max: Season 1, developed by Telltale and published by The Adventure Company. You ought to be able to find this baby on North American store shelves this week, whereas international customers will have to wait just a bit longer.

If you were one of those people clamoring for seeing Sam & Max on the Wii someday, now's the time to put your money where your mouth is, and ensure that Season 2 gets the same treatment. Wait patiently for your pre-order to be fulfilled, or end your procrastination and buy now!

Oh, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is on home video today as well. As a direct result, Ray Winstone's "Jonesy! I'm gonna be alright." is now my Windows error sound.

It seems that the North American release of Sam & Max: Season 1 for the Wii will not be gracing store shelves this week, as initially reported, but rather next week, due to a "manufacturing delay". Ah well, only one week.

Remember that pre-ordering from Gamestop gets you that bonus disc.

The date when we'll all be able to play the next Strong Bad episode crawls closer and so Telltale has put up a video and a few screenshots here.

Telltale says so! Pre-ording from Gamestop gets you a bonus CD with "videos and other special features."

International release info is said to be coming soon.

Update: As Jake informs us in the comments, this bonus disc features the content of the second disk of The Adventure Company's retail release of Season 1, which included a brief behind-the-scenes video, episode trailers, concept art, the free music tracks available from Telltale's site, and desktop wallpapers.

Yay! Today is the release of the second episode of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, available both on WiiWare (for 1000 Wii points) and on PC from Telltale's web site (for $8.95).

Hopefully you also know that, as with Sam & Max, PC customers can get the whole durn season from Telltale for $34.95, and if you've already bought one episode and want the full deal, you can take advantage of their upgrade offer as well.

Update: And Wired loves it! 8/10. (Gamepro says 4.75/5, while IGN slaps an 82%; Wiiware World likes it a little less but they're still getting used to episodic, I suppose).

So...an average Star Wars title or a kickass (ho ho!) adventure game? The choice is yours.

It's not been set yet, but to ease the wait, Telltale has updated their site with another video and more screenshots!

Clicky!

Update by Kroms: Hommigawd, it's on Monday!

After making two games for the CSI license, it would appear that Telltale is moving on from that particular series as Ubisoft has announced that the latest installment, CSI: New York, based off the show's second spinoff, will be developed by Legacy Interactive. (They are the third developer to take a crack at CSI adventures games, with the first being 369 Interactive.)

Although I have nothing really to back this up, I would imagine that Telltale's abandonment of the license was voluntary rather than a decision on Ubisoft to find a new developer since their games probably sold well (as anything with the CSI name on it undoubtedly does). When Telltale acquired the license in 2005, the "big name" appeal of CSI was more useful to the company then than it is now, when they are busy enough with their own increasingly high profile self-published series. (The two Telltale CSI games remain the company's only example of a traditional developer-publisher relationship.)

Those of you who've never picked up Telltale's CSI games may want to look into Ubisoft's soon to be released CSI Super Pack, a $29.99 compilation that includes Telltale's CSI games as well as the two previous, non-Telltale Vegas titles. Since fifteen bucks apiece is cheaper than I've ever seen 3 Dimensions of Murder or Hard Evidence, look at the other games (which I've never played) as an added bonus.

This year's Penny Arcade Expo (or PAX) will unsurprisingly be attended by our conditional friends Telltale Games, who will be showing off their latest and upcoming episodic creations. If you plan or hope to attend, check out the full expo schedule to see what time the Telltale-hosted panels will take place (such as a rendition of last year's "Make Your Own Scene" panel, this time Strong Bad themed). You can also pay a visit the the Telltale blog to observe the web crew building the company's excellent booth for the event, if you are so inclined.

Those aren't the only Mojo Guests showing up at PAX. It is apparent that one Ron Gilbert will be there, though he is quick to note that no form of DeathSpank will be shown off only in the form of teasers. Still, if you want to get that copy protection code wheel signed or something, here's your latest chance.

If you should happen to be like most people and are unavailable to physically attend the expo this weekend, fret not. The always worthwhile Telltale Blog will likely be brimming with coverage of what went down.

The trailer for the next episode of SBCG4AP, entitled Strongbadia The Free, is now available to watch at the game's site i.e. right here. It's the same preview that was attached to Homestar Ruiner, so don't get too excited.

There are a load of brand new screenshots, though.

Our very own Zaarin was browsing through his favorite Norwegian gaming web site, where he found this interview with Dan Connors from Telltale. It's a good read, I'm sure, if you understand the language.

One quote that some of your favorite Mojoers found interesting, reads, (and is translated obviously,) "We like the net community around the franchise, the same way we also love the Sam & Max comunity or the Mix'n Mojo community." (Emphasis added.)

Awww. And to think this comes from Telltale, that actively removed our link from their Friends section! But hey, that's probably part of their special kind of love.

Today is/was already the first day of GCDC in Leipzig, Germany (remember, there's supposed to be some major A Vampyre Story presence there), and Gamasutra met up with the one and only Dan Connors to talk about Telltale. Dan discusses the difficulties of putting an episodic game in the online console space, and a few interesting statistics are made known:

20 percent of players who buy a first episode next buy the whole season altogether, says Connors. Without providing specifics, he also said "most players" buy the whole season at once directly from Telltale, while "retail is the most powerful content-mover out there."

Read it all! And as always, be sure to check Telltale's blog section for the latest article related to the company. That way we can get away with forgetting to mention them.

To complement our excellent review, Telltale decided to release the episode itself, so what the hell are you reading this for?

Clicky!

Steve Purcell has uploaded a couple of new scans to his blog.

The relevant post shows the art for the season 2 DVD and the soundtrack CD which we previously reported on.

The first Strong Bad episode "Homestar Ruiner" from Telltale finally has a locked in release date for PC and Wiiware (where available).

Mark August 11 on your calendars, for that is the very day.

Proof inside!

Update by Jason: Also, the five episode season is available for pre-order for the PC at a cost of $34.99, identical to Sam & Max. Individual episodes are $8.95. Additionally, the WiiWare versions will be 1000 Wii points ($10) per episode.

Reminder By The Tingler: It should be pointed out that this is the American release date only. While of course that won't affect PC owners, those wanting the special Wii Ware version outside the US will have to wait a little while longer. Although according to Telltale, the delay should be fairly minimal.

Source: Telltale games

In case you're still sobbing about Brutal Legend, prepare to get out another box of Kleenex - as guessed, Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People has slipped again out of July. The release date is now a mere speculmate at August, simply because that's next month.

But don't worry too much. According to IGN and clarified by Emily on the Telltale Forums, the game is finished and has been sent to Nintendo for approval. Once that's been given it will quickly be released. Not long to go now, then! Light on the horizon!

Telltale Games have updated their Wallace & Gromit site with renders, concept art, FAQ, and a trailer!

Clicky!

While we're waiting for the full info on Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, why not have a read of the Comic-Con Q&A on episodic content featuring both Telltale and Hothead. Sadly Ron Gilbert didn't make an appearance on the Hothead side, but the developers still talked about DeathSpank.

And then they all got into a big argument over the correct amount of time within which to release episodes in. Have a read.

I'd like to direct your attention to Telltale Fans, an upcoming web site whose subject matter should be obvious. While a curse seems to have befallen past endeavors of similar visions, I have the utmost confidence in the vitality of this one. Frankly, Telltale deserves a fan presence undiluted enough that it merits their friendship.

Anyway, break a leg you rival bastards fellow devotees of everyone's favorite episodic developer! I'm secretly hoping that this somehow indicates a glorious resurgence of the fansite scene. Remember DOTTcom? The Kickstand? The days when everybody and their mom would make a Geocities Monkey Island page on an hourly basis? How I miss those times.

Yeah, that's right, we're getting details on Episode 2 before Episode 1 is even releaed. IGN got a sneak peak at the second of Strong Bad's five upcoming episodic adventures. Titled Strongbadia the Free, the episode features... Well, even the small amount they reveal might be considered spoilers, so just visit IGN's preview if you want the scoop as well as a speck of info on the third episode. Woah, now.

Those of you waiting for info on the release dates and price info for Strong Bad will just have to keep waiting, though it's becoming pretty unlikely that July ain't gonna happen. Stay tuned and keep the faith.