Articles


Since we're having a smidgen of trouble scrounging up news as of late (at least until someone else changes their name), I did some digging and found a nice Telltale interview from April, conducted by the lovable gents at Custom PC. Here's an enticing snippet from the five page beast, which features responses from Dan Connors, Kevin Bruner and Brendan Ferguson:

CPC: On his blog, [Ron] Gilbert says that 'Some people will tell you that Adventure Games aren't really dead, they have just morphed into other forms, or that other genres have absorbed Adventure Games. If this is true, they've done a pretty bad job of it.' Would you agree with this, and do you think that Telltale is doing adventure games correctly by going back to the roots?

Brendan: I think many games have captured that feeling of being transported to another world, but most games still give you a pretty narrow set of ways to interact with that world. If you want the feeling of being an action star, you've got a healthy number of choices, but other kinds of stories haven't been remotely as well explored. At Telltale, we take the view that interactive stories are fundamentally a very powerful medium, and we want to give players that experience in the simplest, most direct way possible. With luck, we'll see many more types of stories and experiences in the days to come.

You read now. A free subscription is apparently required if you linger on the site too long, so don't dawdle.
0

So, what's gonna be on Telltale's Sam & Max Season 1 CD release? You'd think the fact that its DVD case will feature cover art by Steve Purcell would be enough, but Telltale decided to completely abandon all reason by including this boatload of stuff as well:
  • Hybrid DVD containing all six episodes on the data side, and hours of original video content on the video side!

  • 10-20 minute cutscene reels from all six episodes, including over two hours of DVD commentary tracks by the game designers and production team!

  • Reams of concept art!

  • Sam & Max Season One blooper and outtake reel!

  • All 15 machinima shorts, and the 3 IGF shorts!

  • Trailers for the six episodes, and the E3 trailer!

  • Surprise bonus content!
The disc will be available in the middle of June and, as you probably know, will be offered to full season customers for only the price of shipping. Read Telltale's full writeup for more information. It's hard for me to believe that Dreamcatcher's retail version could top this in content.
11

As Jake notes, four more tracks from Season 1 have been added to the soundtrack page for your listening enjoyment. They are of course awesome.
0

Keeping with the tradition begun with episode 4, the finale is available a few days early for full season customers. Check your e-mail to get the game, or head to the usual spot.

The primary launch for episode 6 will be this Thursday, three days from now. Telltale also promises details on the season disc later this week.
12

FiringSquad ran an interview with Dan Connors and Dave Grossman of Telltale Games this past Thursday at the close of Sam & Max's first season.
FiringSquad: In terms of gameplay, do you feel that you have stayed true to the original LucasArts game while also putting in Telltale's own touches?

Dave Grossman: Actually, I don't think we've stayed true to Hit the Road in terms of gameplay, nor were we really trying to. There are essential elements of puzzle philosophy, structure, and dialog mechanics that are quite different, and if I were going to compare the gameplay to an older game I would be more inclined towards Day of the Tentacle or Pajama Sam, or both. With, as you say, a certain essential Telltale style.
Other responses, including vague status reports on current and future projects can be found in the full article.
1

Yep, today's the day. The final episode of Sam & Max: Season 1, Bright Side of the Moon, has made its premiere, bringing the dynamic duo's triumphant comeback to a satisfying close. Sniff.

If you're part of the Gametap crowd, this is probably the most substantive excuse you'll ever have to skip work/school/your anniversary, so you might as well stop kidding yourself and start playing. If you're left out of the premiere, then you know exactly where to be on May 10th.

There goes 75% of Mojo's news! Stay tuned for the first review round-up.

Update: 4 color rebellion put of the first review, giving the game a 10/10.
4

How many Telltale interviews can we post news about in a single day? The answer is three!

This one comes from the San Francisco Chronicle, and you can see it here. Watch Steve Purcell be cool, Emily be all laid back and relaxed, and Dave talk about episodic gaming, not blinking. He has no time to blink. He has to make more games! And possibly a weekly poem too.

Tim Schafer and Scott Campbell are also present. "I like the APE show," says Tim with a smile.

Conclusion: the next Double Fine game will be about apes... as in monkeys... as in Monkey Island!

Source: Telltale blog

4

As if they were trying to 1up the folks at 4 color rebellion, a certain site has tossed up a nice Q&A with Dave Grossman as they've done just before the premiere of each episode. Does Dave reveal startling new details about the season finale? Read to find out!
0

Now that the Sam & Max season is wrapped up, (at least on Telltale's end) 4 color rebellion decided it was high time to get the latest scoop on Telltale straight from the source. Check out their well done interview with Dan Connors and Dave Grossman that touches upon all the hot topics: Sam & Max, Bone, console development, and what's next for the company:
We know that you have some Wii content in the works. Obviously the pointer can be used as a mouse, but do you have any cool ideas for using motion-based controls in your Wii titles?

Dave: I had this great idea where you strap the controllers to your legs and walk around. Which we?re not doing, unfortunately, but we are doing more than just using the pointer like a mouse. That would be a waste of an opportunity. Designing for the Wii is pretty interesting, by the way ? it forces you to think in a different way than you?re used to.
Blind people can't read the rest of the interview so the least you could do is stop taking things for granted and check it out.

Also, Telltale has put up a gameplay video for Bright Side of the Moon.
2

The fifteenth and final machinima short, "Fireside Chat," is now up on Gametap. All that's left is for the season finale to premiere next week, and so ends the most successful episodic series to date! You can check out machinima #14 on Telltale's site if you haven't had a chance yet.

Update: Telltale now has all the shorts up on their own site, including downloadable versions.
4

Gamestop has got a listing for the boxed release of Sam & Max: Season 1 being published by The Adventure Company (under the banner Dreamcatcher) this fall. They attach a price of $29.99 and a release date of August 28th. Heh, remember the last time we saw a Sam & Max game for preorder?

There's still no word on what extras will be included on either CD version of the season, but the first info on Telltale's version is supposed to be made known in a few weeks. Just to refresh your memory, that one will be available shortly after the season ends.

Oh, and remember the awesome but slowly updated webcomic? We've got page 12 to enjoy!

Source: Telltale forums

8

The latest Sam & Max Machinima short "Artichoke" is now up properly over at Telltale's site. I can't recommend it highly enough, as the ending honestly made me shoot milk out my nose for the first time ever. Hooray!

Also on the same page, Telltale has a few new Bone-related goodies. Most notably, however, are the new Soundtrack CD covers made by regular (and incredibly talented) Mojo forumite Laserschwert, who of course is the proud creator of the wonderful LucasArts Soundtracks site. Good on yer mon!
0

Blimey, what's this then? Can it be true? Is the review for Reality 2.0 up on Mojo already? And before Adventure Gamers too? Woohoo!

Join us for the verdict here as Sam & Max take the trip of a lifetime - onto the Internet! (And no, we're not going to be doing a 'Surfing the Information Super-Highway' joke)
15

Quick, before you fire up that Friday the 13th marathon, check out this quote from yesterday's Sam & Max Finale press release:
"Sam & Max: Season 1 is a testament to the fact that true episodic gaming can be successful," said Ricardo Sanchez, GameTap's vice president of content. "We look forward to continuing to work with Telltale on more groundbreaking projects."
So, okay, it's no surprise at all that Gametap would be involved with season 2, and I'm only even pointing this out because the last we heard on the subject from Dan was that Telltale was considering other partners. It sure sounds like the second season will see Telltale and Gametap together again, which is definitely a good thing from the way both companies talk about the current collaboration. Make of the exceedingly vague "more groundbreaking projects" what you will.
2

As hinted previously, the 6th and final Season 1 Sam & Max episode will literally be out-of-this-world.

The title has been revealed as Bright Side of the Moon. The first screenshots and teaser video are now available at Telltale's site.

Source: Telltale Games

11

I imagine most of you have already got your hands on the game, but today is the launch of Reality 2.0 for individual purchase from which no one is excluded. Yay!

Today is also the premiere of the fourteenth machinima short, "What Kind of Man Are You." Also the thirteenth machinima, "Artichoke," came out last week which I just barely forgot to mention. This leaves one remaining short next week and, of course, the season finale the week after. Look at me, Sam! I'm episodic!
1

Reality 2.0 is shaping up to be the best reviewed episode so far and premiered on Gametap as the service's most played game. How happy then you'll be to know that, like was the case with Abe Lincoln Must Die!, Telltale is offering Reality 2.0 a bit early to those who have made the season purchase. To enter Sam & Max's new reality, those who apply need only check their email.

Those who are getting the game individually needn't cry, because the wait for the official release is only three more days. Why not put your President's thoughts on Passover and Easter on a loop until then?

5

Codename Revolution learned that a Wii version of the upcoming CSI: Hard Evidence is in the works for a September release. Whether the port is the work of Telltale or a Ubisoft studio is unclear since Ubisoft was responsible for the PS2 3 Dimensions of Murder, but as we all know Telltale recently hired a Wii guy (or gal).

As for the original PC version, there's still no hard evidence (hur hur) on a release date. The latest I've heard was a May or June release, though it could very well be coming out in September as well.

Source: Codename Revolution

4

When other sites review games, it's cute and all, but we both know there's only one opinion upon which you base your purchasing decisions, and that opinion is Mojo's.

So it's for your benefit that I hastily threw together a review of CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder, figuring that Mojo should probably have one up before Hard Evidence comes out, or at least within a year and a half of its release. My review seems to have neglected to enter that crucial phase where it's edited down into something that's coherent, concise, or readable, but that's never stopped you from viewing my stuff in the past and it shouldn't stop you now. Special thanks to Gabez for doing all the work in getting this article up because I can't format a picture.

If the cynic in you is convinced that the recent deluge of articles is mere coincidence and not a sign of things to come, you're probably right. Still though it was fun while it lasted. Oh and be sure to keep an eye on the CSI database page just in case I end up doing that in-jokes gallery I told myself I'd do a year ago.
5

When GDC was going on there was a sudden flurry of Telltale interviews, and this one with Dan Connors by the human beings at TwitchGuru got lost in the shuffle. Anyway read it to learn a few details surrounding Telltale and Gametap going steady, as well as the status of a possible Wii port and Season 2.
5
Newer  |  Older