episodic posts

Those waiting eagerly for the new Sam and Max episode to arrive will be glad to know that Telltale has release a bunch of new screenshots and artwork for the general public to consume. Only one is an actual screenshot, but some of the pictures include two new locations, a new character, and redesigns for Sam and Max to fit their style in older times. Our personal favorite is the new outfits for Sam and Max. They fit right in the 1920s, and seeing Max in a newsboy outfit is both endearing and hilarious at the same time. You can check out all of the new visuals in our gallery.

The newest season of Sam & Max, called The Devil's Playhouse, will address the most frightening question yet: What kind of chaos will ensue if Max receives amazing psychic powers? Fans will have a chance to find out when the new adventure starts with the release of its first episode, The Penal Zone, on April 15th for the PlayStation Network, PC and Mac.

Download HD Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse Teaser Trailer (37 MB)

The second episode in a the five-part episodic Tales of Monkey Island series, Siege of Spinner Cay, is set to release tomorrow, but fans can get a first look at the game in this trailer. The story continues straight from where episode one leaves off, and Guybrush has to find a way to defeat the fast-spreading Pox of LeChuck that he helped unleash.

"Guybrush's adventures continue on the high seas as pox-plagued pirates lay siege to the innocent Mer-People. In between defending the Mer-People and dodging the persistent pirate hunter hot on his trail, Guybrush manages to catch up to his beloved wife and despised arch-nemesis - but their reunion is short-lived. Now Guybrush must focus on eradicating the Pox of LeChuck before more harm can be done. And as the Mighty Pirate draws closer to a cure, the waters will only grow murkier in this thrilling chapter of the epic saga."

Download HD Tales of Monkey Island Episode 2 Trailer (18 MB)
Check out all Tales of Monkey Island downloads

This demo is for Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, a new monthly episodic game series developed by TellTale games based on the animated movies about an inventor and his dog. The demo includes a brief tutorial and parts from the first episode, Fright of the Bumblebees. Those that pre-order the four-episode season will receive a 25% discount in addition to two free games - one from the Sam & Max adventure series, the other from the Strong Bad series. Visit the official website for more information and purchasing options.

Download the Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Demo (138 MB)
Check out all Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures downloads

This trailer marks the debut of the new Wallace & Gromit Grand Adventures series developed by TellTale Games. The new game series includes four episodes, each releasing monthly, except the first installment "Fright of the Bumblebees" will be releasing on March 24th instead of in April. Those that preorder the series will receive a 25% discount on top of getting two other TellTale games (Ice Station Santa from the Sam & Max series and Dangeresque 3: The Criminial Projective from the Strong Bad series) for free. Visit the official website for more infomation and purchasing options.

Download HD Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Trailer (113 MB)
Check out all Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures downloads

We have three trailers illustrating some of the features and humor gamers can expect from DeathSpank, and upcoming episodic adventure role playing game based on a character from the Grumpy Gamer comics. Described by the designer and Grumpy Gamer Ron Gilbert as a "mix between Monkey Island and Diablo," the game is being published by Hothead Games. The same company also publishes the Penny Arcade Adventure series. According to the official DeathSpank website, the release date was recently updated from "soonish" to "soonerish."

Download the DeathSpank Items HD Trailer (22 MB)
Download the DeathSpank Armor HD Trailer (22 MB)
Download the DeathSpank Fight HD Trailer (21 MB)

American McGee's Grimm truly delves into the darker side of fairy tales with its latest episode, The Girl Without Hands. For those who haven't been keeping up with the previous reviews, players control the character of Grimm, who uses an aura of darkness to transform the fairy tale world around him from a bright and happy to miserable and wicked. Grimm's aura becomes more powerful as he transforms the landscape, which enables him to change over more objects, including NPC's that will impede his progress by cleaning up his mess. In the end, players are rewarded with a dark retelling of the story.

According to Telltale Games' Emily Morganti, Sam & Max would love to find a home on Mac but porting the series proves to be a problem.

"Porting any of our other games to the Mac would have required starting again from scratch," Morganti told the BBPS when responding to Telltale's Mac absence since the release of Bone: Out of Boneville. Developer Vanbrio was brought on to port the Bone series to the Mac platform but found the process problematic because updating could not be done using Telltale's own development tools.

"I'm not going to say we'll never do Mac games," Morganti assured Mac fans. "We do want to get our games out on as many platforms as possible, but getting onto the consoles has been a bigger priority."

In the interview Morganti confirmed Sam & Max: Season 3 is set for release in early 2009, likely due to the developers current work on the PC/Wii episodic series, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People.

[via Joystiq]

There are a lot of interesting innovations in Eden Games and Atari's Alone in the Dark reboot. There are so many, actually, that we worry that it's too ambitious -- that it could end up more like Omikron: The Nomad Soul than a successful revolutionary work like Half-Life 2.

Next Generation played a chunk of the game, and expressed some of the same worries, suggesting that "a hint of a masterpiece is most definitely there, but beneath some problems." That said, Next Gen dedicated quite a few words to an innovation it believes might stick -- Alone in the Dark's episodic story structure. Eden Games admitted that the approach was inspired by serial television shows -- 24 and "the big HBO dramas," to be specific. There are several quotes and explanations by the devs in the article.

Eden Games has split the game up into twenty "episodes," each with its own narrative arc and cliffhanger conclusion. Here's the kicker, though: you can skip an episode -- or several of them -- if you want. Eden Games is doing this to throw a bone to gamers who often don't finish games because they get stuck at a certain puzzle or encounter. Each episode starts with a "Last time, on Alone in the Dark" sequence to catch players up to the action. Don't think you can read the last page first, though; you'll have to complete a certain number of episodes before the ending becomes available.