Sam and Max Season Two coming... really soon (UPDATE: Season 3).
Telltale announced season two for this fall:
http://www.telltalegames.com/community/blogs/id-236
Don't feel like writing up my opinion again, so here:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Me at GotNext
After six monthly episodes of Sam and Max, many of us were starting to get used to the idea of Freelance Police being regular companions and not the nostalgic memories we had longed to recapture. While Telltale had been dropping hints that it planned to continue the series — the fact that they called it "Season One" was probably the first clue — there was little said about the when and the how.
Well it seems just as the first season is sliding into retail, and Telltale customers are unwrapping their freshly shipped DVD version, Telltale is pulling back the curtain on its plans for Season Two. It seems that we will not be missing the duo's esoteric brand of personalized criminal justice for long, as the season premiere will debut not only this year, but this fall, less than a year after the start of the first season.
It seems these new episodes will be a continuation of the first, building on the existing engine and assets. After a hearty dose of Sam and Max six months in a row, I had actually been hoping Telltale takes some time off and come back in a couple years with a fresh look and a new engine. But the more I think about it, Telltale's approach definitely has its advantages.
Just as the the first season gained momentum as the months passed thanks to an increasingly large cast and set each episode, so too will Season Two. The first render released by Telltale PR features the interior of Stinky's Diner, one of the local establishments you could see in Season One but never visit. Telltale's model involves pretty limited art budgets, so this kind of expansion is the best way to see the episodes gradually open up and allow for more exploration, as well build up a sizable stable of characters to interact with. If they started over, we'd be back as square one.
The press release also mentions an interesting change in the release schedule. Up to now, episodes premiered on GameTap a full two weeks before they were made available to Telltale's customers, but for Season Two, their exclusivity is only a day; much more palatable for those who prefer to own instead of lease.
Speaking of which, just yesterday I received my copy of the Season One DVD. This goodie was a free bonus for those that subscribed to the episodes through Telltale's website, and upon opening it up, I'm a very happy camper. It's got all six episodes, which can be played without online activation, a decent size (but not complete) collection of soundtrack MP3s, and hours and hours of bonus content that can be viewed on a DVD player, including around five hours of developer commentary, outtakes, and machinima shorts. It really cements my feeling that Telltale's sales model for these episodes — play now, get a physical copy and then some later — is the best the industry has ever seen.
The only lingering fear is that we may just get burnt out on the series. It's a concern that plagues every annual franchise, but it's specter looms even darker over one that spends more months on than off. But Telltale has made a conscious decision to emulate television concept of episodic, and it's worked for them thus far. I'll save my pessimism for Season Six when the duo are saddled with a scrappy young orphan and an alien named Bleep.
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