It's been a busy past few years for the crew at Telltale Games. Alongside its traditional CSI titles, the developer has produced numerous bite-sized episodic adventures featuring Sam & Max, Wallace & Gromit, Strong Bad, and the Monkey Island crew. And alongside the steady stream of Tales of Monkey Island episodes on PC and WiiWare, the company just released the second season of Sam & Max on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live, with the remaining episodes of Wallace & Gromit due there shortly.

With all this activity, I caught up with CEO Dan Connors to discuss not just recent events, but where the company is headed in the future and what's coming next. ... Read more

Tales of Monkey Island and Sam & Max developer Telltale is once again venturing into the fun-filled world of investigating Las Vegas crimes and corpses with CSI: Deadly Intent. And with the release date approaching, that can only mean one thing: a trailer.

Published by Ubisoft and set during the show's ninth season, Deadly Intent hits PC, Xbox 360 and Wii on October 20. A separate Nintendo DS edition, dubbed "CSI: Deadly Intent - The Hidden Cases," was handled by Other Ocean and will also arrive October 20.

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With LucasArts recently noting a desire to revisit more of its classic franchises, Telltale Games--the studio behind the recent revivals of LucasArts' beloved Sam & Max and Monkey Island franchises--has chimed in with talk of revisiting Day of the Tentacle.

"Feasible is a good word," Telltale CEO Dan Connors told VideoGamer on the chances of a new Day of the Tentacle entry. "I always think of Sam & Max, Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island as the big three [LucasArts] franchises...I really love Day of the Tentacle."

"My ideas always get shot down, but I wanted to see, like a 32-year-old Hoagie, or Bernard, Hoagie and Laverne all grown up with jobs and what not, " he... Read more

LucasArts' classic Monkey Island adventure series is to continue with Tales of Monkey Island, a new episodic series by Telltale Games, the publisher has announced.

A revamp of The Secret of Monkey Island was also unveiled, updating the series's first title with fully redrawn graphics, re-mastered score and full voiceover, trailered below.

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Tales of Monkey Island continues the adventures of hapless would-be pirate Guybrush Threepwood on PC and Wii in five monthly episodes, the first released on July 7. Telltale's team boasts many series veterans, including designers Dave Grossman and... Read more

The first two seasons of the Telltale-developed dog and rabbity-thing starring adventure series Sam & Max are heading to Xbox 360 as two downloadable full-season bundles, the company announced today.

The announcement follows the recent word that Telltale's next episodic adventure game series, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade and PC this spring. Telltale's Sam & Max titles debuted on PC in downloadable form.

The Xbox Live Arcade release of Sam & Max Season One will be known as Sam & Max Save the World, while Season Two will be dubbed Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space. The upcoming PC and Wii retail versions of season two will also sport the new name.

No further details, such as a release estimate or pricing information, were provided.

The first episode of Telltale Games' downloadable point-and-click adventure series Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People will see a simultaneous Wii and PC launch on August 11, the developer announced today.

The game's debut installment "Homestar Ruiner" marks the first of five planned episodes, scheduled for release as monthly installments.

The Wii version of the title will be available on the console's Wii Shop Channel at a price of 1000 Wii Points ($10). Meanwhile, the PC edition will be offered on Telltale's site for $8.95 for a single episode purchase or a $34.95 five-episode subscription.

The second season of Telltale's downloadable adventure series Sam & Max recently concluded (There's a demo for Episode 5 up on FileShack), so we asked Shackers to come up with the best joke after we provided you with an image as the setup.

You guys went hammer and tongs at making jokes and here's the full results from this contest. The big question is though, were who were our favorite three?

There were lots of great entries, and arguments can be made for many but in the end, here our the ShackStaff's top picks. ... Read more

Telltale Games is verging upon the exciting climax of Sam & Max Season 2, the episodic adventure game for PC. Humor is pretty much the hallmark of the series, all the way back to it's comic book roots. Well, humor and a tenuously sane hyperkinetic rabbit...thing.

So for the latest contest here at Shacknews, we would like to ask you to create a little bit of that magic yourself with some help from us. That is the humor of course, not so much of the rabbit thing.

The fine people at Telltale have been so good as to provide you with the setting for your joke and punchline, along with a few prizes for your efforts. All you have to do is take the above setup image and edit it to include a joke and punch line.

Post the results in the comments to this article as a jpeg file. You have until Saturday, April 12th at 11:59PM CST, so act quickly. Shack staff will choose the best three jokes and winners will receive a complete Sam & Max Season 2 Bundle.

Telltale Games is developing a series of downloadable episodic games based on the long-running Homestar Runner internet toon for PC and Nintendo's WiiWare platform, the studio announced today.

Entitled Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, the game is a point-and-click adventure title crafted around the cartoon's trademark art and humor style, featuring a variety of dialogue-based puzzles and extensive character interaction. The five-episode series is expected to launch this June, with episodes releasing on a monthly schedule.

The game is developed by Telltale in collaboration with Homestar Runner creators Matt and Mike Chapman, and includes full voice acting from the animation's original cast.

"Homestarrunner.com is one of the biggest success stories in online entertainment," said Telltale CEO Dan Connors. "The Chapmans have been treating the Internet to episodic content for years. We're thrilled to have teamed up with them to take episodic gaming to the next level via Nintendo's innovative WiiWare delivery system."

Independent developer Telltale Games has announced that, as previously suggested, the first season of its episodic point-and-click adventure series Sam & Max will arrive on Wii in North America and Europe this fall.

Following the wacky exploits of dog detective Sam and the bunny-thing Max, both of whom are freelance police officers, Telltale's series is based on the work of Steve Purcell, which also inspired LucasArts' adventure Sam & Max Hit the Road (PC) and an animated series in the early 90's.

Consisting of six installments, the episodes of Sam & Max Season One... Read more

Independent developer Talltale Games has issued the first media of Sam & Max Episode 205: What's New, Beelzebub? (PC), the fifth and final entry in the second season of the episodic adventure series.

The season finale will be available to GameTap subscribers on Thursday, April 10, followed by a worldwide release via TelltaleGames.com the next day, Friday, April 11.

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Telltale Games has released media and details for Sam & Max Episode 204: Chariots of the Dogs (PC), the fourth episode of the second season of its episodic adventure series.

Sam & Max Episode 204: Chariots of the Dogs will be available on the subscription-based GameTap service on March 13, and released to customers worldwide via digital download on the Telltale Games website a day later.

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Former LucasArts designer Mike Stemmle has joined ranks with Telltale Games, the studio announced today.

Stemmle had previously worked as a co-designer on LucasArts' PC adventure titles Sam & Max Hit the Road and Escape From Monkey Island, as well as lead designer on the infamously cancelled revamp Sam & Max: Freelance Police.

"Mere words are proving woefully inadequate to describe my delight at hooking up with this fiendishly dedicated crew," said Stemmle. "The excitement and talent swirling around Telltale remind me of the geysers of imagination that erupted across the gaming industry in the early 90's. Only this time, with rational production schedules."

Telltale Games is currently working on the second season of its episodic Sam & Max adventure series. The studio has nearly doubled the size of its workforce over the last year in anticipation of several new projects.

With the February 12 release of Sam & Max Sam & Max Episode 203: Night of the Raving Dead (PC) looming, developer Telltale Games has sent along a minute of gameplay footage from the latest release in its episodic adventure series.

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Telltale Games has released media and details for Sam & Max Episode 203: Night of the Raving Dead (PC), the third episode of the second season of its episodic adventure series. This latest installment pits the freelance police against a zombie horde in the small town of Stuttgart.

Telltale also announced that Night of the Raving Dead would be launched two days ahead of schedule, available on GameTap on February 12 and worldwide via digital download from the Telltale website the next day.

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Update: Developer Telltale Games was unable to confirm that a Wii edition of Sam & Max is in the works, though the company promises it is "actively pursuing" the possibility.

"While it's no secret that we want to bring Sam & Max to the Wii--and it is something we're actively pursuing--we don't have any official news right now," a company representative informed Shacknews. "When we're in a position to confirm that we'll be porting Sam & Max to the Wii, we'll make an announcement about it."

Original Story: Telltale Games' episodic point-and-click adventure series Sam & Max will soon appear on the Wii, according to publisher JoWooD.

A German press release issued by the company lists a Wii edition of Telltale's Sam & Max as one of its upcoming titles, further identifying the series as receiving the "Adventure of the Year" award from readers of foreign magazine PC Games.

JoWooD, which previously expressed its intent to pursue more console titles, published the retail version of Sam & Max: Season One ... Read more

There's a Q&A with Sam & Max designer Steve Purcell on Adventure Classic Gaming. Purcell is asked about the history of the two characters, LucasArts' cancellation of Sam & Max Freelance Police and working with Telltale Games among other things.

Telltale Games has released media and details for the second game in its second season of Sam & Max episodic adventure games. Episode 202 - Moai Better Blues will be available January 10 through the GameTap subscription service, and January 11 for standalone purchase. The game will see the crimefighting dog and rabbit duo traipsing around the tropics in an attempt to stop a massive volcano eruption.

Telltale also passed along the release schedule for remainder of the season. GameTap release dates are listed, with purchase dates following one day later:
- Episode 203: Night of the Raving Dead - February 14
- Episode 204: Chariot of the Dogs - March 13
- Episode 205 (title TBA) - April 10

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Here's a quick summary of all this week's feature content, followed by some of the more prominent news items, in reverse chronological order.

Features:

• Unreal Tournament 3 Single-Player Campaign Preview
  Chris Remo reports on the single player portion of Epic's upcoming shooter. It's kind of a multiplayer training mode, with missions like multiplayer AI skirmishes.
• Gears of War PC Review
  Nick Breckon reviews the PC version of Epic's tactical shooter. It's still great and includes more single-player chapters and other bonus content.
• Replay Couch 4: Intualgalactic War
  Nick Breckon invites you to join him for yet another collection of great gaming videos. The Video of the Week is a trailer for Techland's ambitious Chrome.
• Shacknews' Guide to Underhyped Holiday Titles
  I put together a list of this season's under-the-radar games. Buy them all. You will thank us.
• Savage 2: A Tortured Soul Preview
  Nick Breckon checks out the beta of S2 Games' RTS/FPS sequel. It's weird and fun, but probably not for everyone.
• Weekly Download Rundown
  Chris Faylor summarizes this week's downloads. Highlights: a free episode of Telltale Games' Sam & Max on FileShack and Super Mario Bros. 3 on Wii VC.

News posts:

• Confirmed: EA Chicago Shutting Down
• God of War II Director Will Leave SCEA, Sony Confirms Sequel
• Target Confirms Pulling All Versions of Manhunt 2 From Shelves
• Flagship Responds to Hellgate Subscription Issues
• Rock Band DLC Revealed: Police, Bowie, Radiohead, Sabbath, Metallica, More
• Max Payne Movie May Star Mark Wahlberg
• Bungie Prototyping New IP, Developing 'Halo Games'
• Xbox 360 Outsells PlayStation 3 in Japan; Mario and Ace Combat Top Software Charts

GameTap, the Turner Broadcasting-owned PC digital distribution platform, will celebrate the addition of its 1,000th game on November 15. With the milestone less than a month away, the lead-up will be marked by a number of high profile game releases for paying members.

Subscribers will gain access to Mercury Steam's creepy shooter Clive Barker's Jericho (PC, PS3, X360) on October 23, the same day it hits retail. The conclusion to the current season of Cyan Worlds' episodic series Myst Online: Uru Live (PC) follows November 1, with the second season of Telltale Games' episode-based adventure franchise Sam & Max (PC) beginning November 8.

Along with its new and original games, GameTap will continue adding older PC and console titles to its lineup each week. Codemasters' ... Read more