IT'S FOR REALS: Sam & Max Season One Headed for the Wii!

quote Telltale Press Release

Sam & Max Coming to Wii!

Complete first season of episodic games to hit retail stores this fall

SAN RAFAEL, CA, April 4, 2008 – As part of a continuing effort to extend episodic gaming to new audiences and platforms, Telltale is officially announcing that Sam & Max Season One will be coming to Wii. This collection of the first six Sam & Max episodes will introduce a brand new audience to the popular and critically-acclaimed game series. Sam & Max for Wii is expected to ship to retail stores worldwide this fall, thanks to a partnership between Telltale and JoWooD/DreamCatcher.

Sam & Max's journey to the Wii system has been fueled by fan excitement. Just before the episodic series' PC debut, fans launched an email campaign clamoring for a Wii version of the series. Continuous rumors and rampant speculation online led to developer and publisher enthusiasm for the title. With Telltale now focusing on console development in addition to PC, the company can finally bring Sam & Max to Wii in response to this overwhelming demand.

The Sam & Max episodes let players guide the Freelance Police through a series of bizarre—and often sidesplitting—mysteries. Sam & Max Season One has already experienced enormous success, both as an episodic series available for download through Telltale's website and other services, and at retail. Honors include Adventure Game of the Year from GameSpy and IGN, and inclusion on Games for Windows' list of Top 10 Games in 2007.

The Wii console is a perfect fit for the Sam & Max games. The series' story-driven gameplay and episodic structure has often been favorably compared to TV sitcoms. The new Wii version will present Sam & Max in a format that can be enjoyed from the comfort of the living room, either alone or with a group of friends—a setting perfectly suited for this kind of experience. The game's easy-to-use interface is ideal for a broad consumer audience.

Sam & Max first hit the indie comic scene in 1987, courtesy of franchise creator Steve Purcell. In the twenty years since, they have appeared in an animated TV series, an Eisner-winning webcomic, and numerous video games. The success of the Sam & Max episodic series has fueled a renaissance for the franchise. Telltale recently released a special 20th Anniversary Edition of the complete Sam & Max comic collection, Surfin' the Highway, after nearly a decade out of print, and a DVD box set of the 1997 animated series has just been published by Shout Factory. Both are available in Telltale's online store (www.telltalegames.com/store), along with other Sam & Max merchandise.

Sam & Max Season One for Wii will be published by Dreamcatcher/The Adventure Company in North America, and by JoWooD in Europe. In addition to English language, the game will be fully localized in French and German, and subtitled in Italian and Spanish. All versions are expected to ship during the fall 2008 season.


About Sam & Max
Sam is a six-foot dog in a baggy suit sporting a trombone-sized .44 hand-cannon. Max is a three foot "rabbity thing" with a saw blade grin and the impulsive nature of the average piranha. Together they patrol the sticky streets of a fantastical New York City, righting wrongs, pummeling perps, and ridding the urban landscape of the shifty legions of "self-propelled gutter trash" that litter their streets. Sam & Max have appeared in comics, video games, an animated TV series coming soon to DVD, and an Eisner award-winning webcomic.

About Telltale, Inc.
Telltale is pioneering new forms of interactive entertainment, building upon strong foundations in both traditional and new media. Founded in 2004 by industry veterans with decades of experience, the company has quickly become the leading online episodic gaming publisher and developer, delivering award-winning interactive experiences that emphasize engaging stories, strong characters, and rich worlds. Telltale is establishing a regular, ongoing schedule of online episodic series, across all major gaming and entertainment platforms and channels. Telltale's games include the Sam & Max game series, episodes adapted from Jeff Smith's epic Bone graphic novels, and games based on television's popular CSI program in partnership with Ubisoft. Telltale has built a robust digital distribution channel at www.telltalegames.com, and also publishes its games with select partners.

About JoWooD Productions Software AG
JoWooD Productions Software AG (ATXPrime: JWD) is listed in the Prime Market segment of the Vienna stock exchange. JoWooD is a leading publisher of computer and videogames, releasing international acclaimed, high-quality titles for all existing and future gaming systems. JoWooD games are distributed worldwide by an efficient net of distribution partners. Visit http://corporate.jowood.com for more information.

About DreamCatcher Inc.
DreamCatcher Inc. is a leading publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software. Established in 1996, the company markets its products under two popular labels: DreamCatcher Games, featuring the critically-acclaimed, bestselling game Painkiller; and The Adventure Company, the number one brand for PC adventure games worldwide, including award winning titles such as Syberia and Agatha Christie. DreamCatcher is located in Toronto, Canada. For more information visit www.dreamcatchergames.com.

SAM & MAX SEASON ONE IS HEADED FOR THE WII BABY!
FALL '08 RELEASE IN BOTH NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE

quote Wikipedia

Sam & Max are a pair of comic book characters who occupy a parody of American popular culture. Sam is a 6-foot tall anthropomorphic dog in detective's clothing and Max is a "hyperkinetic rabbity thing". Created by Steve Purcell in a 1987 comic book, the characters were adapted for the 1993 computer game Sam & Max Hit the Road, the 1997 cartoon The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police, and the more recent Sam & Max episodic adventure games for Windows PCs.

They are private investigators, or as they like to call themselves, "freelance police". The pair live and work in New York City, but often travel to such places as New Orleans, ancient Egypt, the Philippines, and the Moon. They drive a seemingly indestructible black-and-white 1960 DeSoto Adventurer to most of these locations (including the Moon, which they achieved by stuffing the muffler with thousands upon thousands of match heads). Max often drives, despite being unable to see over the dashboard.

Their crime fighting technique involves brandishing their oversized guns to intimidate criminals (it is not clear where Max keeps his weapon concealed as he is completely naked; when asked, Max always replies with "None of your damn business, Sam."), but more often than not they need to rely on more creative solutions to vanquish evil. When they do use firearms Sam favors a gigantic revolver, while Max prefers a Luger, though they've been known to use a large variety of weaponry. Sam and Max occasionally receive assignments from a mysterious Commissioner over the phone, but they usually just walk straight into trouble.

quote Wikipedia

Sam & Max Season One is an episodic series of adventure games by Telltale Games based around the characters of the Sam & Max comic series created by Steve Purcell. The first of the six-episode series—referred to collectively as Season One—was released on October 17, 2006. The second episode was released through GameTap on December 21, 2006 and to the public on January 5, 2007. Subsequent episodes have followed on a monthly basis, and all six are currently released.

As with Telltale's series of games based on the Bone comics, the games are being created with close co-operation of the creator of the characters. Although many Telltale employees previously worked on Sam & Max Freelance Police (the canceled LucasArts game), this new game is unrelated in its content. In an interview with CBR News, Steve Purcell has noted that the stories "will each be self-contained, but with a continuing thread that links them throughout the season."

The first season of Sam & Max games was co-financed by the U.S. game distribution company GameTap. Each game was available via the GameTap service for a 15 day exclusive debut period, followed by a general release directly from Telltale's website, whereafter the game became available through either outlet. Telltale have also expressed interest in bringing the title to the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii consoles. Telltale officially announced a Wii version of Sam & Max Season One on April 4, 2008 with a projected release later that year.

Don't like point-and-click adventures? This will make you love them.

Best hype thread evar.

Edit: Apr 04, 08

quote Telltale PR

Release date for Sam & Max Wii set for October 7 in North American retail stores

GameStop offers preorder deal to celebrate console debut of "gaming's first sitcom"


SAN RAFAEL, September 17, 2008 – Telltale and The Adventure Company are announcing that the highly-anticipated Sam & Max Season One for Wii will be in retail stores across North America starting October 7. Thanks to this console debut, for the first time Telltale's award-winning comedy series can be enjoyed in the comfort of the living room, bringing you closer than ever to the experience of playing your favorite television show.

The Sam & Max series is structured like a TV series, with self-contained episodes that tie into a larger overarching storyline as the season progresses. The Wii version collects the first six-episode "season" of Sam & Max games on one retail disc. In Season One, straight-laced canine detective Sam and his psychotic "rabbity-thing" sidekick Max are on the hunt for the mastermind behind a baffling hypnosis conspiracy. Players get to interrogate suspects (with amusing results), uncover clues, solve puzzles, and ultimately piece together the underlying mystery that links the episodes.

The story-focused gameplay and simple "point and click" interface have a low learning curve, and a new tutorial ensures that even players new to the Sam & Max experience will be up to speed in minutes. Sam & Max Season One for Wii also has a few technical improvements over the PC original, including widescreen support.

To welcome the arrival of the first Sam & Max console game, GameStop (NYSE: GME) is offering a special preorder deal. Customers who reserve the game in stores or through GameStop.com before the October 7 release will receive a CD containing Sam & Max bonus content, including a behind-the-scenes "making of" featurette, trailers, concept art, a soundtrack sampler, and desktop wallpapers. More details can be found here.

Sam & Max Season One for Wii will retail in North America for $29.99 (USD). Release information for Europe and other territories will be announced soon. A trailer, screenshots, and additional game details can be found at the official website.