Sam and Max season 2 goodies

by: Sean Colleli - posted: 3/29/2008 4:11:00 PM

The second season of Sam and Max is coming to a close, and Telltale Games has some preview media here.  The finale has our quirky heroes descending into hell itself, and will be arriving on Gametap April 10th.  I really like what Telltale has been doing with episodic gaming, and I wish Valve would follow suit and cut "persistent tardiness" out of their reputation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sam & Max Go To Hell!
Dog and rabbity-thing to descend into fiery depths and duel with the devil himself in the epic Season Finale this April

SAN RAFAEL, CA, March 26, 2008 – After months of building anticipation, the groundbreaking episodic game series Sam & Max Season Two has reached its climax. Now Telltale can at last reveal details about the exciting Sam & Max Season Two finale. With souls on the line and the fate of mankind hanging by a thread, Sam & Max will come face to face with their biggest, baddest adversary ever. The episode, entitled What's New, Beelzebub?, will debut Thursday, April 10 for subscribers of Turner Broadcasting's GameTap service (www.gametap.com). Its worldwide release will follow one day later, on Friday, April 11, from Telltale's website (www.telltalegames.com).

What's New, Beelzebub? caps a five-game season that has been gaining momentum since November. During this time, Sam & Max have faced off against a demonically-possessed Santa in the North Pole, visited the tropics to stop a cataclysmic volcano eruption, stormed a trendy Eurotrash nightclub overrun with dancing zombies to vanquish their vampire leader, and launched across space and time to track down their missing friend Bosco. Now, judgment day is at hand, and it's time for a showdown with the guy downstairs to bargain for Bosco's soul. But, in the corporate wasteland known as Hell, not even Sam & Max are safe from eternal damnation. Can they wiggle free from Satan's grasp, or have they finally reached the end of the line?

The Sam & Max series has been widely heralded as one of the best examples of successful episodic gaming. In Season Two, the model has been used to piece out a clever and humorous story month by month, gradually growing suspense and winning the praise of critics and fans as seemingly unrelated threads and increasingly varied scenarios have woven into a surprising and compelling plot. As the most epic and off-the-wall Sam & Max episode yet, What's New, Beelzebub? promises to close the season with a bang.

Anticipation is already high for those following the series, but it's not too late for new players to dive in. All Sam & Max Season Two episodes can be purchased from Telltale's online store through a full season set or as individual episodes and are also available as part of a GameTap subscription.  Additionally, customers who purchase the Season Two bundle from Telltale will be eligible to get a DVD that includes all five episodes along with bonus content for just the cost of shipping and handling. Emails will be sent to qualifying customers when the DVD is available for ordering.

The success of the Sam & Max game series has fueled a renaissance for the franchise. Telltale recently released a special 20th Anniversary Edition of Sam & Max creator Steve Purcell's Surfin' the Highway comic collection after 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, along with other Sam & Max merchandise.

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 GameTap

GameTap, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is the leader in digital game distribution and broadband entertainment. Launched in 2005, GameTap delivers more than 950 authentic versions of the greatest console, computer and arcade games, including original and exclusive episodic titles such as Sam & Max Seasons One and Two and American McGee’s Grimm. Visitors to www.gametap.com can play free games on its ad-supported website, purchase top PC and catalog titles from its digital retail storefront, and tune into GameTap TV’s original programming that includes Retrospective documentaries and new Re\Visioned animated series. GameTap paid members receive unlimited access to its massive library titles, community and multiplayer features, original games, and content.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.