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GameSpot Video Games, PC, Wii, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PSP, DS, GBA, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

Sam and Max report for Wii duty

First season of Telltale Games' freelance police-duo adventure series being compiled for a retail release on Nintendo's console.
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
Posted Apr 4, 2008 12:32 am GMT

Although episodic game development makes all the sense in the world theoretically, things seem to get problematic in practice. The SiN: Episodes series turned out to be poorly named, given that Ritual Entertainment managed to release only a single episode before suspending the project and being acquired by casual-game publisher MumboJumbo. Meanwhile, Valve's episodic treatment of Half-Life has been well-received, but annualized franchises were able to launch multiple full-fledged sequels in the 16-month gap between the first two Half-Life episodes.

Those missteps aside, one episodic series has delivered on the theoretical promise. Next week, Telltale Games is set to release the 11th episode in its Sam & Max series, the adventure-game successor to the 1993 cult PC classic Sam & Max Hit the Road. The episode concludes the reborn franchise's second "season," which, along with the first, was released in a little less than 18 months. The relaunched series has rekindled interest in the anthropomorphic dog and rabbit-like detective duo, as evidenced by a republishing of the pair's original comic adventures in compendium form, as well as a DVD release for the short-lived 1997 Fox TV cartoon.

Telltale Games is hoping to stoke the Sam and Max resurgence even further. Today, the developer confirmed for GameSpot long-standing rumors that it would be bringing its episodic series to consoles, and specifically to the Nintendo Wii. The canine-lagomorph combo's debut on Nintendo's console will come in the form of a port of the PC first-season compilation, from pilot episode "Culture Shock" through to "Bright Side of the Moon."

Telltale representatives said the game's release on the Wii is due in large part to fan demand, in particular an e-mail campaign launched prior to the debut of the Sam & Max episodic series on the PC. Rumors and speculation of a Wii port helped spark publisher interest in bringing the series to Nintendo's platform.

Sam & Max: Season One is set to be published in the US by Dreamcatcher and The Adventure Company, whereas publishing duties on the European version (which adds in French and German voice-overs, as well as Italian and Spanish subtitles) will be handled by JoWood. Gamers in both regions should expect the game to arrive on store shelves this fall.

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158 Comments

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disfalling

stupid invaders.

Posted Apr 11, 2008 8:09 pm GMT
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ChaosXing

Sam and Max is the s***. I might buy a Wii just because they're porting this game onto it.

Posted Apr 11, 2008 1:51 pm GMT
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Lorick_vs_Vash

I though point and click adventures where dead... Glad to see they aren't, that way I can finally stop playing "Quest for Glory"and "Day of The Tentacle". This should be enjoyable and what better platform for a point and click adventure, then a Wii.

Posted Apr 11, 2008 9:48 am GMT
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URError

"iv got 5 bucks saying its rated m"

I bet 10

Posted Apr 9, 2008 9:46 pm GMT
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trdrstv

@_em_ "This sounds pretty interesting. I haven't played Sam and Max before, but I do like point-and-clicks, so I may pick this one up when it is released."

They are giving away an episode as a promotion. If you want to try it out, download away:

http://www.telltalegames.com/community/blogs/id-268

Posted Apr 9, 2008 8:21 pm GMT
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corpsfactor

sam and max on wii..... iv got 5 bucks saying its rated m.

Posted Apr 9, 2008 3:24 pm GMT
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snoodthebubble

Oh please. . . please please please give us Monkey Island!

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

Posted Apr 9, 2008 12:39 pm GMT
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sonynhater

Hope its good. doubt i'd buy it though

Posted Apr 9, 2008 11:12 am GMT
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RaiKageRyu

A match made in heaven.

Posted Apr 8, 2008 3:06 pm GMT
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TheGum

Great news, because I enjoyed Night of the Raving Dead a whole lot.

Posted Apr 8, 2008 9:37 am GMT
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mattcake

Aww I miss 2d point n click adventures, where's Gabriel Knight gone Thankfully I'm so old now and have drunk so much vodka to kill my brain, I can now go back to the original classics and play them again without remembering what to do. Score one for senility / alcohol induced memory loss!

Posted Apr 8, 2008 9:01 am GMT
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magic_dragon

I really hope this renews the genre of point and click adventures. I would love to see Monkey Island and Simon the Sorceror series make a comeback, whether it be on the Wii or PC or DS. "My name is Guybrush Threepwood, and I want to be a pirate!"

Posted Apr 8, 2008 7:39 am GMT
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TruB

sounds like its going to do well on the console, I played the first up of the new Sam and Max games and honestly i didnt like it, it had fun story but th puzzles really didnt do it for me. maybe im getting too old.

I rather see a new grim fandango.

Posted Apr 8, 2008 1:47 am GMT
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RockstarFan17

Seems fun

Posted Apr 7, 2008 5:59 pm GMT
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_em_

This sounds pretty interesting. I haven't played Sam and Max before, but I do like point-and-clicks, so I may pick this one up when it is released. Like others said earlier, I do think think this type of game is a good fit for the Wii, and I hope they keep it at a reasonable price (below $50).

Posted Apr 7, 2008 2:30 pm GMT
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TiKiMaN1

Oh Fetch this is AWESOME!!

Posted Apr 7, 2008 2:22 pm GMT
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KittenToes

im a huge point and click fan. i can remember trying to complete sam and max "hit the road" years ago... it took me ages!!

Posted Apr 7, 2008 1:32 pm GMT
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desolation00

Hmm, so just a compilation of the first season. I dislike that they are shying away from putting it episodically up for download. I mean, wasn't that how the game was supposed to be distributed on PC? There are obviously reasons to do this, but it takes away from the impact of this being the first successful episodic franchise.

Posted Apr 7, 2008 9:33 am GMT
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-MiketheCM-

should be a good game

Posted Apr 7, 2008 7:39 am GMT
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imnotwhite

Well with all the success of the Wii and with so many consoles sold already it's impossible for them to sell less than 500,000 copies.

Posted Apr 7, 2008 6:54 am GMT
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zhivago_x

Sam and Max are legends of the golden age of PC adventure genre. And I think Wii is a good choice because their controller is the only adequate replacement for a mouse.

Posted Apr 7, 2008 5:07 am GMT
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gat0rl1vebeatz

aah i can't wait... this should be awesome!

Posted Apr 6, 2008 8:54 pm GMT
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in2DarKneSs

Man I miss the cartoon itself, damn fox. This will be awesome, I am personally saving space on my game shelf for this one.

Posted Apr 6, 2008 5:24 pm GMT
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Pukkan

My dreams have come true*tear*

Posted Apr 6, 2008 12:03 pm GMT
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KMJRoche

ive always wanted to play this game on pc cuz i heard it was really good, but maybe now ill just buy it for the wii if it turns out to be good

Posted Apr 6, 2008 11:12 am GMT
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BaconBurns

Cool.

Posted Apr 6, 2008 7:10 am GMT
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Bobadilouse

I've heard many good things about this game on PC. but i wonder will it be any good on the Wii... if turns out to be good. might end up buying it.

Posted Apr 6, 2008 6:18 am GMT
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itBit Posted Apr 6, 2008 3:09 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)
path_of_hope

i hope such sam and max never goes to 360 or PS3

Posted Apr 6, 2008 12:52 am GMT
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Snort_X

I've never played Sam and Max on the PC, but i have heard very very good things about it, i will for sure pick up this game for the Wii!!!

Posted Apr 5, 2008 11:49 pm GMT
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gonzalezj1

Hopefully this will be "budget priced" since season 1 has been available for the PC at $35 for quite a while now. I think anywhere from $30-40 would be fair.

Posted Apr 5, 2008 11:26 am GMT
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whos_next000

YES. MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE.

Posted Apr 5, 2008 9:31 am GMT
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SavoyPrime Posted Apr 5, 2008 9:12 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)
MichaeltheCM

should be good

Posted Apr 5, 2008 8:56 am GMT
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DFTricks

Now every kid will get to know Sam&max

Posted Apr 5, 2008 6:11 am GMT
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/ (+9)
Phrosst

God, I am so amped for this

Posted Apr 5, 2008 4:14 am GMT
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madogmgd Posted Apr 4, 2008 9:25 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)
cmikaiti

To anyone on the fence.... the first season was completely worth it.... just play them... you'll enjoy it

Posted Apr 4, 2008 9:15 pm GMT
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Nshadow23

I like this

Posted Apr 4, 2008 5:30 pm GMT
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BloodMist

These are some really good, really funny adventure games, so it's nice that more people will be able to enjoy them.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 5:27 pm GMT
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chickmagnet_1

This is absolutely amazing news!!! I haven't been able to play the recent Sam & Max games on my PC, due to its age, so I am super psyched about this. If only they would bring 'The Neverhood', 'Toonstruck', 'Braindead 13', 'Time Traveler', 'Phantasmagoria', and other PC classics to the system.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 4:22 pm GMT
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GameBeaten

Sounds good. I might just get it for Wii. Also, the Sam & Max cartoon was great. Barely remember it though since I was 7.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 4:09 pm GMT
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topraman517

From a controls perspective, the Wii is a good match, but they will probably have to scale down the graphics a little bit.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 3:52 pm GMT
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Ek-Andy

I think this is a great fit for the Wii, and I personally enjoy the hell out of the new Sam and Max episodic games (espically the last episode!), and I think buying both season 1 and 2 was of the best investments in video games ive ever made. However i think Sam and Max works well as downloadable content, and it seems a wasted opertunity for the game to not take advantage of the Virtual console, and it could also prove to be more expensive. Plus this is just season 1, season 2 is nearly over! Still anyone who hasnt played this, and is looking for a new Wii game this fall that isnt in-house Nintendo developed this would be a good choice (presuming its done well enough).

Posted Apr 4, 2008 2:36 pm GMT
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Timbydude

I won't be getting it for Wii, since it's one of those games you don't play twice, but I'd HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who missed it for PC.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 1:46 pm GMT
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theREALBookdust

Finally, I'll be picking this up.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 12:56 pm GMT
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Yomamathe4th

*tear* thank you god, this game is the perfect example of how you don't need flashy graphics amazing enemys, or hell it doesn't even have to be a fps to be good. This game is a must buy i will honestly preorder this just for the comedy, the challenge and the sheer amount of quality gameplay.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 12:12 pm GMT
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AlmightyDemon

@ necronaux
Each episode is a few hours of gameplay, so the whole thing should run you around 15 hours. A decent length, I'd say.

@ Zerosumgame
Have you ever even heard of Sam & Max before? It's a point and click adventure game. Doesn't translate well to a traditional controller. And crappy is hardly the word anyone would use to describe it, unless you just hate the genre, in which case you should refrain from commenting.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 12:02 pm GMT
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dungeonboss

This is amazing news! Next, we need Monkey Island and a Wii-make of The Dig.

Posted Apr 4, 2008 10:49 am GMT
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