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Sam and Max Hit the Road

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the c'mon-little-buddy dept.

Gamasutra reports on the unveiling of the 'GameTap Originals' publishing label, a brand led by the anticipated episodic revival of Sam and Max. The game is now available both via the GameTap service, and at the TellTale site. From the article: "Sam & Max: Episode 1, which launches today exclusively on GameTap, as well as the upcoming Myst Online: Uru Live, are two examples of franchises that GameTap has co-published and helped bring back to life. While nothing specific was announced regarding upcoming franchises set to debut as part of the new GameTap Original label, representatives did note that it will be used to identify soon to be announced episodic games based on renowned TV and film franchises. Finally, supporting its new GameTap Original label, GameTap will be the premiere sponsor of the 9th Annual Independent Games Festival, held in conjunction with the 2007 Game Developers Conference to celebrate the innovation and creativity of independent game developers." Chris Kohler, over at Game|Life, has a short review of the first three hours of content.

9 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. Eurogamer review by Jboost · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Eurogamer reviewed it.

    Culture Shock is the loving update we dreamed of. It's the kind of game you want to be playing when your friends and family walk in the room, if only to demonstrate that there are videogames out there that aren't just about killing things and smashing cars (even if, yes, you can actually do both in this, albeit in typically slapstick fashion). Even the jazz licks of the soundtrack make you want to turn up the volume in celebration. You want the whole world to know that people still make games like this - ones that not only make you laugh, but everyone else too.

    Can't wait to play it!
  2. FYI For Non-US Folk by jhembruff · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not sure how old this news is... but it appears that people not living in the US can finally start using Gametap.

  3. I'd rather own, thanks by spyrochaete · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I used to have trepidations about online distribution schemes like Steam because I feared I would never really own the product. I've since warmed up to Steam but Gametap is where I draw the line. I can't wrap my head around the idea (yet) of playing games only while paying a subscription fee. Sure, lots of people do this in MMOGs like WoW but those aren't my cup of tea either. Even Guild Wars, which is a MMORPG with no monthly fee, will feel like a bargain in terms of bucks per playtime by the time it dries up.

    I love Sam and Max enough to buy Season 1 for $35 as soon as it's released retail.

    1. Re:I'd rather own, thanks by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Same here. Not only is it the principle of the thing, but to continue to use Sam and Max as an example, I still have my copy of the first game. I loved it then, and I still play it now. Assuming this game is as good as it should be, I want to be sure that I'll be able to play it in 15 years on whatever the future equivalent to ScummVM is.

      --
      Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
  4. Nice... by curecollector · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is great news. It's good to see that people are still making games like this. After the death (hiatus, I still hope) of series such as King's Quest, Maniac Mansion, Monkey Island and the like, I had pretty much given up on PC games...

    Now for another Grim Fandango game...

  5. No luck yet again for us OS X or Linux users by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Another game we'll have to skip, I guess.

    Aside from the office, Windows lock-in is all about games. Am I the only one who thinks it's insane to keep a 2nd computer with a different OS only to play some games? Even if you dual-boot, that means you have to pay 200$US (or whatever the price is) to buy and install a different OS only to play games? How about the maintenance of that OS, given that it's Windows we're talking about?

    We need some kind of "Universal Game engine" that runs on any platform, kinda like Java (in spirit) but that doesn't suck. Most of the older AGI/SCI games from Sierra and SCUMM games from LucasArts, for exemple, can run on any platform, all you need is an interpreter/engine program. There's even people making such engines for the GBA and PDAs these days.

    1. Re:No luck yet again for us OS X or Linux users by Yvan256 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Well, there is this small note at the bottom of the requirements page:
      "GameTap is also currently unavailable for download on Apple Macintosh systems but will be available at a later date so please be sure to check back often."

      I guess there's hope after all.

  6. Re:But...... by nephridium · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yea, I remember the Dig, it had Robert Patrick, the T1000, voicing the protagonist and he'd done a magnificent job. The great atmosphere was underlined by a beautiful soundtrack by Michael Land and stunning visuals, not to mention the epic story. "Full Throttle" was also a cool game and the "X-Wing/TIE Fighter" simulator franchise just begs for a revival (maybe one that resembles the movies' dynamics better, i.e. short fast bursts instead of the slow endless "phat phat phat phat.."). A game with the Death Star trench run in full 3D high res textures shader model 3 splendor (and in which Han shoots first) - now that would be a game that would do the Lucasarts legacy justice.

    --


    And when you gaze long enough into the code, the code will also gaze into you.
  7. Re:Play it for free? by cjb909 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    While you have an active subscription (through a free trial, or just a one month deal), you have access to all of their games. So yes, you could play Sam and Max, and then ditch the free trial, or cancel your subscription.