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Free Wallace & Gromit episode and more for 20th anniversary of series

by JC Fletcher { Nov 4th 2009 at 9:15AM }

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Wallace & Gromit series, Telltale Games is offering Episode III of its Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures series, Muzzled!, for free! If you've been curious about how polite bumbling and cheese lust translate into game mechanics, now's your chance to find out. This offer applies to the PC version.

The company is also marking the auspicious occasion by discounting the full season of the PC version to $20 (from $35), releasing the whole set on Xbox Live Arcade, taking orders for a Collector's DVD, and participating in a charity drive with the Wallace & Gromit Children's Foundation and Penny Arcade (to which your full-season purchase will contribute). The discount and free game will only be available until November 8.

This Wednesday: Wallace & Gromit episodes 2, 3 and 4 on XBLA

by Richard Mitchell { Nov 2nd 2009 at 4:00PM }

Here's hoping you really like Wallace & Gromit and, more specifically, Telltale's episodic Wallace & Gromit games, because that's all you're getting on Xbox Live Arcade this week. As promised, the final three episodes, The Last Resort, Muzzled! and The Bogey Man will all be dropping on XBLA this Wednesday, each priced at 800

($10). That brings the total for all four games to $40, which isn't too bad, although PC owners should be aware that Telltale is offering the entire season -- which includes a collector's DVD -- for $34.95 as well.

Still, if you've got a yen for some couch-bound, Achievement-filled Wallace & Gromit, it's a pretty good deal.

Remaining Wallace & Gromit episodes hit XBLA all at once on Nov. 4

by Alexander Sliwinski { Oct 29th 2009 at 10:58AM }

The remainder of Telltale's Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures episodes will make it onto Xbox Live Arcade all in one go on November 4 which, coincidentally, is the 20th anniversary of the dynamic duo's first animated short, A Grand Day Out. The already-released Fright of the Bumblebees, will now be joined by The Last Resort (which was a no-show in September), Muzzled! and The Bogey Man, each going for 800

($10). The mathletes out there have already figured this out, but that puts the entire season at $40 – a deal if it were a retail package.

Also on November 4, Telltale Games' website will begin taking orders for the "full season DVD" on PC, which includes all four episodes, image galleries, a "making of" video and more. With three titles dropping on one day, I'm not sure we'd call this "episodic" in the traditional sense.

Gallery: Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures

CSI: Deadly Intent demo investigates Xbox Live

by Richard Mitchell { Oct 27th 2009 at 12:15PM }

Major Nelson has told the internets that a CSI: Deadly Intent demo is now available on Xbox Live. Developed by Telltale and featuring the cast of the show, the game tasks players with solving grisly murders in Las Vegas. Presumably, this will be done by pointing, clicking, zooming, enhancing and analyzing reflections. And by spouting one-liners, of course.

Add the CSI: Deadly Intent demo to your Xbox 360 download queue

Oh, the huge manatee! Monkey Island Episode 3 on WiiWare this Monday

by JC Fletcher { Oct 23rd 2009 at 5:15PM }

Telltale just announced that the third chapter of Tales of Monkey Island, called Lair of the Leviathan, will arrive on WiiWare this Monday, October 26. Given the success that the series has seen so far, it's sure to attract interest despite taking place in "the guts of a giant sea manatee". And not, we suppose, inside the rare land manatee.

Leviathan's PC version was released on September 29, giving it roughly a month of lead time over the WiiWare release. That means if you know any avid PC adventure gamers, you should stay away from them or risk being totally spoiled. They'll understand.

Telltale hoping to push content to new consoles, handhelds & Macs

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Oct 20th 2009 at 8:30PM }

With more avenues now open between consumers and game creators than ever before, third-party companies like Telltale Games can sell their wares on every platform -- as long as their software runs on it. That's the tricky part, but Telltale CEO and co-founder Dan Connors has told Gamesindustry.biz that his team is already looking to take advantage of the "huge potential" out there.

"I definitely think there's huge potential there, and right now we're working on getting our content over to some more channels, over to new consoles and the Mac," Connors said. With any luck, PlayStation 3 will be caught in Telltale's wider net -- it's the only current home console that has yet to be visited by a talking dog, a hyper-kinetic rabbity thing ... or even a dog that doesn't talk but is still weirdly expressive.

Telltale's ambitions go further still, added Connors. "And after that's done, we're going to be looking at handhelds. I think we have to consider the PSP Go for sure."

Tales of Monkey Island's third chapter sets sail Sept. 29

by Justin McElroy { Sep 17th 2009 at 2:00PM }

If you've been breathlessly waiting for the return of Guybrush Threepwood and crew, you'll finally be able to inhale again on Sept. 29, when the third chapter of Tales of Monkey Island, "Lair of the Leviathan," will appear on PC. However, that's still 12 days away, so you should probably just just go ahead and start breathing, for safety's sake.

We can't tell you what happens in it, but If you'd like some crudely animated speculation on what might happen, we've got you covered. Unnervingly, that clip comes from Telltale who we'd hope actually knows what happens. It's all so meta!

Telltale's next franchise announcements 'around October,' not necessarily comedies

by Ben Gilbert { Sep 3rd 2009 at 10:15PM }

Known for perfecting the episodic release, Telltale Games says it's stepping into "new genres." CEO Dan Connors told VG247 as much in a recent phone interview, and the idea for this move is coming from a somewhat expected place -- television shows like The Sopranos, Lost and True Blood. "We've already evolved the genre in a lot of ways ... but we believe there's a lot of head-room to make more dramatic advances in storytelling and drama inside of this genre [adventure games]." Considering the company's past work with franchises like CSI though, you could say this tale has already been told. (YEEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!)

Though Telltale will be at PAX alongside us and everyone we know, don't expect any announcements just yet. Connors says the soonest we'll be hearing about anything is "around October," so, ya know, get comfy.

WiiWare Monkey Island Ep. 2 on sail Monday, Aug. 31

by Randy Nelson { Aug 28th 2009 at 6:31PM }

Our last post about a Tales of Monkey Island episode launching on WiiWare was written entirely in pirate speak. This one won't be. Nope, we'll just tell you that the second episode in Telltale's ongoing series, "The Siege of Spinner Cay," will be available on WiiWare this coming Monday, August 31, for 1000 Wii Points ($10). See, that wasn't so harrrrrrd. (Darnit!)

Tales of Monkey Island ep. 1 drops anchor on WiiWare July 27

by Randy Nelson { Jul 24th 2009 at 8:30PM }

Ahoy thar! You, with the Wiimote! Ye best be knowin' that episode one of Tales of Monkey Island™ (that be "Launch of the Screaming Narwhal") will be pullin' into port on WiiWarrrrr (*ahem*) WiiWare Monday, the twenty-seventh o' July. Yarrr, that's but three days from now!

It'll set ye back 1000 Wii Points ($10, or $70 less than a good piece o' eight at eBay's goin' rate). Aparrrt from th' graphics, it should be a carrrbon copy of th' PC version, a review o' which has already been posted for ye readin' pleasure.

[Note: We made Randy walk the plank after reading this.]

Get yer Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 1 demo all fast-like

by Randy Nelson { Jul 8th 2009 at 5:40PM }

If, for some unfathomable reason, Ludwig's review of Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal didn't have ye partin' with yer pieces of eight for the full game, perhaps a free demo is what ye be after. Our mateys at BigDownload have weighed anchor on the 187MB download and it's yers for the takin' -- without any waitin' -- over at their site. Oh, and we wouldn't try runnin' it on a pirated operatin' system if we were you. Savvy?

Download Tales of Monkey Island: Launch of the Screaming Narwhal Demo (188MB)

Review: Tales of Monkey Island (Launch of the Screaming Narwhal)

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jul 7th 2009 at 1:00PM }

Resurrecting a dead franchise (and let's face it, this industry will pronounce you as such if you've been missing for almost ten years) can bring about equal amounts of delight and regret. It's the difference between having dear ol' grandma brought back to life or having someone dump her freshly exhumed corpse on your doorstep. Sometimes she's best remembered -- and not smelled.

It's a relief, then, to declare the first episode of Telltale's five-part Tales of Monkey Island series a wonderful, heart-warming reunion. Grandma's back, full of life and ready to bake some cookies!

Okay, so her eyeballs will occasionally fall out, but it's nothing that can't be fixed with some time and some practice.

Gallery: Tales of Monkey Island

Continued →

Telltale engine doesn't support PlayStation ... yet

by Andrew Yoon { Jul 3rd 2009 at 2:45PM }

Telltale has been churning out some fantastic adventure games as of late. The team responsible for Sam & Max, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People and Wallace & Gromit has found its games on both WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade. But why no love for the PlayStation Network? It's "easy," explains Dave Grossman to The Guardian. "Our engine doesn't run on the PlayStation yet."

We'd like to think that the developers are working on making the engine that powers these games fully multi-platform. We don't see why Telltale couldn't handle the PS3, especially considering the success found by the folks behind Penny Arcade Adventures.

Telltale: Tales of Monkey Island might come to XBLA 'later on'

by Richard Mitchell { Jun 23rd 2009 at 2:30PM }

Speaking to Eurogamer, Telltale's Dave Grossman spoke to the possibility of seeing Tales of Monkey Island on Xbox Live Arcade. Currently slated only for Wii and PC, Tales of Monkey Island could eventually see the light of day on XBLA, according to Grossman. "We didn't so much decide not to put it on Xbox Live Arcade as we decided not to put it on XBLA now," said Grossman, explaining that Telltale has been alternating platforms for each release. Joystiq readers will recall that Strong Bad is on Wii, while Wallace & Gromit is an XBLA title.

Grossman indicates that Tales of Monkey Island may wind up on XBLA, saying, "Yeah, I mean I wouldn't rule it out. We might do that one later on."

Regarding Telltale's overall strategy for future titles and other platforms, Grossman says that Telltale would eventually like to release "on every downloadable channel there is." When that will actually happen revolves around "how and when and can [Telltale] actually afford to do it."

Telltale's Dave Grossman promises Tales of Monkey Island will be more 'epic'

by Andrew Yoon { Jun 19th 2009 at 5:00PM }

A brand new episodic Monkey Island adventure is heading to PC and WiiWare this summer. While some are weary of the game's new 3D look, series co-creator Dave Grossman reassures players that the upcoming adventure is a true sequel. "The series takes place a couple of years after the end of the last game. The characters are a little bit older, but haven't really learned anything," he says in this exclusive video.

The episodic format is giving Telltale an opportunity to create a grander adventure for the upcoming game. "It's going to come out one chapter at a time over the period of five months, and the story's going to be told that way. So, it's more of an epic saga," Grossman says.

The first episode of Tales of Monkey Island will be available on PC in July, with the Wii release to follow shortly thereafter. To check out this video on your Wii, check out the Nintendo Update channel next Monday.