The last episode in Sam & Max’s third season was so unique, so entertaining, and so enjoyably challenging that I wasn’t sure TellTale could top it. The third episode picks up where the last left off, and, as the title suggests, Sam discovers (to his horror) that someone has stolen Max’s brain. Our dear friend then goes into a Noir rage as he sets out to find out what happened to Max’s brain and get it back, bashing a few skulls in along the way, if necessary. As a result, the beginning of the game is dark, grainy, and just about everything else you’d expect from a Noir-esque detective flick. Sam takes on a grittier, angrier persona, and you must puzzle your way through various interrogations in order to progress. I thought this was all brilliant, and though not quite as fun as the film-swapping adventure of the last episode. It was fresh, entertaining, and different (especially when you choose “Noir” as a dialogue option, and Sam goes into a long, metaphor-heavy monologue). Sadly, the fun doesn’t last more than the first few minutes of the game: as soon as Sam discovers the whereabouts of his “little buddy’s” brain, the old Sam returns.

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TellTale seems to be on a roll: they’ve followed up last year’s stellar Tales of Monkey Island with the currently running Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, but they’re only just getting started. The end of this week left us adventure fans with plenty to get excited about, as the developer released a glimpse at what you can expect over the next few months.

First off, expect the next episode of Sam & Max’s adventures to continue sometime at the end of this month (June 22 for North America and 23 for Europe), so if you haven’t already, I highly suggest you check out the previously released episodes, especially The Tomb of Sammun-Mak. In more good news, Tales of Monkey Island will be arriving on PSN at last (starting June 15), and best of all, to celebrate, TellTale is offering the full game (all five episodes) for only $20-nearly 50% MSRP!

But it gets better: the sale doesn’t apply only to the PSN version of the game: no, you slackers who missed out on the PC or Mac version can also buy Guybrush’s latest adventure for the same low price. And, in case that deal wasn’t good enough, buy Tales for PC or Mac and you will get the first Sam & Max: Season 3 episode, The Penal Zone, free! If you decide you like Sam & Max, or you trust my good judgment, then you can buy that season for only $25 (usually $35). Nothing’s better than having a good time and saving money, right?

Apparently, TellTale doesn’t think so, because they also revealed two upcoming IPs for future games: Jurassic Park and Back to the Future. Although details are limited, most likely our future will hold more entertaining episodic adventure titles, most likely that will exist in the worlds of the two franchises, but most likely have their own unique stories.

“The games are going to exist within these worlds,” said Telltale’s Dan Connors. “I wouldn’t call these games sequels per se but a new interpretation of their worlds for a new medium.”

Both series are expected to debut this winter for PSN, XBLA, WiiWare, PC and Mac. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an iPad release as well. Perhaps we’ll get more details at E3 next week.

[Source: Joystiq]

I’m new to the crazy antics of the Freelance Police duo Sam & Max, so I didn’t know what exactly to expect from the first episode of their third season. I’ll tell you one thing: crazy doesn’t even begin to describe it. However, I was relieved that TellTale has worked to make The Devil’s Playhouse accessible even to franchise newbies like myself. Set up like a TV show, you’re introduced briefly to the main characters, and a narrator (who is a hybrid of Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling) guides you through. The gimmick of this series is Max’s newly discovered psychic powers that enable him to use the Toys of Power in various ways. I’m telling you, crazy.

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