Sam & Max Season Two
Encyclopedia
Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space, originally released as Sam & Max: Season Two, is an episodic
series of adventure game
s by Telltale Games
based around the characters of the Sam & Max
comic series created by Steve Purcell
and follows from Sam & Max Save the World
.
Season Two builds on Season One with more dynamic NPCs, an updated engine
, a hint system, support for widescreen
monitors, more realistic animations, and more mini-games within each episode. Season Two features a calibration assistant when first run, which allows the player to set their graphics and difficulty settings before playing.
Unlike Save the World, where GameTap
users were able to access each episode two weeks before it was available through Telltale's website, Beyond Time and Space reduced this period down to one day. The first episode, "Ice Station Santa", was released on November 8 on GameTap, followed by a worldwide release on November 9. However, the second episode was delayed until January 11, 2008. New episodes were thereafter released on the second Thursday and Friday of each month.
As with Save the World in 2007, Beyond Time and Space was released on Steam on May 16, 2008.
On December 2, 2008. a press event in London, Atari
announced a new partnership with Telltale to bring Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space to retail worldwide in 2009. It will be for both PC platform and the Wii. There will also be fully localized releases in French and German, as well as Italian and Spanish subtitles for the foreign language versions of Beyond Time and Space.
On February 26, 2009, Telltale officially announced Sam & Max Season One and Two for Xbox Live Arcade
. Telltale also officially named Season Two Beyond Time and Space. The two Sam and Max games are one of the four XBLA games priced at 1600 Microsoft Points
(20$).
On April 18, 2009, Telltale's official Twitter
page tweeted out gift codes for the downloadable version of Sam & Max Season 2.
Episodic games
An episodic video game is a video game of a shorter length that is commercially released as an installment to a continuous and larger series. Episodic games differ from conventional video games in that they often contain less content but are developed on a more frequent basis.Such a series may or...
series of adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
s by Telltale Games
Telltale Games
Telltale Games is a leading independent digital first publisher and game developer founded in June 2004 as Telltale, Incorporated. Based in San Rafael, California, the studio includes designers formerly employed by LucasArts...
based around the characters of the Sam & Max
Sam & Max
Sam & Max is a media franchise focusing on the fictional characters of Sam and Max, the Freelance Police. The characters, who occupy a universe that parodies American popular culture, were created by Steve Purcell in his youth, and later debuted in a 1987 comic book series...
comic series created by Steve Purcell
Steve Purcell
Steve Ross Purcell is an American cartoonist, animator and game designer. He is most widely known as the creator of Sam & Max, an independent comic book series about a pair of anthropomorphic animal vigilantes and private investigators, for which Purcell received an Eisner Award in 2007...
and follows from Sam & Max Save the World
Sam & Max Save the World
Sam & Max Save the World is a graphic adventure video game developed by Telltale Games. The game was originally released as Sam & Max: Season One before being renamed in early 2009. Save the World was developed in episodic fashion, comprising six episodes that were released for Microsoft Windows...
.
Season Two builds on Season One with more dynamic NPCs, an updated engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
, a hint system, support for widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
monitors, more realistic animations, and more mini-games within each episode. Season Two features a calibration assistant when first run, which allows the player to set their graphics and difficulty settings before playing.
Unlike Save the World, where GameTap
GameTap
GameTap is an American online video game service established by Turner Broadcasting System . Dubbed by TBS as a "first of its kind broadband gaming network", the service provides users with classic arcade video games and game-related video content...
users were able to access each episode two weeks before it was available through Telltale's website, Beyond Time and Space reduced this period down to one day. The first episode, "Ice Station Santa", was released on November 8 on GameTap, followed by a worldwide release on November 9. However, the second episode was delayed until January 11, 2008. New episodes were thereafter released on the second Thursday and Friday of each month.
As with Save the World in 2007, Beyond Time and Space was released on Steam on May 16, 2008.
On December 2, 2008. a press event in London, Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
announced a new partnership with Telltale to bring Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space to retail worldwide in 2009. It will be for both PC platform and the Wii. There will also be fully localized releases in French and German, as well as Italian and Spanish subtitles for the foreign language versions of Beyond Time and Space.
On February 26, 2009, Telltale officially announced Sam & Max Season One and Two for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
. Telltale also officially named Season Two Beyond Time and Space. The two Sam and Max games are one of the four XBLA games priced at 1600 Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points
Microsoft Points are the currency of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Games for Windows - Live Marketplace, Windows Live Gallery, and Zune online stores. The points allow users to purchase content without a credit card and to reduce the number of small credit card transaction fees, which Microsoft would...
(20$).
On April 18, 2009, Telltale's official Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page tweeted out gift codes for the downloadable version of Sam & Max Season 2.
Recurring characters
In addition to the characters already introduced through Sam & Max Season One, Season Two introduces some additional recurring characters.- Flint Paper: Flint runs his own gumshoe detective business in the office next to Sam & Max; however, what exactly his business or cases are remains a mystery. As in the comics, his days consist of beating up bad guys and wooing attractive female clients. In season two, he is on a case to track down the man who trashed Mama Bosco's store in the 60s. In Sam and Max Hit the Road, Flint and the door to his office were featured in the second location of the game, where he threw someone out of a window and shot a smiley face into the wall with a tommy gun. Curiously, when asked where he'd been, his adventures sound near-identical to Sam & Max's.
- Mister Spatula: Max's pet goldfish who lives in the office water cooler. In Season One he was made Vice President of the United States under Max's administration, but he soon developed a lust for power that turned him "pure evil" according to Sam. He becomes the High Priest of Easter Island before Max takes over in "Moai Better Blues".
- The Maimtron 9000: A giant robot (first briefly seen through a window at the beginning of Season One's Episode 5) that demolishes half on the neighborhood in episode 1, "Ice Station SantaIce Station Santa"Ice Station Santa" is the first episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. The episode's title is a play on the movie/book title "Ice Station Zebra", a story set in the cold war period.- Synopsis & Plot :...
", thought to have been sent by Mister Spatula to assassinate Max. He says his only function is to kill and destroy, but in conversation he will frequently respond to questions by singing pop songs of the 80's and 90's. After being deactivated by Sam, his collapsed body is converted into a casino for rats by Jimmy Two-Teeth. The Maimtron 9000 is reactivated in the season finale by Sam and Max using the portable A.I. acquired in the previous title.
- Santa: Is the main character of episode 1, "Ice Station SantaIce Station Santa"Ice Station Santa" is the first episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. The episode's title is a play on the movie/book title "Ice Station Zebra", a story set in the cold war period.- Synopsis & Plot :...
". He is seen hiding in his room standing on top of a safeSafeA safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
containing the spirits of Christmas. After the battle with the Shambling Corporate Presence Santa ate the jello that SCP turned into then got possessed after Sam & Max fought Santa again the Soda Poppers sent Santa to hell. In episode 5 he is imprisoned in his personal hellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. He must constantly recall toys for various safety issues, while constantly being harassed by demon babies, saying that he hates kids, and took the one job in the world where he'd only ever have to be around children once a year.
- Jurgen: A German GothGoth subcultureThe goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
styled vampire, he is the main villain of episode 3, "Night of the Raving DeadNight of the Raving Dead"Night of the Raving Dead" is the third episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. Compared to the episodes before and after it, it was considered to be disappointing by many reviewers.-Plot:...
", and had a brief appearance in episode 4. He reappears in Episode 5 as a receptionist in Hell and is still angry at both Sam & Max for landing him in his predicament.
- Pedro: A MariachiMariachiMariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
singer who suddenly appears and sings a birthday song whenever a character mentions a personal birthday. He has made brief appearances in episodes 1 through 3, and was given a larger role in episode 4, "Chariots of the DogsChariots of the Dogs"Chariots of the Dogs" is the fourth episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. It was released on March 14, 2008.-Plot:...
" as well as having a small role in the season finale. Pedro was first named in episode 4.
- Shambling Corporate Presence: A gelatinous demonDemoncall - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
from Hell and the main villain of episode 1, "Ice Station SantaIce Station Santa"Ice Station Santa" is the first episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. The episode's title is a play on the movie/book title "Ice Station Zebra", a story set in the cold war period.- Synopsis & Plot :...
". Re-appears as an employee of Hell, LLC in episode 5. Was a minor character in "Reality 1.5", the game-within-a-game in the Season 1 episode, "Reality 2.0".
- Stinky: A young lady who owns "Stinky's Diner" across the street from Bosco's store. She claims to have inherited the diner, and her name, from old Stinky, her supposed grandfather. The claims (and old Stinky's fate) are questionable, as Stinky is also a constant liar, claiming that she is a very famous actress, inventor of artifacts, and studied beliefs, like "voodoo queen". This causes Sam and Max to have increasing suspicions that Stinky has murdered grandpa Stinky to take over the diner. Sam and Max meet the original "Grandpa" Stinky in episode 4, "Chariots of the Dogs", after traveling through time to the early 1980s version of Stinky's Diner. The older Stinky has a strong dislike for the U.S. government, and has a tendency to exaggerate his exploits, much like the younger Stinky from 2008, though the old Stinky claims to never having had any children. In episode 5, Old Stinky revealed that he had really died in a mountain climbing accident, and girl Stinky is actually his protege. In actuality, girl Stinky is a golemGolemIn Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
, "The Cake of the Damned," an unholy concoction created by old Stinky from an entree (Fish sticks), a side dish (Tar Cake), and a dessert (Coffee Ice Cream), and brought to life in human form by adding a spare rib into the mix.
- Timmy Two-Teeth: Jimmy Two-Teeth's son was introduced in episode 1, along with Jimmy's ex-wife and Timmy's mother, Mary Two-Teeth. Timmy is a young rat diagnosed with terminal Tourette syndromeTourette syndromeTourette syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane...
; as a consequence, a large part of his speech is censored (although in a sense of irony, he doesn't really swear, but says stuff like 'Heck yeah' or 'Have a flippin' day). Despite this, he maintains a positive outlook on life. He dies in episode 5 and his soul goes to hell due to both Sam & Max's intervention (unlike his father, Timmy has lived a sin-free life, but his personal record was switched with Jimmy's at the moment of his death), but later his soul is released and Timmy comes back to life. He is also a great fan of the Soda Poppers (recurring characters from Season 1) and knows everything about them.
Episodes
| # | Episode | Release date (GameTap) |
Release date (International) |
Overview | Reviews (Metacritic Metacritic Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ice Station Santa Ice Station Santa "Ice Station Santa" is the first episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. The episode's title is a play on the movie/book title "Ice Station Zebra", a story set in the cold war period.- Synopsis & Plot :... " |
November 8, 2007 | November 9, 2007 | An ancient and bloated pagan god sends a bloodthirsty war robot to destroy Sam & Max. | 82% |
| 2 | "Moai Better Blues Moai Better Blues "Moai Better Blues" is the second episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap.- Plot :Sam and Max, after returning from the North Pole, find that a giant triangular vortex is chasing after Sybil and sucking debris off the street into it... " |
January 10, 2008 | January 11, 2008 | Sam & Max travel to the tropics where they try to stop a volcanic eruption. | 80% |
| 3 | "Night of the Raving Dead Night of the Raving Dead "Night of the Raving Dead" is the third episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. Compared to the episodes before and after it, it was considered to be disappointing by many reviewers.-Plot:... " |
February 12, 2008 | February 13, 2008 | Sam & Max crash an emo European vampire's nightclub to stop a zombie apocalypse. | 79% |
| 4 | "Chariots of the Dogs Chariots of the Dogs "Chariots of the Dogs" is the fourth episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. It was released on March 14, 2008.-Plot:... " |
March 13, 2008 | March 14, 2008 | Sam & Max team up with Flint Paper to discover what happened to a missing Bosco. | 85% |
| 5 | "What's New, Beelzebub? What's New, Beelzebub? "What's New, Beelzebub?" is the season finale of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. It was released on April 11, 2008.-Short plot synopsis:... " |
April 10, 2008 | April 11, 2008 | Sam & Max travel to hell to confront Satan and retrieve Bosco's lost soul. | 85% |