Season 4: Finalization of a Cancelled Project, or an Original Concept?

[Hayden]

As we all know, there have been quite a significant number of cancelled Sam & Max projects. The two most notable and well known are, or couse 'Freelance Police' and 'Plunge Through Space'. With Steve Purcell's new S&M blog, he has been posting quite a few pieces of concept art from these two projects, along with some other unnamed projects. This has really sparked my interest in a lot of the cancelled 'S&M' projects - 'Plunge Through Space' most of all; everything that he has posted from this cancelled project just seems really interesting, and I'm sure it could have become something great if it were ever finalized. And I'm sure the same goes for many other 'S&M' projects that have been cancelled over the years. Now, with Telltale and Steve Purcell able to do whatever they like with the franchise, there's is the possibility and opportunity to finalize these projects and turn them into something great.

So, the question is, should they do this? Or should they leave these old projects in the past and focus on something fresh? And if you do want one of the [titled] projects to be made into a game, then which one?

I look forward to hearing your opinions.

[crfh]

In a perfect world, they would make a brand-new Sam and Max Season 4, and there would be a way to release Freelance Police and everything they had on Plunge Through Space.

In a perfect world, there would be no lawyers ¬-¬

[SunnyGuy]

Actually, in a perfect world, Freelance Police and Plunge Through Space would be finished as originally intended, we'd get a 4th season, AND they'd make an awesome remake of Hit the Road.

Sadly, ours is not that perfect world =/

If I just had to choose one, then definitely Plunge Through Space first, I'm really interested in the space Desoto mostly.

[CartoonistWill]

Originally Posted by SunnyGuy

Actually, in a perfect world, Freelance Police and Plunge Through Space would be finished as originally intended, we'd get a 4th season, AND they'd make an awesome remake of Hit the Road.

Sadly, ours is not that perfect world =/

If I just had to choose one, then definitely Plunge Through Space first, I'm really interested in the space Desoto mostly.

I have to agree, I love the idea of the space DeSoto - and I'd love a remake of Hit the Road made all awesome like the Monkey Island 1 and 2 remakes that have or are coming out. Make it hand drawn and look like Steve Purcell's Sam and Max comic art style, that's what I say! ;-)

EDIT: I have to take back what I said about the remake bit. I just saw a youtube video and it looks better than I remember. I don't think it needs a remake, just a re-release. :-)


But sadly just because Steve and TellTale have got the Sam and Max property back doesn't mean they've necessarily gotten the rights on these games exactly. You see, despite Sam and Max being the starring characters, these games as far as I know were created by Lucasarts employees with Steve in an advisory role and as such are the creative properties of Lucasarts, though unreleased. They might give a legal stink if the script, concept art, or any characters created and copyrighted by the Lucasarts team that exist solely within those games and not created by Steve himself are used. For example, in the animated Tick series the characters Die Fledermaus and American Maid were originally not in the comics and were copyrighted by Walt Disney who had inherited Fox's line up of animated shows and could not be used in the following live action series, so instead the creators of the live action had to replace the characters with similar versions known as Batmanuel and Captain Liberty. So, in other words, taking the exact script or excerpts from it would mean stealing the work of the original writer or writers - unless they were brought on board or credited with permission, paid royalties, etc. The same goes for building characters off of concept art from the scrapped games - another example is the Ghostbusters the Video Game for the Wii having a Ray design remarkably like the artist Dapper Dan's concept art. The dispute was settled when the company admitted to using his concept art without legal permission and the compromise was to include Dapper Dan in the game end credits. Anyway, IF this were the case with Lucasarts and the canceled Sam and Max projects, this can't stop TellTale from taking the basic ideas (you can't copyright an unrefined concept - I can still make a superhero comic with similar concepts despite many already existing and copyrighted) of the canceled games - such as a DeSoto in space - and using that. Sure, the story may be different, there may be different characters for Sam and Max to meet, maybe they still have to rescue the Statue of Liberty, but without using the exact script or concept art TellTale can get past the legal barriers (that may or may not exist).

[lattsam]

Freelance Police Freelance Police Freelance Police Freelance Police Freelance Police Freelance Police Freelance Police Freelance Police Freelance Police Freelance Police!

Yeah, I really think Telltale should do this, regardless of whatever LucasArts tells them to do.

[ragdoll556]

I don't see why lucasarts can't just let telltale use elements from the cancelled games. It's not like they're going to be using them anytime soon in another game. They should just give them to someone who can use them.

[Hayley the Hedgie]

See, I wouldn't know would they be able to re-work on Freelance Police and Plunge Through Space 'cos they were like for LucasArts and stuff. Other companies. So all that development that they had... I dunno would they need to ask permission from LucasArts in order to continue development and to use that stuff.

But I'm the same, I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE for Season 4 to be Plunge Through Space. Everything I saw for that was just epic and I'd love to fly around in a flying DeSoto!

[Hayden]

Originally Posted by ragdoll556

It's not like they're going to be using them anytime soon in another game.

Fixed.

Originally Posted by Hayley the Hedgie

But I'm the same, I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE for Season 4 to be Plunge Through Space. Everything I saw for that was just epic and I'd love to fly around in a flying DeSoto!

I must admit that this is also the number-one reason that I want to see 'Plunge Through Space' made - so that we can use the flying DeSoto to... er, plunge through space!

[SunnyGuy]

Yeah, I mean, how could any fan not want to fly around in this?


Seriously. I want to fly it and see if every key on my keyboard actually does something like Steve said they would.

[Hayley the Hedgie]

Originally Posted by SunnyGuy

*drools in Homer Simpson like fashion*

Originally Posted by SunnyGuy

Seriously. I want to fly it and see if every key on my keyboard actually does something like Steve said they would.

That for me would be one of the best pieces of gameplay ever.

[ragdoll556]

This makes Doc Brown's delorean look embarrassing.

[SillyStell]

I really wanna see both completed but I dobut it will be, I mean Steve is still very secretive about both games which might mean legal issues, that or he just doesn't wanna tell. Ether way I can't help to wonder what would both games be like and what effect they would of had on the franchise. I also wonder the same thing about Earthbound 64 if that was made. To many good games die to soon

[lattsam]

Originally Posted by SillyStell

I really wanna see both completed but I dobut it will be, I mean Steve is still very secretive about both games which might mean legal issues, that or he just doesn't wanna tell. Ether way I can't help to wonder what would both games be like and what effect they would of had on the franchise. I also wonder the same thing about Earthbound 64 if that was made. To many good games die to soon

I think Earthbound 64 did come back... on the Gameboy Advance as Mother 3. I wonder if either of those two Sam and Max games will come back this way... if they come back at all.

[SillyStell]

I dunno, a lot of concepts of Earthbound 64 got changed and pretty much completly alterd when it was transfered to Mother 3. That's what I kinda wonder about the cancelled projects also, would the fact if it did start a fresh cause it to become a completly different game anyway? Etherway we'd be getting a new Sam and Max so it an't all bad XD

[SunnyGuy]

Originally Posted by SillyStell

I dunno, a lot of concepts of Earthbound 64 got changed and pretty much completly alterd when it was transfered to Mother 3.

There were changes, yeah, but Mother 3 and EB64 are still pretty much the same thing, it's not like they didn't change as much as every other game does from beta to full version.

[SillyStell]

True, I still would of loved to of seen both versions.
Anyway I fear I've lead this thread astray with my talk of Mother D:

[Vyse220]

I'm curious and want to look what the got so far in the develop of this games Oo

[SHODANFreeman]

Originally Posted by lattsam

Yeah, I really think Telltale should do this, regardless of whatever LucasArts tells them to do.

So you think that they should steal things that belong to LucasArts, and then get sued into oblivion?

[lattsam]

Originally Posted by SHODANFreeman

So you think that they should steal things that belong to LucasArts, and then get sued into oblivion?

I didn't necessarily say they should steal it. I think they should walk right up to the president of LucasArts, and say "I know you want to put Freelance Police behind you, but I want to continue working on it, so I would appreciate it if you would give us permission to continue the project"... or something to that effect.

[Nintendo Boy1]

If they find away to tie them into a season 4 I'll be blown!