Two hours? I pray this is a mistake...

http://www.shacknews.com/extras/2006/051206_e3_day2_chris_1.x

"Each two-hour episode will see Sam & Max solve a complete case, with an overarching storyline tying the episodes together and culminating in a season finale-like grand finish."

I mean come on, two hours? Are these episodes going to cost $5.00? I just don't understand this.

At least someone tell me they will have puzzles in them to stump players right? Its not going to be a cake-walk ala Bone is it? I'm royally confused as to why these episodes are going to be so short.

The original Sam 'n Max game was short too, but at least it stumped the player with puzzles and figuring out what to do. In fact some of the game could take days to figure out, it depended on the player. Will these episodes include such puzzles?

It almost seems to me that you want to sell an interactive (barely by the sounds of it) cartoon rather than a series of adventure games.

I am not surprised. The FAQ said that the episodes will be "shorter than The Great Cow Race". Considering that Bone 2 lasts 5 hours, I assumed each S&M installment would be half as long (more or less). But they will be published more often than Bone episodes are. In addition, the "season concept" allows players who don't like episodic publishing to buy the whole season when it's over. If the season includes - e.g. - 7 episodes, you'll get a 14 hours adventuring experience: nowadays this is the length of an average adventure game, which often doesn't feature the same amount of animations a Telltale game does and often requires more than a year to get made anyway.
Diduz (Italy)

Yeah 2 hours is extremely short. If thats how short they are then i'll probably buy it at the end of the season or something. I really REALLY hope that it's not more of an "interactive cartoon" than an adventure...Thats really why i don't enjoy Bone.I have confidence in TT though that they will be able to deliver...

In order for these episodes to be truly worth it they are going to have jam pack each episode with puzzles and humour, because even once the 'season' is done I couldn't see myself buying it just to "watch" Sam'n Max rather than play it.

This is my biggest worry, even more so than the voices.

So there's less play time but we wait less for the next one.

The flipside of this is: that also means less development time, a set schedule for Telltale to adhere to, and so the games will be RUSHED. Just look at any film licensed games that come out the same time as the film for an example as to how rushed they can be.

And also, this will totally destroy two of my favourite things about adventure games: solving tricky, difficult puzzles and exploring. How much of either can appear in a 2 hour long game? There wasn't much in The Great Cow Race, and that was 5 hours.

Depending on the pricing, the short playtime itself doesn't so much concern me, but the effect it may have on opportunities for exploration does somewhat. I'm willing to give Telltale the benefit of the doubt though, and wait for the first couple of episodes before I make any judgements.

the length doesnt concern me considering we will be getting episodes a lot quicker.. What does concern me as other people have said is the difficulty.. in all my favorite adventure games including sam and max: hit the road.. theres been puzzles thats taken me days even weeks to figure it out.. is it 2 hours of gameplay if you figure out everything within 5 seconds? I do want to be challenged.. I do want to be playing a game..figuring out the puzzles is the greatest thing.. if its very easy and you just play through a story in 2 hours that will be disappointing

2 hours eh? Since they compared it to The Great Cow Race, I'd like to know how the length compares to say Out From Boneville? I REALLY hope these games don't end up pitifully brief and easy... What's the fun of exploring and solving puzzles if it's over in a flash? I don't see myself being able to wait for the whole season and play it at once either, it was bad enough waiting to see where Sam & Max went after the Lucas Arts fiasco.

[Emily]

The flipside of this is: that also means less development time, a set schedule for Telltale to adhere to, and so the games will be RUSHED. Just look at any film licensed games that come out the same time as the film for an example as to how rushed they can be.

On the other hand, TV shows have been following this sort of schedule since the dawn of television.

A very, very different beast to videogames, and you know that!

I'm just after one thing: knowledge that the whole series will basically be completed before the first episode hits: that's what TV shows do. The final time between episodes should be pretty much for bug-testing and polishing only.

Seriously. I wont buy a game that is too easy. Come on, you want to revive the adventure game genre, what do you think made it popular?

The combination of a good story, atmosphere, jokes AND the great feeling that the player achieves when he or she has managed to solve a really really hard puzzle.

The puzzles can't be easier than those in Curse of Monkey Island. If that's the case, I prefer replaying the good ol' Hit the Road.

Completing the whole series before the first episode would be silly, because (as you can see with Bone) the best thing about the whole episodic idea is that TellTale can get feedback and improve the next episode accordingly.

Difficult puzzles = a good thing.

Lots of items on the screens and in the background to click on and explore = a good thing.

A large array of humorous responses from Sam and Max as you click on those previously mentioned things = gold.

Lots of goofy dialogue options = rockin'.

My hope is that the Sam and Max episodes will retain these things. This stuff is what made the original Lucasarts adventure games what they are. Every time I played Sam and Max Hit the Road, I'd stumble across something new that I'd never seen before as I used every command action on everything on the screen. (Yes, I played that game a *lot.*)

If the episodes retain these characteristics, I don't really care how long they each are. Difficult puzzles generally add time to the game anyway, making them seem longer than they are...

Completing the whole series before the first episode would be silly, because (as you can see with Bone) the best thing about the whole episodic idea is that TellTale can get feedback and improve the next episode accordingly.

Then how else are they going to get them done to a satisfactory standard? By now, after two Bone games, I would like to think they KNOW about how to make episodic adventure games.

And when I say "completed", I mean "everything in place". So if criticisms do arise, they can use the time between episodes just to correct those problems, rather than make the whole game.

If major criticisms at the heart of the game appear that requires a total restructuring of the game, then Telltale hasn't done their job properly or learned anything. Which I doubt will happen - I think they pretty much know what they're doing now:

Make them tricky, make them have plenty to do for replaying, make them have good exploration value, make the story engrossing, make the characters entertaining, make the voices right for those characters, and most importantly - make it laugh-out-loud funny.

Telltale - print that last paragraph out and hang it on your notice board. Follow it, and we'll be happy.

Difficult puzzles = a good thing.

Lots of items on the screens and in the background to click on and explore = a good thing.

A large array of humorous responses from Sam and Max as you click on those previously mentioned things = gold.

Lots of goofy dialogue options = rockin'.

My hope is that the Sam and Max episodes will retain these things. This stuff is what made the original Lucasarts adventure games what they are. Every time I played Sam and Max Hit the Road, I'd stumble across something new that I'd never seen before as I used every command action on everything on the screen. (Yes, I played that game a *lot.*)

If the episodes retain these characteristics, I don't really care how long they each are. Difficult puzzles generally add time to the game anyway, making them seem longer than they are...

Bull's eye!
Diduz (Italy)

Difficult puzzles = a good thing.

Lots of items on the screens and in the background to click on and explore = a good thing.

A large array of humorous responses from Sam and Max as you click on those previously mentioned things = gold.

Lots of goofy dialogue options = rockin'.

My hope is that the Sam and Max episodes will retain these things. This stuff is what made the original Lucasarts adventure games what they are. Every time I played Sam and Max Hit the Road, I'd stumble across something new that I'd never seen before as I used every command action on everything on the screen. (Yes, I played that game a *lot.*)

If the episodes retain these characteristics, I don't really care how long they each are. Difficult puzzles generally add time to the game anyway, making them seem longer than they are...

I agree with this 100% as well. This and that the games have to be difficult enough.

I'm just after one thing: knowledge that the whole series will basically be completed before the first episode hits: that's what TV shows do. The final time between episodes should be pretty much for bug-testing and polishing only.

Actually, that's NOT what TV shows do. TV shows generally only have a month, maybe two months, worth of episodes completed when the season starts. The rest of the shows are filmed througout the rest of the season. Only mid-season replacements are sometimes complete before they air, due to their late start date. This actually allows for networks or producers to request changes if the show doesn't perform well right away. (Although usually the networks just cancel the show.)

Keep in mind, folks, we don't KNOW how difficult the game will be yet. Bone isn't Sam & Max, and there's no reason to assume it's going to be exactly the same. And if the first episode proves to be too easy, Telltale will probably see that people aren't happy and make adjustments to future episodes. Which is why the episodic approach might not be a bad thing.

Keep in mind, folks, we don't KNOW how difficult the game will be yet. Bone isn't Sam & Max, and there's no reason to assume it's going to be exactly the same. And if the first episode proves to be too easy, Telltale will probably see that people aren't happy and make adjustments to future episodes. Which is why the episodic approach might not be a bad thing.

We're just expressing our concern. I'm sure every single person on this board wishes the S&M games to be great and have faith at least until the first episode is released.
These posts simply mean that we care.

Actually, that's NOT what TV shows do. TV shows generally only have a month, maybe two months, worth of episodes completed when the season starts.

Oh yes, sorry, I forgot you guys are in America where 24-episode seasons are the norm.

Difficult puzzles = a good thing.

Lots of items on the screens and in the background to click on and explore = a good thing.

A large array of humorous responses from Sam and Max as you click on those previously mentioned things = gold.

Lots of goofy dialogue options = rockin'.

My hope is that the Sam and Max episodes will retain these things. This stuff is what made the original Lucasarts adventure games what they are. Every time I played Sam and Max Hit the Road, I'd stumble across something new that I'd never seen before as I used every command action on everything on the screen. (Yes, I played that game a *lot.*)

If the episodes retain these characteristics, I don't really care how long they each are. Difficult puzzles generally add time to the game anyway, making them seem longer than they are...

awesome post. I'll also add..giving the use like 8 options.."talk/use/pick up/look etc etc" is what i'm really hoping for as well.. that just increases the possibilities of things you have to do.. thus makes it more difficult..but also means you spend more time in the sam and max universe.. if you're only option is to look at that cute picture of max as a kid on the wall..instead of attempting to look/pick up combine with somethin else.. then it limits the fun..and your immersion in the game...