Gametap only available in the States?

WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE FREAKING OUT ABOUT HAVING TO WAIT TILL NOVEMBER! You'll save loads of money getting them individually! And Gametap isn't all that great. So just wait like me. I'm not complaining.

Actually, I'm intending to get the bundle from TellTale (then I get the a hard copy too (yay!) - So I'd have to wait even if GameTap was available in the UK.

Having said that, I've gotta agree with you man - People seem to be getting this way out of context -

Take a moment, step back from this and re-evaluate the situation - Do ya see now? Thats right; it's a freaking video game! It's supposed to be fun, not an obsession.

It's a form of entertainment to distract you from all the other things that make life worth while, like, being rejected by women, working in an unfulfilling, meaningless, high pressure job to ensure you can afford the latest heavily marketed product which your under the mistaken belief you want because the advertising marketing campaign beats you into submission by repeatedly telling you over and over again how much you desire and want the product, developing deep seated emotional neurosis and complexes, believing any/all news coverage at face value due to being conditioned to listening to music, tone and keywords instead of what the reporter/newscaster is actually saying, conforming as much as possible with the a social mindset that defines morality by the current marketing & fashion direction, and tells you that you are an individual as long as you buy the same clothes, food and gadgets as everyone else you know, being deeply unfulfilled and unhappy, which due to laziness and an atrophied skill of self-defined purpose and fear of social rejection, you attempt to fix as quickly as possible through purchased distractions and media sensationalism rather than any true attempt to understand who you are, what you are genuinely looking for in life, and so on and so forth, with maybe a few other ideas I've seen people on late night T.V. rant about over the past ten years that I can palm off as my own....

I guess you could always take up a hobby while you wait - how about smoking? Keeping the art alive baby!

(Anyone you're are going a pirate a game because you have to wait two weeks for it to become available? - This kinda reminds me of that reviewer on IGN who rates games lower if they are released in Europe before their released in the U.S.)

[Udvarnoky]

I'd be pissed too, really, but people need to realize that this isn't an issue of localization or of either company wanting to screw over international customers. If Gametap funded the game, then we have them to thank for getting Sam & Max at all. Also from the sounds of it they might have been the only publisher who understood and appreciated the license enough to let it even be an adventure game. I know little about how this stuff works, but I'd imagine that a partner that not only gives financial support but respects the game enough to give it the necessary amount of creative freedom isn't easy to come by. Considering that, and the fact that Gametap is a subscription service business, getting a 15 day exclusive period for the game they paid for seems pretty reasonable. The downside is they're not yet international but the trade-off is probably worth it, plus the gap between the worldwide release is a lot smaller than with most games (even if ideally there'd be none at all). Also I suspect a lot of US fans will wait until Nov. 1 anyway so that they can buy and own the game instead of essentially renting it. The facts suggest that it makes more sense for Sam & Max fans to see Gametap in a positive light.

I happen to already be a Gametap subscriber, so I'll be getting the best of both worlds. Feel free to shift all the anger to me, because I'm sure going to be gloating enough to earn it.

yeah i know. it sucks badly, they kinda **** on their fans with that. But in the end it will only cause bigger piracy of the game. Because seriously why do we have to wait longer, just because we dont live in USA. A fair company would release to all the people at the same time, instead of this USA first.

Hope telltale will be just alittle smarter next time..

Come on, it's just two weeks. Next to nothing really. Hardly a reason to even think about pirating a game.

Would id be in excess of a couple of months I might agree that you have something of a point there, but with two weeks - no.

[Pvt._Public]

The only real problem I have with the two week wait is that I'm going to be fighting myself the whole time to go and check out various forums and reviews or else they'll probably ruin some puzzles and parts of the game. In the meantime I'll have enough time to try to finish Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines which is pretty good so far apart from the occasional crashing back to desktop when going into new areas.

Also, I'm mostly annoyed that I can't get gametap outside of America because there are a lot of old games I would have to pay an obscene amount of cash for to buy otherwise which the service happily pimps away with little to no fanfare.

The only real problem I have with the two week wait is that I'm going to be fighting myself the whole time to go and check out various forums and reviews or else they'll probably ruin some puzzles and parts of the game. In the meantime I'll have enough time to try to finish Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines which is pretty good so far apart from the occasional crashing back to desktop when going into new areas.

Also, I'm mostly annoyed that I can't get gametap outside of America because there are a lot of old games I would have to pay an obscene amount of cash for to buy otherwise which the service happily pimps away with little to no fanfare.

Is there really not enough porn on the net to keep you entertained for two weeks? B-)

[Pvt._Public]

Is there really not enough porn on the net to keep you entertained for two weeks? B-)

Possible Answers:

1.) Hell no, ain't enough porn in the entire world to entertain me for two whole weeks!

2.) Good gracious no, I could never sodomize my vast intellectual mind with something so filthy as pornography!

3.) What ees thees porn? I no speaka the englandese very well.

4.) Nope, I've seen pretty much everything the internet has to offer.

5.) There's not enough snail related pornography for my liking.

6.) No comment.

Think of some more yourselves (bearing in mind that this site is meant to be child friendly)!

Alright. Why have you been speaking of a release in October when the world-wide release is in November? I'm really really frustrated now. Seriously, you are trying my patience.

Why aren't there _any_ good publishers in this world? (speaking about Gametap) Their sole goal seems to be to make customers mad and get money.

I will see. Eventually I'll buy the game in November. Eventually not. The reviews say that the difficulty of the game is too low
anyways..

[Legolas813]

Please.

Of course their goal is to make money. They are a business! Gametap has been good to us adventure gamers by making a game like Sam and Max possible.

The wait is two weeks. There really is no reason to complain.

It would have been okay if they just would have said that all non-US people must wait until november when they hyped the release. I don't remember anything about that. Just a "Sam & Max available in the middle of October!" newsletter.


And sure, their goal is to make money. But do all publishers have to destroy the joy of gaming by being idiots? Has anybody here heard about Lucasarts? There are thousands of examples..

It would have been okay if they just would have said that all non-US people must wait until november when they hyped the release. I don't remember anything about that. Just a "Sam & Max available in the middle of October!" newsletter.

As I remember it was written in quite bold letters and was advertised over and over. I do not say 'read the small letters', I do say - try to read after the second line.

And sure, their goal is to make money. But do all publishers have to destroy the joy of gaming by being idiots? Has anybody here heard about Lucasarts? There are thousands of examples..

now... canceling the Sam&Max game is being idiot, but delaying the worldwide release in two weeks?
gee... it's just a a game, and usually it takes more than two weeks after the release to get a standard boxed game in europe.

So ummm.. what was wrong with Steam? I'm sure that Gabe Newell would have chucked you just a big fat swagbag as gametap did. I'm prety sure that Steam has a bigger install base than gametap as well. In all seriousness, he hired the NuclearMonkey team to make Portal on the strength of the 3 level game/techdemo Narbacular Drop, so surely the devs that have the license for Sam & Max are worth some serious consideration?

Still, I suppose that you have "Premier Content" status on their service, which is nice for you and raises your profile somwhat. Not that you needed it that much, slashdot and 1up have pimped you like mad from your 1st press relaese onwards.

Anyrate, you guys obviously missed the lectures about the Consumer Generation. We were programmed by marketing companies since the early 80's to have massive desire for anything which happens to catch our imagination and subsequently told that we can have it all right now. This of course leads to massive frustration when companies build up your desire for a product, then don't let you have it. I remember a time when they advertised stuff, then you went out and bought it. It was a nice simple transaction and everybody won. We got our product, you got our money. These days, it's nothing like that simple. Product advertising is done months ahead of time, albums and singles have charted on airplay 2 weeks before their shop release, all manner of product gets oversold and underproduced leading to consumers waiting on mfr backorders for weeks or months. The amount of frustration for the people who have been programmed to want everything now is unreal.

Anyrate, you have released a digital download to about 1/3 of your intended market 2 weeks before the rest of the world can buy it. I would expect to see cracked versions on torrents within 48 hours. Given that you've just told everyone else that they're not as important as the US, which is a massive kick in the teeth for us all, you just stacked up the weights against you on the "hassle of finding a pirate copy" vs. "time to wait for a legit copy" scales. Honestly, who in their right mind is going to go to the hassle of finding a pirate copy of a game when you can get it off steam and be gaurenteed of playing it within a few minutes of it's global release?

So, the key points of this rant:

a) Use the available tools at your disposal to globalize.

b) Serve the consumer, it's your job to please us.


-Amphetamine

[Heatherlee]

Anyrate, you have released a digital download to about 1/3 of your intended market 2 weeks before the rest of the world can buy it. I would expect to see cracked versions on torrents within 48 hours. Given that you've just told everyone else that they're not as important as the US, which is a massive kick in the teeth for us all, you just stacked up the weights against you on the "hassle of finding a pirate copy" vs. "time to wait for a legit copy" scales.

So, the key points of this rant:

a) Use the available tools at your disposal to globalize.

b) Serve the consumer, it's your job to please us.


-Amphetamine

Hi Amphetamine...

I'm sorry you feel disappointed and I'm really sorry you have interpreted events this way. I wish GameTap was worldwide. Next year they will be and this will blissfully be an issue of the past. I wish everyone could play the game at the same time because that would be more fair and I know we have rabid fans in Europe for whom we have nothing but love. It saddens me that the Europeans are not feelin the love.

But the love will come! Hang in there!

a) We do our best.
b) Its our job to make and distribute games. Its in our best interests to please the consumers. We try, and we'll keep right on trying till the whole world is brimming with glee.

[Pvt._Public]

Hey, fellas, if you want to go and complain about the advertising by Gametap, go and complain to gametap. Still, I have to say that it stung when I went to the Telltale main page and saw the huge ol' "PLAY SAM AND MAX EARLY" sign plastered there by Gametap.

Alright. Why have you been speaking of a release in October when the world-wide release is in November? I'm really really frustrated now. Seriously, you are trying my patience.

Why aren't there _any_ good publishers in this world? (speaking about Gametap) Their sole goal seems to be to make customers mad and get money.

I will see. Eventually I'll buy the game in November. Eventually not. The reviews say that the difficulty of the game is too low
anyways..

Do you have any idea how childish you sound?
Trying your patience? IT'S A GAME!

I do feel for those who litereally can't access gametap, but I've said this before and I'll say it again:

You should be thankfull for that two-week gap. Without it, the game may not even exist.

I actually think two weeks is pretty small considering the extent to which Gametap would love to claim the game as "exclusive content."

Possible Answers:

1.) Hell no, ain't enough porn in the entire world to entertain me for two whole weeks!

2.) Good gracious no, I could never sodomize my vast intellectual mind with something so filthy as pornography!

3.) What ees thees porn? I no speaka the englandese very well.

4.) Nope, I've seen pretty much everything the internet has to offer.

5.) There's not enough snail related pornography for my liking.

6.) No comment.

Think of some more yourselves (bearing in mind that this site is meant to be child friendly)!

Dammit - That's a really good reply B-)

Do you have any idea how childish you sound?
Trying your patience? IT'S A GAME!

It's a game that easily can be downloaded from the Internet at any time as soon as it's ready (as opposed to other games that must be shipped etc.).
But I'm not allowed to download it since I live in the wrong place. That's annoying, especially since I've been waiting for that "day in the middle of October" for a long time.

Sure, it's just a game. But the game costs money, and my interest of this game has been decreasing for a while now. That's not because I'm childish, it's because of other things that catches my interest. I'm not a millionaire so I can't buy every new game that gets released. However, I WAS indeed planning to buy Sam&Max yesterday....but something got in the way.

[Legolas813]

Well it's your own fault for thinking the worldwide release was October 17. Telltale has not been keeping these release dates secret. Do a little research next time.

Hi Amphetamine...

I'm sorry you feel disappointed and I'm really sorry you have interpreted events this way. I wish GameTap was worldwide. Next year they will be and this will blissfully be an issue of the past. I wish everyone could play the game at the same time because that would be more fair and I know we have rabid fans in Europe for whom we have nothing but love. It saddens me that the Europeans are not feelin the love.

But the love will come! Hang in there!

a) We do our best.
b) Its our job to make and distribute games. Its in our best interests to please the consumers. We try, and we'll keep right on trying till the whole world is brimming with glee.

Hi, sorry, I was a little harsh there. Guess listening to too much MSI had driven my angst levels into the danger zone.

In all seriousness though, why not Steam. It's the best online distribution service available and I can't see why anyone would want to distribute content via any other means.

I see this little scenario in my head every time I think about it:

Gabe Newell "So, you guys are here to talk about a game then?"

TTG Team "Yeah, we've got the license for Sam & Max and want to make a new graphic adventure in an episodic format."

Gabe Newell *presses intercom buzzer* "Linda? Have some lackys bring up a big sack of money and a pile of contracts. Oh, and have a fleet of Porches ordered and work on a press release so big that you'd have to be on mars to miss it"

TTG Team "Yayy!"


Maybe it wouldn't happen exactly like that, but it's a nice thought. I know you guys might not have felt at home sat next to HL2 and SiN, but You'd have the Popcap games to keep you company and who could wish for more than that?!

I am seriously interested as to why you'd take Gametap over Steam though, the equation doesn't add up in my head. Vavle love episodic content, and you've got a license under your belt that carries a lot of positive history.

On the subject of licenses, well done for getting this one back on the road as it were, there's too many old licenses that are being sat on by companies who will never do what the fans want with them. Like Microsoft/FASA holding the licenses for Shadowrun and Battletech and not listening to the thousands of mails that they had begging to make some new RPG's from them, or even Games Workshop producing a Warhammer Fantasy MMORPG instead of making WH40k at a time when the market is flooded with high fantasy games in that genre and people are crying out for more Scifi and Cyberpunk games.

Anyrate, congrats on doing somthing good with the license, I look forward to playing the game, eventually.

As for everyone that's telling people to calm down because it's just a game: When I see things that I think are wrong, I'll shout about them and try to raise as much hell as I can in the hope that someone will pay attention and things will change for the better. If you are happy to keep quiet when you see things that you think are wrong then feel free to do so, but also keep quiet when other people are trying to draw enough attention to get them changed.

Rant for the day over.

My guess would be that Telltale wants to become a publisher of their own later on when they grow as a company. GameTap might've shown more interest in Sam & Max than Steam and/or offered a better contract. Who knows, Steam might've even wanted a more binding contract and if in fact TellTale wants to publish their own games in the future alone if possible, the contract would've been something TTG wasn't up for.

Speculation, speculation - but there has to have been some reason it's on GameTap and not Steam. I don't really care for it either way as I'm going to buy it straight from TTG anyways.