Telltale and GameTap have announced new details on "Sam and Max Episode 2: Situation: Comedy."

"In addition to revealing details about “Situation: Comedy,” the second installment in the hilarious “Sam & Max: Season 1” episodic video game series, today marks the premiere of the first original Sam & Max machinima short on GameTap TV.

The new animated shorts were created using machinima, an innovative filmmaking technique that utilizes the real-time 3D virtual environment of a video game. Sam & Max use their newfound time in the spotlight to tackle whatever outrageous issue they’ve happened upon.   From reality TV to Aristotle, and from day-trip destinations to turkey franks, everything and anything is fair game for the dynamic detective duo.  Beginning with today’s debut, a new short will air on GameTap TV every Thursday leading up to the launch of each new, full-length episode of the “Sam & Max: Season 1” video game series.   These shorts will be released on the Sam & Max sites at both Telltale and GameTap four days after they are released to GameTap subscribers.

On December 21, the full-length “Episode 2 - Situation: Comedy” picks up where “Episode 1: Culture Shock” left off.  This time Sam & Max make their way to a local TV studio to investigate a talk-show taping that’s spiraled into a hostage situation. Along with a few familiar faces and tons of Sam & Max's trademark humor, the episode features fresh locations and characters, a new musical score, and plenty of bizarre scenarios for players to puzzle through.  The first “Situation: Comedy” screenshots and gameplay videos were also released today and can be downloaded from the Telltale website listed above.

In addition to first access to the machinima shorts, “Situation: Comedy,” and every upcoming full-length episode of “Sam & Max: Season 1,” GameTap subscribers are treated to weekly releases of the complete 1997 animated Sam & Max television series and a documentary that takes gamers behind the scenes of “The Making of Sam & Max.” 

“GameTap and Telltale are defining episodic content for the games industry, delivering Sam & Max: Season 1 on a monthly schedule from now through April,” said Ricardo Sanchez, GameTap’s VP of Content. “This upcoming episode will pick up right where we left off at the end of Episode 1, while the new machinima shorts and the classic animated series will round out the experience, providing subscribers with a consistent stream of on-demand Sam & Max content.”

On January 5, 2007, fifteen days after the GameTap premiere, “Situation: Comedy” will be available for sale from the Telltale website for $8.95 each. The season also can be purchased in its entirety from Telltale for $34.95; those who opt to buy the whole season will be able to download each episode from Telltale’s website after GameTap’s exclusive period 15-day period ends."