The third chapter of Telltale Games' episodic adventure game hit the Nintendo Wii on Monday, and the PC version of chapter four is coming out on Friday? What a difference the WiiWare approval and scheduling process makes! I suppose Wii players should stop reading to avoid spoiling the fact that Guybrush finds himself trapped back on chapter two's Flotsam Island, now riddled with the pox that he brought there. Before he can progress to the series' epic conclusion he must avoid being executed for his heinous crimes - though when your wife looks like Elaine does right now, it might be for the best to just let nature take its course.

Tales of Monkey Island: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood will be available for PC purchase this Friday.

Dexter the Game follows the general premise of the Dexter television show. You play Dexter Morgan, the serial killer who only kills those who deserve it. You guide Dexter as he gathers information about his prey, stalks them, and eventually kills them in his usual fashion. The game is presented as a 3D adventure, with graphics that really give the previous generation of iPhones a workout.

"We are thrilled to give iPhone and iPod Touch owners a way to experience DEXTER in a fresh, engaging way," said Len Fogge, Executive Vice President, Creative, Marketing, Research and Digital Media at Showtime Networks. "The minute you begin controlling him and hearing his innermost thoughts, you are completely engrossed."

Dexter the Game is now available for $5.99 in the iTunes App Store. As a bonus, anyone who purchases the game gets a code to enter them in a sweepstakes that could score them a walk-on role in season five of the show. Happy hunting!

In a bleak world, legend tells of a child queen who will one day rise to give hope to a world filled with despair. In Drawn, you must unlock riddles and solve puzzles as you work your way to the top of The Painted Tower in order to save the young girl who would be queen. I'm completely surprised that this is the first I've heard of this title, because it's right up my alley - a gorgeous art style, point and click adventure gameplay, and puzzles aplenty. I may not have heard of it before, but now I am drooling.

Luckily I won't have long to wait for the release. Drawn: The Painted Tower is being released at 12:01am Pacific time this Friday at BigFishGames.com for the low, low price of $6.99.

Sure, Nintendo Wii players have had to wait a couple of weeks longer than PC gamers to take the next step on Guybrush Threepwood's journey to find redemption and salvation in a world that doesn't understand him, but look at it this way: it gives Telltale a chance to quickly fix anything that might not have been 100% in the PC version. In a way, the PC gamers are beta testing your game for you, and for the most part they have to sit in uncomfortable office chairs to play it. Wii are the champions, my friends.

Look for Chapter 2 to hit the North American WiiWare service on Monday for 1,000 Wii points.

The Siege of Spinner Cay coming to WiiWare this Monday! [Telltale]

When we last left our intrepid pirate friend, he had found himself stranded on Flotsam Island, a strange place where the wind always blows inward, leaving him little hope of escaping and rescuing his wife Elaine from the vile (and suddenly human) clutches of his arch-nemesis LeChuck.

"Launch of the Screaming Narwhal" has received universal acclaim for its gameplay and story that strands Guybrush on Flotsam Island, where in the tradition of the great old movie serials with cliffhanger endings, Guybrush must rout an array of eccentric characters and unravel a myriad of pirate adventures – before he can escape the perplexing island and battle the villainous LeChuck again in Chapter 2, "Siege of Spinner Cay."

Look for the Wii version of chapter 2 to hit shortly after the PC version's Thursday, August 20th debut.

So we won't. Instead, we'll review this as a port. Think of it as your memories of Star Wars versus your impressions of Star Wars: Special Edition. In some ways, it's great seeing an old favourite given a new lease of life. But in others, well. Han shot first.

Loved
Same Old, Same Old: This isn't a "remake". There's no new 3D tech underpinning the game, no re-written puzzles, no sweeping changes to Ron Gilbert's original vision. Instead, it's exactly the same game. Same lines, same characters. Heck, you press F10 and the game switches between new version and the original, so seamlessly you can do it mid-animation and/or mid-conversation (though you won't get voice acting in the 1990 version). So you know exactly what you're getting: one of the best adventure games ever made, and possibly the funniest as well.

New Vision: But it's not quite the same game. It plays the same, but sounds and looks very different. For the first time, voice comes to the original, thankfully (and tastefully) done by most of the cast from the later games, including Dominic Armato as Guybrush . There's also a new, shinier art style atop the game, which in most places looks great, especially the life it breathes into the game's landscapes. Some characters, however, have a lot less…character, a bit less humour to their faces, so it's not an improvement across the board.

Hated
A Wretched Hive Of SCUMM & Villainy: LucasArts' SCUMM menu system persevered for a decade or so because it was perfect. It served the original well, and it served its sequel well, but this remake does away with it in favour of a weird adaptation of LucasArts' later single-click interface. Some things are activated intuitively with a mouse click, others you have to drag through a cumbersome inventory system. It's a messy problem to face in 2009, especially when you can just hit F10 and be reminded that they did things better back in 1990.

Like a night out to go see the remade Star Wars movies, if you're a fan of the original, you'll enjoy the update, as it's nice seeing a rusty old game given a new lease on life. Even if a few of the additions are a little unnecessary.

Monkey Island: Special Edition was developed and published by LucasArts, released on July 15 for the PC and Xbox 360. Retails for $10 on PC and 800 MS Points on Xbox 360. Played game to completion for, what, the 17th time now?

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

With Telltale trying to juggle putting out new games with porting their existing technology to the PlayStation3, PS3 owners are feeling a bit neglected when it comes to the episodic adventure genre. Buzz! developer Relentless Software is looking to change that, with Blue Toad Murder Files, a murder mystery series they are self-publishing on the PlayStation Network later this year. Executive director David Amor comments:

"We're really excited to be self publishing this. The murder mystery genre has been a staple in TV, books and movies for years and we think we've come up with a great videogame interpretation."

Not much to see right now, but interested parties can register at the game's official site to receive updates as soon as updates are available. In the meantime, do not fret, adventure gaming PS3 owners. Relief is in sight.

"Amazing news coming Monday! Super excited! You have no idea how tough it is not to start yelling about it! But it's secret! Until Monday!"

The news, they say, will be "awesome news for old school fans."

While it's possible, with the upcoming re-release of The Secret of Monkey Island, that this could be another re-imagining of one of LucasArts' classic adventure games or even DLC, my money is on something more modern.

When Free Radical gave up the ghost last year, concept art for some pretty spectacular Star Wars Battlefront III ideas shook loose.

What I hope happens is that a new developer is named for the Star Wars shooter, one that can bring dark Obi-Wan to life.

LucasArts Tweet

We first caught wind of this via GamerBytes, who managed to snag a picture of the German listing before it was removed from the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle website. The listing was for The Secret Of Monkey Island - Special Edition, with the system listed as the Xbox 360 and the publisher Activision Blizzard Deutschland GmbH, the European publishing arm for LucasArts.

Adventure game website Adventure Gamers claims that independent sources have already confirmed the existence of the project to them, with a planned revelation during E3 2009 in two weeks.

So what could the special edition tag mean? Is this a completely overhauled HD remake, or just the original title stretched and filtered? Will it be an Xbox Live Arcade title, or a full on Xbox 360 retail release? Does the project even exist?

We've sent out requests for more information to both LucasArts and Microsoft, though if the game is planned as a big E3 reveal, chances we'll get official confirmation before then are slim.

If this turns out not to be a real project, someone needs to get on it immediately. There's a whole generation of gamers who have no idea what game we're talking about, and that needs to be rectified as soon as possible.

Update: As expected, LucasArts doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.

XBLA: The Secret Of Monkey Island Coming To Xbox 360 [GamerBytes]
LucasArts planning Secret of Monkey Island re-release [Adventure Gamers]

The Syberia series kicked off in 2002 and then continued with a sequel in 2004, both following the adventures of American lawyer Kate Walker on her surreal adventures across Europe and beyond. A point and click adventure, it would seem an odd choice to release a sequel on the ultra-powerful PlayStation 3, but developer Microïds has a plan to link together PlayStation 3 and PC gamers in an entirely new way.

Syberia 3, the new episode in the adventures of Kate Walker, actually allows those playing on PC and those playing on PS3 to collaborate online, thanks to a simultaneous data exchange and sharing mode on the two platforms. Syberia 3 will therefore see teams of players being formed so as to optimize their chances of reaching the end of the adventure by pooling the abilities of each of the participants. Only PS3 players who have collaborated with PC players, and vice versa, will be able to accompany Kate to the end of the adventure.

They are calling this sort of collaborative gaming a first, especially for the point and click adventure genre. Microïds' plan is to eventually have this sort of collaborative experience built into all of their titles, allowing gamers everywhere to share in the adventure without worrying about what platform they are playing on.

As for the story in Syberia 3, Kate Walker is still hunting down mammoths.

After having traveled throughout Europe in Syberia and Syberia 2, Kate Walker starts out on the mammoths' trail in a world on the border between reality and imagination, where strange white birds indicate the presence of extinct mammals...

Don't worry, fuzzy elephants. She's bound to find the rest of you eventually. It's what she does.

MICROÏDS launches SYBERIA 3 on PS3 [Official Company Website]

Update: And yes, this is indeed an April Fool's joke. Just not a particular interesting one.

Telltale follows up their Wallace & Gromit Xbox Live Arcade debut with seasons one and two of the Sam & Max series of point and click adventure games. Originally released as digital downloads for the PC, the episodic adventure series has since been collected into two seasons, with the first already released on the Nintendo Wii and the second coming soon for both Wii and PC. Now Xbox 360 players will get a chance to unravel mysterious mysteries with the twisted twosome, with Telltale releasing two full-season bundles onto Xbox Live in the coming months.

Both seasons have been given more descriptive names in honor of the upcoming releases, with season one now called Sam & Max Save the World and season two newly dubbed Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space.

The announcement didn't contain any word of pricing or release date, but I'm sure they'll get around to letting us know before the games are released...hopefully.

Telltale's latest episodic adventure title, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, is also a grad adventure for the developer, marking their first foray onto Xbox Live Arcade. Primarily developing titles for the PC, Telltale first made the leap to consoles with their last game series, Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People, which was also released on the Nintendo Wii.

"Our episodic series focus on story, character, humor, and cinematic presentation—very much like a television or film production. This all makes for a great living room experience through the gaming console," says Telltale CEO Dan Connors. "We're looking forward to expanding our catalog onto Xbox LIVE Arcade."

In honor of the announcement Telltale has delivered new screenshots of the upcoming dog and inventor show for your viewing pleasure.

Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror is now available for purchase n the website, which offers DRM-free classic PC games at low, low prices - in this case only $5.99. Featuring a mad drug kingpin and the potential rebirth of a Mayan god, it's adventuring gaming at it's finest. For adventure gaming at its even more finest, stay tuned for Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon, which should also be added to the site shortly.

The two pay games come as part of a deal between Revolution and GoG that previously saw the release of two free games on the site - Beneath a Steel Sky and Lure of the Temptress. As I have planned, GoG.com is quickly becoming a haven for fans of old adventure titles. Except, of course, Blood Net. I shall not rest!

Broken Sword's Riddles can now be Solved at GOG.com

To ring in the New Year, GOG.com offers DRM-free versions of two entries in Revolution Software's adventure series

Warsaw, Poland – December 30 – Closing out 2008, GOG.com (http://www.gog.com), the digital distribution platform with DRM-free classic games, announced another new deal with Revolution Software. After releasing two of Revolution Software's classic point-and-click freebies just a week ago – Beneath a Steel Sky (http://www/gog.com/en/gamecard/beneath_a_steel_sky) and Lure of the Temptress (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/lure_of_the_temptress) – GOG.com will soon expand its games catalogue with the additions of Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/broken_sword_the_smoking_mirror) and Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/broken_sword_the_sleeping_dragon).

The Broken Sword series introduces gamers to the adventures of George Stobbart and Nicole Collard, pushing players through gripping plots based on history and mythology. Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror uses an upgraded version of the renowned Virtual Theatre game engine developed by Revolution Software, and Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon is based on a 3D graphics engine using a direct control mechanism. Both games will be available at the incredibly low price of $5.99 – DRM-free and fully compatible with Windows XP and Windows Vista.

“The Broken Sword series is another great addition to our ever growing games catalogue. The games offer beautiful graphics and, most of all, great stories that will keep you glued to your computer for hours,” said Adam Oldakowski, Managing Director of GOG.com. “We're very happy to welcome Revolution Software to our site. We're grateful they agreed to add their freeware games to our catalogue – which have done very well – and I believe that the Broken Sword series will be as popular on GOG.com as the two free games.”

Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/broken_sword_the_smoking_mirror) is now available at GOG.com with the release of Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/broken_sword_the_sleeping_dragon) planned in the near future. This announcement puts an official end to “GOG.com fever month,” but that doesn't mean we don’t have a few more things up our sleeves for all fans of gaming oldies.

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While at first the graphics for the PC adventure series might not seem all that impressive, when you get up close with some of the screenshots below you can really see the lengths that Telltale is going to in order to preserve the clay feel of the source material. Check out the squirrel pic for an excellent example of the molded clay textures, complete with a fingerprint on top of his little squirrel tail.

Nothing new to report story-wise, but the screens certainly indicate that the series is in good hands with Telltale. No, that wasn't a modeling clay pun. You're imagining things.

Created by Charles Cecil of Revolution Games, Shadow of the Templars (Circle of Blood in the states) follows the story of George Stobbart and French journalist Nicole Collard as they unravel a mystery surrounding the ancient Knights Templar. The game was originally release for PC in 1996, while a GBA remake came out in 2002. The Director's Cut version of the game boasts a new narrative that tightens the games' ties to its sequels, new puzzles to take advantage of the Wii and DS control schemes, and facial expressions drawn by Dave Gibbons of Watchmen fame.

As a big fan of the adventure genre and the Broken Sword series in particular, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut is due out in March for the Wii and DS.

UBISOFT SIGNS DEAL TO PUBLISH THE DIRECTOR'S CUT VERSION OF BROKEN SWORD – SHADOW OF THE TEMPLARS

Genre-defining Adventure Game that Introduced Gamers to the Mysteries of the Knights Templars Makes its Debut on Wii(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM) Systems with a Special Edition

SAN FRANCISCO – DECEMBER 18, 2008 – Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced a publishing agreement to release the special edition of Broken Sword – Shadow of the Templars on Wii(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM) systems.

"Ubisoft works with the very best development talent in the world,” said Alain Corre, Ubisoft EMEA Executive Director. "We jumped at the opportunity to work with Charles Cecil and Revolution to publish a game of the highest pedigree so perfectly suited for the Nintendo audience.”

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Director's Cut builds on the original, boasting a new and explosive narrative interwoven with the first story. New puzzles have been added for Nintendo DS and Wii that specifically utilize Nintendo's unique control methods. The game also features stunning animated facial expressions drawn by Dave Gibbons, the artistic genius behind the comic book and upcoming movie, Watchmen.

"These new platforms and their innovative controls enabled us to translate and enrich the point-and-click gaming experience in a way that no other console allowed before,” said Charles Cecil, founder of Revolution Software and designer of the Broken Sword series. "Through Dave's animated faces, the game's characters are portrayed as empathetic and emotional – driving the narrative in a way that has never been done before in an adventure game. The Director's Cut has allowed me to deliver my true vision for the series."

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Director's Cut starts with the player in control of charming Parisian photo-journalist Nicole Collard, who witnesses the brutal and horrifying murder of one of Paris's richest and most influential statesmen. During her investigations, which feature exclusive new locations, Nico meets amiable American George Stobbart, who has been unwittingly caught up in the sinister and bloody theft of an ancient manuscript. Together, they are drawn into a terrifying conspiracy rooted in a long-forgotten medieval legend.

Expanding on the original classic storyline, The Director's Cut features tight scripting and an intense atmosphere from the explosive opening sequence to the gripping finale, where the full threat of the conspiracy is revealed.

Adds Charles Cecil, "The Director's Cut features elements that enhance the original puzzles and storyline, which helps explain what happened prior to the start of the original game, and how it ties to later games in the series.”

Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars – The Director's Cut is scheduled for release on Wii and Nintendo DS in March 2009.

Daedelic Entertainment is no stranger to spreading the holiday spirit, having initially introduced The Whispered World to the gaming public in the form of last year's Halloween greetings card. Now they're back with a Christmas-themed wallpaper featuring main character Sadwick dressed up in traditional holiday garb. Even his pet worm Spot is getting in on the act, and there is nothing more festive than a worm in a Santa hat. Trust me on this.

Hit up their website for the full-sized wallpaper.

The Whispered World [Official Website]

Season's Greetings from The Whispered World

Hamburg/Germany: December 12, 2008. German games publisher and developer Daedalic Entertainment delivers holiday greetings from Sadwick and Spot, the heroes of upcoming point & click adventure game The Whispered World, with the release of a snow-filled wallpaper. The topical desktop background can be found in various resolutions on the official website at www.the-whispered-world.com.

Daedalic Entertainment wants to wish gamers all around the world happy holidays and all the best for the upcoming year!

The beautiful adventure game The Whispered World whisks the player away to a fascinating fantasy world. Sadwick is a young clown but often far from cheerful. One night, a strange blue creature speaks to him in a dream, and sends him on an adventurous journey. Many dangers await Sadwick, for the world he knows is doomed to crumble and fall…

The fantasy adventure game is set for release (PC DVD-ROM) in Q1 2009 and is also in development for Nintendo DS.

http://www.the-whispered-world.com

The purveyors of DRM-free classic PC games have plans to significantly pad their relatively skimpy adventure title line up with Adventure Soft's titles, and Simon the Sorcerer is an outstanding place to start. The first in a series that now spans four titles, Simon the Sorcerer follows the adventures of the teenage Simon and his dog Chippy, mysteriously teleported to a fantasy world filled with parodies of beloved fantasy fiction such as the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. Simon is voiced by Chris Barrie, who played Rimmer on the British sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf, as well as Lara Croft's butler Hillary in the Tomb Raider movies. Simon is optimized for today's PCs and runs a mere $5.99.

Not a bad start. It's no BloodNet, but they're definitely moving in the right direction.

Point-and-Click Adventures Venture onto GOG.com with Adventure Soft

The vast catalogue of DRM-free PC classics is getting bigger with traditional point-and-click adventures

Warsaw, Poland. December 9, 2008. GOG.com (http://www.gog.com), the classic-games haven for anyone looking for DRM-free PC oldies, is proud to announce an agreement with Adventure Soft to bring its classic adventure games to the site. Under the agreement, GOG.com's games catalogue will expand with the addition of, among others, the adventures of the pointy-hatted teenager we all know and love… and we're talking about Simon the Sorcerer, of course, and not that Harry fellow. Thanks to the magic tricks of the GOG.com team, all games are 100% compatible with modern operating systems and have never even heard of DRM.

“It's great to have Adventure Soft on board. Point-and-click adventures are iconic examples of PC gaming in the 90s, and games like Simon the Sorcerer are some of the best examples of the genre,” said Adam Oldakowski, Managing Director of GOG.com. “With the addition of the Adventure Soft games, our users will get a load of brain-wracking riddles and off-beat humor.”

Adventure Soft's games will start hitting GOG.com's game catalogue with today's appearance of the original Simon the Sorcerer (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/simon_the_sorcerer). The announcement of the Adventure Soft agreement is the next phase of “GOG.com fever month” that began when the company announced the addition of Arx Fatalis to the ever-growing catalogue of Good Old Games. Expect more news about new features, new releases and some more agreements to announce in the upcoming days.

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First prize this year went to Jeremy Freese for his game Violet. Written in Z-Code (a modern reworking of Infocom's original adventure engine) the game sees you trying to write a 1000 word article while dealing with some unusual distractions.

IF Comp 2008 Results: Congrats, Violet! [Grand Text Auto]

Last night, while researching my iPhone gaming gift guide story, I stumbled across an iPhone adaptation of Atari classic Adventure, aka Keep that F-ing Duck Away From Me!

The game is a faithful copy of the original Atari 2600 title, complete with no music, annoying mazes and duck-faced dragons. It even has those surprise sound effects when the duck, I mean dragon, surprises you.

Instead of relying on tapping or tracing to play the game, you use the iPhone's tilt controls, which works surprisingly well. In fact, I've been enjoying this version of Adventure almost as much as I enjoyed the original back when I was nine. Though that might say more about me than the game.

Did I mention it's free? Yeah, if you have an iPhone or Touch you need to go get this, stat!

On October 20th 1978, Roy Trubshaw of Essex University threw the switch on MUD - the original Multi User Dungeon. This simple game was the first to let users experience a shared virtual world - albeit one depicted purely through text descriptions - but still featured the core elements of the modern MMO - collecting loot, gaining experience and killing the other guy first.

Although the original server is long since buried in a landfill, MUD games are still running on UNIX and VMS boxes in th e depths of the internets. Indulge your nostalgia/archaeology here.

Today the MUD and the MMO turn 30 [Massively]