MurraySchull Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 (edited) I have my physical CD’s of the Season 1 and 2 soundtracks, and it always kind-of stung that we never got a matching Season 3 soundtrack. If we did see an official physical S3 soundtrack release that lined up perfectly with the other two in terms of appearance, layout, design, shape, etc. (barring the Skunkape logo instead of TTG of course), I’d absolutely be open to purchasing it, if only to complete the lineup! Am looking forward to the release of Series 3’s remaster very much, and am hoping to soon have the opportunity to introduce my younger cousins to adventure games in digestible chunks beginning with Season 1 Episode 1, progressing until the end of Season 3. I felt the S&M episodes would be a great place to start! Edited June 9 by MurraySchull 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 2 hours ago, MurraySchull said: I have my physical CD’s of the Season 1 and 2 soundtracks, and it always kind-of stung that we never got a matching Season 3 soundtrack. Telltales head of marketing changed mid way through season 3 development and he canceled all merch projects I had just started working on the soundtrack packaging when it happened. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vainamoinen Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 I still have mountains of CDs lying around, and have bought the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth OST on eight discs this year. But ... I ripped those CDs and put the box on my shelf to collect dust. I don't even own a designated CD player any more. Another sign of these strange times. I'd also buy a physical release of Season 3's OST. The impulse is there. It's just less sensible every year. 😐 A larger format reprinting of the comics including "The Big Sleep" however: I'd buy three of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Udvarnoky Posted June 27 Author Share Posted June 27 It is upon us. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimeGentleman Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 (edited) Wow, they did a great job! It really does look like a polished modern release. Will be interested to see comparison shots with the original... EDIT: in fact, some have been released! https://www.gamespress.com/en-GB/Sam-Max-The-Devils-Playhouse-Remastered-coming-Aug-14-to-PC-consoles Edited June 28 by TimeGentleman 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vainamoinen Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 (edited) And a day one GOG release. 🥰😍 In August, I'm literally buying my first two 2024 games, and The Devil's Playhouse will be one of them. Suddenly, I won't know what to play first. This will be a wild, wild, experience for me that I haven't had in at least a decade. .... aaaand apparently the NutriSpecs are now available to all platforms. Edited June 28 by Vainamoinen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimeGentleman Posted June 28 Share Posted June 28 It's interesting to see that a big change in the remaster is replacing some of the busier textures with much simpler ones. Like the brick wall, for instance. At the time, I remember the move to these kinds of textures being one of the elements that made the third season much better looking than the previous, but I can see how now, with higher definition assets, cleaner textures would actually work better. (I wonder if another part of their reasoning was to make all three seasons be closer visually.) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 10 hours ago, TimeGentleman said: It's interesting to see that a big change in the remaster is replacing some of the busier textures with much simpler ones. Like the brick wall, for instance. At the time, I remember the move to these kinds of textures being one of the elements that made the third season much better looking than the previous, but I can see how now, with higher definition assets, cleaner textures would actually work better. (I wonder if another part of their reasoning was to make all three seasons be closer visually.) It was both reasons! The highly detailed textures in the original were very heavily based on photographs, basically textures lifted from the CSI games. It added a really satisfying level of busyness to each screen, but when we tried to actually up the resolution and light it, as you guessed, it didn’t work that well. It ended up looking “old” instead of “a cooler version of what you remembered.” So we opted to simplify textures but add more detail to the scenes themselves, and also looked at how hit the road and Steve’s paintings handled “stylized” dirtiness. We also did want the game to be more of a piece with the other two seasons, while still having its own feel. So the overall density of environments and amount of caked on dirt, graffiti, and gunk is still way higher than in the other games. It also has film grain on by default, heavier vignettes in the corners of shots, and is color graded more aggressively into gunky “old film that’s been left out in the sun” tints, especially in the dark areas of shots. And for what it’s worth, the first two seasons were also not direct uplifts of their original styles. With season one we really looked at hit the road and the covers to the comics for inspiration, and wanted that season to feel closer to those than it previously had. So it’s pretty bright, has lots of high contrast spotlights, and is a little more flat. For season two we wanted things to feel a little more like a monster movie, so there is more underlighting coming up from below. We also decided season two would have a lot of two-tone lighting so many scenes are lit above with one color and below with another. For season 3 the goal was basically, try and make it feel like season 3 but more polished, while keeping it stylistically in line with the other two seasons, so the trilogy as a whole feels cohesive even if each individual season has its own mood and details. It’s definitely a more noticeable change with season 3 since it had more of an overt style to begin with than the previous two. (Or maybe more accurately, all 3 seasons had a style but season 3’s managed to actually punch through and be noticed to a greater degree than the other two.) 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vainamoinen Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 (edited) It's been said that the past had the disconcerting tendency to claw through the freshly laid soil of the present and wrap its cadaverous fingers around the entrails of the future. But sometimes, the past just peeks through that soil to give you a good long cuddle, and maybe it even stays around long enough do do great things in the future. But, while we're at it, this little quote from the past had me wondering for 13 years. Edited June 29 by Vainamoinen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 I long to update that soundtrack waiting thread. Maybe it’s why I got involved in the remasters to begin with. Who can say. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimeGentleman Posted August 13 Share Posted August 13 This is out tomorrow! I know the website says Skunkape were created purely to remaster these three seasons of games, but I can't help but wonder if they'll go on to do something else... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remi Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 And we have posted the only review you need to read. https://mixnmojo.com/features/reviews/Sam-and-Max-The-Devils-Playhouse-Remastered-Reviewed 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vainamoinen Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 1 hour ago, Remi said: And we have posted the only review you need to read. https://mixnmojo.com/features/reviews/Sam-and-Max-The-Devils-Playhouse-Remastered-Reviewed Quote If I were of the introspective type who took the time to reflect on Telltale’s brief run, I would, with some certainty, conclude that The Devil’s Playhouse was its peak achievement. Tales of Monkey Island was excellent, and I would never slight The Walking Dead, but the third season of Sam & Max had that certain je ne sais quo. Yes, absolutely, it was Telltale's finest hour. That said, I might indeed be the type to slight The Walking Dead, but then again, I never liked zombies that much; the hopelessness that pervades this work kind of dragged me down; and the TTG forum culture went out the door with the advent of a gazillion hyperactive twelve year olds. Besides, if my elephant brain doesn't let me down here, the great schism of those ancient times was puzzles or no puzzles. I was a puzzle guy. The Devil's Playhouse had them. I'm looking forward to re-experience this game and to find out, without any rose tinted glasses, what this particular je ne sais quoi (with an i in the last word, mind you) actually is/was. For now, my two questions are: Soundtrack, bandcamp, when? I want to send my money flying on those heavenly wavelengths ... New lines of dialog?! Which ones? (I'd ask those P. B.s you mention, but given the cataloguing talent they've demonstrated with the last S&M remasters, I might get more accurate results asking a random six year old) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scummbuddy Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 I fear it a pipe dream (not Pipe Dream) that Tales of Monkey Island remaster would be next in line for remastering. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vainamoinen Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 It's out on Steam. No luck for me yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuigiHann Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 1 hour ago, Scummbuddy said: I fear it a pipe dream (not Pipe Dream) that Tales of Monkey Island remaster would be next in line for remastering. ToMI would definitely benefit from a new coat of paint with the Skunkape touch (imagine having more than 6 character models!), but at least it's still nominally available. At the moment I'd put my hopes on Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - it's currently unlisted on storefronts, it wouldn't take a ton of re-lighting or anything due to its art style, and the Bros Chaps are probably easier to negotiate with than Disney is. And they've been establishing their presence as Videlectrix with their retro-style point-and-click games on Steam. Good fit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benny Posted August 14 Share Posted August 14 I would love it if Tales could be remastered by Skunkape, they've done such a good job on Sam and Max. Speaking of...Devil's Playhouse is out and reviewed get it bought everyone. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Udvarnoky Posted August 14 Author Share Posted August 14 Talked it over with Remi, and it's in fact a bannable offense now if you can't produce a proof of purchase on command. Hey, we never claimed civil rights were a thing here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Udvarnoky Posted August 14 Author Share Posted August 14 1 hour ago, LuigiHann said: ToMI would definitely benefit from a new coat of paint with the Skunkape touch (imagine having more than 6 character models!), but at least it's still nominally available. At the moment I'd put my hopes on Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People - it's currently unlisted on storefronts, it wouldn't take a ton of re-lighting or anything due to its art style, and the Bros Chaps are probably easier to negotiate with than Disney is. And they've been establishing their presence as Videlectrix with their retro-style point-and-click games on Steam. Good fit. The visuals for Strong Bad were a much better fit for the constraints of its target platform. The game needs to be made available again, but I don't know that it cries out for a new coat of paint. It doesn't feel compromised. Tales suffers much more obviously from being coerced into being made with a WiiWare SKU in mind. I'd love to see what redemption Skunkape could offer it now that it can present the most perfect qualifications imaginable. While we're pipe-dreaming: I wonder what it would take for NuTelltale to get Puzzle Agent running on Switch? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scummbuddy Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 Just found their big news post on Steam about the changes to this remaster. Along with the addition of point and click interface, about 6 bugged out lines of dialog were restored. Read on for more goodies. https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2648050/view/4324104099033012358 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lagomorph01 Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 This is amazing! Looking forward to playing this after I finish my run of Paper Mario 2! Thank you, Skunkape, for doing the seemingly impossible! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimeGentleman Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 More pipe dreaming: I'd love to see Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures get a glow-up, get them looking even closer to the films. I wonder how close the Telltale engine could get. (If Skunkape did it really quickly they could get it done in time to tie in with the new W&G short coming this winter!) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Threepwood4life Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 Looks great, I played the 1st 2 episodes and they've done a great job. It plays pretty well on the Steam Deck even though its unofficially compatible. I do recommend turning film grain off in the game settings as it just doesnt look as good with it on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vainamoinen Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 Still no luck on GOG. They have a national holiday in Poland today, and as any European knows, if Thursday is a national holiday, not much is going on on Fridays either. So chances are it isn't even coming this entire week. 🥺 Ah well, the good news is that I have at least 25 hours left to sink into the ridiculously addictive Steamworld Heist II which came out last week. I fully intend to write long form individual episode reviews and musings once I finally am on The Devil's Playhouse. Might be a good thing that I can't rush it. 18 hours ago, Scummbuddy said: I fear it a pipe dream (not Pipe Dream) that Tales of Monkey Island remaster would be next in line for remastering. I would guess that the rights are not nearly as easily acquired as those for Sam & Max. So we'll likely never see what Flotsam Town would have looked like if it wasn't broken in two for the Wii's undersized RAM. Re-doctoring the art style of Tales game might give some folks ideas about what could be done to Return, so it might still be a good thing that it likely isn't happening. There I said it moment: Instead of another Remaster, Skunkape could do S&M Season 4. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lagomorph01 Posted August 15 Share Posted August 15 14 minutes ago, Vainamoinen said: There I said it moment: Instead of another Remaster, Skunkape could do S&M Season 4. This. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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