Do you think Walking Dead look would fit Sam and Max?

edited May 2012 in Sam & Max
Don't get me wrong, i really like the way the Sam and Max games look and how they have improved with each season graphically. The Devil's Playhouse looks downright awesome. But wouldn't be cool to have Season 4 lets say in the comic book-hand drawn style that the Walking Dead is?
I know, it may be like a big departure in terms of looks compared to the other ones, but it would make the game feel closer to its comic book roots. It would give the game a fresh new face, and with a more vivid color palette it could bring the older days of Sam and Max to life.

Comments

  • edited April 2012
    I like the idea if there indeed would be a fourth season. In the comics all the other characters were more realisitic than Sam and Max but in the sort of half cartoony way. I like the way most of the characters look but have to say I don't like the TellTale Flint Paper the roundish cartoon design and stocky figure don't make him seem as tough and noirish (I'm really having trouble with adjectives today).
  • edited April 2012
    Oh yes! Cell shading is the best way forward!
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited April 2012
    Hell yeah!

    A little more outlines on that style and it's an absolutely perfect fit for Sam & Max Season 4. Actually, the "realistic" humans Purcell portrays are rather similar to what TWD's game engine creates (while the style of the TWD comics is not exactly what Telltale delivers in TWD game ;) ).
  • edited April 2012
    LOL, first thing I thought when I loaded the Walking Dead game was exactly that
  • edited April 2012
    Actually... yeah, I think upgrading the graphics style again to a more comic book-esque/cel shaded look could be really awesome for Season 4! :0 It'd give the game extra cartoony visuals, which would be a fantastic idea for Sam & Max, since the seasons are already like playing an amazing animated series. Or movie, even. The Devil's Playhouse would make an incredible movie...

    But yeah, I'd totally be down with that! I bet it'd be pretty sweet~
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited April 2012
    It doesn't stop there, hopefully. Season 4 could bring excellent puzzle-driven gameplay back to Telltale and merge it with the Walking Dead graphics, character depth and FREEDOM OF CHOICE. Absolutely everything here would be a perfect fit for Sam & Max.

    Concerning color, I never saw the Sam & Max series as THE playground for all-too colorful compositions. Purcell's later, more muted or "dirty" color schemes (especially in "The Big Sleep") fit the scenario better, I think.
  • edited April 2012
    Ergh, no. I think it'd be horrible.
    Hell, I didn't even like Season 3's look and feel of things.

    Give me the Season 1 and 2 look anyday.
  • edited April 2012
    It shouldn't look just like The Walking Dead. Imagining Sam and Max interacting with that game's cast gives me a headache.

    I think something a little closer to Steve Purcell's art style would be nice, though.
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited April 2012
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  • edited April 2012
    I think the art style would fit as well, IMO :D
  • edited April 2012
    I think it would be great to see a Sam & Max season now, with the way Telltale have obviously advanced their engine etc. Hopefully another season is in telltales plans.
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited May 2012
    Hero1 wrote: »
    Hopefully another season is in telltales plans.

    I'd be surprised if it wasn't, the question is "when". We never had high hopes for 2012 with Telltale's full schedule, even though it's S&M's 25th anniversary. It just seems more likely that Fables and King's Quest come first, that's another year good-bye. But, who knows. Jurassic Park and Walking Dead, that was pretty dark stuff, maybe Telltale would like to make something more lighthearted and before anything else. Like SAM & MAX. ;)
  • edited May 2012
    Has anyone actually asked about it?
  • edited May 2012
    Telltale has only two game writing modes:

    1. Plans announced.

    2. No plans announced.

    They will not comment if there are no plans announced, even if they are actively working on the game. Yes, they've done that before. I doubt Sam & Max Season 4 is in this category, though.
  • edited May 2012
    WarpSpeed wrote: »
    Telltale has only two game writing modes:

    1. Plans announced.

    2. No plans announced.

    They will not comment if there are no plans announced, even if they are actively working on the game. Yes, they've done that before. I doubt Sam & Max Season 4 is in this category, though.

    In the category you mean of it's not yet announced, but they are working on it?
    So you think they aren't working on Season 4 at all right now?

    Hmm... I feel like it'll be really strange if we hear nothing Sam & Max related this year at all, considering it's the 25th anniversary. Even if it's not an announcement about Season 4.
    But let's think about this for a sec...

    Season 1 came out in '06-'07, while Season 2 came out in '07-'08. Originally, Season 3 was supposed to begin in late '09, but got pushed back a few months to early '10 instead. It's now May 2012 - it's been over 2 years since Season 3's first episode was released already.
    It seems suspiciously disheartening that it's been that long and we've heard nothing, considering the fact Seasons 1, 2, and 3 weren't that far apart from each other; the longest stretch of time between them was in-between Season 2 and Season 3, which was almost exactly two years. The only reason it was that long though was because Season 3 was slightly delayed, and we'd heard about it months before it released.
    So this, right now, is the longest amount of time where we haven't heard anything about a new season.

    Yes, I know we're kind of spoiled in comparison to the people who had to wait 13 years after Hit the Road. But I only started really getting into Sam & Max last year, I didn't play Season 3 until nearly a year after it's final episode was released, and it's now become one of my all-time favorites.
    But I feel like I missed a lot of the experience not being around when any of the episodes were releasing, I think that's a HUGE part of the episodic gaming experience, and I want to be a part of that. I know a lot of other people who got into Sam & Max rather late too that also feel the same way. So that's really why I hope Season 4 happens, and doesn't happen a ridiculously long time from now. Of course I wanna give Telltale time to make it as good as they can, rushing things out is always a bad idea. Still, I do wish they would give us some kind of word in regards to it already... and give a little bit of hope to the newer fans who feel like they were left out before and just want to be a part of the excitement.
  • edited May 2012
    If you mean make their humans look like they do in TWD then no. I have a difficult time accepting change to the point where it may be a you-need-therapy issue. I was constantly distracted by the upgraded character designs in ReBoot season 4 & refused to watch the 2003 Ninja Turtles or Extreme Ghostbusters because they didn't stick with the art style of their predecessors (well that & I hate gritty reboots).

    Though if they were to do human faces the way Purcell draw then in comics, that I could handle.
  • edited May 2012
    I'm worried TTG don't care anymore! :(
  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited May 2012
    I'd love to see a Sam & Max game which looks like Purcell's paintings more than like his inked illustrations. That would mean no or very subtle outlines, and full shading and color, but with a richer more saturated look than we're used to, visible paintstrokes, etc.
  • edited May 2012
    I fully support Jake's idea. I love 3D Sam and Max, but a more cartoony or painterly approach would be so awesome
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited May 2012
    Purcell's paintings - particularly the comic and Season covers - actually use outlines quite a bit. Mostly black, but not necessarily. Also getting, for example, that acrylic wash structure effect or the all colorful shadows into the next game, that would of course be AWESOME. Would beat the artificial grain of Season 3 hands down. ;)
  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited May 2012
    You're right there are outlines but they're not as uniform, and more pronounced on characters than backgrounds.
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited May 2012
    Jake wrote: »
    I'd love to see a Sam & Max game which looks like Purcell's paintings more than like his inked illustrations..

    So... you're not seeing it now? No ToMI-style Max flag
    on Kenny's boat
    at the end of TWD , eh? ;)
    Jake wrote: »
    You're right there are outlines but they're not as uniform, and more pronounced on characters than backgrounds.

    Absolutely correct, and of course a great way to suggest depth. :D
  • edited May 2012
    Purcell's paintings - particularly the comic and Season covers - actually use outlines quite a bit. Mostly black, but not necessarily. Also getting, for example, that acrylic wash structure effect or the all colorful shadows into the next game, that would of course be AWESOME. Would beat the artificial grain of Season 3 hands down. ;)
    Wait until you see the cell shading in "Fables"... it'll blow your socks off! ;)
  • edited May 2012
    Jake wrote: »
    I'd love to see a Sam & Max game which looks like Purcell's paintings more than like his inked illustrations. That would mean no or very subtle outlines, and full shading and color, but with a richer more saturated look than we're used to, visible paintstrokes, etc.

    This!! That would be incredibly cool, and look AMAZING!
    That's really great to see you like that idea too, Jake! It'd be so neat if the rest of Telltale felt the same way, and Season 4 ends up having one heckuva sweet new art style!
  • edited May 2012
    i would rather the game looked like SSFIV...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDMOrE8LBZQ

    SSFIV has that nice colorful acrylic feel to it, with some water color...
    I feel that this would fit sam and max pretty well... :P besides, purcell uses oil pastel and acrylic...

    this would be pretty faithful to the art style
  • edited May 2012
    One thing I love about Purcell's painting style would be hard to capture -- he tends to use colors to outline and overlay elements in such a way that the "sketch" origins of the image are still in evidence. It gives his work a really lively and spontaneous look, but it would be really hard to capture that in 3-D -- at best it would probably "boil" a lot in motion, or require some recoloration from scene to scene or even between camera angles (beyond what lighting can do.)
  • edited May 2012
    Actually thinking about it I would rather no artist effects to the graphics, it would make things too long to render and other parts of the game (especially as it is episodic) would be cut back on and would probably make the games shorter. I would rather they'd just make the character models closer to the look of the original comics than try to emulate the look of painting or inking.
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