Telltale tells as how Sam and Max works

Back in 2005, episodic gaming was the hot new trend. However, the next three years saw various publishers' efforts meet the episodic business model with mixed success. Valve's first two Half-Life 2 episodes have been commercial and critical hits, but with only two releases in two years, the company isn't exactly providing a steady stream of content. Other episodic attempts have fared far worse: Ritual Entertainment's SiN made it to Episode One before giving up the ghost, as the studio was purchased by casual publisher MumboJumbo in January 2007.

In fact, there is only one unqualified success story in the episodic gaming field--Telltale Games resurrection of the Sam & Max franchise, which debuted in late 2006. The San Rafael, California-based indie shop's series finishes its second season on the PC this week, and the company recently announced that the first season would be compiled and released on the Wii later in the year.