Sure we are just a couple of weeks into the start of the Fall TV season, but other than Heroes who really cares?!?! Now we have some *real* news of the most lagomorphic kind! Sam & Max bring back real episodic gaming for a second round on November 8th!

I made it pretty clear in my review of Season One of Sam & Max that I really enjoyed the first year. It wasn’t perfect, but the characters were wonderful, the stories and humor were well done, and it represented Episodic gaming in a way that it was intended … and a way that the much touted efforts with Half-Life and SiN don’t begin to approach.

I have been anticipating the return of the duo since the end of Episode 6, and we finally have some details on the new season. In case you were worried that after a successful first season Sam & Max would lose their edge, don’t worry! Check out this description of the first episode of the new season:

“Ice Station Santa” puts a whole new spin on the season of giving, peace, and joy. With Christmas presents on the attack and carols of gunshots drowning out the bells, Sam & Max must storm the North Pole to bring down a less-than-jolly foe. Can they make sense of this Christmas conundrum in time to save the world’s children from a holiday tainted by tears, turmoil, and Torture-Me-Elmer?

So color me completely enamored with the new season already – my whole family had a chuckle at the prospect of seeing a ‘Torture-Me-Elmer’! (Actually they are hoping for a plushy to put next to Dave the Cthulhu) There are a few things that really make me anticipate this upcoming season. First, it is like a good TV series – you anticipate each new one, and know that it will come like clockwork as scheduled; you know that some episodes will be better than others, but that they will all form part of a greater whole; and you grow to love the characters and look forward to their next developments.

This is episodic gaming done right – and more. When I introduced it to my family, I didn’t realize how much they would enjoy it – but it has taken off. My Season One set got some serious play this summer – and little wonder. It is very much like the cartoons and many of the 60’s shows I watched as a kid – there is plenty of content to interest both kids and adults without alienating or boring either. That is no mean feat, as I’m sure any parent of a ‘tween’ could confirm. So the new Season of Sam & Max isn’t just some new game I am looking forward to – it is a comedic experience that will permeate my family for the coming year!

Tags: Misc