Last month, an ESRB rating hinted that a new Sam & Max episode was coming to the PlayStation 3. Sure enough, Telltale Games has confirmed a PS3 release of The Penal Zone, the first episode of Sam & Max’s third season, for April 15, the same day the game will hit on PC and Mac.
Pre-orders for the PC and Mac versions are now available on Telltale’s site for $34.95, and as a limited time bonus, you’ll be able to get a free episode from the Telltale library — including Sam & Max, Strong Bad, Wallace & Gromit, Bone, or Texas Hold’em. You’ll also get membership to the “Freelance Police Elite Forces,” which grants you such perks as access to a special forum where you’ll be able to chat with the developers, including Steve Purcell; first look previews at the upcoming episodes; special offers on the Telltale store through September; and exclusive downloads. That’s not a bad haul of pre-order goodies, especially if you’re a Sam & Max fan that is certain to buy all five of the monthly episodes.
An FAQ on the game’s official site summarizes the story of season three, entitled The Devil’s Playhouse:
Sam and Max face a mysterious otherworldly power for controlling matter and space that calls to the strongest and strangest who might wield it – intergalactic warlords and eldritch gods, under-dwellers and scholars of the arcane. It’s Sam’s and Max’s biggest case yet.
Characters from the previous seasons, including Flint and the COPS, among others, are promised to make a return this season. The FAQ also claims “Max’s newfound psychic abilities give you a whole new way to interact with the world around you, and see the world through the eyes of a psychotic, empowered rabbit,” making it sound like the traditional gameplay we’ve seen in the first two seasons might be shaken up a bit in season three.