With the first season over, it’s time to move on to the second season, and that’s what the Sam & Max duo will be doing. Developer Telltale Games has released a new trailer marking the occasion and revealed a few upgrades that will be present in the new season. New features include a new driving game with an upgradeable car, mini-games for each episode, a character-based hint system and more dynamic NPCs. Check out the video embedded below.

The inevitable second season for Sam & Max has been announced by Telltale and GameTap, marking the return of the anthropomorphic duo this Fall.

“Season One was a great success, but it’s just a starting point for us,” says Telltale’s CEO Dan Connors. “The episodic model presents so many opportunities to innovate and engage the audience in brand new ways. Just wait until you see what Telltale and GameTap have in store with Season Two.”

As for the entries in season two, they will be “keeping the general structure and gameplay” and focusing on telling “farther-reaching, crazier stories,” according to Dave Grossman, Telltale’s design director. There will also be improvements based on user feedback.

For those looking to experience season one, a box set will be available next month, offering additional content alongside the episodes.

Ubisoft today announced that it will release CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Hard Evidence for the Wii Xbox 360 this Fall. Marking the first appearance of the franchise on either console, the game will have players use the characters from the show to solve crimes using realistic techniques and lab equipment. Crime scenes will be taken directly from the show, including an all-new garage lab for analyzing large pieces of evidence, improved evidence finding, lab mini-games and more.

As expected, the game will be graphically enhanced for the Xbox 360; gamers on the Wii will be able to use the Wii remote to navigate through a crime scene and do other things within the game. The PC version will ship alongside the console versions.

More information on the game after the jump.
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Ubisoft has officially announced the development of CSI: Hard Evidence, the newest game based on the popular television show. The game, being worked on by Telltale Games, will have the CSI: Las Vegas cast solve crimes using realistic techniques and lab equipment. It will feature forensic reconstructions and crime scenes taken directly from the television show, including an all-new garage lab for analyzing large evidence such as cars and boats, improved evidence gathering, various mini-games and more.

CSI: Hard Evidence is due for release in Spring 2007.

Telltale let it be known that the Director’s Cut editions of the first two episodes of its Bone series are now available. Both Out from Boneville and The Great Cow Race can be purchased together for $20 until January 7, with those who have already purchased the games getting upgraded to the new versions at no additional charge.

The Director’s Cuts were created in close collaboration with Jeff Smith, creator of the Bone graphic novels, and include updates to the core game engine as well as new content. New features include a new animated prologue at the beginning of Out from Boneville, providing backstory; updated voice acting and character model for female protagonist Thorn in Out of Boneville; added dialogue lines; and technical improvements, such as scalable resolutions and better game stability.

GameTap and Telltale have announced that Sam & Max: Episode Two - “Situation Comedy” - will be released next month. In addition, they also disclosed the premiere of the first original Sam & Max machinima short on GameTap TV.

December 21 will see the release of Situation Comedy on GameTap to its subscribers. This time the duo make their way to a local TV studio to investigate a talk-show taping that has spiraled into a hostage situation. This episode will feature new locations and characters, a new musical score, as well as new puzzles. SituatioN Comedy will be available for sale to non-GameTAP members starting January 5 for $9. Interested parties can also purchase the whole of Season 1 for a meager $35, with buyers getting access to Episodes once they are live.

As for the machinima: it’s a short having the duo tackle a wide range of issues ranging from reality TV to Aristotle, as well as day-trip destinations to turkey franks. New shorts will air on GameTap TV every Thursday; these will also be available on Telltale’s website four days after they have been released for GameTap’s subscribers. In addition to these shorts, the subscribers are also treated to weekly releases of the complete 1997 animated Sam & Max television series and a documentary taking them behind the scenes of “The Making of Sam & Max.”

Vanbrio has announced that it has released Bone Act 1: Out from Boneville for the Macintosh platform. Already available for the PC, Out of Boneville is the first installment of an episodic interactive adventure based on Jeff Smith’s acclaimed Bone series.

The adventure begins with three cousins - Fone Bone, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone - who become separated in a vast, uncharted desert. One by one, they find their way into a deep, forested valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures and new mysteries that await them. The Bone books have been hailed by reviewers and educators alike as engaging for all ages.

A free Mac demo is available from Vanbrio’s website; it can be unlocked to the full version for $13 without any additional downloads.

GameTap sends word that it will host the “exclusive” premiere of Sam & Max on October 17. The return of the dog & bunny duo’s first episode in the adventure series will show up first on the games subscription service a full 15 days before going on sale on the Telltale Games website on November 1.

The release date for Bone: The Great Cow Race has been announced by Telltale Games: the next installment in the episodic series will be available starting next month.

The Great Cow Race is the continuation of a new breed of episodic interactive entertainment that Telltale began last fall. The company released Bone: Out from Boneville as the first episode in this series to wide acclaim in September. Hailed by reviewers and educators alike as engaging for all ages, the Bone books on which these games are based have become the anchor for a line of graphic novels from Scholastic’s new Graphix imprint. In an un-paralleled feat in the games industry, Telltale is distributing this follow-up to its first title in the series within a six month period, in order to match Scholastic’s book publishing schedule.