Sam & Max, DEFCON gold

Not coming soon to a store near you is a pair of high-profile digitally distributed titles that have nevertheless gone gold. Development on Telltale Games' episodic successor to the beloved PC graphic adventure Sam & Max Hit the Road is finished, as is DEFCON, a game of thermonuclear war from Introversion, developers of the Independent Games Festival Awards Seumas McNally Grand Prize-winning Darwinia.

In a post on the Telltale Games' Web site, the company confirmed that Sam & Max Episode 1: Culture Shock is finished and will be available on the GameTap subscription service starting October 17. After a couple weeks of exclusivity, the game will also be made available for purchase through Telltale's online store.

Introversion also confirmed the gold status of DEFCON in a post on its Web site today. Fans of mutually assured destruction won't have to wait that long for DEFCON, as the game will be available to download right from the developer's online store for $17.50 starting Friday.