While the wait continues for a third episode of the Bone series, new Director's Cuts of the first two installments were released recently by Telltale Games.

Developed in collaboration with series creator Jeff Smith, the special editions of both Out from Boneville and The Great Cow Race leave the core gameplay of the original versions intact, but now include several key updates to the game engine and some additional content. According to Telltale, the new versions feature:

* A new animated prologue at the beginning of Out from Boneville, which provides backstory and establishes the episode in a larger context.

* Updated voice acting and character model for female protagonist Thorn in Out from Boneville, to more closely resemble her characterization in The Great Cow Race.

* Technical improvements, such as scalable resolutions and better game stability.

* Added dialogue lines to improve story flow and enhance character development.

The Director's Cuts are available for purchase from Telltale's website, and offered in both download and CD formats. The CD versions won't ship until mid-January, though this option includes immediate access to the download versions in the meantime. The cost of individual episodes is the same as it was for the originals, though Telltale is offering a limited-time discount through January 7th to those ordering both download versions for $19.99 USD.

For those who have already purchased the original versions in either format, upgrading is as simple as downloading the Director's Cuts and installing over your existing version at no additional cost. For more detailed information, be sure to check out Telltale's instructions.