 Review By: Nick Arvites |
Developer: | Telltale Games |
| Publisher: | The Adventure Company | |
| Genre: | Adventure | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | ||
| Buy Now: |   |
[Plenty of spoilers follow, click here to jump to the conclusion]
Episode 1: Culture Shock
This episode is by far the most basic out of the season. The episode centers around a trio of former child stars known as the Soda Poppers disrupting life in the neighborhood. Through your investigation, you learn that they were hypnotized by a TV self-help guru. Sam and Max eventually stop the former child stars and solve the case.
The notable thing here is that most of the action of the game takes place in the neighborhood, and the only time they leave is to confront the mastermind behind the plot. The Soda Poppers characters are pretty annoying, but that’s the entire point of them. This episode is the weakest out of the bunch, but even still delivers on the comedy and laughs. It sets up the overarching plot that stretches through the series, and reestablishes Sam and Max to a long-deprived audience while introducing them to a new audience that really has never known them.
Episode 2: Situation Comedy
This episode provides a good contrast to the first one in the sense that the majority of the game takes place in a television studio. A talk show host has gone berserk and is holding her audience hostage. In the course of their investigation, Sam and Max take on various television roles in the studio.
This episode has some great moments while it lampoons television. By far, the best segment is the Sam and Max take on American Idol. Max is joined by two Soda Poppers as a judge, and Sam competes against the remaining Soda Popper. The pair also take on roles as a TV chef, gameshow contestants, and the stars of a pilot episode. Overall, a funny episode that takes great strides on the foundation built by the first episode.
Episode 3: The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball
Sam and Max are investigating the disappearance of a mole inside of a suspected mob operation. During this episode, Sam and Max attempt to infiltrate the mob itself by completing various tasks for the mafia. This involves silencing a witness, putting a bear on display in Bosco’s store, and finding a lost sandwich.
Overall, this episode felt like a step back from the second one. It felt too drawn out, and it involved going back and forth too much for my liking. The overall theme of the episode was funny. You don’t have to deal with the Soda Poppers, which was a good change. However, the pacing and back-and-forth nature of this episode felt like it harmed more than it helped.
Episode 4: Abe Lincoln Must Die!
This was my personal favorite episode out of the season. Sam and Max are sent to the White House to investigate the President. As the episode plays out, Max eventually runs for President against a giant walking Abe Lincoln statue. After getting Lincoln to bungle a debate and catching him in a scandal, Max is elected President. He triggers a war between North, South, and West Dakota over Mount Rushmore, and has to contend with a rampaging Abe Lincoln. Sam and Max stop Abe Lincoln to end the episode.
This episode has some of the strongest writing in the season, and it was a perfect choice for distributor Gametap to offer for free. The all-out assault on election politics and politically themed sarcasm are excellent, and makes this episode fun to play. This was a great followup to Episode 3, and corrected many of the shortcomings while advancing the season and keeping the overall feel fresh. I really enjoyed this one, and it stands out as one of the top offerings of Season 1.
Episode 5: Reality 2.0
Reality 2.0 pits Sam and Max against modern technology and the Internet. The pair end up in an interactive video game (think Second Life) through the use of Virtual Reality goggles. This game is hypnotizing players in the real world, and the layout is an electronic version of the real world. Eventually, Sam and Max give the AI controlling the Internet a computer virus (destroying its respect in humanity), reverting it back to a text-based Reality 1.5. After restoring the AI’s respect in humanity, Sam and Max free all of the trapped Reality 2.0 inhabitant just as the Internet dies.
This episode is an excellent follow up to Abe Lincoln Must Die, and it targets the Internet and video games. There are numerous gaming references, ranging from a Mario reference to the text-based adventure game segment. Anyone that’s spent any time paying attention to technology and gaming will enjoy this episode. Naturally, I thoroughly enjoyed it and all of the stabs at geek-humor and geek-culture. This episode stands alongside Abe Lincoln Must Die as one of the top episodes of Season 1.
Episode 6: Bright Side of the Moon
Episode 6 ties up the plotline of the season. The episode centers around prismatologist Hugh Bliss (previously seen in several other episodes as a minor character). The entire concept of prismatology is a veiled jab at Scientology, and the game brings back many characters from previous episodes for the season finale. In order to confront Bliss, Sam and Max have to get talismans from the cult members. Once they do confront Bliss, Max is split into multiple parts (violence, gluttony, and sloth). After Max is reassembled, Sam has to take on Bliss in a final showdown.
The final episode of the season does a good job of tying up the various plots and elements of the prior games into a coherent plotline. While the episodes standing on their own may not seem like they would connect, they shockingly do. The final installment does a great job of bringing elements from every game into the finale, and it allows the player to feel like things are resolved.
Bottom Line:
The episodic approach is interesting mainly because Telltale Games pulled it off wonderfully. Sam and Max Season 1 can function as six stand-alone episodes, though they make far more sense if they are played in order. It is possible to complete each episode in one sitting (realistic sitting, not a 12 hour marathon), and the time between episodes was short enough for the games to feel fresh and not get stale from too long of a wait. As a fan of the original game, I was afraid that the series wouldn’t retain the humor or the wit. Thankfully, Sam and Max Season 1 delivers both. Individually, the episodes would range between a 7.5 and 8.5. However, as a whole season, Sam and Max Season 1 brings a full adventure game to a genre that is starving for hits. The experience is funny, witty, amazing, and something that the gaming community could use more of instead of MMOs, shooters, and The Sims. As a whole, this package is up there with the Orange Box in terms of playability and value.
Simply put, if you have a PC and a sense of humor, buy this. Even if the only games you play are solitare and minesweeper, you can enjoy this title.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 9.0 |
Posted: 2008-03-01 12:12:14 PST