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Sam & Max's Triumpiant Return

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: August 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For those who may have not recalled, there was once a detective canine and a hyperactive lagomorph, who for reasons unknown decided to mete out their own brand of justice in the form of the Freelance Police.

What first began as a cult strip, later once became a PC Game by Lucasarts. Though it was a sensation, the other two games planned for PC and the Xbox mysteriously fell into obscurity.

Then in late 2006, Telltale Games got together with Steve Purcell to revive the duo in a new 'season' of games, with Episodic Levels of hilarity and wit.

Season One is surprisingly the best revival of Sam & Max I've seen so far, the Episodes utilize the classic point and click method, but with more interactive fun than just directing your stars from Point A to Point B. And the Episodes themselves are self-contained games while also subtly connecting with one another into the overall picture.

The Season begins when Sam & Max are called in to investigate the odd behaviour of beloved child-actors, The Soda Poppers. Not to mention, an odd tape being hawked by a forgotten host, Brady Culture. Another unique feature is, Sam & Max encounter several unique people upon their mission, like the paranoid Bosco, and the aptly-named, career-changing Sybil.

What starts off as a simple case, later evolves into an intricate plot where--in later episodes--Max becomes President and the Freelance Police wind up on the Moon.

If you ever loved the comic strip, or the cartoon series, you definitely love Season One, since Telltale Games has retained the humour and flavour of Purcell's creations. And even when you do finish the episodes, you have to go back just to uncover all the hidden gags along the way.

The soundtrack for Season One is also excellent with actual tunes rather than the typical generic digital music one might expect from most PC Online games. In fact the most requested songs "You & Me and Ted E. Bear," "More Than Jerks," and "Good for You (aka The War Room Song)" have been more popular than movie soundtracks.

Another added bonus are the special features like the Making of Season One, conceptual art, and other goodies. Even if you're not a fan of Sam & Max, you should give this game collection a try, since it definitely puts a refreshing twist on an old PC gaming concept.

Once again, a classic duo gets a new leash on life.

Max: Uh, I can't believe he just said that, can you, Sam?

Sam: As long as he doesn't call me, McGruff, he can say anything he wants, Max.

"Sam if it's always getting later and later, then how come it's early sometimes?"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: August 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Sam & Max: Season 1 is easily one of the greatest adventure games of the year. The humor never lets up and you find yourself repeating lines from the game to friends more often than not. The episodes are well thought out and deal with different situations from 1970's Soda Poppers to Max as President with an over-arching storyline. This game (6 episodes) is not to be missed! After spending hours and hours playing, I find myself asking the question "Sam if it's always getting later and later, then how come it's early sometimes?" and usually a friend will answer "you baffle me little buddy."

Sam & Max return with some hilarious new cases!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 22 / 22
Date: August 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Sam & Max Hit The Road came out in 1993. 14 years ago. It was a huge success, heralded for its twisted brand of humor and memorable adventure game play. It spawned legions of fans that have been hanging out for the characters return for nigh over a decade.

In 2002, LucasArts announced that a sequel to "Hit the Road" was going into production. In 2004 with the game nearing completion they canceled it. Outrage in the form of 30, 000 signatures in an online petition greeted the news. Sam & Max are beloved characters and "Hit The Road" is considered a classic and one of the funniest games to ever be released.

Luckily ex-Lucasarts employees formed Telltale Games and have finally brought us a new Sam & Max game after 14 long years. Season 1 totals 6 episodes each about 4-5 hours in length. Sam & Max tackle a new case with each episode, while an overarching storyline pieces the episodes together.

The new Sam & Max game really retains that clever brand of humor of previous Sam & Max incarnations. Episode 1 gets off to a strong start. Episode 2 and 3 are quite funny but suffer from simplistic game play. The puzzles in these episodes won't give you any headaches. Episode 4, Abe Lincoln Must Die is where the series really reaches new heights. It's a hilarious romp in which Max runs for president against a robotic Abe Lincoln. The environments are fresh, and the puzzles require greater thought. The music across the entire series is absolutely brilliant. Jared Emerson-Johnson has created some wonderful and diverse jazz music to accompany the game. The voice acting is superb and really brings the characters to life. Episode 5 and 6 finish off the season strongly with more well designed puzzles, hilarious dialog and wacky adventures. Perfect material for Sam & Max to riff off. I can't recommend this game enough. If you want a good laugh and a return to games that are genuinely funny purchase this season. I can't wait for Season 2.

A Return to Form For Adventure Games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: August 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

There has been a startling lack of quality adventure games for a decade, now. Finally, with the release of this 6-part epic adventure gaming masterwork, I have a reason to use my computer other than online shopping. The joy of Sam and Max not only comes from the clever puzzles and smooth gameplay, but the charisma of the characters themselves. Every object that you click on in this game is not only important to solving the mystery, but will also trigger a snappy and hysterical comment from Sam and/or Max. The episodic structure of these games had me worried, but once I played them, I saw the way the stories built upon one another and it left me more satisfied than the last season of Lost.

Buy this game if you've ever played or enjoyed any of the classic Lucasarts adventure games of the past. Seriously, this game is golden.

"They're probably hiding a cow"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: August 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Let's face it, if 1993's "Sam and Max Hit the Road" didn't strike your fancy, if the Sam and Max comic books didn't get you, and if you weren't wowed by the SatAM "Sam and Max: Freelance Police!!!" on Fox, then Telltale's foray into the Sam and Max universe is the perfect chance for you to hop on the Sam and Max bandwagon.

This awe-inspiring six episode series blends the time-tested successful Adventure-game style with beautifully 3d-rendered graphics, expertly written comedy, and a musical score that would put John Williams to shame in an instant.

The games themselves use a simple point and click interface, so if you're a seasoned Adventure gamer, or a weekend gamer who hasn't played anything that doesn't rhyme with "Halo", you spend almost no time learning how to play, and instead be able to focus on solving the puzzles and enjoying the tremendous effort Telltale has put into this series.

My only complaint? The season not being endless.

Plain and simple, if you're looking for a fantastic thrill ride that anyone can really get into and enjoy, look no further.

TellTale Games deliver the Sam & Max game we've been waiting for!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

When I heard that TellTale Games was developing a new Sam & Max adventure, I was excited. Having seen our hopes be dashed by the light saber loving company that owned the rights to the game, I was glad to see a company take it on and deliver a true masterpiece.

Season 1 is an excellent adventure game. It stayed true to Hit the Road. The funny antics that these two go through are worth the money.

If you are an old school adventure gamer, buy it. If you are new to the scene, buy it. If you are into FPS, Strategy, or RPG games, buy it anyway.

Fantastic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: August 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is funny, fun, & different than anything else out there. Highly recommended.

Episodic games can work, Sam & Max are the proof

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 6
Date: August 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Virtual Adventurers from all over the world may remember a game called "Sam & max Hit the Road!", now considered a cult classic. Thirteen years after, the most nonsensic dynamic duo, originally born in a comic book by Steve Purcell during the eighties, are finally back on our computers.

I must admit I was a bit worried by the episodic format at the beginning, but in the end it works pretty well. The game is actually six games with independant plots, linked together by a common "meta-plot". As one can expect from Sam and Max, the stories are crazy and funny and filled with witty dialogue, and it gets wilder and wilder with every new episode. The last three in particular are pure gems.

If you have fond memories of the golden age of cartoon adventures, or just want to play a great game with zany humor, give Sam & Max Season 1 a try. You'll like it. Or else Max will find you and bite your head.

Great season, keep 'em coming

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: August 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you like adventure games, this is a great game, but if you're a Sam and Max fan, you must own it.
The Pros: It's Sam & Max, the stories are fun, voice acting is quite good, graphics are good (for the genre) and the music is superb.
The Cons: Some episodes are too short and the puzzles could be more challenging. The overall story arc is good but is tied up too fast.

Who says Adventure Games are dead?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: August 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

It's been a long time since Sam & Max: Hit the Road was released, and for about that long, I never thought I'd be able to see or afford the sequal-that-was-not-to-be. You can only imagine my surprise and unbridled joy when I learned that the Freelance Police were back with a new beat, a new look, and the same sarcastic wit that I know and love!

The game itself is still much of the same of what Hit the Road was, but obviously aimed for a demographic that doesn't want to spend a month doing everything. Something I no longer have time to do myself now that I'm out in the real world and not wasting away some high school weekend football game in front of my TV. While the individual episodes only take a few hours to finish, there is a mountain of hidden content in each of the episodes depending on what tasks you do and in what order you do them in. More often than not, you will find hidden jokes by simply using the wrong item in a very illogical way, which is how you also solve most of your puzzles.

Unfortunately, the overall plot is somewhat predictable. I was able to spot who the major villian was from the second episode, so the big reveal was no surprise. This is, thankfully, fixed by the episodic plots contained within each... uh, episode. Each adventure has their own plot twist or strange humor to keep them fun and engaging. The characters are fleshed out to the point where I can't help but like the side cast of crazies.

The production quality of the game is also something to be praised. The writing is on par with not only the past incarnations of Sam & Max, but that of the comics as well! The voice acting only gets better and better as you get deeper and deeper into the game, but they were still really well done from the first episode on. However, my personal favorite element of the game is the music! The sample soundtrack that comes with this version does nothing but leave me wanting more. (So much so, that I bought the official 2 CD soundtrack from the Telltale Games store.)

This game is a must own for anyone that wants to have a good time playing a video game but without the requirement of devoting a whole weekend to it. You can play one episode, take a break, and then pick up again weeks later if you want and still not miss out on the fun that is Sam & Max!

My only gripe is that my computer isn't good enough to see the game in all its high-quality graphic goodness.

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