Hype Muffin
If there's one word to summarize Sam and Max, it's wacky. The premise alone should tip you off, and each episode is packed with comedy, from interactions between characters, observations on the environment, to the plotlines of each episode. However, each individual episode is linked so that an over-arching story ties together all of the plots of previous episodes and returns many characters for the sixth and final episode. Witty and comedic, the stories of each episode and the crazy characters are sure to entertain.
As a point-and-click adventure, gameplay is comprised of pointing at things on the screen and selecting the object or item. It sounds simple enough, but the Wiimote can be inaccurate when trying to select small objects or trying to move by clicking the ground, but otherwise the controls are as simple as necessary. Each episode contains a small number of items to be used in any variety of manner (thinking outside the box is a must on some levels) and a few different areas to explore, though some are consistent throughout the season. Unfortunately, gameplay is slow, being comprised mostly of thinking what to do and listening to characters talk. The actual actions are, relative to the dialogue, rather short, and the game can feel pretty boring at times, or tedious when you don't know what to do (few hints are provided, and even then they tend to be obscure). Clearly the game does not translate well from the once per month download style on a computer to the condensed form of a game disc.
Graphically, the game is as quirky as the story, further evident by the concept art you can view in the main screen--many characters went from more realistic styles to exaggerated, cartoonish styles. Environments and characters are nicely rendered in three dimensions, and one episode in particular displays some great visuals. However, the game suffers a few minor hiccups and rough polygons, and can even slow down and cause graphics and audio to skip--a few more layers of polish could have really helped.
One of the highlights of the game is the voice acting. Every character has a voice over, and each matches the personality of the character exceedingly well, from a two-bit rat con man to conniving secret service agents. A lot of effort was put into the voice work, and it shows. Like the visuals, though, the sound is troubled with technical hiccups, often causing dialogue to be cut off prematurely. Otherwise, the sound is a nice touch to the game.
Each of the six episodes takes only a few hours to play straight through, but one of the main appeals of Sam and Max is clicking on everything you can to hear random jokes about most everything. Devout players can pad the length of the game significantly through this, though faster paced players might be bothered by the slow and tedious nature of clicking on everything on every screen. Furthermore, replay value is nonexistent unless you really want to go back and hear the joke about the gumball machine again.
Sam and Max has a distinctly zany air that is sure to delight. For those that haven't played the game on a computer, Season One provides a convenient way to play all six episodes, though regrettably suffers from some small technical problems.
7.0/10
Images from IGN.com
