Delivering justice whether they want it or not.
Today a new door opened for me. Well, not exactly new..I'd seen it before, but the door looked new. The pixels were barely worn at all! But it was a door that had been closed for a long time, and had suddenly opened again to throw me into a world filled withparanoid convenience store owners, brain addled former child stars, and a tall barefoot dog with a suit and his twisted rabbity companion. What did the door say, you ask?
Sam and Max
Freelance Police
Yes, that's right..Sam and Max are back, and they will keep coming back, courtesy of GameTap and the developer Telltale games. I got the chance to play it yesterday and I'mnow here to tell all you out there what it was like. Well, without spoiling it all,naturally. Ready? Here we go.
The game is titled Culture Shock and embroils the player in yet another, albeit brief, Sam and Max adventure. Despite the brevity of the game, which took me abouttwo or three hours to beat, it was a game that had me laughing quite a lot as the dialogue alternated between Sam's odd exclamations-"Take that, you law breaking dairy products!" to Max's quick witted comebacks and homicidal tendencies that manifest themselves in phrases like "Pull over or will be forced to destroy your car and it's occupants. If any.". He never actually -does- anything to anyone, but he wants to.
The plot of the game revolves around a nagging nuisance that is interfering with the operation of several of the fine local businesses in the area..well..just the two. Former child stars from the 70s(all with matching uniforms) are obsessed with a certain videotape that promises improved ocular health, bundled with the ability to see through clothes and walls, and it's afro sporting creator who goes by the name of Brady Culture.
To solve the crime you will use your wits, your odd collection of objects(bowling ball, boxing glove, home made tear gas gun(a salad shooter with onions in it) to,ah…interrogate witnesses which will range from the Two Teeth Jimmy the rat{you'll see)to the former cast of the 70s show The Soda Poppers while getting help from your highly placed sources..namely Bosco, owner of Bosco's Inconvenience, and Slyia thetaxidermist turned tattoo artist turned psychoanalyst. Okay, maybe they aren't that highly placed, but it's something. And believe me, eventually, they will be useful. Youjust have to ask the right questions.
When you get bored with that you can hop in your DeSoto-now a convertible-and dispense justice to the hapless motorists on the road, while perhaps making a decent profit andhaving a good laugh. Throughout the game you'll have the option to let Sam or Max taketurns speaking, which can lead to getting what you want out of the suspect or just for fun. Cause that's what it's all about. Having fun.Sam and Max: Culture Shock is currently available at Gametap. It will also be available for purchase directly on November 1st from Telltale Games
But first the scores!
Gameplay-7=Sam and Max: Culture Shock had an interface that any player can get used to easily. Just point and click. The inventory is accessed by clicking on the cardboard boxin the corner of the screen. Things that can be picked up, looked at, or used in somefashion will become highlighted when the mouse pointer is moved over the object in question. The same controls are used for driving the car. You simply point and click onthe lane you want to be in..or between the lanes. When you want to go back to driving ordo other things like shoot your pistol at the headlights of the car in front of you prior to clicking on the bullhorn for Max to tell them to pull over or to honk the horn you cando that. The transition between the other was very seamless. Kudos, Telltale.
Graphics-8 The graphics in this game are good. The characters are all modeled in 3D, giving them a lifelike appearance that astonished a player of the old Sam and Maxgames like myself. The environments are well designed as well, with different items havingtheir own labels that you can read or click on to have Sam make a comment on it, which is usually followed by a witticism by Max.
Audio-8=The audio was as pleasing to the ear as the graphics were to the eye. The musiccorresponds to the theme of the game and has a distinct R and B flavor,providing a perfect fit to the game. It will, of course, change depending on the events of the game but each compliments the particular event very well.
Sam*reading* Not'chos.
Max: They're mine, not'chos!
Value 10=This game is a great value for the money. If you sign up for GameTap's service, you not only get all the other games they have on their site, but you will also get towatch episodes of the original Sam and Maxcartoon show, machianima shorts, and adocumentary about the making of the new Sam and Max game for only 9.95 a month.
And, really, Sam and Max: Culture Shock is a very fun game to play. I feel like playing it through again now, as it happens, but one category remains before I can do so.
Curve 9=When you put together how fun Sam and Max: Culture Shock is to play, all the added content you get from GameTap, and how funny the interchange between Sam and Maxthemselves are, this game makes for a perfect fit. Couple that with the villain who never realizes right away that his plans have gone awry, before pitching into a manical laugh that he stops to do again because he didn't feel it was right the first time, and the hilariously oddball supporting characters like Bosco, the convenience store owner who believes everything is out to gethim like his mother, the country of Switzerland, and pastrami. I think this game should be played by anyone who liked the original Sam and Max, or just the point and clickadventure genre in general.