Sam and Max : The Devil's Adventure Game
Our favorite freelance police save the world (again) with snappy dialogue and a bit of violence...
Published: September 15, 2010
Season Three of Sam and Max is officially in the can, and if you haven't checked out JD's review of the first two episodes, you should, because The Penal Zone and The Tomb of Sammun-Mak are vital components to getting full enjoyment out of the rest of the season. Since he covers all the basics in his reviews, I'll just focus on the highlights of each of the remaining episodes:
Season 3 - Episode 3 : They Stole Max's Brain!
Each episode of this season draws inspiration from a different film genre, and They Stole Max's Brain is noir at its finest. Much of the dialogue could find a home in any Dashiell Hammett novel and Sam himself would make a great Sam Spade. Sadly, we do not get to hear much of Max in this episode, as he, well, doesn't have his brain for the most part, although they do find ways to work him in on occasion. The puzzles in this installment largely center around psychic abilities, and at times I yearned for more inventory-based solutions, but the writing keeps up its high standards which is the key to Sam and Max anyway.
Episode Highlight : The intro sequence which features Sam traveling around town interrogating familiar faces for info on just WHO stole Max's brain. This sequence is a departure from the psychic-power based sections in the rest of the game, and harkens back to to old days. All the dialogue options are hilarious, and unfortunately it ends all too soon.
Season 3 - Episode 4 : Beyond the Alley of the Dolls
Paying homage to the early horror films (think Night of the Living Dead, the episode picks up right where the last one left off, with hordes of Sam clones terrorizing the city in an attempt to recover all the toys that scattered out of the Devil's Toybox previously. Once again, the majority of the puzzles revolve around Max's psychic powers, and while the writing was still top notch, I found this episode dragged on a bit and I yearned for the days of visiting Bosco's store and the old office. It does end in spectacular fashion and sets up the thrilling finale in a way I did not see coming though!
Episode Highlight : The all-too-brief appearance of Bluster Blaster and his fantastic dialogue about what he has been through since we last saw him. Out of all the wonderful characters these 3 season of Sam and Max have produced, I think the C.O.P.S. are by far my favorite. Please make a game about the C.O.P.S. Telltale!
Season 3 - Episode 5 : The City That Dares Not Sleep
The season concludes with a classic Godzilla-like monster movie that sees Max as a giant demon rabbit threatening to destroy all of humanity, and Sam and many of his acquaintances tasked with putting an end to it. We finally get to spend more time with Sybil, Agent Superball, Mr. Featherly, Sal, and those loveable C.O.P.S. as they work together to find a way inside Max. We also return to the more traditional gameplay style, as Max is not around to use his psychic powers, and many of the puzzles are based around inventory, which may or may not please you (it pleases me). I won't spoil anything, but this final episode serves as a wonderful way to wrap up the season, and perhaps the adventures of Sam and Max. It may have even brought a tear to my eye... nah!
Episode Highlight : A toss-up between the awesome recordings of Max's ideas for novels that you can listen to, or the wonderful descriptions of Max's "inventory" that call back to some of the highlights over the past 3 seasons. Seriously, the writers at TellTale have a better grasp of comedy than anyone in the industry.
And so we come to the end of another season of Sam and Max. With Telltale hard at work on both Back To The Future and Jurassic Park, who knows if our favorite freelance police will ever return to the plasma screen, but we can only hope the dynamic duo are reunited at some future point (and give us a new Maniac Mansion/Day Of The Tentacle PLEASE!)
Season 3 - Episode 3 : They Stole Max's Brain!
Each episode of this season draws inspiration from a different film genre, and They Stole Max's Brain is noir at its finest. Much of the dialogue could find a home in any Dashiell Hammett novel and Sam himself would make a great Sam Spade. Sadly, we do not get to hear much of Max in this episode, as he, well, doesn't have his brain for the most part, although they do find ways to work him in on occasion. The puzzles in this installment largely center around psychic abilities, and at times I yearned for more inventory-based solutions, but the writing keeps up its high standards which is the key to Sam and Max anyway.
Episode Highlight : The intro sequence which features Sam traveling around town interrogating familiar faces for info on just WHO stole Max's brain. This sequence is a departure from the psychic-power based sections in the rest of the game, and harkens back to to old days. All the dialogue options are hilarious, and unfortunately it ends all too soon.
Season 3 - Episode 4 : Beyond the Alley of the Dolls
Paying homage to the early horror films (think Night of the Living Dead, the episode picks up right where the last one left off, with hordes of Sam clones terrorizing the city in an attempt to recover all the toys that scattered out of the Devil's Toybox previously. Once again, the majority of the puzzles revolve around Max's psychic powers, and while the writing was still top notch, I found this episode dragged on a bit and I yearned for the days of visiting Bosco's store and the old office. It does end in spectacular fashion and sets up the thrilling finale in a way I did not see coming though!
Episode Highlight : The all-too-brief appearance of Bluster Blaster and his fantastic dialogue about what he has been through since we last saw him. Out of all the wonderful characters these 3 season of Sam and Max have produced, I think the C.O.P.S. are by far my favorite. Please make a game about the C.O.P.S. Telltale!
Season 3 - Episode 5 : The City That Dares Not Sleep
The season concludes with a classic Godzilla-like monster movie that sees Max as a giant demon rabbit threatening to destroy all of humanity, and Sam and many of his acquaintances tasked with putting an end to it. We finally get to spend more time with Sybil, Agent Superball, Mr. Featherly, Sal, and those loveable C.O.P.S. as they work together to find a way inside Max. We also return to the more traditional gameplay style, as Max is not around to use his psychic powers, and many of the puzzles are based around inventory, which may or may not please you (it pleases me). I won't spoil anything, but this final episode serves as a wonderful way to wrap up the season, and perhaps the adventures of Sam and Max. It may have even brought a tear to my eye... nah!
Episode Highlight : A toss-up between the awesome recordings of Max's ideas for novels that you can listen to, or the wonderful descriptions of Max's "inventory" that call back to some of the highlights over the past 3 seasons. Seriously, the writers at TellTale have a better grasp of comedy than anyone in the industry.
And so we come to the end of another season of Sam and Max. With Telltale hard at work on both Back To The Future and Jurassic Park, who knows if our favorite freelance police will ever return to the plasma screen, but we can only hope the dynamic duo are reunited at some future point (and give us a new Maniac Mansion/Day Of The Tentacle PLEASE!)
