Sam & Max (& Me): Season 2
July 16th, 2008 by moody
I don’t think there is a game recently out there that can give you a good laugh like Sam & Max.If you want a game like that and is a point and click type of game, then you are in for a treat.
The story is about a detective dog in a suit named Sam and his sidekick, a rabbit with an over sized head and mouth and dots for eyes, named Max. They are the freelance police. Naturally, they get to solve cases but not in a traditional way. Instead, they do it in a wacky and seriously funny way.
An old two dimensional version of the game was released in the 90s which I missed. Then Telltale (the developer) announced they will make a new Sam & Max game using 3D graphics with the same old, and loved, point and click system. That game got scrapped and then reintroduced as episodic releases. Currently, Seasons 1 and 2 are out each containing five episodes. Each episode is worth about 1-3 hours of gameplay (depending on how good you are in solving problems in weird and stupid ways). I won’t be talking about Season 1 but most of what is talked about here applies to the first season. It is a good idea to pick up Season 1 before delving in to Season 2 but not necessary. The season’s episodes have their own story (case) which are connected together to form the season story, so playing in sequence is prefered.
The game is played, as stated earlier, in a point and click fashion. You mouse over an object and will get a tool tip about it. Click it and either Sam or Max will comment on it, in a funny way, or will interact with it. The inventory system used is so simple and basic even a young kid can understand it (kids these days understand even more complex games!). The idea is to connect the objects to the right elements, be it a person, a machine or whatever that makes sense (or doesn’t) to get a solution. There a lot of times you will get stuck wondering what to do or how to move forward. Honestly, I myself rushed to look into walkthroughs which can save you the time but no recommended. Especially when you figure out that the answer was so close if you had a little patience to look around more.
The requirements for the game are very forgiving almost all current and last generation (even two generations) of PC hardware can run it at maximum settings. What is nice about the graphics is the art style which maintains a very cartoony element. The animation is also nice and it is this combination of art and animation that makes you feel connected to the plot and the game world overall.
Sam and Max themselves are great characters in addition to the other characters you will interact with in this helarious world. From start to finish of each episode you will continue smiling and will throw in a lot of laughs until the season ends in which you get hinted to a third season coming soon. I must say when that point is reached, you will want Season 3 sooner than later.
Tags: Freelance Police, Max, Sam, Sam & Max, Sam and Max
