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 In 1993, Sam & Max grew from its comic book roots and made its gaming debut in the Lucasarts title Sam & Max Hit the Road. The “graphic adventure” game featured the genre's trademark point-and-click exploration and puzzle-solving mechanics, but what made it popular were the titular stars of the show – Sam the wise-cracking dog and Max the psychotic “rabbity thing”. The self-titled “freelance police” solved crimes and unraveled mysteries while providing comic relief with their wacky antics and the exchange of humorous one-liners that took the piss out of pop culture. Despite its success, the franchise lost its publisher support and its sequel was scrapped. Sam & Max went into hibernation and didn't resurface for over a decade. Finally, Telltale Games brought it back with six episodic releases between 2006 and 2007. Collectively, these shorter games formed “season one”: Sam & Max Save the World. Until recently, Sam & Max was exclusive to PC gamers. Now, with a new release on Xbox Live Arcade, console gamers get their own chance to experience the graphic adventure series.
The XBLA version of Sam & Max features all six episodes from the Save the World collection. Each chapter has its own theme and tells a new story, but there is a bigger plot that begins in Episode 1 and concludes at the end of Episode 6. Along the way, players solve puzzles by interacting with items in the environment and conversing with a wild cast of supporting characters. The gameplay is decidedly “old-school”, but Sam & Max's unique personality will appeal to younger audiences just as much as the weathered gamers that are familiar with the franchise. Unfortunately, there are a couple of factors that might discourage XBLA gamers from adding this collection to their download queue. The primary obstacle is its sticker price of 1600 Microsoft Points ($20), which is steep by Marketplace standards. Other hurdles include a slow pace and the lack of mouse support, which works against the point-and-click nature of the game.
Are these setbacks detrimental to the overall experience, or is Save the World a quality investment that will suit the entertainment needs of console gamers? Hit the jump and read our review to find out if this wacky compilation is worth its weight in Microsoft Points.
Sam & Max Save the World is composed of six episodes: “Culture Shock”, “Situation: Comedy”, “The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball”, “Abe Lincoln Must Die!”, “Reality 2.0”, and “Bright Side of the Moon”. Each episode has its own crime or mystery to solve, but together they form a cohesive storyline that focuses on topics like hypnotism and mind control. Sam and Max aren't the only important characters that give the series its sense of humor; there are some notable support characters as well. The ridiculous personalities of Bosco, Sybil, and Hugh Bliss are particularly important over the course of the "season". A lot of the comedy comes from the dialogue between Sam, Max, and these characters. In the tradition of the series, there are countless parodies and varying themes. For example, “Culture Shock” features former child stars who may be afflicted with a personality disorder tied to their youthful stardom. “Situation: Comdey” pokes at television, fame, and the media with its parodies of popular sitcoms and shows like American Idol. Whatever the case may be, Sam & Max constantly provides a wide array humor that ranges from playful jabs at popular culture to definitive statements about society.
Say hello to the deranged rabbity-thing, Max, and the canine crime-solver, Sam.
There were two episodes that stood out and appealed to my sense of humor. The fourth episode, “Abe Lincoln Must Die!”, is chock-full of political satire that touches on American government policies of the past as well as the present. Gamers whose political affiliations favor the right side of the spectrum may not appreciate some of the jokes as much as their lefty counterparts. Regardless, the wackiest antics of Sam and Max are on display in this episode: after accidentally knocking the head off of the hypnotized Commander-in-Chief, Max enters the ensuing emergency election and runs against the animated statue version of America's most beloved President, Abe Lincoln. Sam leads the debates between the two candidates, but he helps his buddy win the election by swapping Lincoln's cue cards so that his responses repulse the American voters and effectively ruin his chances of returning to glory. This episode is hilarious from start to finish, and despite its general magnetism to one side of the political spectrum, it remains light-hearted in its comical nature. The following episode isn't so touchy – in fact, most gamers and tech geeks will get a kick out of “Reality 2.0”. Sam and Max go back and forth between virtual reality and real life to solve the puzzles in this adventure. This is easily the best episode in the collection: expect to see comical representations and playful references to the Internet, role-playing games, the Mario franchise, Pong, and text-based adventures, to name a few. The reference to Dragon Quest's Slime creatures was fantastic, but I particularly enjoyed Sam's reenactment of Link from the Legend of Zelda series as he joyfully raises new items into the air after collecting them.
Sam & Max Save the World doesn't break any new grounds in the graphic adventure genre; nonetheless its gameplay is effective and enjoyable. The detective duo begins each mission in its Freelance Police office, and after a brief introduction, you take control of Sam as Max follows him around. You aren't given total control over his movement; instead you direct him by pointing a cursor and clicking different spots on the screen. Despite this restricting style of control, you are free to explore the city, carry on conversations with other characters, and interact with various objects that are scattered around. The game progresses as you experiment with the items and use them to cause events to unfold. This process takes a lot of trial-and-error, but it doesn't test your patience. Sam & Max isn't a difficult game. In fact, the answer to each puzzle is often revealed as you scan the environment or pick up on details in conversations with the other characters. You have to pay attention to detail, but generally, the important details aren't difficult to discover.
I'll give you one chance to guess who this Presidential character is supposed to represent.
Some of the puzzles are particularly clever, and solving them is almost always rewarding. Every episode has at least one memorable moment, but one of my favorite scenarios is found "Situation: Comedy" as Sam and Max earn acting positions on a new sitcom about two cattle ranchers living with their pet cow in a Manhattan apartment. The twist is that they need to trick their nagging landlord into believing that their bovine friend is a respectable house guest. To do this successfully, you'll have to pick up objects around the set and use them on the cow to disguise it. Then you have to choose the correct lines of dialogue in a conversation with the landlord when he barges in to inspect the apartment. There are numerous ways to do this puzzle, and each result is equally unique and equally ridiculous. There is actually an Achievement to earn if you can fool the landlord character ten times. Although it might sound repetitive, it is actually pretty hilarious.
Despite the entertainment value of its ludicrous stories and conversations, Sam & Max won't appeal to everyone. First of all, the point-and-click style of play just isn't as attractive in today's gaming market as it was in the 90's. Furthermore, graphic adventures are optimized with mouse support. The Xbox 360 doesn't allow that option, and its controller makes everything a little more sluggish than it needs to be. It can be a real pain to pick up smaller objects that the cursor passes over as it zips around the screen. This is far from a fast-paced experience; Sam walks slowly and can't run in every area of the game. If you happen to be lost, confused, or stuck on a certain puzzle, it becomes increasingly tedious as you wander around at a snail's pace, attempting to find out what you are supposed to do.
At times, the end of an episode can seem so distant when the pace is so slow.
Sam & Max: Save the World is a lengthy game by XBLA standards; without the help of a walkthrough it could take more than 10-15 hours to get through the entire season. Like all XBLA titles, it also features 12 Achievements and 200 points to add to your Gamerscore. Simply finishing the game will unlock 150 of those points, but there are five Achievements to hunt down after the first episode that are specific to certain puzzles or situations. For instance, unlocking the “Unicornucopia” Achievement in Episode 6 involves asking multiple people to touch/rub/feel your unicorn (an item). This will be hilarious or immature, depending on your sense of humor. At any rate, in Sam & Max's case, I think the 12-Achievement, 200-point restriction on XBLA games is an unfortunate limitation. There were a lot of moments in the game that made me think, “There could have been an Achievement for this.”
I went into Sam & Max Save the World with plenty of doubts. I was convinced that its graphic adventure style wouldn't appeal to me, and I thought that it would fall on its face in its attempts to be funny. Imagine my surprise when I found myself enjoying its plot, its charming characters, and its sense of humor. I felt a satisfying sense of reward for completing its puzzles and earning more Achievements. Even the point-and-click mechanics grew on me. Although I wouldn't say that I prefer this method of control without the precision of a mouse, I think that it still manages to work out pretty well.
Just be glad that the level-headed Sam is pressing that button. Max would happily blow up your house, your city, and your pet kittens.
Despite its handful of flaws, I am confident in recommending this game to XBLA gamers. The “old-school” crowd will certainly enjoy Sam & Max, particularly if they liked Hit and Run or other graphic adventures of the past. Some might feel refreshed by the laughs and light-hearted nature. Don't let the pointing and clicking turn you away; this style of play is appropriate and fits the game perfectly. If it could grow on me, it can grow on you! Finally, even if its price is a little high, I think it is safe to say that Sam & Max Save the World is a great deal on the Marketplace. Those who give it a shot will find a lot to like in most (if not all) of its six episodes.
Final Score: B+
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