Sam & Max Hit the Road

Contrary to everyone else, who seem to be wearing rose colored glasses, this game is NOT as great as everyone says it is. * Sam & Max humor rock it out... for the first 2/3rds of the game, then the humor seems to die. * Enjoyable puzzles... for the first 2/3rds of the game, then the puzzles seem to turn into copouts. * Great color and graphical animation. What is wrong with this game? Well, this game was a hit back when it came out, which surprised Lucas Arts, because about 2/3rds through the production they cut the budget and rushed it out to the market. Guess what!? You can tell. The script was rich and full throughout the first third, and only mildly slowed down in the second third, but the final third was empty and lacked any substance. The jokes no longer exist when you're finishing the game, and it feels like Sam and Max have just stopped trying, so why should you? In the beginning Sam would say something then Max would respond, giving a nice little vaudeville give and take. Last third? NOPE. Sam says something, there is no response, and you realize it's not a joke. It's generic placeholder text that the writer tossed in because the writer didn't have anything immediately funny to say, and they just went on to print. For those who haven't written comedy, you usually place a placeholder statement, and then go back and edit it into a joke. That's how most writers work... well, that didn't happen here! To make matters worse, there is 1 puzzle, which shouldn't be a puzzle (the wine bottle 'puzzle')- it was really a weak and tacked on logical jump, there is 1 puzzle which apparently has the WRONG GRAPHICS (looked it up, there's supposed to be a gap, but my game had no gap, so I'm literally clicking on something you can't see), and then there are a few layer issues where you can't tell if you're clicking on the right sprite. All of this happened at the last third of the game. It's fun an ok Sam & Max game, but no where near as good as the others.

Like many others, I played this game when I was a kid, so I was thrilled when I saw this one in the Lucas Arts Package, 10 games for only $16? I couldn't resist. I instantly installed Sam & Max to relive this classic and it was as funny and sometimes crazy as I remembered. However, what I DIDN'T remember was how wacky the interface and how unresponsive the controls where. You can only use right-click to scroll through various actions (look, speak, pick up, etc) or you'd have to use the inventory to select the action you want. That's not very user-friendly and often times I found myself cycling through the actions, because I "overclicked" the action I orignally wanted. Sometimes, transistions from one screen to the next screen is nearly impossible. The final screen of the game is so hard to reach, I spent like 2 minutes clicking like a madman to get Sam to move. If you don't know it's even there you might easily get stuck. Same happens at the Mystic Vortex, getting back to the car is such a pain sometimes, it takes away a lot of the fun. You wonder how this ever got the OK of the beta testers... The reason why I still give 4 out of 5 stars is that the humor is so over the top, that it's hard not to like it (at least for me ;) ). Like, when Sam throws a bomb out of the window and he says "I hope there was no one in that bus" and Max responds "at least no one we know". Wow. :) In the german version we also get the special treat of hearing the voice of Bart Simpson in this game. Sandra Schwittau uses her best Bart Simpson voice to read Max' lines. Neat!

Sam and Max was one of those old adventure games I adored without playing myself for a very long time. You see, when I watched a Youtube playthrough of the game, everything seemed perfect: the witty retorts of the duo, the grotesque humor, the fantastic art style, and the talented voice acting. It looked like a cartoon, and I imagine when Steve Purcell (or perhaps even George Lucas) were presented with the finished product, they must have thought it would be the absolutely most amazing thing ever. What was NOT shown in the playthrough, however, were the extreme levels of frustration needed to solve some of the item puzzles and the endless pixel hunt for new items, usually with no clues as to how to proceed. I'm not a hardcore adventure gamer, but I did slog my way through Monkey Island and Full Throttle without any hints. This game, however, is on the whole other level of "obtuse" and made me reach for the hintbook on many occasions. Many essential items were easily lost in literal piles of useless junk, most puzzles were lacking any feedback as to what I was doing wrong, and sometimes the game would silently force you to do a stupid and non-obvious thing just to show a brief comedy bit it had prepared. I still love this game, and I'm sure you will too if you like good comedy. Just one thing: keep the hint book handy at all times and do not hesitate to check with it if you're feeling stuck. Chances are it is the game being dense, not you.

From the golden age of Lucasarts and adventure gaming in general. Well worth checking out for newbies or a refreshing blast from the past. + Absolutely top-notch writing. It’s hilarious, quotable, excessively charming, witty, snarky- it’s just excellent. Sometimes long-winded at parts but given who was speaking, it’s within character. Memorable and a half with references to not just Lucasarts or Lucasfilm things but to other media, including an Easter Egg or two. Also continuity, even if it’s for a gag or two. + Graphics, excellent across the board. The opening cutscene makes me doubt it was made in the early 90s for how good it is and the in-game ones don’t slack in details. From the fluid charm of Flint blowing holes in the wall, to Sam and Max performing actions, and how seamless it is between characters, background and interactable objects. + Surprisingly good sound work, specifically voices. It’s clear, crisp, diverse and you wouldn’t even need the subs. It’s optional, as you can just put on subs and turn off the voices but for some areas, they really enhance what’s going on. Music is great as a whole but the theme is a highlight. + The Hintbook gives you a selection of how much of a hint you want, from clues to an outright walkthrough. I needed to use it a time or two and it’s easy to use, the comics within it are quite nice too. - Some moon-logic puzzles, where you just can’t understand what the designers were thinking. Sometimes it's literal, other times you need a specific mindset but it can be frustrating all the same. - A small nitpick but some pixel hunting. It’s not a glaring example but it can not only impede your progress, but have you running around in circles because you didn’t check every single thing in a room. A bit of nostalgia for sure, but the game stands well on its own merits. It's not perfect, but it's high up there and worth a look. And the final plus? No way to create an unwinnable scenario.

Fun point-and-click adventure game that holds up well. The stupid jokes will push right up to your limit of stupid joke tolerance. The art style and animation are well done and lively. Other than the resolution, it does not feel old. This SCUMM version offered on GOG is quite serviceable. The game is not complicated, falls to standard pitfalls of point-and-click adventure games, in that it is sometimes vague as to what item gets used on what, and that it is possible to overlook a detail important to progress the story; however, as far as most point-and-clicks go, this is one of the friendlier ones. The plot is kinda random, and ends just as random. Abstract random oddity is really the focus of Sam and Max that keep it interesting to see where it goes next. The game is not super long if you don't get stuck. There is a small assortment of minigames within that might be a fun distraction, but do not add too much to the game. As I write this it is just six bucks and worth it to fill a lazy afternoon or two with a light-hearted game that will make your eyes roll several times.