<div style="float: left; padding: 3px;"><img src="http://images.totalgamingnetwork.com/images/sammaxdevilsplayground.jpg" border="0"></div>Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse - Episode 1: The Penal Zone
Release Date: April 14, 2010
Reviewed On: PC (Also available on Mac OS X, iPad, and PlayStation 3)
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Alcohol Reference, Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes)
PEGI Rating: 12+
OFLC Rating: PG
In today's world of fast paced games such as Modern Warfare 2 and Bad Company 2, people often forget about the old heart of gaming: Adventure games. Telltale Games' Sam and Max is a shining example of a title that attempt to reboot the classic genre.
The Penal Zone is just the first episode in the third Sam and Max game Telltale has released, and I do hope it is not the last. It is a prime example of what to do right in an adventure game.
Slam it into reverse Sam, we missed one
Story:
The story is humorous in the traditional Sam and Max fashion. You follow Sam and Max, freelance police, as they investigate an alien gorilla that has landed under the pretense of sharing technology in return for an artifact he is looking for. Sam and Max, who consider the odds of him being possibly evil to be very high, set out to solve the mystery and at the same time, investigate Max's strange new ability. As the game's intro puts it, "Oh yeah, (Max) has physic powers now."
Just your average day on 3214 Straight and Narrow
The game presents plot points such as these at random and at first almost haphazardly. However the delivery of such plot points and the tone of the story keep you engaged and following along.
The plot is delivered via puzzles and branching dialog, and mixed with dry humor and suggestive anecdotes. The humor is a large part of the game's plot development but does not come off as too strong or potent, much in the same way a glass of milk compliments a moist brownie.
Gameplay:
Sam and Max presents itself in a very cheeky yet classic police detective story, if that same story had sexy time with The Twilight Zone and they got married and moved to a comic book. It maintains a very simple gameplay style while still having the player exercise their brain at its wonderfully crafted puzzles. The controls are incredibly simple, to the point where you can easily control the entire game by just using the mouse.
If only alien brain topics came up in regular conversation every day
If the clever and intriguing puzzles do not draw you in, the witty dialog will. The game presents a dialogue wheel, similar to the one in Mass Effect, when questioning characters. The game never seems to lack a quick and perfectly executed sarcastic response to tie up the conversation. The game's abundant innuendos should manage to make even the most stonewall gamers giggle.
Unfortunately, for the gamers used to ‘direct and to the point' dialog and linear gameplay approach, you will be disappointed. The game tends to provide an overabundance of information that may leave you sometimes wanting to skip the dialog or clue altogether.
Graphics:
This title is no next-generation graphical wonder. If you came into this expecting The Penal Code to look like Crysis then this game probably isn't for you. With that said, the style of gameplay found in The Penal Zone is both unique and visually appealing. The colors are vibrant, the style is unique, and the locales are varied. The models and textures are rich and well designed.
Way to pick your noise in front of a presidential memorial made from pudding Max
The art style in this game is quite interesting. From the narrator that seems to have been pulled directly from the old Twilight Zone series, to the old comic book style villain, your eyes will enjoy this game just as much as your brain.
Your PC will enjoy the game's performance. With over 9 graphical presets you will be hard pressed to not get this game running on most computers. Even on the lowest graphical setting, the game still maintains all of the charm and style that the maximum graphical settings achieve.
There were just a handful of graphical issues that arose during the course of gameplay. At various times a character would sink into the environment. Other times someone's eyes would just up and disappear. All of these issues have been noted by Telltale as problems that they are aware of for the press review release. They assure us that they will have these issues fixed before the game's release.
Audio:
There is not much to say about the audio, the voice actors do their job well. Lines are delivered with great comedic timing and the dialogue never feels forced. Nothing is muffled in terms of dialogue and it comes across as crisp and pleasing to the ears.
The game has some catchy tunes along the way, from the salty sea shanties to the doom bringing villain themes. There was not one single time where I found myself at odds with the music. The audio perfectly complimented the gameplay.
Just your run of the mill haunted mad scientist laboratory
The one thing about the audio was that when too many things happen at one, or there was a loud sound, the audio seemed to just mash together and come off as very low quality. This however only really affected gameplay twice, and with some clever tweaking in the options I was able to overcome it.
Summary:
Whether you are new to adventure games or are simply looking for something to play after your third run of Full Throttle on DosBox, Sam and Max is for you. From the witty humor to the clever puzzles, there is no lack of entertainment from this title. It most defiantly brings fun and entertainment to the table. For just $34.99 (USD) on the Steam store for all 5 episodes of The Devil's Playhouse, it comes across as an amazing deal. Hardcore adventure game fans and newcomers alike will all find something to love here.
Future episodes are slated to be released in the coming months. A total of five episodes are slated for The Devil's Playhouse.
Related Links:
Purchase The Devil's Playhouse from Telltale - http://www.telltalegames.com/samandm...evilsplayhouse
Purchase The Devil's Playhouse from Steam - http://store.steampowered.com/app/901399/
~Reviewed by Redwinters
Release Date: April 14, 2010
Reviewed On: PC (Also available on Mac OS X, iPad, and PlayStation 3)
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Alcohol Reference, Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes)
PEGI Rating: 12+
OFLC Rating: PG
In today's world of fast paced games such as Modern Warfare 2 and Bad Company 2, people often forget about the old heart of gaming: Adventure games. Telltale Games' Sam and Max is a shining example of a title that attempt to reboot the classic genre.
The Penal Zone is just the first episode in the third Sam and Max game Telltale has released, and I do hope it is not the last. It is a prime example of what to do right in an adventure game.
Slam it into reverse Sam, we missed one
Story:
The story is humorous in the traditional Sam and Max fashion. You follow Sam and Max, freelance police, as they investigate an alien gorilla that has landed under the pretense of sharing technology in return for an artifact he is looking for. Sam and Max, who consider the odds of him being possibly evil to be very high, set out to solve the mystery and at the same time, investigate Max's strange new ability. As the game's intro puts it, "Oh yeah, (Max) has physic powers now."
Just your average day on 3214 Straight and Narrow
The game presents plot points such as these at random and at first almost haphazardly. However the delivery of such plot points and the tone of the story keep you engaged and following along.
The plot is delivered via puzzles and branching dialog, and mixed with dry humor and suggestive anecdotes. The humor is a large part of the game's plot development but does not come off as too strong or potent, much in the same way a glass of milk compliments a moist brownie.
Gameplay:
Sam and Max presents itself in a very cheeky yet classic police detective story, if that same story had sexy time with The Twilight Zone and they got married and moved to a comic book. It maintains a very simple gameplay style while still having the player exercise their brain at its wonderfully crafted puzzles. The controls are incredibly simple, to the point where you can easily control the entire game by just using the mouse.
If only alien brain topics came up in regular conversation every day
If the clever and intriguing puzzles do not draw you in, the witty dialog will. The game presents a dialogue wheel, similar to the one in Mass Effect, when questioning characters. The game never seems to lack a quick and perfectly executed sarcastic response to tie up the conversation. The game's abundant innuendos should manage to make even the most stonewall gamers giggle.
Unfortunately, for the gamers used to ‘direct and to the point' dialog and linear gameplay approach, you will be disappointed. The game tends to provide an overabundance of information that may leave you sometimes wanting to skip the dialog or clue altogether.
Graphics:
This title is no next-generation graphical wonder. If you came into this expecting The Penal Code to look like Crysis then this game probably isn't for you. With that said, the style of gameplay found in The Penal Zone is both unique and visually appealing. The colors are vibrant, the style is unique, and the locales are varied. The models and textures are rich and well designed.
Way to pick your noise in front of a presidential memorial made from pudding Max
The art style in this game is quite interesting. From the narrator that seems to have been pulled directly from the old Twilight Zone series, to the old comic book style villain, your eyes will enjoy this game just as much as your brain.
Your PC will enjoy the game's performance. With over 9 graphical presets you will be hard pressed to not get this game running on most computers. Even on the lowest graphical setting, the game still maintains all of the charm and style that the maximum graphical settings achieve.
There were just a handful of graphical issues that arose during the course of gameplay. At various times a character would sink into the environment. Other times someone's eyes would just up and disappear. All of these issues have been noted by Telltale as problems that they are aware of for the press review release. They assure us that they will have these issues fixed before the game's release.
Audio:
There is not much to say about the audio, the voice actors do their job well. Lines are delivered with great comedic timing and the dialogue never feels forced. Nothing is muffled in terms of dialogue and it comes across as crisp and pleasing to the ears.
The game has some catchy tunes along the way, from the salty sea shanties to the doom bringing villain themes. There was not one single time where I found myself at odds with the music. The audio perfectly complimented the gameplay.
Just your run of the mill haunted mad scientist laboratory
The one thing about the audio was that when too many things happen at one, or there was a loud sound, the audio seemed to just mash together and come off as very low quality. This however only really affected gameplay twice, and with some clever tweaking in the options I was able to overcome it.
Summary:
Whether you are new to adventure games or are simply looking for something to play after your third run of Full Throttle on DosBox, Sam and Max is for you. From the witty humor to the clever puzzles, there is no lack of entertainment from this title. It most defiantly brings fun and entertainment to the table. For just $34.99 (USD) on the Steam store for all 5 episodes of The Devil's Playhouse, it comes across as an amazing deal. Hardcore adventure game fans and newcomers alike will all find something to love here.
Future episodes are slated to be released in the coming months. A total of five episodes are slated for The Devil's Playhouse.
Story: SCORE 8/10
Gameplay: SCORE 8.5/10
Graphics: SCORE 7.5/10
Audio: SCORE 7/10
Total Gaming Network Rating: 8/10
Gameplay: SCORE 8.5/10
Graphics: SCORE 7.5/10
Audio: SCORE 7/10
Total Gaming Network Rating: 8/10
Related Links:
Purchase The Devil's Playhouse from Telltale - http://www.telltalegames.com/samandm...evilsplayhouse
Purchase The Devil's Playhouse from Steam - http://store.steampowered.com/app/901399/
~Reviewed by Redwinters