Mikey's Review

Stop right here if you don't have a strange and twisted sense of humour. Still with me? Good... Sam and Max is probably the funniest computer game I have ever played. Sam and Max are Freelance Police which pretty much gives them the chance to solve these very strange and sometimes damn right bizarre cases.

There is something strange happening...

The gem throughout this game is the voice acting and hilarious randomness that everyone comes out with. Lots of wonderful visual jokes here too so it's worth exploring every nook and cranny. Just things like the usual yellow bollard used to stop people slipping on the floor says "Danger Landmines" had me in fits of giggles. Same scene actually as Max saying, "green? Just like I like my men!". Brilliant.

• By patronize you, he means we want to buy stuff from you, not... mock you. We probably will mock you, but that's not what he meant.
• Oh boy, a pet Unicorn! I shall call him 'Horny'!
• Sam: "We're the Freelance Police. We're here to keep the peace."
  Max: "Violently, if possible!"

6 episodes of mad hilarity

The Season One CD comes with all 6 episodes that have been available for download online from late last year. Their names will give you a good idea of what is to come... "The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball" and "Abe Lincoln Must Die!". The episodic nature may sound a little strange if you are not used to playing the Sam & Max games but it works suprisingly well and the episodes are just long enough not to get overbearing (and to really concentrate on any sensible story!).

All 6 episodes are based on hypnosis and you would probably have to be a little insane to think the story makes sense... but that's the whole beauty isn't it? Here is a run down of the 6:

Culture Shock

A group of former child stars, known as the Soda Poppers, are found causing trouble in Sam and Max's neighbourhood.

Situation: Comedy

Myra Stump — a television talkshow host — has taken her audience hostage. Sam and Max are called to defuse the situation.

The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball

The commissioner is looking into an underground operation at Ted E. Bear Mafia's-Free Playland and Casino, but the mole he sent in has suddenly gone quiet. To find the mole, Sam & Max must infiltrate the operation and become members of the Toy Mafia themselves.

Abe Lincoln Must Die!

Sam and Max must investigate the top man himself, the President of the United States, who has been passing inane mandates such as required hugs. Not only must the two take down the President, they may have to install their own man in his place, though Abe Lincoln may have a word or two about that.

Reality 2.0

People are being hypnotized by the Internet craze, causing systems around the world to go haywire. Sam and Max must find a way to enter the virtual world and track down the heart of the Internet herself to pull the plug on her shenanigans.

Bright Side of the Moon

Sam and Max must go to the moon in order to save the entire world from hypnotic enslavement.

Cheezy Laughs

• Amazingly witty, visually and audibly
• Easy Point and Click system
• Individually wrapped episodic parcels
• Sam is random, Max is evil, a wonderful combination.

Bad to the Bone

• Sometimes a little *too* random
• The smallest thing missed can lead to hours of frustration
• Where is episode 7?

Feeling twisted?

I really love this game and it fits my sick, twisted & deadpan sense of humour wonderfully. I would happily recommend this to anyone of a similar disposition.

I would suggest that with a retail price of around £24.99 (Play.com) this game is definitely worth a purchase, you get about 3-4 hours of gameplay for each episode and it is just a really nice way to complete an entire game. That is just the game, you get all these goodies too...

Knifeh's Review

Who said that my quirky humour could never be combined with the lust for bloody violence and homicidal tendencies? Sam & Max fills that void in my life with completely random quotes and comments that I have been looking for since I found out that Sodoku doesn’t involve ritual suicide.

The game is broken down into six separate chapters that can be played in any order, however to get the full effect of the game, and to understand some character relations I suggest you play in the classic way of start to finish 1-6. That way you don’t accidentally spoil any little bits of the game that you will need to go back and do in a previous chapter.

The graphics and animations go hand in hand with the style of game, and you really do need to look at everything just so you squeeze every last laugh possible from each chapter. There has definitely been alot of work put into the humour of interacting with objects you wouldn’t look at twice.

My biggest problem with the game is if you are not completely unhinged from reality, the combinations of actions and puzzles will drive you round the bend.

Spoiler start

5th Episode Reality 2.0. In the virtual world you have to access Bosco's bank account to deposit $1Billion dollars to buy a biological weapon. To do this you have to get past a firewall that wont let you in, unless you paint your car with a rainbow customization kit got from the internet wizard in the order of your virtual licence plate on you car, BGP 214. Only once you paint your car in Blue, Green, Pink, in that order, will you advance any further in the game.

Spoiler end

Now I like a mental challenge like a blow to the head most times, but that right there, was almost impossible for me to get and I spent a good 4 hours trying to get past that one puzzle.

All in all I would recommend this game to anyone who claimed to have a sense of humour, but I'd warn them unless they have a knack at looking at things from a oblique angle then scores of my pasty white geek friends will be lead out onto the street and be forced to socialise with normal people. The horror!