Sam & Max Episode 101: Culture Shock

"The hyperkinetic Rabbit thing rings only once, then he mauls."

There's a bit of negativity going on surrounding Sam and Max's new adventure, but I think for the most parts really unfounded. We're only in Episode 1 right now and I think it's really worthy of more than derision.

Graphics:
Sam and Max's new adventure here may not seem like the pinnacle of graphical development to date, but really, should that be all that matters? It may not be flashy, but it has it where it counts: it conveys the world, and the characters portrayed in a non-realistic, but uniquely absurd environment. Sam and Max isn't a realistic comic book story, and it shouldn't be a realistic game; but it still gets the best of both worlds and rounds out the experience.

Sound:
The music itself within the game wasn't very noteworthy, interesting, but like most game music is within itself not very memorable. But on the other hand, there are the voice overs; even just in episode one, they've compiled a cast that, in my humble opinion, suits the characters they're portraying as accurately as possible. The paranoid, and abrasive Bosco sounds paranoid and abrasive, the opinionated and loose-lipped Sybil the Psychotherapist sounds preachy and blunt, and the Soda Poppers sound stereotypically squeaky and annoying. Then we've got Sam and Max themselves, sounding quite similar to how they've always sounded; staying on track right there. All of this coming together to bring a quite enjoyable play experience through the spoken dialog; heck, this episode had better acting than some of the tv shows running on network television right now.

Story:
So we're getting deep down in the nitty gritty of a mystery, Sam and Max have to figure out why the Soda Poppers are being insufferably annoying. The story for the most part is relatively amusing, with cheeky humor abounding and threats of violence propagating. Having to soft ridiculous, yet entertaining puzzles in order to resolve the conflict on this case. While it isn't perfect, it's almost back to form for the duo, and only being the first installment of several episodes to come, I think it was an excellent lead-in to what could be excellent furthering adventures.

Controls:
Simple and well defined, the designers built a really good system that allows you to complete tasks in a very, very low number of clicks with the mouse. Rather than trying to fight the developers intentions, you're helped on by them; this and how the control scheme reacts while your playing makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable.

Gameplay:
This aspect shines almost as brightly as Sam and Max's moribund humor, and blase commentary. Designed with a very simple intent, if you need to do it, it's as few clicks away as possible. You want to talk to someone? Click them and dialog options come up. Want to check things out? Click it, and you will examine the item, or cause a reaction. Want to use an item? Click your cardboard box inventory, and then click the item in question. The ease of use makes this game very accessible, and enjoyable.

Final Thought
While this title may not compare well in ways with its predecessor, in a few simple ways its just as good if not better. The controls and gameplay specifically; it's frustratingly difficult in the original to remember the control scheme, and to utilize it properly, but here it's so much easier. You aren't constantly fighting the developers intentions in order to fulfill a goal, which simplifies the play experience so your concentration can be more focused on the puzzles and not remembering which key to press and which cursor to use to do what, when, and how.

One of the few lacking elements I've found in my play through of Culture Shock by comparison to the original, would be a dumbed down experience of the violence, and the dumbed down banter between the partners, but considering this being the first installment, this could easily change as further installments become available.

I really liked how this title turned out, and after 12 years it's about time we had another Sam & Max title to work with, It has really been far too long.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/20/06