 |
|
CG rating |
The Bad
- Adventure like in the good old times
- Brilliant dialogues
- Superb soundtrack
- Great episode-based distribution system
- Interesting connection between episodes
- Some puzzles are not always intuitive
- Abrupt introduction for those who have not played the first game of the series
- Some objects have low resolution textures
Review
|
Making games as separate episodes is not an entirely new idea, with the system being made popular by Valve with the launch of Half-Life 2: Episode 1. The idea that games could be created like parts of a series has a few significant advantages, which the industry has rushed to mention: it’s cheaper to make a shorter game, with the profits from the first episode you can go on and continue the series and fans won’t have to wait forever for the next chapter to be launched. Also, these types of episodes could help develop the digital distribution system.
Unfortunately, things not always turn out the way they should and this system has been received with criticism and raised some eyebrows, especially from people who felt they were misled. The large amount of development time between Episode 1 and Episode 2, as well as some rather shady games, like Sin: Episodes (which eventually ended up being Sin: Episode) have somewhat weakened the initial enthusiasm. But what we have here is an example coming from an unexpected source - a success story featuring a six episodes continuation for a 15 year-old game, that’s part of a dying genre, as many tend to think: adventure.
When Sam & Max Hit the Road was launched, it was released on DOS and one of the versions supplied to customers was on floppy disks. Thanks to humorous dialogues, a better interface than previous Lucas Arts products and an unique set of characters, the game became a classic. The follow-up to was in development at Lucas until 2004, when the project was canceled due to small estimated sales. A part of the employees involved founded Telltale Games, Steve Purcell (the creator of the characters) began collaborating with the studio and Season One was on its way.
Culture Shock, the first of the six episodes, starts off in the same office we were accustomed to from the first title, with small modifications made to the furniture and the way you interact with the surrounding areas. The characters have become 3D, but the overall play system does not differ very much from its predecessor. The interface has suffered some cosmetic changes and it’s easier to use, left clicking is enough for characters to move around and use objects. A lot of the details from the first game have been kept; the producers didn’t want to ruin the charm, but to continue the adventures of the unlikely heroes. All of the episodes feature a great soundtrack, which is in tune with the atmosphere and the characters themselves, a combination of jazz, big-band and rock ‘n’ roll, which is like a green leaf amongst a dried up forest of monotonous sounds from prerecorded databases, as is the case with other games.
This first episode focuses on a mind-control conspiracy which is scheduled to take place with the help of three ex-sitcom stars, The Soda Poppers, whose role is to spread video tapes tainted with a subliminal messaging. Over this peculiar intrigue we have the fact that the stars are actually former wonder-childs of the small screen and we get a whole new scenario, where only an original solution can save the situation.
Bosco, the owner of the neighborhood store, will be the first character we’ll meet – being obsessed with security systems against shoplifting, he’s confronted with a situation he did not expect: people are trying to get things into the store, not get them out. Bosco is also the one who’ll offer an array of gadgets we might think would be useful, but which prove to be very simple in design, for a price that has more margin than taxes on gasoline. We’ll meet Sybil Pandemik as well, a character who changes jobs in each episode and whose “career” is also important towards finding a solution to the mystery from that episode, in Culture Shock she’s a psychotherapist, a good occasion for dialogues of refined humor, based on Freudian theory and Rorschach tests. In Culture Shock the puzzles are not very difficult, but they are still inventive and they give you the same joy in figuring them out, as you got 15 years ago.
Unfortunately, things not always turn out the way they should and this system has been received with criticism and raised some eyebrows, especially from people who felt they were misled. The large amount of development time between Episode 1 and Episode 2, as well as some rather shady games, like Sin: Episodes (which eventually ended up being Sin: Episode) have somewhat weakened the initial enthusiasm. But what we have here is an example coming from an unexpected source - a success story featuring a six episodes continuation for a 15 year-old game, that’s part of a dying genre, as many tend to think: adventure.
When Sam & Max Hit the Road was launched, it was released on DOS and one of the versions supplied to customers was on floppy disks. Thanks to humorous dialogues, a better interface than previous Lucas Arts products and an unique set of characters, the game became a classic. The follow-up to was in development at Lucas until 2004, when the project was canceled due to small estimated sales. A part of the employees involved founded Telltale Games, Steve Purcell (the creator of the characters) began collaborating with the studio and Season One was on its way.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Culture Shock, the first of the six episodes, starts off in the same office we were accustomed to from the first title, with small modifications made to the furniture and the way you interact with the surrounding areas. The characters have become 3D, but the overall play system does not differ very much from its predecessor. The interface has suffered some cosmetic changes and it’s easier to use, left clicking is enough for characters to move around and use objects. A lot of the details from the first game have been kept; the producers didn’t want to ruin the charm, but to continue the adventures of the unlikely heroes. All of the episodes feature a great soundtrack, which is in tune with the atmosphere and the characters themselves, a combination of jazz, big-band and rock ‘n’ roll, which is like a green leaf amongst a dried up forest of monotonous sounds from prerecorded databases, as is the case with other games.
This first episode focuses on a mind-control conspiracy which is scheduled to take place with the help of three ex-sitcom stars, The Soda Poppers, whose role is to spread video tapes tainted with a subliminal messaging. Over this peculiar intrigue we have the fact that the stars are actually former wonder-childs of the small screen and we get a whole new scenario, where only an original solution can save the situation.
Bosco, the owner of the neighborhood store, will be the first character we’ll meet – being obsessed with security systems against shoplifting, he’s confronted with a situation he did not expect: people are trying to get things into the store, not get them out. Bosco is also the one who’ll offer an array of gadgets we might think would be useful, but which prove to be very simple in design, for a price that has more margin than taxes on gasoline. We’ll meet Sybil Pandemik as well, a character who changes jobs in each episode and whose “career” is also important towards finding a solution to the mystery from that episode, in Culture Shock she’s a psychotherapist, a good occasion for dialogues of refined humor, based on Freudian theory and Rorschach tests. In Culture Shock the puzzles are not very difficult, but they are still inventive and they give you the same joy in figuring them out, as you got 15 years ago.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Comments [Add a new comment]
Results: Are you going to upgrade to Windows 7?
Total: 1666 votes
| Yes | |
 | 59% |
| No | |
 | 27% |
| Haven't decided | |
 | 14% |
Total: 1666 votes
^ Top ^