Sam & Max Season One (Wii) Review
Posted by Ramon Aranda on 12.21.2008
The Freelance Police investigate your Nintendo Wii.
Title: Sam & Max Season One
Publisher: Telltale Games
Genre: Puzzle
Players: 1
Rated: T for Teen
The dynamic duo of Sam & Max have been running amuck on PCs everywhere for quite some time now but Telltale Games has finally unleashed them for a home console for the first time. With such games like Zack & Wiki doing well on the Wii, the point & click genre fits quite well on the system and who better than Sam & Max to take advantage of the PC-like controls of the Wii?
With Season two already a wrap on the PC, gamers now have a chance to either relive or experience for the first time Season One without needing to do it one episode at a time. The Season One disc comes with all six episodes so there’s no need to download anything or swap discs. Sounds good to us.
Gameplay
When you fire up the game, you’ll head straight into the main menu where each episode is laid out in two rows. What’s cool is that you don’t have to go through each one to unlock the next. You can simply jump right into any episode you choose which is great for those that may have played one or more of the episodes on the PC. Like its PC counterpart which controls with a mouse, Sam & Max works solely with the use of the Wii remote. Simple enough – that is until you get to the actual puzzles. The thing about this game is that you’ll need plenty of patience. At times, some of the puzzles seem obvious enough or just take a little bit of thinking. Other times, you’ll find yourselves completely perplexed at what to do next. This game seriously makes you use your brain. I’m taking putting it in overdrive! Though it looks like a cartoon, this one certainly isn’t for younger gamers. Attention to detail is what you’ll need through each and every episode. It can be quite frustrating when you’re pretty sure how to solve something and then realizing that it’s not quite it. On the other hand, it feels quite rewarding when you finally figured it out.
I should note too though that you likely won’t play this game for long periods of time. Not only to give yourself a break from the mind-numbing puzzles, but also because of the slow pace of the game.
The dialogue in the game is top notch. The writers really deserve some kudos for making this game as quirky and hilarious as it gets. Max’s one liners are great while Sam tries to keep things in order, often getting physical with Max when he’s in the way.
Graphics & Sounds
You’re not going to see the crystal clear look of the game that you’d normally see on a PC, but the game still looks pretty good. It runs completely in widescreen and you’ll rarely get any hiccups in framerate. The loading time is decent enough, never lasting much longer than about ten seconds. The colors aren’t as vibrant as I would have liked, as they seem a bit washed out, but then again, they’ve never been that eye catching to begin with.
As I mentioned before the dialogue is great and it’s delivered naturally and with style. Hearing a conversation between Sam and Max or with the other cast members is fun and you at times get lost in their interactions. It really does feel like you’re watching a cartoon.
Fun Factor
How much fun you have with this game really depends on how much you enjoy the Sam & Max series. Gamers who are experiencing the series for the first time will likely enjoy the tongue and cheek humor but may get overwhelmed by the difficulty of some of the goals. Again, I don’t recommend playing any particular episode for long periods of time per session.
Lasting Appeal
How often do you watch the same cartoon? That may answer your question as to how often you may give this one a try. With the entire season on one disc, it may certainly last you for some time unless you decide to bang them all out in a week. I think the writing alone will bring you back for more but generally speaking, once you’re done with the season, you’ll probably just wait for season two.
The 411
Sam & Max Season One for the Nintendo Wii makes a great addition to the point & click genre – a genre that I feel is underused on the console. The witty humor and ease of use is engaging and welcoming but when your thinking caps need to come out, be prepared for a stiff challenge. Casual gamers may find the game a bit daunting while experienced gamers and fans of the series will enjoy a good challenge. At $29.99, it’s a pretty good deal and unless you don’t like the genre you should definitely give it a shot.
Graphics
7.0
Looks a bit washed out, but otherwise smooth display.
Gameplay
7.0
Easy to pick up and play but gets difficult real quick.
Sound
8.0
Music is catchy but the dialogue is where it shines.
Lasting Appeal
5.0
Not much of a reason to play once you beat it - save for the humor.
Fun Factor
6.5
It's enjoyable but the difficulty makes you want to pull your hair out sometimes. Players will need patience.
I played every episode on the PC and this game is flat-out funny, probably one of the funniest games I have ever played. Like you said, it gets quite difficult, but not impossible. If it where any easier, it would be quite a short game.
Posted By: Armando Rodriguez (Registered) on December 21, 2008 at 09:21 AM
