Sam and Max: Culture Shock Review
With comic books, cartoons and computer games gracing their résumé, Sam and Max have a lot to brag about. Unfortunately, with Hit the Road being their last 2D adventure video game, the anthropomorphic dog and rabbit comic duo have been MIA since the early nineties. The dwindling interest in point-and-click adventure games shortly after its release was the final nail in the coffin for Sam and Max: Freelance Police. Fortunately, TellTale Games found it appropriate to bring back the seemingly lost-forever-franchise —in an effort to slap childhoods world-wide in the face with a glove made from nostalgia—for six bite-sized “Episodes” of “Season One” in the continuing episodic series.
Sam, Max, dry wit and a band of memorable and funny interactive NPC’s (including a paranoid clerk and fake-psychiatrist) populate the new world of the Freelance Police, which has made the transition to full 3D rendering. A static camera follows the player controlled Sam in a familiar batch of areas that fans of Hit the Road will recognize with plenty of homage’s to the series’ past in a brand new adventure with updated gameplay, if you can really call it that. While Culture Shock is clever and funny throughout its 2 - 2.5 hour entirety, the puzzles and crime-solving consist entirely of clicking on people and items, which will attract fans of the long-since-dead genre, and likely deter newcomers.
Anyone looking to repeatedly blast away with Sam’s revolver – which makes Dirty Harry look like a little girl – will be disappointed to merely shoot out tires and scare folks with it. The weapons are less for action and more for puzzle solving hilarity, like shooting out a car’s tail light, then giving said car’s driver a busted tail light ticket for ten thousand dollars.
Dropping bowling balls and rats out windows, dealing with hypnosis induced hallucinations and trying to stop a former child star gone mad occupy the majority of this dialogue heavy adventure that is as entertaining to watch as it is to play. While it consists of a heavy amount of talking between the wannabe-cops and the lovable town occupants, Sam and Max is still somehow fun. By the end of its 2 hour run though, you’ll be ready to put it to rest, which works out conveniently perfect. Trial-and-error dialogue trees will irk the impatient and hearing the same four responses becomes irritating, so I can’t imagine length would benefit Sam and Max. Cliff-hanger ending aside, you’ll want to come back for “Episode Two” as soon as possible, even if you’re tired of the dialogue already. Culture Shock is hilarious, entertaining and nostalgic to boot and you’re dying to hear more witty banter and solve more clever puzzles. It’s a wonder these kind of games went anywhere, and I’m dying to see them come back. With any luck, TellTale can take the first step in to reviving the long lost and much beloved adventure games. Let’s just hope that their creativity is consistent in the coming episodes.
