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    Sam & Max Episode 301: The Penal Zone

    Game » consists of 5 releases. Released Apr 15, 2010

    Sam & Max are back to protect the world from a power-mad space gorilla in the first episode of a brand new season from Telltale Games.

    bureksasutlijom's Sam & Max Episode 301: The Penal Zone (PC) review

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    No pee in The Penal Zone

    Having played the last two seasons of Sam & Max, I was certain that I knew what to expect from the first episode of season three: Sam & Max : The Devil's Playhouse.But, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that not only did the graphics improve,but also some annoying quirks from past installments were fixed.Some bugs still remain,but we will get to that. 
     

    Story

     
    Yup,they are back.Sam & Max against a giant space gorilla by the name of Skunk-a'pe.The only twist in that Max has psychic powers now. We are all doomed.To not give anything away, if you are with crazy, you are at the right place.

    Graphics

     
    Even though this is a point-and-click adventure game, it looks pretty good.The comic book style they were going for really gives the whole setting a nice touch.Since this is season three, they didn't have to, and luckily they didn't reinvented Sam & Max.All of the main cast has the same look from season one, with some graphical improvements. 

    Sound

     
    To put it simply, the level of voice acting remains the same, and the dialog still remains fresh and wacky, which keeps the action going.The music is mostly big band jazz, which complements the action on the screen quite well. A little more variety wouldn't hurt.
     

    Gameplay

     
    It seems that the folks at Telltale really like Mass Effect (who can blame them), as they changed the rather boring dialog trees from the last two seasons in favor of a ring system.It may be a little weird to see Sam as Commander Sheppard, but this method speeds up the process quite a bit.Also new are  the aforementioned Max's psychic powers, which seem to be the main plot device in this series.Teleportation, shape-shifting and other classics are included, which makes this season the most interesting of the lot. 
     

    Verdict

     
    You might think that after two whole seasons of episode, Sam & Max would go stale.Thankfully, this isn't the case.The new additions, and graphical overhaul keep a already great franchise looking good and funny as ever.

    Other reviews for Sam & Max Episode 301: The Penal Zone (PC)

      A new change of format for Sam and Max! 0

       Sam and Max: The Penal Zone is the first episode in the third season of Telltales Sam & Max series. It seems that Telltale is looking to change up the formula that they have been sticking to since the first season, and meet this with lots of success.    The story takes place after season 2 and begins with Max gaining mysterious psychic powers. Soon an alien by the name of General  Skunk-a'pe lands on their street, searching for special artifacts of psych power. After a  rather climactic ope...

      36 out of 36 found this review helpful.

      The Freelance Police, they're back on the streets again! 0

            The Penal Zone is the first of the five games that will comprise Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse, and for full disclosure, it also happens to be my first Sam & Max game.  I am happy to say that it will most definitely not be my last, and not just because I bought the full season.  My experience with this game was overwhelmingly enjoyable, with only minor technical glitches and some odd plot quirks holding this game back from complete nirvana.   Oh, and in this review I will try t...

      9 out of 11 found this review helpful.

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