Sam and Max: Season One (Wii) Review

Sam, a six-foot tall canine that stands on his back legs, and Max, a tiny, hyperactive rabbit-like creature with a giant grin, came into being way back in 1987, originating from the creative mind of Steve Purcell and rampaging onto the scene in comic book format. What followed was the iconic 1993 point-and-click adventure game from LucasArts 'Sam & Max Hit the Road, as well as a cartoon show to help expand the fan-base. Despite the success, LucasArts left the franchise dormant for too long due to fears the adventure genre was floundering. Therefore, eventually an agreement between Purcell, the holder of the character rights, and Telltale Games, which is made up of several ex-LucasArts members frustrated at the LA's decision to ditch point-and-click games, was made and the private investigating duo were finally set to get back on the right path. That is where Sam & Max: Season One on Wii comes in, a port of the six PC episodes released in 2006/7. As with the Strong Bad games, which are based upon a popular website, whilst there are certain in-jokes dotted throughout to please long-term fans, the majority of the six episodes included in this package do not heavily rely on the past, meaning that newcomers will have just as much fun uncovering the truth behind the mysterious hypnotism shenanigans that take centre stage in each mini adventure.

Sam & Max is indeed another amusing point-and-click adventure akin to Telltales WiiWare efforts, yet whilst Strong Bad's humour is extremely zany and way out there, Sam & Max is more sarcasm-based, full of dry wit and (as it likes to think) 'high brow' jokes. The writing is definitely sharp throughout, which helps to keep the player's interest…up to a point. You see the funniest jokes tend to be delivered naturally, often happening out of random occurrences without seeming forced. In Sam & Max, however, even though there are moments of hilarity, there are numerous misses that leave awkward silences, plus times when you will find being able to skip lines of text is a huge relief. On top of that, although the Wii motion controls are the perfect replacement for a PC's mouse (letting gamers easily switch between items necessary to solve puzzles, or interact with objects and other characters just like in any other sort of title in this genre), there are some unfortunate problems that tarnish the experience to some degree. For instance, there are many unexpected glitches and moments of slowdown that make this seem like a very quick port from its PC original, as opposed to a port project that had a lot of care and attention poured into it. This is also accompanied by some long loading times that honestly should not be present in this day and age, especially given the basic 3D modelling of characters and limited locations in each episode. Then, to top things off, there are moments where the last word of a sentence will not actually be spoken (a strange glitch, but not a case isolated to this review copy, you can be assured - it is a widespread issue with all retail versions).

This comes as a real disappointment because, on the whole, all six episodes are ultimately enjoyable. From the general witty repartee between Sam and Max - Sam with his laid-back, care-free attitude, dry sense of humour and tendency for playful cruelty towards his partner, Max with his constant snarky comments and comical spates of downright stupidity - to the solid script writing, there is a lot of satisfaction with the exploits. Take the story itself: there is the over-arching conundrum of ever-persistent hypnotism issues arising that the self-proclaimed Freelance Police must get to the bottom of, yet at the same time each episode has its own yarn spun that sets it apart from the next one, allowing gamers to pick and choose which to play next, rather than being forced to stick to the specific numbered chapter order. During Sam & Max's journey, players will get to meet a giant Abraham Lincoln, head into cyber space where the protagonists are briefly returned to their 2D roots and must bring down the Internet, star in their own sitcom featuring a cow, deal with the mafia and much, much more. The scenarios are varied and wacky enough to retain interest throughout, so it is a shame about the technical glitches and occasions where jokes stumble and fall flat on their face.

The only other real criticism to be levelled at Season One is just how short and simple it is. After spending sufficient time with the first episode and then spotting numerous similarities in the way things continue and puzzles are solved in the second chapter, suddenly everything clicks into place so much that the remaining four episodes can likely be polished off in around an hour each for those proficient in the point-and-click adventure genre. Although some puzzles' solutions are more obtuse than others, there is not much of balance, with a heavy skew towards simplicity. With no reason to return to the game upon completion, nor any sort of extras that unlock afterwards, there is definitely a short life-span for the entire game, meaning that paying anything over £19.99/€29.99 is not particularly recommended. But the quirky humour, outlandish themes and admittedly fun puzzles will offer plenty of entertainment no matter how short-lived it is.