Guests, welcome back to the 4cr show! Tonight’s special guests are Sam and Max, everybody’s favorite freelance police. Come on out guys! The dynamic duo returns this week in a new adventure that not only lives up to, but surpasses, October’s “Culture Shock.”

“My lovable furball companion, it seems that we have stumbled into a poorly conceived and utterly escapable trap. It might also be a game review disguised as a talk show.”
“Oh no, Sam! We’re going to die!”

Speaking of talk shows, the entire plot of “Situation Comedy” revolves around a talk show gone horribly wrong. Myra Stump has seemingly gone insane and taken her loyal audience hostage. Naturally, Sam & Max are put on the case. However, getting on the show proves to be harder than expected. They have to prove that they are famous enough to appear on her set. How will you do that? By starring in a series of third-rate television shows, of course.

“Sam, that sounds like what we just got done doing.”
“You crack me up little buddy.”

The best part of any Sam & Max game is the presentation, and “Situation Comedy” doesn’t disappoint. Telltale has some of the best writers in the industry. In most adventure games you’ll click on everything to find anything useful. In this game you’ll click on everything just to hear what the heroes have to say about it.

Some people would consider modern network television to be one big joke. Some of those people work for Telltale. This episode is basically set up as one big parody of the stereotypical evening lineup. You’ll make your way through a stale sitcom based on such doomed premises as a cooking show with no actual food, a rigged quiz show, an idol show judged by former child stars, and Myra’s talk show. If this doesn’t sound hilarious to you then you were born without a working sense of humor.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to perform one of my favorite little musical ditties.”
“Oh Sam, sing the one about the time that I assaulted the mailman!”

Some of the funniest moments actually come from the small things. For instance, the fact that it has been two months since the last Sam & Max episode is mentioned several times. There are also a number of nods to both the in-game and out-of-game history of the Sam & Max franchise. While a lot of people might not pick up on these, they lead to a couple of hilarious moments for fans of the series. The game also takes every opportunity that it can to jab at today’s society and the pop culture of it. Just wait until you meet Hugh Bliss, founder of Prismatology.

“Situation Comedy” uses the same graphics engine as “Culture Shock,” so don’t expect too many new surprises there. Still, like the last game, this one looks fantastic. The cartoon-like style used here is a great way of portraying the world that these messed-up characters inhabit. The music is still just as catchy as ever and the voice acting actually improved this time around. It seems like the actors are really getting the hang of their parts now and it shows in their performances. For a comedy-based game, voice acting is a very important component. Luckily, Sam & Max comes through in that department.

Since the focus is on new content, the gameplay is almost the same as in “Culture Shock.” While everything is fairly easy to control and use, there are a few problem areas. Movement could stand to be a bit smoother and the environments could be a little easier to navigate through. Also, the puzzles are easier this time around. Everything seems to just click into place in order. Some people will like this, some people won’t. I personally found it to be a little too easy. The first episode had the difficulty level just right while. This episode clocks in at around two to three hours of play time, same as episode one.

I said that “Culture Shock” was going to be the adventure title of the year, but “Situation Comedy” has it beat. This is easily the funniest game of the past few years. If you enjoyed the first game, you owe it to yourself to grab this one. For those of you who haven’t tried this out yet, get both episodes and devote an afternoon to Sam & Max. Telltale has proven that they can consistently put out high-quality episodic content. Forget Half-Life 2, this season of Sam & Max is the way to deliver on the promise of episodic gaming.

Score: 9/10

“Heaping masses of adulating praise, Max!”
“They love us, they really love us!”

”Situation Comedy” will be released on GameTap on December 21st. The game will be directly available from Telltale Games’ website on January 5th. GameTap is $9.95 per month for unlimited access to this and all of the other titles on the service. Each individual episode will be available for $8.95, or $34.95 for the entire season.

Telltale Games
GameTap
4cr Review - Sam & Max: Culture Shock