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Computer Times
Editors' Choice Game Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Review by Angie Kibiloski
Sam and Max, the two zany detectives that make up the Freelance Police Department, are back for a third season of five fun and exciting crime fighting episodes. Sam is a giant talking dog with Joe Friday tendencies. Max is a hyper-active rabbit type creature with a penchant for getting into trouble. Together, they solve crimes, which always end up giving them more than they bargained for, all while keeping up a flow of witty banter and keen observations on the oddities in their world. In the new season, Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse, from Telltale Games, the duo will go up against forces more powerful and mysterious than they have ever seen before. An intergalactic ape general, a disembodied alien brain, an ancient pharaoh, some clones, and Max’s newly acquired psychic powers all combine to make this one very memorable season. The season was originally released over a 5 month period, one episode at a time. Now, you can download the complete season, for PC or MAC, or get the set on a Collector’s DVD (Retail $34.95). Also, for the first time in Sam & Max history, you can get this set through PlayStation Network.
Episode 1: The Penal Zone, introduces the dastardly General Skun-ka’pe, a space traveling evil doer, who has come to this planet to find the great Toys of Power, which each grant a different super cool special ability to their bearer. Find them all before he does, and Max can use them to help defeat Skun-ka’pe and send him back to the Penal Zone, where he is a wanted fugitive prisoner. For what sinister purpose is Skun-ka’pe luring the Mole Men to his ship? Is one of your neighbors in on his plot to dominate our planet? Can Max possibly use the psychic powers of the toys responsibly? Only time and several hours of awesome game play will tell. Being that this is the first chapter of the story, this is where you’ll become reacquainted with some old friends from previous seasons, get accustomed to the fairly easy game controls, and begin to acquire some of the inventory items which will serve you well in the future, like a very handy Future Vision View Master toy.
Episode 2: The Tomb of Sammun-Mak, takes our heroes deep into the history of an Egyptian pharaoh and on a search for an artifact known as the Devil’s Toy Box. Go back in time with the aid of some interesting film reels, where you’ll join Sam’s grandpa Sameth and Max’s grandpa Maximus, and uncover some ancient secrets and a new Toy of Power. Can our team recover the artifact and leave with all body parts intact, or will they be double crossed on the brink of success? Speaking of lost body parts, we come to Episode 3: They Stole Max’s Brain. Who in the world would want to open up Max’s head and steal his brain? After finding his little pal thus incapacitated, Sam goes on a mission to find the culprit and retrieve Max’s missing gray matter. This is a Sam we’ve never seen before, a Sam of the definite “bad cop” variety, with rolled up sleeves for smacking around suspects, and a surly attitude to intimidate even the most hardened brain stealers. Going up against villains from previous chapters, it’s Sam’s turn to use the Toys of Power and save his partner.
In Episode 4: Beyond the Alley of the Dolls, Sam comes face to face with…himself. Actually, he comes face to face to face to face with a whole army of himself, in the form of a hoard of devilishly handsome clones, created for an unknown, but undoubtedly nefarious purpose. Interact with old friends and foes to figure out the Who, Where, and Why of these doggie doppelgangers. Finally, in Episode 5: The City The Dares Not Sleep, Max has suffered a startling transformation and his psychic powers are now reeking havoc on the city’s citizens, not to mention his slight case of being a giant. Sam must make a disturbing trip inside Max, and find a way to reverse this effect, before the government takes desperate action against his friend. In this thrilling finale to the 5 episode saga, you’ll interact with characters from the other chapters, use some more cool Toys of Power, and hopefully tie up those pesky loose ends.
Like the previous Sam & Max titles, this newest season delivers hours and hours of quirky humor, entertaining plotlines, fun action sequences, and seamless animation, all combining to make one fantastic collection of games. When presented with some bizarre problem to solve, like how to resuscitate an alien brain for instance, its very rewarding to puzzle through the situation and discover who you need to talk to, or what possibly illogical item you need to use, to get what you want and progress through the game, though your path is often quite a convoluted one. With adjustable in-game hints and an easy to master control system, Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse can be fun for all levels of gamers. You want even more Sam & Max fun? After playing through all of season 3, check out the 2 previous seasons, all at http://www.telltalegame.com. PC System Requirements:
Mac System Requirements:
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