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IGN review of the XBLA Version of Season 1

roberttitusroberttitus
edited July 2009 in Sam & Max
How many of you have read this bullshit? The fans of the game are letting the reviewer hear about it too... if you are a real Sam & Max fan, you should do the same.

(BTW.... it should be noted that he copy & pasted a good portion of his review for IGN UK's review of the wii version).

Comments

  • ShwooShwoo
    edited July 2009
    You're talking about this review, aren't you?
    and like many games in this genre the solutions can often be esoteric. Completing each adventure takes a lot of experimentation with combinations that don't make much sense, and that business doesn't appeal to everyone.
    (emphasis mine)
    Sam & Max Season 1, nonsensical puzzles? Really? I can't remember a single puzzle that didn't make sense, except maybe the lunar lander key puzzle, and that's only because it relies on knowledge not every player would posess.

    I also disagree with the reviewer that the writing is trying too hard. If you're determined not to find something funny, you won't find it funny no matter how well it's written. I know it's a matter of opinion, but saying that the humour gets old before they leave the office is going a bit far, because the dialogue is quite well written.

    I don't mind if something I love gets a poor review, but I'm not sure if that reviewer's points are valid. And they didn't really talk about much else, except the controls.
  • RibsRibs
    edited July 2009
    I think he means sometimes the solutions are too in the realm of sam and max, and not in plausible reality.
    Like using a tissue to kill the internet.
  • roberttitusroberttitus
    edited July 2009
    StLouisRibs wrote: »
    I think he means sometimes the solutions are too in the realm of sam and max, and not in plausible reality.
    Like using a tissue to kill the internet.

    Please.... the dude didn't even play the game. He played the first ten minutes of each episode... talked shit about it the hour of gameplay he experienced & then copy & pasted the rest.
  • roberttitusroberttitus
    edited July 2009
    Shwoo wrote: »
    You're talking about this review, aren't you?


    (emphasis mine)
    Sam & Max Season 1, nonsensical puzzles? Really? I can't remember a single puzzle that didn't make sense, except maybe the lunar lander key puzzle, and that's only because it relies on knowledge not every player would posess.

    I also disagree with the reviewer that the writing is trying too hard. If you're determined not to find something funny, you won't find it funny no matter how well it's written. I know it's a matter of opinion, but saying that the humour gets old before they leave the office is going a bit far, because the dialogue is quite well written.

    I don't mind if something I love gets a poor review, but I'm not sure if that reviewer's points are valid. And they didn't really talk about much else, except the controls.

    The only season one puzzle I really had a problem with was the firewall in Reality 2.0. It took me forever to figure that one out...
  • BreakmanBreakman
    edited July 2009
    I think I would be a good judge at if puzzles doesn't make sense. My first Sam & Max game was Episode 104. The puzzles are pretty straightforward if you give it a couple of minutes thinking.

    Now, Hit the Road had some weird puzzles. I needed a strategy guide to get past some of the major points...
  • LittleBuddyLittleBuddy
    edited July 2009
    I loved the bit about "THE DIALOGUE, YOU'LL HATE IT BEFORE THEY GET OUT OF THE OFFICE FOR THE FIRST TIME!" Good luck getting through the other 19:50 hours, then :D.
  • ShwooShwoo
    edited July 2009
    I got the firewall puzzle, but that may have been because I've seen
    colour puzzles
    like that before, and I knew
    being able to paint the car
    must signify something. The only puzzles I got stuck on were getting the rat cannon and finding out Bosco's password.
    I think I saw the "being hurt in Reality 2.0 will hurt you in reality" thing as a warning, not a hint.
    And with the rat cannon,
    it takes such good timing that I didn't realise the solution was possible.
    StLouisRibs wrote: »
    I think he means sometimes the solutions are too in the realm of sam and max, and not in plausible reality.
    Like using a tissue to kill the internet.
    The thing is, that does make sense. At that point in the game, you know
    things change into computer counterparts when you go into Reality 2.0. And you always need what Bosco's selling, so of course you need to get the virus. And once you get it and look at it in your inventory, it's obvious what you need to do.
    It's not something a normal person would do, but it does make sense.
  • RibsRibs
    edited July 2009
    But it is pretty damned ridiculous.
  • roberttitusroberttitus
    edited July 2009
    How do I do the spoiler thing?
  • ShwooShwoo
    edited July 2009
    [spolier ](spoiler text)[/spoiler], without the space in
    .
  • roberttitusroberttitus
    edited July 2009
    Think about it
    (The tissue is used by Bosco who is sick. What do you usually have when you are sick? A virus. Translated into the computer world that would be a computer virus.)
    I think it makes perfect sense



    Thanks BTW
  • RibsRibs
    edited July 2009
    I understood it!! It makes sense!!! I am just saying it is pretty not plausible!!!
  • roberttitusroberttitus
    edited July 2009
    StLouisRibs wrote: »
    I understood it!! It makes sense!!! I am just saying it is pretty not plausible!!!

    But what I'm saying is that it is a video game about a dog in a suit & an insane rabbit with a gun... why should it have to be plausible (as you put it)? Are you saying that a talking rabbit can really become the president of the united states? Of course there are going to be things cartoony about it... its based off of a comic book. When is the last time you read a realistic comic book?
  • SHODANFreemanSHODANFreeman
    edited July 2009
    roberttitus wrote: »
    ...a video game about a dog in a suit & an insane rabbit with a gun...
    Man, I love Sam and Max. :D
  • DrRocketGeniusDrRocketGenius
    edited July 2009
    I can't believe they reviewed it like that. That's almost as bad as the Sonic Unleased review (where the reviewer didn't finish the game.)
  • roberttitusroberttitus
    edited July 2009
    NickClick2 wrote: »
    I can't believe they reviewed it like that. That's almost as bad as the Sonic Unleased review (where the reviewer didn't finish the game.)

    I know right!? I read that yesterday to.... IGN pisses me off so much anymore.... I mean I actually liked Sonic Unleashed (some of the werehog levels annoyed me, but still) & I think that it is a travesty (spelling?) that they gave it a lower score that the trainwreck of a game that was Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (thats what I call it to eliminate confusion).
  • Guybrush ThreepwoodGuybrush Threepwood
    edited July 2009
    IGN say a lot of things. I don't pay attention to much of it. This is one of those times.
  • ReNeilssanceReNeilssance
    edited July 2009
    I honestly don't see what the big problem is here. The review says that point and click isn't as easy with an X-Box controller, a statement Telltale clearly agree with, hence new control systems in their new games. It says that there are some bugs that cropped up while he was playing, which is true. He says that he found Sam & Max grated on him after a while - I obviously don't agree, but humour is the most subjective thing in the world, and I'd be lying if I said there weren't a few gags in the game that just fell flat for me. Finally, the issue of the puzzles in the game, which I'd point out he called 'esoteric' not 'nonsensical'. Although Sam & Max is significantly better than most games out there, there are still a few puzzles in the game that are very obtuse, most of which have been mentioned in this thread (defend them all you like, but you still knew which ones he was talking about). The puzzles of the rat cannon and the car colours stand out for me as having been particularly tricky.

    Really, all this review says is that it's a good, but flawed game that hasn't transferred as well to the X-Box as it could have. I don't really see what's outrageous about that.
  • Pantagruel's FriendPantagruel's Friend
    edited July 2009
    ReNeilssance wrote: »
    The puzzles of the rat cannon and the car colours stand out for me as having been particularly tricky.

    But this is soooooo subjective. The car colour puzzle was almost evident to me.
  • MussKattMussKatt
    edited July 2009
    Gaming journalism is rarely, if ever, a credible source of information. In fact, same could be said of overall journalism.

    You may think i'm a bit extreme for saying this, but it's true. Think about it.
  • ReNeilssanceReNeilssance
    edited July 2009
    Pantagruel's Friend wrote: »
    But this is soooooo subjective. The car colour puzzle was almost evident to me.

    Well, there you go, it's subjective. I am sure I've struggled endlessly with puzzles some people have breezed past, and breezed past puzzles the same people would have found extremely difficult. This doesn't just go for Sam and Max S1, but most every adventure game I've played. Subjective difficulty is a central facet of the genre, and a review like this one, aimed at people who may never have played an adventure game before, would be flawed if it didn't mention that you're probably going to get stuck once in a while.
  • Pantagruel's FriendPantagruel's Friend
    edited July 2009
    ReNeilssance wrote: »
    Well, there you go, it's subjective. I am sure I've struggled endlessly with puzzles some people have breezed past, and breezed past puzzles the same people would have found extremely difficult. This doesn't just go for Sam and Max S1, but most every adventure game I've played. Subjective difficulty is a central facet of the genre, and a review like this one, aimed at people who may never have played an adventure game before, would be flawed if it didn't mention that you're probably going to get stuck once in a while.

    I was reacting to the word "obtuse", specifically. It didn't seem to make sense to you, that's OK (I got stuck on getting into the office in the virtual world, and I'm sure it was easy for most players) - but the colours puzzle was so step-by-step logic for me that I didn't find calling it obtuse fair.
  • ReNeilssanceReNeilssance
    edited July 2009
    Pantagruel's Friend wrote: »
    I was reacting to the word "obtuse", specifically. It didn't seem to make sense to you, that's OK (I got stuck on getting into the office in the virtual world, and I'm sure it was easy for most players) - but the colours puzzle was so step-by-step logic for me that I didn't find calling it obtuse fair.

    Ah, fair enough! I cheerfully withdraw my use of that word. I just struggled with that one for ages before I ended up resorting to a walkthrough, which I hate having to do. The leap of
    the colour of your car being on the license plate
    seems ridiculously obvious in retrospect, but at the time I wasn't even really paying attention to what I thought was just irrelevant decoration. My understanding is that it's based on old colour-based copy protection systems, which were before my time, so maybe that has something to do with it. Or maybe you were just more observant than me (this is the likely option).
  • Pantagruel's FriendPantagruel's Friend
    edited July 2009
    ReNeilssance wrote: »
    Ah, fair enough! I cheerfully withdraw my use of that word. I just struggled with that one for ages before I ended up resorting to a walkthrough, which I hate having to do. The leap of
    the colour of your car being on the license plate
    seems ridiculously obvious in retrospect, but at the time I wasn't even really paying attention to what I thought was just irrelevant decoration. My understanding is that it's based on old colour-based copy protection systems, which were before my time, so maybe that has something to do with it. Or maybe you were just more observant than me (this is the likely option).

    Yeah, I understand you - I felt similarly about the
    red gong puzzle
    in Moai Better Blues. But that was also logical - in a way.

    About the colours - it worked differently. I was like,
    "so, this gate wants to identify me". and as soon as the word identify cropped up I looked at the license plate, and from then on, it was a matter of matchmaking.
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