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Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse: The Penal Zone discussion!

JakeJake Telltale Alumni
edited July 2010 in Sam & Max
penalzone.jpg

It's here, so, new thread! For the old discussion look here.

Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse
The Penal Zone

Trailer and stuff on the official site

Here's the official spiel: "The new season Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse is the biggest, strangest and most epic to date. As the saga begins, an otherworldy power for controlling matter and space calls to the strongest and strangest who might wield it - intergalactic warlords and eldritch gods, under-dwellers and scholars of the arcane.

Gaming's greatest dog and rabbit sleuths Sam & Max seek the power's ancient secrets, as Max gains shape shifting, teleportation, mind reading and future vision abilities for battling these foes. The saga plays out in a surreal 5 month-long symphony of mayhem that gets deeper and more twisted with each episode."

So it's out, and you guys are probably downloading or playing it! What do you think? Let's ruminate on the Penal Zone together!

Haven't played it yet? We're also rounding up some reviews over in this thread.
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Comments

  • IrishmileIrishmile
    edited April 2010
    YAY!! site is back up... downloading the game as I type this....
  • AFGNCAAPAFGNCAAP
    edited April 2010
    also downloading.
    ten minutes... ugh!
  • BigNickBigNick
    edited April 2010
    I pre-ordered on PS3, but I still don't see it... Am I missing something?
  • mothramothra
    edited April 2010
    98%......only one fingernail left...
  • FalancaFalanca
    edited April 2010
    Well, my only complaint about the game so far is that it's downloaded in a slower rate than other people in forums...
  • jared25jared25
    edited April 2010
    how can i get episode one without giving up 35.00 dollars??:mad:
  • jared25jared25
    edited April 2010
    oops i meant i will give 7.00 dollars:eek:
  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited April 2010
    At launch it's just the season for sale!
  • SS the Free!SS the Free!
    edited April 2010
    It's taking 3 hours to download.
  • MRNMRN
    edited April 2010
    It downloads and installs pretty quick on the PS3

    I found something awesome, the Evil Santa's music in the Santa Station episode actually plays on Stinky's Jukebox :o
  • FrownFrown
    edited April 2010
    At this point, the thing I love the most is Max's semi-eyebrows.
  • Dead ManDead Man
    edited April 2010
    is the ps3 version release ?
  • MRNMRN
    edited April 2010
    ^^ Yep, at least in the EU PSN store
  • mothramothra
    edited April 2010
    well, it's looking good sofar.

    BUT

    why can't I click on the ground where I want Max to go ? WHY OH WHY
    monkey island had the most retarded control scheme and now Sam and Max features a little less retarded one but still. this is no action game. characters don't have to be steered like drunken sailors. Why remove a good thing. Game Design doesn't mean that you have to change stuff that works. it's the other way around.

    also, please, keep it down with the constant advertising, I can't even close the game without getting a time-delayed "CLICK HERE" window. but that's a minor gripe. making a sub-par control scheme in the year 2010 after the monkey island catastrophy, is NOT
  • Dead ManDead Man
    edited April 2010
    ^

    You can only control sam ..
  • tvo770tvo770
    edited April 2010
    way is the ps3 v up on EU psn and its has a is on 1.1 of the game way the us psn dose not have it wat not I wont thes game now come TT =.(
  • Pantagruel's FriendPantagruel's Friend
    edited April 2010
    OK, I played through Act One. Loving the game so far - looks great, music is fantastic, the controls are handy, and the Sam&Max humour is back for good. Wicked awesome :cool:
  • Dead ManDead Man
    edited April 2010
    ^

    Are you playing the game in the ps3 ?

    because the controls are different ..
  • RibsRibs
    edited April 2010
    Dead Man wrote: »
    ^

    Are you playing the game in the ps3 ?

    because the controls are different ..

    Okay, firstly, quote button = friend.

    Secondly, the PC version has different controls too.
  • SpalterSpalter
    edited April 2010
    mothra wrote: »
    well, it's looking good sofar.

    BUT

    why can't I click on the ground where I want Max to go ? WHY OH WHY
    monkey island had the most retarded control scheme and now Sam and Max features a little less retarded one but still. this is no action game. characters don't have to be steered like drunken sailors. Why remove a good thing. Game Design doesn't mean that you have to change stuff that works. it's the other way around.

    also, please, keep it down with the constant advertising, I can't even close the game without getting a time-delayed "CLICK HERE" window. but that's a minor gripe. making a sub-par control scheme in the year 2010 after the monkey island catastrophy, is NOT

    i couldn't have said it better and totally agree!
  • ZyroczZyrocz
    edited April 2010
    Completed Penal Zone. In my opinion one of the best episodes yet, the new gameplay is easy to learn and the PS3 controll scheme isn't that bad. Played it for over 6 hours before I completed it. Don't know how I managed to spend so much time, but I think I heard every dialogue and explored the new places. I also found Max's powers very fun and a clever way to add something new to the season. There was a few things I found odd, and I am sure everyone who had played through season 2 will find it out of place too.

    One of the best episode in my opinion, although this episode had some of the easiest "puzzles" yet.


    You couldn't click on the ground where you wanted Max to go in the other episodes either :P
  • ZodlerZodler
    edited April 2010
    Thank you for releasing this on Steam this soon.
  • ZodlerZodler
    edited April 2010
    why can't I click on the ground where I want Max to go ? WHY OH WHY
    monkey island had the most retarded control scheme and now Sam and Max features a little less retarded one but still. this is no action game. characters don't have to be steered like drunken sailors. Why remove a good thing. Game Design doesn't mean that you have to change stuff that works. it's the other way around.
    I agree.
  • danewshdanewsh
    edited April 2010
    My 1st episode starts with Sam and Max trapped in a spaceship with Sam making references to Maxs 'new' powers. Where's the background to this in the game? Is this correct? I thought I saw some trailer with Max aquiring his powers and Skunkape showing up at Earth with them on the ground. What gives?:cool:
  • JakeJake Telltale Alumni
    edited April 2010
    danewsh wrote: »
    My 1st episode starts with Sam and Max trapped in a spaceship with Sam making references to Maxs 'new' powers. Where's the background to this in the game? Is this correct? I thought I saw some trailer with Max aquiring his powers and Skunkape showing up at Earth with them on the ground. What gives?:cool:

    I can't tell if this is a joke or not :P Keep playing and all will be revealed...
  • Ratchetdeam30Ratchetdeam30
    edited April 2010
    danewsh wrote: »
    My 1st episode starts with Sam and Max trapped in a spaceship with Sam making references to Maxs 'new' powers. Where's the background to this in the game? Is this correct? I thought I saw some trailer with Max aquiring his powers and Skunkape showing up at Earth with them on the ground. What gives?:cool:

    It starts in medias res. That's a verbose way of saying for "Straight into the action"
  • JunaidJunaid
    edited April 2010
    Love the game so far but am I the only one with audio problems? Sometimes the music is so hard that you can barely hear the voices, sometimes you can't hear it at all. I'm constantly tweaking the volume settings but it doesn't seem to change it much
  • positivewpositivew
    edited April 2010
    I love the opening credits and the new approach on story-telling. Also, the graphics are great. So glad I pre-ordered.
  • CyphoxCyphox
    edited April 2010
    i'm just at the beginning of act 2 now and WOOOOOOOOW, look at those new shiny graphics :eek:

    i pity all people who're playing this on ipad
  • Secret FawfulSecret Fawful
    edited April 2010
    A couple things/bugs so far-

    In Stinky's Diner when Max uses his psychic powers of future vision on
    Flint Paper and the axe is sticking out of his head, in one part of the scene suddenly Flint's head disappears visibly with the axe in midair
    .

    Also, when the COPS are introduced, there is just hovering text, and no backdrop like with the other introductions. Was this on purpose or is this a bug?

    Also, sometimes the audio will cut out at the end of a sentence, but I've only had this happen twice. I'm also having a similar problem like Junaid's, but it was remedied by turning on subtitles and lowering the music volume by less than half, as well as the sound effects. It seems the voice volume is much lower than the other two options.

    Also I wanted to say I love steering with the mouse in this much better than TOMI. The icon isn't annoying or taking up space and it looks like it belongs. Maybe a verb coin or compass would have worked better on screen in TOMI, and if there's another Monkey Island game I know it'll look and work fantastic.
  • Dead ManDead Man
    edited April 2010
    Damn ! , i didn`t see the game on the store where is the game ?

    I pre-order the game but i don't know what to do if the game release .
  • vocabvocab
    edited April 2010
    Aside from the technical issues, I'm getting used to season 3, and I'm starting to enjoy it. As odd as the puzzle solving is, I can't believe it actually works.
  • JoopJoop
    edited April 2010
    I love the Guilder remark btw.
    I still keep one in my wallet as a good luck charm. :')
  • mothramothra
    edited April 2010
    finished it. the presentation, structure of story, how everything gets justified insided the gameworld is top-notch. even the tutorial and hints are justified. having said that (I turned off hints in the options) this is also - for me - the most easiest and shortest episode I played. it's ridiculously easy where every puzzle is completely laid out infront of you - it's justified storywise and a nice idea - but completely takes away any kind of guesswork. I played this episode on autopilot. it was more like an interactive experience than any kind of puzzlegame. yeah, you go through the motions and click every possible option, I was entertained - no doubt - some dialogues were pretty hilarious - but so easy my mum could play it. Don't get me wrong, I still like it and laughed out a few times, it did not reach the height of some season2 episodes although all around it felt much more refined and "mature" in its storytelling techniques. But the puzzling.....it felt like an afterthought and the game more like an adventure.
  • RobDRobD
    edited April 2010
    Just finished it too and everything about this is right! I know that sounds like an over-reaction, but Telltale have really really hit the nail on the head this time. Looks fantastic, comedy is some of the best they've done so far, and the puzzles work very well. In fact it also feels like the closest non-comic release to the Sam & Max comics yet, including cartoons and Hit The Road. Yet it feels new and the feeling I had playing Lucasarts adventure games for the very first time is the exact same feeling I had playing this, which is a sure sign that this is a great step in the right direction to make adventure games less predictable and suitable for the hardcore adventure gamers, whilst the style, delivery and learning curve are also a great introduction to the genre.

    Well done guys, you delivered far more than I expected and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series! :D
  • caeskacaeska
    edited April 2010
    I'm loving the way the puzzle-solving works here and I've literally fallen off my chair several times at some of the jokes.
    One thing I don't get is why people are complaining about the new controls. ToMI was abit odd at the start, but once you get used to it it's really quite good. There's no rule that says an adventure game *has* to be point and click.
    Anyway I think I'm actually going to go to bed now and continue The Penal Zone tomorrow.
  • RobDRobD
    edited April 2010
    caeska wrote: »
    One thing I don't get is why people are complaining about the new controls. ToMI was abit odd at the start, but once you get used to it it's really quite good. There's no rule that says an adventure game *has* to be point and click.

    This is certainly true. I wasn't a huge fan of them in ToMI, but they work really well in The Penal Zone.
  • FalancaFalanca
    edited April 2010
    RobD?

    Now that will be totally weird but... Are you Rob DenBleyker by any chance?
  • adventureaddictadventureaddict
    edited April 2010
    I really loved the inventory! Well done guys!
    I've been a fan of the drag'n'click since TMI, and I feel like it's been perfected in this. How exciting!
    The jokes were great, the puzzles were great.
    Only thing I really had a problem with was the controls when Max used his powers, but that's just a silly thing on my end, I'm sure I'll get used to it soon enough.
  • Hassat HunterHassat Hunter
    edited April 2010
    Just finished it, and I really liked it too, despite it's rather lacking difficulty, as pointed out before.

    Same issue as Secret Fawful had. Here are some of my comments on it all. Since I am kind of a negative person it mostly talks about those... but know that despite all this I did really like this episode. Till the next one...

    MASSIVE SPOILER ALERT! (Do not read unless you finished the entire episode)
    * Sams head went through the bars! Woo! I spend too much time doing stuff here instead of doing the obvious solution :D.
    * Those airplane ratling gun sounds sure are annoying.
    * Powers screen occassionally gets stuck, spinning around by itself until I press the button again...
    * Hmmm, some FPS drops when the convo screen comes up. Nothing too bothersome, but noticable.
    * And on the street too. Just the wide-shot though. Gonna need a better PC.
    * Street sure looks nice.
    * Future vision. Maybe we can turn off the sparkles next time...
    * Though the random itemry floating about is funny :).
    * Stink or Stinkys? It does seem Max' line gets cut off.
    * Oh, where is the tongue of the ship? Clipping issues...
    * These pictures when going to Max vision sure get annoying fast...
    * What happened to the Axe? Darn it... I wanted to pick it up!

    * Is the iThing G4 added after the Ipad consternation?
    * Obey! Obey! Obey!... Typical Max :) Skeleton is fun too...
    * I miss Season 1's area-specific Max lines.
    * Hey! Stinky's badge doesn't show up proper...
    * New location and Stinky's final line after leaving the Moleroom lack subtitles (could understand the first, not the second).
    * Proposing to Max is hilarious! Great job!
    * Gorilla's vanish too it seems. Shame :(.
    * So... many... cows...
    * Is Max supposed to defy gravity in the Penal Zone? If not, it's still pretty cool ;).
    * Okay... how do you actually manually save? Oh well, then no saving before getting blown up I guess... It's an adventure game, what can happen?
    * Skun-Ka'pe doesn't care if you shoot him in the latest visit to the spaceship? Odd.

    * Well, another TTG adventure finished without walkthrough. Either they get easier, or I get better...
    * Ehm, after it was done I clicked the pop-up saying "go here for more" and it brought me to the shop to buy the season (I kind of already did). Was that intended?
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