The little things you appreciate

edited May 2010 in Sam & Max
So the first two episodes are out and yay, they're pretty good. But I wanted to create a thread about the little things that make you like the games even more. The point is to try and make Telltale see that we appreciate small attention to detail, like the Monkey 2 sinking reference in Lair of the Leviathan. It can be thankless work. I hope to change that here.

Needless to say, spoilers ho.

So, little things I liked, personally/noticed:

In Episode One:

- Using a power or verb option on anything will lend different jokes under different circumstances. The number of times you click matters.

- The way the dialogue is written allows it to make sense even if Max isn't around to deliver a punchline. So if Max is busy getting choked by a gorilla, and you, say, try offering another gorilla a gun ("Use gun on gorilla"), Sam's actions still make sense.

- There are cockroaches at Stinky's. There are no rats. If the cockroach is the cook, it makes sense.

- The music that shows up when Max is introduced is slightly reminiscent of Looney Tunes and works very well.

In Episode Two:

- Anyone talking with a barrier between them and Sam and Max talks incredibly quickly, as in Bioshock.

- Grandpa Moleman actually tells Amelia a story. You can listen to it.

- Last Express references. I caught one.

- That you can "die". That the characters comment on it. The best one - and the one with most suspense - was Sammeth hanging over the Pit of Flesh-Eating Ants and slowly descending. It raises the stakes up a little without becoming Sierra-style frustrating. (Unlike that sucky dead-end, I imagine.)

- The music as you're at the end, hanging, reminds me (and apparently others) of North By Northwest.

I had others. I'm done procrastinating on other things, so I'll leave them for now.

Add some stuffs.

Comments

  • edited May 2010
    Sam's moustache, Sam's wonderful walking animation and cute sole feets, Sam's elbow pads and the decent normal mapping on his jacket, the eyebrows of the puppet and its familiar TZ look and decent normal mapping on it, the paintings in the tomb, the rumbling on the train and the scrolling by lights outside, the dangling sarcophagus, the spiral animation when they jump out of the can, still how the sound alters when you're scrolling in psychic mode, different angles for the different cabins (i liked the one from outside the most) Jurgen's clothing, the evil egyptian, i never get tired of slapping Max, how the Master of the Lamps like frames change their colours when they are fyling away in the credits, ...
  • edited May 2010
    How the season's title sequence will only kick in the first time you use Reel 1 (I decided to start with Reel 2). :)
  • edited May 2010
    I love all of the little rat/cockroach/scorpion animations in the backgrounds. I know, they're so minor, but they make the environments feel much more lively and 'real'.
  • edited May 2010
    Just all the extra stuff you see when you're in Max's mind. In Ep2 was just the bowler hats and moustaches on everything, but in Ep1 there was visual madness everywhere. I hope that all comes back once we're back in present Max's mind - which could be a while if we don't know where it is...
  • edited May 2010
    When Sam is talking to the mole man father in the tomb he gestures quickly with his hand at one point and smacks Max right in the head, complete with small sound effect. It was a quick sight gag and I almost missed it.
  • edited May 2010
    The doors on the ship in ep1. For some reason, they always brought a smile to my face, and it was just a little bit of weirdness that could have been done normally but they chose not to.
  • edited May 2010
    When you talk to Jurgen
    after he becomes a vampire
    and it plays the background music from Night of the Raving Dead. The subtle and not so subtle references to Lovecraft. The way they intisipate the combonations your going to attempt and write a joke for it.
  • edited May 2010
    When you talk to Jurgen
    after he becomes a vampire
    and it plays the background music from Night of the Raving Dead.
    That was one of my favorite moments in the game, simply because Night of the Raving Dead was my favorite Sam & Max episode (before this one came out, that it).
  • edited May 2010
    When you talk to Jurgen
    after he becomes a vampire
    and it plays the background music from Night of the Raving Dead.

    I was Cracking up when I hear that song in the moment I click on him. It was hilarious
  • edited May 2010
    When you talk to Jurgen
    after he becomes a vampire
    and it plays the background music from Night of the Raving Dead.

    I loved that part too since it just seemed to fit with Jurgen's origin and transformation into a vampire. But my favorite part was definatly Kringle's meltdown, it was just so brilliant.
  • edited May 2010
    I'm not sure if I mentioned this anywhere before but I love the footstep sounds in all Sam & Max games. They actually depend both on the character walking and the surface they're walking on. That's a really nice touch.
  • edited May 2010
    Harald B wrote: »
    I'm not sure if I mentioned this anywhere before but I love the footstep sounds in all Sam & Max games. They actually depend both on the character walking and the surface they're walking on. That's a really nice touch.

    Actually thats not something I notice, but it makes me feel much more appreciative of Telltales game making.
  • edited May 2010
    I really love some of the obscure references that so often fly under the radar. I know I just mentioned it in another thread, but a prime example is any time someone calls Max "Harvey". Gets me every time.
  • edited May 2010
    I really love some of the obscure references that so often fly under the radar. I know I just mentioned it in another thread, but a prime example is any time someone calls Max "Harvey". Gets me every time.

    I've heard this mentioned a couple of times. If you don't mind me asking, what is this a reference to?
  • edited May 2010
    Detective wrote: »
    I've heard this mentioned a couple of times. If you don't mind me asking, what is this a reference to?

    The movie "Harvey" about an imaginary rabbit.
  • edited May 2010
    Sam's pockets, and the way his coat moves when he puts his hand in 'em. Total graphic advancement in Telltale.
  • edited May 2010
    Waitwhat wrote: »
    When Sam is talking to the mole man father in the tomb he gestures quickly with his hand at one point and smacks Max right in the head, complete with small sound effect. It was a quick sight gag and I almost missed it.

    That one caught me off guard! Couldn't stop laughing:D
  • edited May 2010
    I like how Jurgen starts of with a pair of buck teeth which conveniently turn into fangs when he is vampirized. And how his hands turn into claws.
  • edited May 2010
    Randulf wrote: »
    I like how Jurgen starts of with a pair of buck teeth which conveniently turn into fangs when he is vampirized. And how his hands turn into claws.

    Yeah, it disturbed me in 203 how his fangs were so close together when they should have been his canine. But 302 fixed that: all of the elf's teeth turn pointy, and Jurgen had prominent front teeth. Problem solved.
  • edited May 2010
    Avistew wrote: »
    Yeah, it disturbed me in 203 how his fangs were so close together when they should have been his canine. But 302 fixed that: all of the elf's teeth turn pointy, and Jurgen had prominent front teeth. Problem solved.
    Heh. "True Blood" didn't go for the canines as fangs either - and of course someone on teh Internets wrote a blog post about it... :D

    np: Bobby And Blumm - Our Glances (A Little Big)
  • edited May 2010
    Apparently, if you're on Reel 2 (? The one on the train, anyways), and you've disabled the mole man's curse, the game ignores continuity and has Sammeth and Maximus knock out Amelia Earhart anyways.

    Except, it's not true. If you hae the power disabled, Sammeth very quickly looks at the mole man, who curses him with the spell. It's subtle.

    Pretty ace if you ask me.

    OH OH and the dirt over Amelia Earhart's face is placed everywhere besides where her goggles and mouth piece would be.

    OH and Sammeth keeps wiping his shirt.

    MAN Telltale. SO AWESOME.

    *is having a fanboy moment*
  • edited May 2010
    Huh. I think I'm going to have to try that now.
  • edited May 2010
    Heh, Kroms is right! It's really subtle, though. Well done Telltale.

    In fact ALL the passengers come out into the train corridor when reel 3 ends, as it's time to disembark in New York. Among them is Nefertiti's dad, who re-casts the Sexo Rejexo hex on our heroes just before Baby Amelia Earhart shows up with the stolen Toybox.
  • edited May 2010
    Kroms wrote: »
    Apparently, if you're on Reel 2 (? The one on the train, anyways), and you've disabled the mole man's curse, the game ignores continuity and has Sammeth and Maximus knock out Amelia Earhart anyways.

    Except, it's not true. If you hae the power disabled, Sammeth very quickly looks at the mole man, who curses him with the spell. It's subtle.

    Pretty ace if you ask me.

    Whoa really? No way! That's impossible. That's *plays that part again* Wow....you're absolutely right! I was wondering why the game just "ignored" that I didn't have the hex on me anymore. Awesome : D
Sign in to comment in this discussion.