The Devil's Playhouse and Hit The Road
Okay, don't hate me for this, but in my opinion, The Devil's Playhouse is better than Hit The Road. I know that most people say that you can't beat a classic, but after 2 episodes of pretty much the best Sam and Max related thing ever made, is it so wrong to say it's better than HTR?
I mean, the story of TDP is definitely more epic and deeper than the previous stuff, which are mostly randomness and absurdity, and the puzzles are way more creative, though not as difficult so it doesn't create too much frustration.
And yes, the graphics of the Devil's Playhouse are better than Hit The Road, but not just because it's 3D, it's also because of the cinematic camera angles and art design as well.
What's your opinion?
I mean, the story of TDP is definitely more epic and deeper than the previous stuff, which are mostly randomness and absurdity, and the puzzles are way more creative, though not as difficult so it doesn't create too much frustration.
And yes, the graphics of the Devil's Playhouse are better than Hit The Road, but not just because it's 3D, it's also because of the cinematic camera angles and art design as well.
What's your opinion?
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Would you also agree with me that Tales of MI has a better story than MI 1 and 2? Just the story.
Which doesn't mean that I didn't like all Sam & Max and Monkey Island games so far.
I don't know, I thought Rise of the Pirate God kicked the hell out of MI 1 and 2.
(Yes, I finally got to play the 2 originals.)
I basically feel the same way about The Devil's Playhouse and Hit the Road. Hit the Road just had one mood and theme the whole way through - humour and a little bit of silliness for good measure. But in The Devil's Playhouse, there's actually a little bit of suspense and drama in some moments. Take the final scene of The Tomb of Sammun-Mak for instance. When you see Max's body lying limp with the top of his head severed, the whole jocularity and frivolous nature of the game comes to a screaming halt. You see the genuine worry of Sam's face, the camera moves slowly around Max's lifeless face and still body and the music is... well, I can't really remember what was happening with the music, but I knew that it created a good effect.
What I guess I'm trying to say is that The Devil's Playhouse is just a huge step forward in the evolution of Sam & Max. The same goes for the later Monkey Island games (yes, even Escape), they had a lot more depth to them than the original two. The original Sam & Max and the original MI games were mostly focused on the comedy element. This is very much still alive in the later games (of both S&M and MI), but they aren't completely centered around it. This is a good thing.
Well, I'd say Devil's Playhouse beats Season Two already...
Any particular reason? The writing? The characters? The story? The theme? The voice acting? The settings? The puzzles? The music? The lighting? The lack of familiar faces? All of the above?
Music is as good as ever. The writing is great, doesn't feel quite as snappy but it's still great and I like it. The lighting and graphics, presentation all around is excellent and better than the first two seasons by a longshot.
Not having secondary characters show up for the hell of it was probably a good call, because the secondary cast was getting somewhat bloated.
Um... I thought The Devil's Playhouse is season three. Also, are you saying that season two is better than Devil's Playhouse because we have yet to see the rest of the episodes?
I think the first was just an error. I think the second he just meant that so far Season 3 hasn't quite lived up to the greatness of Season 2. But I guess I'll just let Rather Dashing answer for himself
I'm saying it's too early for me to judge, and I'm not seeing the trajectory heading toward "Better than Season Two". But it can change, or I could be wrong about where it's heading.
But Season 3 being better than Season 2? Or any of the other Sam & Max games (except maybe Save the World)? Too early to tell. I love where it's been heading so far, but there's too much that can happen between now and the last episode. I'm waiting until at least Episode 3 before -- if it applies -- I say something like, "Boy, this is shaping up to be better than Season 2!" Calling it one way or another, though? Not until the bitter, twisty end.
Naw, can't be. Cause in ToMI Guybrush goes through the same transformations as LeChuck did in MI1 and 2.
On topic:
I considered HTR never to be a really great LA-classic. A very good and funny adventure, but MI1&2, Dott, Indy3&4 and Maniac Mansion are my all time favorites. :cool:
I love what TellTale has done to S&M. Now that i played 301 & 302 i think S&M is one of the best adventure franchises ever.
How about giving Conroy Bumpus and Lee Harvey a cameo?
Well, when I said 'classic', I meant in the Sam and Max series, not all of LucasArts. Also, Conroy Bumpus and Lee Harvey are owned by LucasArts, so I don't think they can. Otherwise, I'd prefer Bruno the bigfoot to make an appearance.
I didn't like the first three episodes as episodes, and as far as the story goes I feel the end of episode four and the whole of episode 5 just ruined everything that could have been good about ToMI's story.
So in the end, we're left with "prevent a pox from infesting the Caribbeans" and "stuff that could have been interesting but quickly revert to normal at the end", neither of which seem specifically better than Revenge to me.
I guess it beats Secret, though.
Of course, it was my very first experience with Sam and Max, other than seeing a bit of the animated series when it originally aired (which I have no memory of at all), so maybe I'll enjoy it more now than I did then. And by then, I mean a few months ago.
Have only played Hit the Road once, though, and at a time when I probably would have missed most of the jokes. So I guess I should probably play it again soon.
Well, I've only played MI 1, tales, and about 4% of 3 and 4, so I can't definitively say, but Tales certainly has a more epic storyline than the secret. can't wait for mi2 se though, that's why i havent played 2 yet.
I also need to replay Hit the Road. Actually, I'm not even sure I finished it the first time... but after replacing the box art with Laserschwart's, it seems to have breathed a new life into the game and makes me want to play it more.
As for Monkey Island... I dunno not played those... YET!
It was quite an extraordinary game back in '93, and I think it ages quite well. I also like the Telltale seasons better, but there's nearly 15 years between HTR and Season 1 - the kind of humour HTR had was not very usual back then.
There is of course progress; about graphics, camera movements, puzzles lay out and such, but they re technical progress that make the form of the game rather than it content. About pure content i think the long LA adventures are still unmatched.
Well, you can always wait until the full series before playing it, so it's not really up to the game whether you have to wait between episodes or not.
Also, the episodic system is actually good for the story, because each episode contains several major plot points. In HTR, there are very few major plot points(Sam and Max go to the carnival, they are assigned to find a bigfoot. They found him, but he needs help finishing a bigfoot ritual. They helped him), which makes the events feel unnatural, because they all happen solely because Sam and Max did something or go somewhere. In TDP, there are more plot points that happen naturally, and not through the actions of Sam and Max (Max's brain got stolen, but not because Sam and Max did something, or went somewhere, it just happened.) This makes the story more complex and eventful, as well as making it feel less like a string of puzzles and objectives.
It's kinda like Grim Fandango, a game that, while not episodic, is divided into chapters, or 'years'. There is no overall objective in Grim Fandango. The story direction and the characters' motivations change each plot point.
This is also why I like the story of TMI more than the first two MI games. MI2 doesn't have much plot points; most of the game is about Guybrush looking for four map pieces, and there aren't many plot points within that objective. While in TMI, Guybrush's objectives, and the roles of each character in it, changes constantly (Morgan started of as an enemy, then she became his friend, then there's betrayal, and so on.)
And i found more natural the long plots rather than the short ones that are later smashed together. On one side you have this one long case that they should resolve by clues and stuff, its a big map with lot of clues, places, etc. There is still diversity. On the other side its a different motive for each episode, and at the end of the season they just pile all those things up and make a big surreal conspiracy plot. Its ok because its Sam and Max, but in the first 2 season a very simmilar scheme was used: different plots piled up at the end and presented as a big secret conspiracy plan.
Again, its perfect im not against it, but personally i found the "long ones" to be better planned.
I felt EXACTLY like that at the
I can't stand the verb system in Hit the Road. Irritating and cumbersome, at best.