Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse: They Stole Max's Brain! Discussion!

13

Comments

  • edited June 2010
    I loved the Star Trek III reference in that scene.
    "I've had... just... about... enough... of you!"
  • edited June 2010
    I did like the brief but memorable appearances (can I still call them that if his face is never seen?) of the mysterious Dr. Norrington. The credits say that Norrington was played by Chuck Kourouklis, who also was the voice of the Ferryman in Rise of the Pirate God.

    Telltale, if you ever get to make a new Monkey Island game and for whatever reason can't hire back Earl Boen, maybe you should hire Kourouklis as your replacement LeChuck voice instead of Adam Harrington. Just a thought.
  • edited June 2010
    After hearing Peter Barto's take on a rat voice, I've had "I can see you!" stuck in my head all day.
  • edited June 2010
    I'm very much intrigued as to who this Dr. Norrington is and how he ties into everything.
  • edited June 2010
    I hope nicely
  • edited June 2010
    I didn't like the new rat voices. It sounded like Brady Culture trying to do a Jimmy Two-Teeth impression.
  • edited June 2010
    Played some more yesterday. Finished the
    museum
    part, already got one
    accessory in the alternate Egyptian world by getting Stinky arrested
    and am now working on the others. I know how to
    beat the rats at gambling
    but not how to
    make Franky bet his accessory, something about the credit card but what exactly? I know Max can turn into one through rhinoplasty but what's the application?
    . And I also know I have to
    gift something special, but as far as I can tell Max can only change into a toaster, and I already pushed the toaster button in the planetarium so it's no longer good enough ...
  • edited June 2010
    Played some more yesterday. Finished the
    museum
    part, already got one
    accessory in the alternate Egyptian world by getting Stinky arrested
    and am now working on the others. I know how to
    beat the rats at gambling
    but not how to
    make Franky bet his accessory, something about the credit card but what exactly? I know Max can turn into one through rhinoplasty but what's the application?
    . And I also know I have to
    gift something special, but as far as I can tell Max can only change into a toaster, and I already pushed the toaster button in the planetarium so it's no longer good enough ...

    sammun-mak:
    I hereby decree that cameras are the worst thing in the world and should be destroyed!
  • edited June 2010
    In my opinion this episode wasn't as good as 302 but better than 301. I loved the new characters: Sal, Norrington and Sammun-Mak himself (on the other hand I also loved Baby Amelia in 302 so it may be just me enjoying baby characters :)) and overall voice acting (yay for TOMI actors!). As for the plot and gameplay the weakest point for me was the museum. I wish they made a longer noir part instead. Also in this episode I've encountered more bugs than in all the other Telltale games together: one Max waiting by the car while I'm carrying another one, Stinky in front of the restaurant after
    he's been arrested
    , a missing line from Max when talking to Papierwaite in
    Sammun-Mak's reality
    and a couple of missing things when looking from Max's perspective e.g.
    Sammun-Mak sitting on his throne from Sam's perspective, but missing from Max's and the kid never even moves from there.
    On the other hand the use of psychic powers wasn't as obvious and was more creative.
  • edited June 2010
    The advertising campaign was a huge bait-and-switch for me. I expected a lot more gritty noir than was actually presented, and I wanted to see more of the interruption-style-interrogation puzzles. Those were really cool! I realize the importance of not spoiling too much about an episode, but you don't just surprise people with "HEY LOOK IT'S EGYPTIANNY!"

    I did however like the premise of the second part of Max's Brain, i.e. Max guiding a helpless Sam. When I say the premise of the episode, I was thinking that it'd be really cool if Alley of the Dolls involved Sam getting beat up and replaced by a clone who wants to harness Max's powers, but Max would trick him into making his plan fall apart and finding the real Sam. Since Sam always seems to be protecting and rescuing Max, I'd like to see more of Max doing the same...as a playable character, that is.

    In terms of characters, Sal is so sweet and amiable, I can see why Girl Stinky loves him so much. I do wonder what Sal sees in her, but he is a spineless cockroach who likes pleasing people (i.e. Papierwaite). Sammun-Mak was just amazing! One minute I want to squeeze him to bits, and the other I want to smack him for being such a brat. All of his lines were hilarious, though, and he makes a great foil to Sam. I think bringing back both Skunkape and Papierwaite was a bit much for this episode, however, but they work very well in context, and I loved seeing them interact with each other.

    The lines for the episode were pretty good too, and I loved how relevant saluting and kneeling before Sammun-Mak were to the puzzles. Can you say "Death From Below!" I also loved Papierwaite's self-guided tour, and the planetarium light show as well, especially his deadpan delivery of the tapestry being made from the immaculately groomed back hair of the Knights of Yog-Soggoth. In terms of the story arc, I want to see what Norrignton has to do with all of this, and who's side he's really on. I also want to see more of Yog-Soggoth, and what else the Devil's Toybox can do.

    A good game, but not my favorite. In the meantime, I'm going to be making a lot of jokes about Papierwaite and Skunkape's relationship.
  • edited June 2010
    Skunka'pe and Papierwaite are like an old married couple.
  • edited June 2010
    Another very good episode. I loved all the new characters as well as the return of Skun-ka'pe and Papierwaite. The opening noir segment was very well done but not being able to save for that long was annoying and it felt like it was over just as was starting to really get into it.
    The puzzle design was good and rewarding enough, but the uninspired "collect three badges" mechanic is groan-worthy and disappointing. I can also sympathize with people calling it slightly too short, but I probably wouldn't have minded if it weren't for the three badges thing.
    Finally, I feel the cliffhangers are too... arbitrary. They don't flow from the rest of the story at all, they're just a basically unrelated part of the next episode inserted after the proper end to build up anticipation.
    In conclusion, I like this episode a lot, but besides a lot to love about it it also has some issues and I'm not sure I like it more than the previous two.
  • edited June 2010
    Hopefully we'll have enough time to finish the game this weekend. :O/
  • edited June 2010
    In terms of characters, Sal is so sweet and amiable, I can see why Girl Stinky loves him so much.

    Where do you get that Girl Stinky loves anybody but herself? I suspect she chooses her BF's based on how easy they are to manipulate.
    Harald B wrote: »
    The opening noir segment was very well done but not being able to save for that long was annoying and it felt like it was over just as was starting to really get into it.

    You can save during the noir segment.
  • edited June 2010
    Really impressed of this episode. I loved the new characters that were introduced on this one. Sammun-Mak was amazingly done, (loved his voice acting, just brilliant! <3), Sal was great, and let's not forget that german turist! (Thumbs up for Majus, you did great job with him!)

    I LOVED the beginning with Sam being all Noir-ishy, just kind of hoped it would have lasted longer than it did. The sudden short personality switches between Normal-Sam and Noir-Sam made it even more hilarious. :)

    I kinda agree that the museum part was a little blank at some points, but it did have its star moments so I'm really not complaining.
    And the alternate reality with Sammun-Mak was definitely my favourite of it all! Really did not see that coming, and I was pleasantly surprised of this sudden scene change. The hailing and kneeling-thing was fun (and Sams excited happyface after doing one was kind of cute :'D )

    I could keep on writing forever, but it would just become a wall of text with my thoughts jumping back and forth with no real order whatsoever (like it kinda is already, I suck at writing long posts)

    so short summary: Lots of fun jokes, great story, lovely new characters and a wtf cliffhanger. I'm really starting to love this season! :D
  • edited June 2010
    thom-22 wrote: »
    Where do you get that Girl Stinky loves anybody but herself? I suspect she chooses her BF's based on how easy they are to manipulate.

    Well, if she doesn't love him, I can at least see why she would pursue a relationship with him. There's probably thousands of other people she could have squeezed for money and resources (maybe not from the pool of Telltale characters we know, but still), but it's strongly hinted that they had an affair. Still, we never found out what Sal had to do with the letter from "S", so maybe he had more to offer than just undying loyalty and general friendliness.
  • edited June 2010
    ATMachine wrote: »
    I did like the brief but memorable appearances (can I still call them that if his face is never seen?) of the mysterious Dr. Norrington. The credits say that Norrington was played by Chuck Kourouklis, who also was the voice of the Ferryman in Rise of the Pirate God.

    Telltale, if you ever get to make a new Monkey Island game and for whatever reason can't hire back Earl Boen, maybe you should hire Kourouklis as your replacement LeChuck voice instead of Adam Harrington. Just a thought.


    I read his credits, and apparently he's the narrator in the Enzyte commercials.:eek:
  • edited June 2010
    As I said on another thread, keeping in theme with the "horror" theme of the season, I can't help but wonder if Sal isn't actually a take on
    Gregor Samsa from Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis".

    The story of Metamorphosis involves a man who can no longer work to support his family due to having become a giant insect, and how his social life and state of mind deteriorate beyond repair as a result. I kind of hope Sal has a happier ending. At the very least, he's still finding work!
  • edited June 2010
    For some reason Papierwaite was somewhat fond of Sal. I wonder if that mean something.
  • edited June 2010
    Honestly I don't think I can love any episode more than 2 of this season but episode 3 was fantastic. The act structure made sure the game felt different through out and it shows! Can't wait for episode 4.... then 5... then I will be sad until season 4.

    Also what I really like this season is that it's really all connected, feels like one large game then 5 tastes.
  • edited June 2010
    What if Sal still isn't Stinky's boyfriend? Some guy around this forum much earlier said that his money's on Satan, so that could be a possibility too, right? Notice also that Satan and the Narrator have pretty similar voices? At least they do in my opinion. On the other hand, the voices of the Narrator and Dr Norrington are pretty similar too, aren't they? They even speak in a similar manner! Also, what if Dr Norrington' first name begins with S? We don't even know who he is or how can he manifest as a walking-talking being. And does anyone except me notice that Charlie Ho-tep, the ventriloquist dummy, looks like a caricature of the Narrator? If he's from the Devil's Toybox, then I suppose he could've been made in the Devil's image? Oh, and one last thing: I'm really looking forward to seeing Gordon the Brain again. He said something like "Donut button, until we meet again!", and I feel that is an incredibly important sentence.
  • edited June 2010
    GinnyN wrote: »
    For some reason Papierwaite was somewhat fond of Sal. I wonder if that mean something.

    I would imagine Papierwaite being shunned by his archeologist colleagues because of his obsession with the arcane. A cockroach being kicked out of the kitchen reminds Papierwaite of himself.
  • edited June 2010
    Randulf wrote: »
    I would imagine Papierwaite being shunned by his archeologist colleagues because of his obsession with the arcane. A cockroach being kicked out of the kitchen reminds Papierwaite of himself.

    You know what I'm hoping now? ANOTHER wedding ^^UUUU
  • edited June 2010
    Okay, I just took a look at the Your Games page, and now I'm wondering something. What is that gray pyramid on the They Stole Max's Brain icon supposed to be? I've beaten TSMB, and I don't remember any stripéd, gray pyramids in the game. Did I miss something?
  • edited June 2010
    it is to symbolise the
    alternate eygptian reality
  • edited June 2010
    GinnyN wrote: »
    For some reason Papierwaite was somewhat fond of Sal. I wonder if that mean something.

    What if
    SAL = DR NORRINGTON no one would see that coming!
  • edited June 2010
    I'm still sticking with the theory someone proposed that Norrington
    is Stinky's cell phone.

    NO-RING-TONE. And sure enough, it rings like an old fashioned phone.
  • edited June 2010
    jaden551 wrote: »
    it is to symbolise the
    alternate eygptian reality
    I guess that makes sense, it just seemed odd as the previous two episodes featured very specific, important objects in their icons.
  • edited June 2010
    lombre wrote: »
    I guess that makes sense, it just seemed odd as the previous two episodes featured very specific, important objects in their icons.

    They are too lazy to draw a brain.
  • edited June 2010
    GinnyN wrote: »
    You know what I'm hoping now? ANOTHER wedding ^^UUUU

    I wish I could have seen more of Papierwaite and Sal's interactions. To me their boss-employee relationship seems strained, if only because of Sal's constant fear of getting fired, and Sal saying "That's the nicest thing [Papierwaite] ever said to me," when he heard the audio tour say "Welcome to the Museum of Mostly Natural History."
  • edited June 2010
    I'm still sticking with the theory someone proposed that Norrington
    is Stinky's cell phone.

    NO-RING-TONE. And sure enough, it rings like an old fashioned phone.

    genius.
  • edited June 2010
    Everything suddenly fits into place...
    Stinky's cell phone seemed suspicious from the beginning of the Penal Zone...
  • edited June 2010
    tabstis wrote: »
    Everything suddenly fits into place...
    Stinky's cell phone seemed suspicious from the beginning of the Penal Zone...

    And she DID certainly use it while Dr Norrington was speaking to Max, although it wasn't on-screen, but I couldn't imagine Stinky resting from it even for a minute back there. Yes... it could be an incredible manipulating device... Additionally, it could explain why Max could hear it after all, since he's got the ability to teleport near phones of known numbers. I feel this'll raise many interesting related questions now, like: (go on, go on! *thumbs up*)
  • edited June 2010
    I just got my computer upgraded (well, replaced, to be more accurate), and I played all three episodes with level 9 settings. Yay me!
  • edited June 2010
    Everything suddenly fits into place...
    Stinky's cell phone seemed suspicious from the beginning of the Penal Zone...

    I think that 'Carol' is acting mighty suspicious if you ask me...she's been keeping pretty quiet up until now...and was it a coincidence Sam & Max found Carol with the power core? I'll let you be the judge...
  • edited June 2010
    Perhaps the Sam clones were created by another group of C.O.P.S.? Maybe Bluster Blaster turned traitor and is working with Carol and Stinky's Cell to become the most powerful computers in the world.
  • edited July 2010
    Uh Bluster Blaster and Bosco are having a romantic vacation in Vegas. If he's teamed up with anyone, it's Bosco.
  • edited July 2010
    How do you know that Vegas isn't just Bluster Blaster's cover? He could be conspiring with Dr. No-ring-tone and Carol from Nevada.
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