Umm...maybe he's just incredibly light, so Sam's never hit him hard enough to go through the roof, but he goes ridiculously high anyway. I dunno.
Max was completely awesome during the final confrontation. I love how he had that light just radiating from him; if it was anyone other than Max, it would have looked almost holy.
But when Max was
knocked out, he had a dream of the Narrator telling him to "Yank the cord" right before waking up. So, does that mean that the Narrator woke him up? If the Narrator can communicate with them, does that mean he's gonna be introduced as an actual character in the next episode?
I hope so. Ever since 301, I've been completely convinced that he's gonna end up being the big bad.
really i guessed ahead of time as to whom mr.s is, it just seemed kinda obvious at one point or another.
I'm pretty sure they hid the identity of Mr. S JUST BECAUSE there are a lot of characters whose names start with S. In the end, it happened to be the most apparent character, but there were far more GIGANTIC plot twists in this episode, that wasn't even a big mystery.
That has got to be Telltale's best episode of Sam & M- No, their best episode anything yet. I truly didn't see any of those twists coming (well, expect for maybe that
Sal is Mr. S
), and the final showdown against
Charlie
was amazing.
Though I don't quite get how the title of the episode plays in.
Was that alley by the docks supposed to be the Alley of the Dolls? I mean, I get that Charlie is the titular doll, but that fact that the title has "Dolls" in plural, and that fact that the alley had little to do with the story, makes me question the relevance and meaning.
Just finished it, very fun and very funny episode. Epic ending, I just can't wait for some Godzilla (Or any Toho monster =p)references on Episode 5 And I think that ''Yank the cord'' a reference to that Ed Wood Movie, Glen or Glenda, in the movie Bela Lagosi was also a narrator, and he in a scene said ''Pull the string, Pull the string"! And anyone else found an Team Fortress 2 Referece?
Oh and Sal is problably dead, Girl Stinky kept calling him, but no response(As seen in the after credits ending), so he's dead!
And I think that ''Yank the cord'' a reference to that Ed Wood Movie, Glen or Glenda, in the movie Bela Lagosi was also a narrator, and he in a scene said ''Pull the string, Pull the string"!
That was the impression I got. Which I find funny, because for some reason, I kept expecting a Plan 9 From Outer Space reference, but the Glen or Glenda one was EVEN BETTER. ^_^ Oh, and not to nitpick or anything, but it's spelled Lugosi. ^_^
But yeah, that episode rocked, and I've only just played it through the once so far. Gotta go back and get the three or so trophies I missed. ^_^
Awesome job, guys! Can't wait to see how you're gonna top this!
EDIT: Oh, and my husband just got the Les Miserables reference. Nice one. ^_^
I was amazed about how Telltale, who is known to me for their recycling of old models and animations. Managed to create brand new ones all for the entire Episode! Almost! Playing through the game was excellent,
the fact that the Sam Clones were brain-dead and extremely toy obsessed was almost too funny. I laughed at their antics and 80s car scene reference.
What also made "Beyond the Alley of the Dolls" so great was the end, I had no idea it would be
Charlie Ho-Tep
who is possibly the most unpredictable character in all of the Devil's Playhouse. And to make it even more enjoyable, we got to use
all the toys of power
!
If I had gold, I'd melt it down and make a real award for Telltale.
So... How come there weren't random things flying around in Max mode in this episode? Or were they there, and I someone missed them?
Anyway, this was a really great episode; great puzzles, great story, great everything!
Also, I really appreciated the unique context-relevant verb phrases in this episode: "heat up lunch in microwave," "gape at menacing grabbing arms," "mess with Junior," etc. It sort of bothered me how in previous episodes this season, particularly in Tomb of Sammun-Mak, everything was "use x" or "look at x."
So uh...cockroaches are really hard to kill, right? I mean, a six foot cockroach would have to be even harder to kill, a little thing like a half mile fall couldn't do it, right? RIGHT? I feel so guilty right now.
If there's one thing I have to praise over and over on this episode, it's the writing. The writing, the writing, the writing, and again, the writing. With ToMI I did get this feeling that the jokes and situations just didn't really hit the spot in the same way that Sam and Max had. I don't know what the situation is, but the writers feel so much more comfortable with this series, and this season in particular. There's a lot of clever references that have been parodied to the point where it's stopped being 'you'll only get this if you know it' and has become much wider in its appeal.
The characters are also brilliantly utilised this time as well. Without Bosco and Sybil, I'm becoming very attached to the Stinkys and their exploits as Sam and Max's restless neighbours, and Sal in particular (the fact each episode has us punish him in meaner and meaner ways is tragically hilarious, seeing as most other characters in the Sam and Max universe are cynical or deranged or emotionally detatched.)
The set pieces in this episode were fantastic as well. I love getting to see Sam and Max in the rest of the city, where you feel like you're actually taking on a strange task that will genuinely save the world. The final battle in this particular episode was nothing short of genius, and created the most unexpectedly loveable villain in the entire Sam and Max saga.
One of the last things I wanted to mention was how much this episode really puts the action in action adventure- it never at any point felt slow or static, it always felt like it was moving on and that plenty of things were happening, as if it wasn't even a point and click. It was pretty much unlike anything I'd ever played. Having been through the previous seasons and other franchises, that's very impressive. Looks like TellTale are the only people really pushing the envelope in storytelling in the gaming industry right now, as well as making sure the laughs were rolling right til the end (I was amazed that the subversion of Paperwate' actually added to some emotional depth without feeling out of place. Masterfully handled!)
So yeah, excitable ramble over. I'm loving the season, this episode was amazingly well done, I can only hope TellTale have already planned out the next episode and will manage to completely surpass all expectations. They certainly did with this one.
Episode 4 was the best game I've played, I liked it more than HL2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But i hate when someone hit Sal, he didn't deserve it, he is so good. u.u
And.....anyone besides me saw that there's a tf2 dispenser in the game?
My local news just reported that the Statue of Liberty was apparently evacuated today. It was just due to some elevator problems, but it's humorous that it happened the day after an episode
featuring the Statue of Liberty as the location of an evil summoning.
Was that alley by the docks supposed to be the Alley of the Dolls? I mean, I get that Charlie is the titular doll, but that fact that the title has "Dolls" in plural, and that fact that the alley had little to do with the story, makes me question the relevance and meaning.
I think it was just a reference to the movie "Beyond the VALLEY of the Dolls." It wasn't that significant.
I think it was just a reference to the movie "Beyond the VALLEY of the Dolls." It wasn't that significant.
I get that, but all other episode titles, even the ones based on movie titles, had a good bit of relevance to the episode itself. What's New, Beelzebub centered (partly) around confronting Satan/Beelzebub. Night of the Raving Dead featured, you guessed it, raving dead people. Even Chariots of the Dogs was relevant in the fact that the episode highly referenced Chariots of the Gods.
I know that I'm putting way too much interest in this, but the title just struck me as odd, seeing as the episode features no Alley of the Dolls, and the only doll and alley featured in the episode are entirely unrelated to each other.
I get that, but all other episode titles, even the ones based on movie titles, had a good bit of relevance to the episode itself. What's New, Beelzebub centered (partly) around confronting Satan/Beelzebub. Night of the Raving Dead featured, you guessed it, raving dead people. Even Chariots of the Dogs was relevant in the fact that the episode highly referenced Chariots of the Gods.
I know that I'm putting way too much interest in this, but the title just struck me as odd, seeing as the episode features no Alley of the Dolls, and the only doll and alley featured in the episode are entirely unrelated to each other.
Um, I dunno...I don't think it's much deeper than that. To be honest, I haven't actually seen the movie Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Maybe the plot of the movie is somehow...uh...similar to the plot of the episode.
Am looking it up on IMDB...looks like a no.
I know that the title isn't that relevant, but I suppose they just wanted a clever name for the episode...I mean, it involves alleys...it involves a doll...sorry, that's all I got.
So uh...cockroaches are really hard to kill, right? I mean, a six foot cockroach would have to be even harder to kill, a little thing like a half mile fall couldn't do it, right? RIGHT? I feel so guilty right now.
I hate to break it to you, but it is mostly the size-to-shell-strength ratio that makes cockroaches such survivors. So unless his shell has a strength equivalent to about 100x the strength of a diamond, he won't be able to handle such a drop. Also, I have read that fruit flies would survive a nuclear holocaust much better than a cockroach.
I hate to break it to you, but it is mostly the size-to-shell-strength ratio that makes cockroaches such survivors. So unless his shell has a strength equivalent to about 100x the strength of a diamond, he won't be able to handle such a drop. Also, I have read that fruit flies would survive a nuclear holocaust much better than a cockroach.
And Girl Stinky is a cake. That makes perfect scientific sense.
And Girl Stinky is a cake. That makes perfect scientific sense.
True, true. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if Girl Stinky's grief will be a large part of the next episode, and if so, Sal has little chance of reappearing.
Um, I dunno...I don't think it's much deeper than that. To be honest, I haven't actually seen the movie Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Maybe the plot of the movie is somehow...uh...similar to the plot of the episode.
Am looking it up on IMDB...looks like a no.
Heh. That makes me giggle.
Yeah, the movie and the game really have NOTHING in common...
...except for a few choice lines of dialog...
...and Sam's shorts, which, now I think I think of it, MAY have been influenced by Lane Rock's apparel in the freaky final act of the movie...
...and the overbearing narrator...
I wish we'd gotten more kick-ass rock music and gratuitous nudity into the mix, though...
That's a weird thing, I was just looking through various TV channels to see what's on tonight when I saw that "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" is on Film4 tonight (well early hours of tomorrow to be exact) though from a quick read of the synopsis I don't think I'll be watching it. It's just the timing of it amuses me.
Don't worry, Stemmle. You still have all of Episode Five to include gratuitous nudity! There's that whole Stinky/Sal relationship you can exploit! And Max is already gratuitously naked! I'm telling you, it's a recipe for success!
Did anyone else notice the REAL tunes of the four melodies that
Charlie Ho-Tep
plays at the piano during
the Statue of Liberty finale
?
They're all dark, scary "covers" of classic children's songs and lullabies. It's quite apt that
Charlie
would play such tunes--they fit perfectly with the nature of the Toybox, it being
full of playthings for young Junior
.
"Flaming Crowns" is set to the melody of Brahms' Lullaby.
"Take 2 Tablets 4 the Mind Plague" is a reworking of "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider."
"Face of Darkness" is based on "You Are My Sunshine."
"Tabula Charlie" is derived from "Pop Goes the Weasel."
Incidentally, the music files for all four songs allude to their original-lyric titles, which is how I noticed the connection.
Just finished it, this was indeed a really good episode. I'm not as positive as you guys though. Yes, it was good, but to me, the story was a bit disappointing. I also had the feeling this episode was really short in comparison to the other ones of this season, but that may be because it was good.
The puzzles were really creative this time. I enjoyed them much more than any Sam & Max game. I think you've finally found the perfect balance.
Like I said, I thought the story was a bit too much. I certainly wouldn't rate this episode above 302 or 303. Still, this season has been amazing and the final episode is no doubt going to entertain me as well. Good job TellTale!
Did anyone else notice the REAL tunes of the four melodies Charlie Ho-Tep plays at the piano during the Statue of Liberty finale?
They're all dark, scary "covers" of classic children's songs and lullabies. It's quite apt that Charlie would play such tunes--they fit perfectly with the nature of the Toybox, it being full of playthings for young Junior.
"Flaming Crowns" is set to the melody of Brahms' Lullaby.
"Take 2 Tablets 4 the Mind Plague" is a reworking of "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider."
"Face of Darkness" is based on "You Are My Sunshine."
"Tabula Charlie" is derived from "Pop Goes the Weasel."
Incidentally, the music files for all four songs allude to their original-lyric titles, which is how I noticed the connection.
Best episode yet. The gameplay and noticeably ramped-up difficulty were very satisfying, and so was the writing. I just love Superball now and the harming Sal running gag looks like it has some good mileage in it, so I hope to see more of those two in the future.
On the downside the episode did feel not short but physically cramped. Until the finale we get three old rooms, one new room who's size is mostly just implied, and a pretty generic dockside. It gives a bit of an uncomfortable vibe of being locked up. That's probably partly the point, but still I hope the next episode will take place after dawn so we can have some light and fresh air again.
Oh and we don't have to worry about Sal. Use future vision on him after he draws the cake but before he leaves the docks; you'll see a scene that should come in the next episode.
Comments
Max was completely awesome during the final confrontation. I love how he had that light just radiating from him; if it was anyone other than Max, it would have looked almost holy.
But when Max was
I hope so. Ever since 301, I've been completely convinced that he's gonna end up being the big bad.
I'm pretty sure they hid the identity of Mr. S JUST BECAUSE there are a lot of characters whose names start with S. In the end, it happened to be the most apparent character, but there were far more GIGANTIC plot twists in this episode, that wasn't even a big mystery.
Unholy THIS! indeed.
And the Unholy This joke made me fall off my seat.
Though I don't quite get how the title of the episode plays in.
Oh and Sal is problably dead, Girl Stinky kept calling him, but no response(As seen in the after credits ending), so he's dead!
That was the impression I got. Which I find funny, because for some reason, I kept expecting a Plan 9 From Outer Space reference, but the Glen or Glenda one was EVEN BETTER. ^_^ Oh, and not to nitpick or anything, but it's spelled Lugosi. ^_^
But yeah, that episode rocked, and I've only just played it through the once so far. Gotta go back and get the three or so trophies I missed. ^_^
Awesome job, guys! Can't wait to see how you're gonna top this!
EDIT: Oh, and my husband just got the Les Miserables reference. Nice one. ^_^
I was amazed about how Telltale, who is known to me for their recycling of old models and animations. Managed to create brand new ones all for the entire Episode! Almost! Playing through the game was excellent,
the fact that the Sam Clones were brain-dead and extremely toy obsessed was almost too funny. I laughed at their antics and 80s car scene reference.
What also made "Beyond the Alley of the Dolls" so great was the end, I had no idea it would be
If I had gold, I'd melt it down and make a real award for Telltale.
Anyway, this was a really great episode; great puzzles, great story, great everything!
Also, I really appreciated the unique context-relevant verb phrases in this episode: "heat up lunch in microwave," "gape at menacing grabbing arms," "mess with Junior," etc. It sort of bothered me how in previous episodes this season, particularly in Tomb of Sammun-Mak, everything was "use x" or "look at x."
For example everything at the docks wore Sam's hat...
The characters are also brilliantly utilised this time as well. Without Bosco and Sybil, I'm becoming very attached to the Stinkys and their exploits as Sam and Max's restless neighbours, and Sal in particular (the fact each episode has us punish him in meaner and meaner ways is tragically hilarious, seeing as most other characters in the Sam and Max universe are cynical or deranged or emotionally detatched.)
The set pieces in this episode were fantastic as well. I love getting to see Sam and Max in the rest of the city, where you feel like you're actually taking on a strange task that will genuinely save the world. The final battle in this particular episode was nothing short of genius, and created the most unexpectedly loveable villain in the entire Sam and Max saga.
One of the last things I wanted to mention was how much this episode really puts the action in action adventure- it never at any point felt slow or static, it always felt like it was moving on and that plenty of things were happening, as if it wasn't even a point and click. It was pretty much unlike anything I'd ever played. Having been through the previous seasons and other franchises, that's very impressive. Looks like TellTale are the only people really pushing the envelope in storytelling in the gaming industry right now, as well as making sure the laughs were rolling right til the end (I was amazed that the subversion of Paperwate' actually added to some emotional depth without feeling out of place. Masterfully handled!)
So yeah, excitable ramble over. I'm loving the season, this episode was amazingly well done, I can only hope TellTale have already planned out the next episode and will manage to completely surpass all expectations. They certainly did with this one.
But i hate when someone hit Sal, he didn't deserve it, he is so good. u.u
And.....anyone besides me saw that there's a tf2 dispenser in the game?
episodes that i liked .. episode 2 and 4 =P ...1 and 3 are great too
My local news just reported that the Statue of Liberty was apparently evacuated today. It was just due to some elevator problems, but it's humorous that it happened the day after an episode
I think it was just a reference to the movie "Beyond the VALLEY of the Dolls." It wasn't that significant.
I get that, but all other episode titles, even the ones based on movie titles, had a good bit of relevance to the episode itself. What's New, Beelzebub centered (partly) around confronting Satan/Beelzebub. Night of the Raving Dead featured, you guessed it, raving dead people. Even Chariots of the Dogs was relevant in the fact that the episode highly referenced Chariots of the Gods.
I know that I'm putting way too much interest in this, but the title just struck me as odd, seeing as the episode features no Alley of the Dolls, and the only doll and alley featured in the episode are entirely unrelated to each other.
Um, I dunno...I don't think it's much deeper than that. To be honest, I haven't actually seen the movie Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Maybe the plot of the movie is somehow...uh...similar to the plot of the episode.
Am looking it up on IMDB...looks like a no.
I know that the title isn't that relevant, but I suppose they just wanted a clever name for the episode...I mean, it involves alleys...it involves a doll...sorry, that's all I got.
I don't think so. Cockroaches are known as survivors...
I hate to break it to you, but it is mostly the size-to-shell-strength ratio that makes cockroaches such survivors. So unless his shell has a strength equivalent to about 100x the strength of a diamond, he won't be able to handle such a drop. Also, I have read that fruit flies would survive a nuclear holocaust much better than a cockroach.
And Girl Stinky is a cake. That makes perfect scientific sense.
True, true. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if Girl Stinky's grief will be a large part of the next episode, and if so, Sal has little chance of reappearing.
Heh. That makes me giggle.
Yeah, the movie and the game really have NOTHING in common...
...except for a few choice lines of dialog...
...and Sam's shorts, which, now I think I think of it, MAY have been influenced by Lane Rock's apparel in the freaky final act of the movie...
...and the overbearing narrator...
I wish we'd gotten more kick-ass rock music and gratuitous nudity into the mix, though...
Mike "Roger Ebert Rocks" Stemmle
They're all dark, scary "covers" of classic children's songs and lullabies. It's quite apt that
"Flaming Crowns" is set to the melody of Brahms' Lullaby.
"Take 2 Tablets 4 the Mind Plague" is a reworking of "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider."
"Face of Darkness" is based on "You Are My Sunshine."
"Tabula Charlie" is derived from "Pop Goes the Weasel."
Incidentally, the music files for all four songs allude to their original-lyric titles, which is how I noticed the connection.
The puzzles were really creative this time. I enjoyed them much more than any Sam & Max game. I think you've finally found the perfect balance.
Like I said, I thought the story was a bit too much. I certainly wouldn't rate this episode above 302 or 303. Still, this season has been amazing and the final episode is no doubt going to entertain me as well. Good job TellTale!
Might wanna spoiler tag
On the downside the episode did feel not short but physically cramped. Until the finale we get three old rooms, one new room who's size is mostly just implied, and a pretty generic dockside. It gives a bit of an uncomfortable vibe of being locked up. That's probably partly the point, but still I hope the next episode will take place after dawn so we can have some light and fresh air again.
Oh and we don't have to worry about Sal. Use future vision on him after he draws the cake but before he leaves the docks; you'll see a scene that should come in the next episode.