Should Season 3 reset or continue the S&M Universe?

edited May 2008 in Sam & Max
With all these things that have been going on the past two episodes, should season 3 continue
(thus Max being the US president and a high priest, Sybil marrying Lincoln and being Queen of Canada, the Maimtron 9000 roaming around, the C.O.P.S. having a broken Bluster Blaster, etc. etc. etc.)
or just reset everything and start all over?

Because of all these things going on, I'd say: reset.
It has worked in SM205, having everything tied together, even down to
Brady Culture, but now that the Soda Poppers are no more (Yay!)
I see no reason to make things even more complicated.

On the one hand you can continue, like a soap opera or a sitcom, on the other hand, most cartoons and comic strips just start all over again.
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Comments

  • edited April 2008
    Having just seen the splendors of a large dysfunctional support cast and a rich history to refer to, a reset would feel very weird. Sure, it may be better for some characters to move out and some facts to get conveniently changed, but they should keep them in the continuity to refer to and possibly insert where funny. And they should drastically cut down on the office souvenirs, but they should keep a handful of them laying around.
    You've got loads of comedy gold here; it might get in the way a bit in the future, yes, but why throw it all away when it's enough to just stash it in the background?
  • edited April 2008
    I'm in two minds about this. On the one hand, there's a few characters I'd like to see more of (Hugh Bliss, Bosco, the COPS).
    But on the other hand, starting with a clean slate, completely new characters replacing the old, a completely new street and office design, etc, would really make things more interesting.

    The main problem I can see with a reboot is if the new characters and base locations don't go down too well. There'd definitely be a risk involved.
    Maybe if recurring characters recurred a lot less, and if the street and buildings along it somehow had an even more radical overhaul, it'd do a lot to shake things about, but series 2's managed to keep things reasonably fresh.

    Either way, I'd buy another series, reboot or not, in a flash.
  • MelMel
    edited April 2008
    Could someone put the spoiler sign next to the thread title? I suppose I should have expected some, but honestly, I didn't.
  • edited April 2008
    Continue. We've still got loose ends (
    Superball's employer and possibly Satan's cryptic comment, although that may have just been implying that they'll go to hell when they die
    ).
  • edited April 2008
    Sure I want Bosco back, and some Flint Paper interaction, but maybe we should leave Sybil alone with
    her hubby and leave both Stinky's to .. whatever they do
    , in episode 3. I'm not saying we should get rid of them, but more Featherly and Brady?
    (I'm not sure about Hugh Bliss, that was wrapped up I think).

    As for the junk in the closet -- have you seen what
    Future
    Max and
    Future
    Sam had in their
    future
    office? :)
  • edited April 2008
    And besides,
    the soda poppers aren't dead, they're robots,
    obviously.
  • edited April 2008
    I'd like to see some serious cleaning up, but a reset? I don't think so.
  • edited April 2008
    I'd like to see some serious cleaning up, but a reset? I don't think so.

    I agree, there's still quite a few unanswered questions and the matter of
    a demonically possessed Desoto
    . But a clean up would be good as it would seem like a fresh start without ignoring anything that has happened before.

    Anyway, I'm sure Max's run at office will eventually end.;)
  • edited April 2008
    I like that there's an ongoing story. I agree that I could live without seeing any more of Sybil/Lincoln. Remember that next season will occur after the next presidential election, so who knows if Max will still be president? I'm curious about
    Superball's employer, what's going on with both Stinky's, and to see how finally snapping has effected Bosco.
    Also, I hope one day Sam & Max's closet in the office really does look like it did in 204.
  • edited April 2008
    There's no way a reset could be better than continuing. At this point in the series, there's already a nice, huge cast built up. It'd be a shame to scrap them all.
  • edited April 2008
    I think it should definitely continue from the previous seasons, at least to some degree.

    "Cleaning up" is a good expression for what should be done, IMO. Don't throw out the past events and characters, but reference them and bring them back less often, only when they are relevant. Have some new things happen before next season. If Max isn't president in Season 3, it should be because he was impeached, not because he was never elected. Somebody should really clean up Sybil's office from the middle of the road, too.
  • edited April 2008
    No reset, are you joking?
    Resetting the setting in the easy way out the bad authors use.
    Telltale tried the hard way making a story which alters the setting so much... Now they can't just reset everything.

    Of course they can take it easy with some things:
    E.g.
    Sybil goes somewhere for living with her husband.
    Max is not elected again.
    S&M move in an other city (of course an other chunk of urban misery).
  • edited April 2008
    Definitely continue with the direction they're going. We've already got several great characters, such as Hugh Bliss, Brady Culture, Grandpa Stinky, Flint Paper, the COPS, Mr. Featherly, Jurgen and his monster, Leonard stuck in the closet (though it seems they finally let him out to attend the wedding)... it'd be a shame to throw them all out and start over. I do agree, there are some things that could use a little cleaning up... the office feels very crowded with the North Pole, talking bear head, and Wack-Da-Rats in it. I think the memorabilia items in the office should be small, or stuffed in the closet, like all the items from Season 1 were.

    I'm quite curious to see what will happen in Season 3, especially with the issue of a possessed DeSoto and how Bosco will behave now that he's clearly lost what little marbles he had left. There are also characters that were introduced in Season 2 that I hope we'll be seeing much more of. Namely Jurgen, Grandpa Stinky, and an occasional appearance T.H.E.M. (AHHH!!!).
  • edited April 2008
    i'm against resetting, some cleaning or reorganizing is in order however... i even think there should be a plot that involves events and characters from all the first three seasons. the final events of season 2 where the results of season 1 and 2 and season 3 should continue in the same manner to create a proper trilogy.
  • edited April 2008
    holy Cheese no D8 Would not want a reset. Maybe they could change their office again and the layout of the street , just to make things a bit more intressting, sorta like how they moved Sybils and opened stinkys, and they could have different seasons as well,e.g snow, but I love what we have here already. I love the world, with Bosco and Sybil and Stinky and I can see a lot more happening with them 8D

    A big part of a game, appart from the puzzle solving, is the storyline, otherwise its not the game that we already have fallen in love with. You see what I mean?
    lol
  • edited April 2008
    I voted 'reset', but not in the extreme sense. I don't want the characters, plot or anything else like that to go, I just don't want stories from season two being carried on in season three - I'd like some fresh things (
    such as a season two character not being a villian in season three
    ).
  • edited April 2008
    I'm way too mixed. I think you can reset it to the point of like 'fixing' Bluster Blaster, but I don't want all the characters to go away. I'd love to see new characters, but characters like Flint Paper, Bosco, and Sybil need to stay, along with more 'side' characters like Superball and the C.O.P.S. Obviously things can change, but I don't want a total reset unless they do a prequel like thing. I like consistency, even if Sam & Max often skips the big details (Like how they got to the moon in the comics :V) for silly humour.
  • edited April 2008
    Well, the reboot worked on James Bond - and he got to keep 'M' ... (but not 'Q')
  • edited April 2008
    Possibly all they need is a change of location?

    Sam and Max could hire an office in another state, or possibly another country.
  • edited April 2008
    This is what I'd like:
    -Sam & Max's office: New, yet retro. Not so eclectic, but looking like how you'd see it in the comics.

    -The DeSoto being returned to its former glory. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome now, but a car that cool probably runs away. Sam & Max should either get a new DeSoto, or have their old one exorcised.

    -The streets. Awesome though they are in this post-apocalyptic wasteland form, I'd like to see their street returned to something less...destroyed. Have Stinky's, Bosco's, and all that, but the fissure, rubble, and Sybil's damaged shop should get cleaned up.

    Thanks for freeing Leonard! That was a first step toward a bright future. :D
    Keep in mind these are just ideas, and for all I know, they won't improve things. But a bit of cleaning up, I think, might make things less distracting? I dunno.
  • edited April 2008
    Very good points there, Kedri!
  • edited April 2008
    Agree with Kedri. Keep up the scum of their street though. I love the premise that they live in a horrible trashy scummy blood-stained bullet-holed neighborhood.

    Oh, and Bosco's could get a do-over too, now that Bosco is no longer freaked out by everyone/everything).

    In short just make sure that everything you wrapped up stays wrapped up, because you wrapped it up really nicely.

    I say introduce new characters, leave some classic ones, like Bosco (cause you can't move the guy with the corner store), get rid of Sybil & Abe because Abe as a character closes a lot of doors (I feel like). I wish all the characters would be actual characters that aren't completely nonsensical....EG:

    Bosco makes sense. Stinky & Stinky make sense. Sybil makes sense. Jimmy-Two-Teeth makes sense. Abe doesn't make sense. Monster doesn't make sense. Moai heads don't make sense. I mean characters are characters and they've served well so far, but i'd like to see less "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" type characters. They break the fourth wall too much.
    Though don't get me wrong, the monster was a brilliant character, in fact Night of The Raving dead was the best stand-aloneable episode yet.

    Also, for season 3, remember why everyone hates the Soda Poppers: they had really really really annoying voices. In real life, I wouldn't want to spend five minutes in the presence of someone with a voice as annoying as that. Even Mr. Featherly was cooler. Oh, and Harry the moleman was annoying, too. Am I the only one who finds COPS very annoying, and sort of...old? They're just not funny anymore.

    But kudos, Season 2 was amazing. An enormous improvement over Season 1. Let's hope the line is going to keep rising and we get to see more awesome characters such as Stinky, Satan, Flint, etc.

    EDIT: HARALD B:
    Yeah, they should get rid of the Season 1 & 2 Baddie souvenirs, but KEEP THE MARIACHI FROGS! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, KEEP THE FROGS!
  • edited April 2008
    Basically season 3 needs to be set somewhere else.. their main home base location should be in space or something different..cause theres no way I could spent another minute trawling up and down that street visiting the office sybils boscos again.. 11 episodes of that was enough!
  • edited April 2008
    Sam & Max love their office and their neighborhood, what is this heresy of moving to another location? If their cases demand their attention somewhere else, they drive there. They will never move to a different wretched block of urban misery.
  • edited April 2008
    mish wrote: »
    EDIT: HARALD B:
    Yeah, they should get rid of the Season 1 & 2 Baddie souvenirs, but KEEP THE MARIACHI FROGS! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, KEEP THE FROGS!
    Relax. I was talking about the big things, like the magnetic pole, the bear head, and the rug; too visible and clashy. I like having a few small mementos.
  • edited April 2008
    NHJ BV wrote: »
    Sam & Max love their office and their neighborhood, what is this heresy of moving to another location? If their cases demand their attention somewhere else, they drive there. They will never move to a different wretched block of urban misery.

    That was fine if each case we got to go straight to a new location..but telltale keep reusing the street for puzzles..and you have to constantly travel back and forth between the new location and their neighborhood.. I'm pretty much sick of that street by now..
  • edited April 2008
    Maybe S3 will be kingdom of the molemen, with their cameo in 205.
  • edited April 2008
    No reset no. There were plenty of nods in 205 that hinted that they already have the story for season 3 planned out. Let them continue as they are because they keep getting better and better. The only thing I agree with is getting rid of the bear head, north pole and whack-da-ratz. =P
  • edited April 2008
    It definitely has to continue. In a universe as crazy as that, a "restart" would be a pain to have to reintroduce especially with all the running gags currently in play. Although, an overall change in scenery would be a lot easier since
    hell finally froze over causing a dramatic change in climate and Max has yet to control Maimtron (as was promised to him from Sam) so world destruction is at hand.
    :D
  • edited April 2008
    Their closet for souveneirs had more space now thet Leonard is gone.Bosco's store must have bright lights again.
  • edited April 2008
    I vote for continue.

    I think anybody in the future who picks all the games up without knowing about Sam and Max would be confused. Especially if they only pick the retail versions up, and don't know about the site. I mean looking at it that way, they'd play season 1 and 2 and everything would make sense, but then they'd get to season 3 and end up confused. I geuss they could put a note in the box and say "We don't want to confuse you so we're going to pretend everything in the first two seasons never happend and so we've scrapped everything you know an love." :D

    I think having smaller changes like the office design, or new characters would make more sense, and be a lot less brain hurt for future fans. :P
  • edited April 2008
    Mr_Stealth wrote: »
    Don't throw out the past events and characters, but reference them and bring them back less often, only when they are relevant.

    I couldn't disagree more. I've always loved seeing unexpected characters return, and the more past-references, the better. See: Arrested Development.

    Of course, being too self-referential would deter the player who decides to randomly start in the middle of a season, but as Season Two proved, a better connected plot worked out better than loosely tied episodes.

    Look at 204 too. That's the best episode so far (in my opinion and in many others'), and it was the most self-referential yet.
  • edited April 2008
    Avel wrote: »
    And besides,
    the soda poppers aren't dead, they're robots,
    obviously.

    well, to be honest,
    Peeper's eyes survived the lava, so some stray pit ridden witchdoctor could always voodoo up some replacements, le'chuk styles
  • edited April 2008
    @etherbot. Oh dear, I can't imagine anyone so evil and crazy to
    go in the pit of hell to take the eyes and resurrect him
    ... It is out of mind!
  • edited April 2008
    If anyone would do that, it's worse than the @#&;!* Poppers.
  • edited April 2008
    Season 3 should not reset the universe but it should largely abandon it. I want to see what they do with the DeSoto now, but I long ago tired of Sybil, Abe, Stinky, Jimmy, and to a lesser degree, Bosco. Also Flint Paper is worthless.

    They need to introduce a new cast and keep only a few of the old characters. The wedding scene was a good send-off for the old cast.
  • edited April 2008
    Starting something new, i would love to see a more road movie like S3, far far away from the streets and the known characters (maybe we just could take Bosco with us). I dunno if this is what has been offered as a reset as resetting involves some sort of playing the same old thing over and over again.
  • edited April 2008
    Voted for continue as reset, as I see it, seems too strict a thing.
    However, they need to seriously reform, in order not to be too repetitive. There are certain patterns to the game that need to be broken. The time elevator in 204 was a good step in terms of transportation.

    A new set of characters, themes and sceneries is needed - you're not playing the SAME game anymore - but not completely at the expense of old ones. There needs to be things that tie all three seasons together and add a sense of continuity. I don't see the aspects closing each other out, if you design it well.

    As for the street and office, I feel like that's something fundamental you just can't change. All the games more or less start in the neighborhood, that's where the Freelance Police work! It's where do we go from there and why that matters.
  • edited April 2008
    The roaming desoto is eating miles of asphalt...
    Sam:- As was saying this morning we have to move for a long mission in a new area.
    Max:- Where we'll live?
    Sam:- The commissioner organized a new home, it seems.

    Sam and Max enter in a obviously office looking room. White walls, two desks, four chairs (one higher for Max), few empty file cabinets. Two window with a nice balcony with a red floor. Not a single dot of dust.

    Sam:- Here we are. Welcome in our new workplace.
    Max:- ...
    Sam:- As first thing lets take our luggage from the car and...
    Max:- NOPE, as first thing...
    Max extracts a survival knife from the place where he keeps his gun and jumps on the balcony, draws in the outside wall a giant Sam&Max Freelance Police logo.
    Max:- This is the first thing!
    Sam:- Did I say you crack me up little buddy?
    Max:- Always.
  • edited April 2008
    I'd like to refer to episode 204. Future Sam and Max were still in the same office working cases on the same street. Why mess with the canon of that? The whole next season doesn't have to take place on the street, but 301 should either start or go back to the office. Part of the humor is that all these ridiculous things happen that don't involve them having to stray too far from home. Well..... They did go to the moon.... and Germany...... and hell..... but, you know what I mean. I do support the idea of some cleaning of the office and street. Less clutter, less rubble. The only things that have to stay for canon sake are the mariachi frogs and the model volcano.
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