Sam and Max: They Stole Max’s Brain Review
The way “They Stole Max’s Brain” starts out, you’d think you were playing an entirely different series. The story picks up immediately after the “cliffhanger” ending of “The Tomb of Sammun-Mak” and features Sam going berzerk trying to save his little buddy. There’s something really entertaining and visceral about this version of Sam, who fits in brilliantly (and sometimes hillariously) within the darker Noir setting of the first part of the game.
After things settle down, however, it kind of slips back into the typical point and click adventure model. I would’ve liked for them to take a bigger chance with the characters for a whole game, as I don’t think it would’ve really worn out its welcome in one installment. That said, I’m glad they gave the characters an opportunity to expand their rolls, and I think long-time fans of the series will get some enjoyment out of the somewhat disjointed second half, which takes the focus off of Sam for a while with positive results.
I’ve warmed a bit to Sammun-Mak after playing it again to prep myself for this month’s review, and I think this might be a similar case. I enjoyed the puzzles, writing, and jokes for the most part, in this case, I think it’s just a matter of me enjoying the first hour or so of gameplay so much, it spoiled my enjoyment of the rest of the story.
Extra Features:
No special features to speak of as of yet.
Technical:
The review copy was very stable this time out, with no major graphic or audio glitches to speak of, and the public release has the typical extra layer of TellTale polish on it.
Graphics:
Telltale’s gotten really comfortable with the newer “Claymation” models over the past through episodes, and they really shine here. There’s some really cool lighting effects and visual tricks that you really just need to see in action. This is definately the best looking game in the TellTale roster, and makes me very excited to see where they go from here.
The sets also benefit from the extra love given to the modeling, though they tend to start blending into the background (pun sort of intended) a little too often. There’s definately something to be said for putting the characters at the forefront, however.
Sound:
The dialog is fantastic as always, but I have to give special recognition to Noir Sam once again. It’s The lines are all delivered with the perfect mixture of hard edge and comedy. It’s really an impressive piece of acting that you don’t expect from a comedy series like this.
The music, like the background, kind of takes a bit of a backseat here. It’s good, of course, but we’re past the days of the showstopping, hillarious numbers, which is unfortunate to a certain extent, but fairly understandable.
Replay Value:
No real reason to go back through unless you think you missed a joke or two in your first playthrough.
Final Score: 7.5/10
I get the feeling that the TellTale guys had a great idea (the opening of the game) and kind of ran out of steam halfway through. The first half of the game is so much better than the second, it’s a little ridiculous. I appreciate the ammount of things that get flipped around in the second half, but it all just feels tacked on, like part of an entirely different episode.
I’m not even going to bother complaining about the control scheme from here on out. I’m just going to have to accept that it’s here to stay, thanks to the game’s popularity on PS3 and X-Box. Which I’m all for, but I’m still holding out hope that TellTale learns from this experience for future iterations of their various series.
If you’re interested in taking a look at the game, you can download a copy of the PC Demo at the TellTale Website.