Sam & Max Season One

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This page is for Telltale's episodic Sam & Max games. For the 1993 computer game by LucasArts, see Sam & Max Hit the Road.

Sam & Max

Developer(s)	Telltale Games
Publisher(s)	Telltale Games GameTap
Release date(s)	October 17, 2006 (GameTap) November 1, 2006 (Online)
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	Windows
Media	Download

Sam & Max is an episodic series of adventure games by Telltale Games based around the characters of the Sam & Max comic series created by Steve Purcell. The first of the six-episode series—referred to collectively as Season One—was released on October 17, 2006. The second episode was released through GameTap on December 21, 2006 and to the public on January 5, 2007. Subsequent episodes are expected to follow on a monthly basis.^[1]

As with Telltale's series of games based on the Bone comics, the games are being created with close co-operation of the creator of the characters. Although many Telltale employees previously worked on Sam & Max Freelance Police (the cancelled LucasArts game), this new game is unrelated in its content. In an interview with CBR News, Steve Purcell has noted that the stories "will each be self-contained, but with a continuing thread that links them throughout the season."^[2]

The first season of Sam & Max games was co-financed by the U.S. game distribution company GameTap. Each game will be available via the GameTap service for a 15 day exclusive debut period, followed by a general release directly from Telltale's website, whereafter the game will be available through either outlet.^[3]^[4] Telltale have also expressed interest in bringing the title to the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii consoles,^[5],^[6] recently hired a programmer for the Wii, and is now looking for an Xbox 360 programmer.

1 Overall Plot
2 Recurring characters
3 Episodes
- 3.1 Season 1
- 3.2 Season 1 machinima shorts
4 Reception
- 4.1 Awards
5 Trivia
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Overall Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Due to the episodic nature of the game, it is not entirely certain the entire plot of the season yet. However, certain things are becoming apparent. For instance, the overarching theme of this season is hypnosis. In Culture Shock, Brady Culture is hypnotizing the Soda Poppers. In Situation: Comedy, Myra has been hypnotized by the villains of episode 3, the Toy Mafia. And in episode 4, it seems that the Toy Mafia was merely one piece of an overarching plot by someone who has infiltrated the U.S. Government. This "person" is revealed in episode 5 to be The Internet itself which, it is strongly suggested, was only a puppet of the true mastermind - Hugh Bliss.

[edit] Recurring characters

Sam: Sam is the leader of the duo, and tends to be the voice of reason. He is never seen without his trademark grey suit and fedora (which was modified after episode 1 to protect against hypnotism).

Max: Max is a "hyperkinetic rabbity thing" (he himself prefers being called a "lagomorph") who is rather hyper and violent in his approach to problem solving, tending to only look out for himself, but always loyal to Sam. In episode 4, Max was elected President of the United States and is still in office in subsequent episodes and machinima shorts.

Jimmy "Two-Teeth": The rat that lives and runs a business out of his hole in Sam and Max's office. He could not care less that Sam and Max don't like him living there, and avoids getting involved in their business.

Bosco: Bosco owns and runs "Bosco's Inconvenience Mart" at the end of the street from Sam and Max's office. Bosco is extremely paranoid of everyone and everything, although he places a certain degree of trust in Sam and Max. He therefore takes great care to keep his store secure. He is also an inventor of a line of "Boscotech" products that he sells at extravagant prices, though these items are just useful applications of everyday items. (His million-dollar "voice modulator", for instance, consists of a helium balloon on the end of an inhaler.) He regularly disguises himself to avoid detection from the many authorities he claims are out to get him. These disguises are extremely transparent (he even leaves his name tag on) and his unconvincing fake accents (which he often forgets to use) fool nobody. In the fourth game, it is revealed that his paranoia has just cause, and that he is in fact targeted by the government.

Sybil Pandemik: The owner of the store on the corner across from Sam and Max's office. A "short attention spanned careerist", Sybil changes professions with alarming frequency. Her more recent jobs include tattooist, psychotherapist, tabloid journalist, professional witness, dating service, carbon-dating service, and beta tester. She has changed occupation in each episode to date, though her parlor still retains obsolete mementos from previous months.

The Soda Poppers: Three ex-child stars from the 1970s TV series "Soda Jerks", the vertically-challenged triplets Whizzer, Peepers, and Specs are still familiar icons in the modern world. In Abe Lincoln Must Die!, they were elected as the governors of West, North, and South Dakota respectively.

Hugh Bliss: An eerily cheerful magician who is trying to sell books on "Emetics", his feel-good self-help system based on the colors of the rainbow. He can perform many astounding magic tricks, including changing his appearance, disappearing, and mind reading. Sam has an intense distrust of Hugh and considers him to be a quack, but Max adores him to the point of obsession.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Episodes

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Season 1

#	Episode	Release date (GameTap)	Release date (International)	Overview
1	"Culture Shock"	October 17, 2006	November 1, 2006	A group of former child stars, known as the Soda Poppers, are found causing trouble in Sam and Max's neighborhood.
2	"Situation: Comedy"	December 20, 2006	January 5, 2007	Myra Stump — a television talkshow host — has taken her audience hostage. Sam and Max are called to diffuse the situation.
3	"The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball"	January 25, 2007	February 8, 2007	The commissioner is looking into an underground operation at Ted E. Bear Mafia's-Free Playland and Casino, but the mole he sent in has suddenly gone quiet. To find the mole, Sam & Max must infiltrate the operation and become members of the Toy Mafia themselves.
4	"Abe Lincoln Must Die!"	February 22, 2007	March 9, 2007	Sam and Max must investigate the top man himself, the President of the United States, who has been passing inane mandates, such as required hugs. Not only must the two take down the President, they may have to install their own man in his place, though Abe Lincoln may have a word or two against that.
5	"Reality 2.0"	March 29, 2007	April 14, 2007	People are being hypnotized by the Internet craze, causing systems around the world to go haywire. Sam and Max must find a way to enter the virtual world and track down the heart of the Internet herself to pull the plug on her shenanigans.
6	Unknown	April 26, 2007	May 11, 2007	Unknown.

[edit] Season 1 machinima shorts

Following each episode, Telltale are releasing three machinima shorts for Sam & Max, as a lead-up to the next episode.

#	Episode	Release date	Overview
1.1	"Frank Discussion"	November 30, 2006	Sam and Max share a discussion regarding weenies and their preservative properties in Bosco's Inconvenience store.
1.2	"Trainspotting"	December 7, 2006	Sam ponders the meaning of life while Max questions the sensibility of being outside, away from the comforts of their office.
1.3	"A Painstaking Search"	December 12, 2006	Having misplaced the keys to their office, Sam and Max attempt to retrace their steps.
2.1	"Reality Blights"	January 4, 2007	Max volunteers the duo to appear on the fictional reality television show Four Freaks in a Terribly Cramped Office.
2.2	"Egregious Philosophy Platter"	January 11, 2007	Sam and Max host the fictional television show Egregious Philosophy Platter, discussing the philosophers Socrates and Descartes.
2.3	"Kitchen Inconsequential"	January 18, 2007	Sam and Max host Fun in the Kitchen With Sam and Max where they showcase a few recipes of special effects.
3.1	"Interrogation"	February 1, 2007	Sam and Max demonstrate for their viewers how to properly interrogate a suspect.
3.2	"Coffee"	February 8, 2007	Sam and Max demonstrate their use of telekinesis on a coffee cup.
3.3	"The Blank Blank Blank"	February 15, 2007	Sam & Max discuss with Bosco the government agency so secret, the acronym is classified.
4.1	"War Games"	March 12, 2007	Sam & Max execute "simulations" in the War Room at the White House.
4.2	"The Teapot Drone Scandal"	March 19, 2007	A Secret Service agent is ordered by Max, the President, to recite the Teapot Song (I'm a little teapot...)
4.3	"Saving the Economy"	March 26, 2007	Max details his plan to make the economy more productive.
5.1	Artichoke	April 12, 2007	President Max holds a press conference. Heaven help the reporters.
5.2	Unknown	April 19, 2007	Unknown.
5.3	Unknown	April 26, 2007	Unknown.

[edit] Reception

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Due to its episodic nature, Season One has yet to be reviewed as a whole. However, reception for the first episode Culture Shock was very positive. As of October 2006, the first episode has been favorably reviewed, generally commending the faithfulness of the game to its predecessor:

9/10 from Eurogamer [1] ("... playing the new Sam & Max fills you with that same warm 1993 glow.")
9.0 from Computers N Stuff [2] ("Episode 1 is a great start for the return of Sam & Max and hopefully the others will be as good as this.")
9/10 from HonestGamers [3] ("Culture Shock is more than just a stepping stone into the second episode of the new Sam & Max franchise; it's an experience that came a lot closer to recapturing the old game than I had dared to hope.")
89/100 from SaveSamAndMax.com [4]
8.7 from IGN [5] ("Here's a title that's done the seemingly impossible: faithfully updating a beloved franchise while creating something that feels entirely fresh and original.")
7.7 from GameSpot

Game Rankings currently averages reviews together as 82.7%. [6]

[edit] Awards

Received IGN's award for Best PC Adventure Game of 2006.

[edit] Trivia

The box on top of Sam & Max's filing cabinet bears the label "03-03-04", the date that the Lucasarts Sam & Max sequel was officially canceled, which explains Sam's comment when the box is examined. The date also appears as a post-it note on the desk and the back wall. (Only visible when the camera zooms in, such as when talking to Jimmy.)
There are many references to 1993's Sam & Max Hit the Road, including the "Human Enigma" and "Harry Moleman" posters, and Jesse James's hand on the office wall. In addition, many inventory items the player can ask Bosco about are references to other games, including Hit the Road, The Secret of Monkey Island, and others.
The two framed pictures hanging on the left side of the office are scenes from the Sam & Max comic book stories "Bad Day On The Moon" and "On The Road".
On the bulletin board in their office, a Max paper bag hand puppet can be seen. A short segment in the animated series, the comics and the Hit The Road game manual originally explained how to construct one.