While it may have its shortcomings, The Penal Zone is a good introduction to a potentially great season of Sam and Max.
What is Sam and Max? Well this may be a good question for those who are new to the concept as this is the first Sam and Max game to hit the Ps3 for those unfortunate enough to never play the point and click games that graced the computers in the past. Sam is a talking dog and Max is a rabbit, the two of them are the freelance police, and they save the world, solve crimes, and commit acts of justice through the strangest ways.
The first issue is, how does a point and click adventure translate into the PS3 console title? Also how do these episodes compare to the world established by the past two seasons that proceded it?
The first thing you will notice is the graphical upgrade to the characters.Sadly in episode 1, the penal zone, the frame rate and animation of the characters seems lacking. While this is not horrible, for those noting that this is a PS3 system game, it may nag at the individual on their first play through. However let me prematurely say, having played episodes two and three, this problem will not be a problem in the future instalments.
Another thing that will be imediate to notice is how there is little of actual gameplay, and yet it takes the point and click out of the point and click. So what are we left with?
The game is played by moving Sam, the dog dressed up as a private detective, with the left stick. Using the trigger buttons we can cycle between selectable items, have Sam walk up to a selectable item, run, use an object on an item, or pressing another button which shows all the potential selectable items in a given area.
At first, this can leave a limiting feel on the gamer. A point in click requires the hunting of what is clickable and what is not, here, we don't get that. And while this may sound critical, it is all about the transition from a point and click genre to that of a home console game. (Tales of Monkey Island does the same.) Give the game enough time, and you may adapt to the new style and find that you dont mind. Regardless of being used to point and clicks, or if this is your first time with this type of game, this game will take time of getting over the change of convention.
Pass the gameplay and you may find yourself enjoying the series! The good about this game is that you dont even really need basic knowledge of The Sam and Max universe to play. While characters return from previous games, and while this adds to the experiance, Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse can stand on its own and if you have ever wanted to get into the series, this season may be a good enough excuse to start.
The season starts with a darker and scifi feel, this is made apparent with the seeming homage to the twilight zone narrator and the opening is literally an alien space craft descending on planet earth. In typical Sam and Max fashion, chaos happens, and the heroes must save the day. The other twist to this game is the psychic powers that will be playing a critical role.
For the first time we also get to control Max, and through him, we get to use his psychic powers to solve many of the games puzzles. Another thing to note is how this game, and even the series tends to break away from Sam and Max convention. While its true that there are alot of reuccruing characters, and plenty of new ones, the formate that was placed in the first two seasons is out the window. No more Bosco Inconvieniance to loiter around with for silly items, no more Sybill and her job changing help. But the change is a welcome one for those who played through the past two seasons.
Despite getting used to the changes of this game as it moves to console, this game, episode one, works! The characters are great. Skun'kape makes a great villian. The voice acting is top notch, and the story is interesting, perhaps more so at its core than previous episodes! It is not just a case of Santa has gone bad, or the toy mafia needs to be stopped, this is about an evil monkey, a hyper active, borderline insane rabbit with psychic powers, and a mysterious case of toys and the episode ends on a satisfying high note cliff hanger that makes you want more. Did I mention how good the dialogue is?
The comedy comes from the comedic antics, and the jokes work. There is plenty of back and forth and the jokes set up further jokes as well as set up plenty of inside jokes for those who know the characters and the series. With a strong cast of characters, an interesting storyline, a dark twist to the formula, good writing and voice acting, and a decent set of puzzles, its hard not to recomend the series to those who played the past games. To those looking to get into Sam and Max, now is a good time and let me just state that the later episodes actually get even better. However this one, while not excellent or great, was none the less a very fun and satisfying experiance.