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After a seemingly endless six month hiatus, the defenders of justice and champions of episodic gaming have returned to clean up the streets once more. The first season was lauded as one of the first truly successful episodic series in every sense. They got all six episodes out on a tight schedule, and they made money. Now Telltale wants to prove they can keep things going on a TV-like schedule with half a year on and half a year off.
It's not going to be easy. Even after so many years of being starved, Sam and Max fans have had more than a bellyful of adventure gaming in the last year. While annual franchises are a staple of this industry, the last episode of Season One was just half a year earlier, and people might not be ready for more just yet. But this reviewer is.
As the closest thing gaming has ever come to a sitcom, Sam and Max: Season Two kicks off with a classic television staple: the Christmas episode. In Ice Station Santa, the crime-fighting duo get an urgent call that Santa has been acting strangely, and they need to set him straight. Luckily they can drive to the North Pole in a matter of seconds in their vintage Desoto Adventurer. After all, they drove to the moon without a problem, right?
It does feel good to come back to the dog and rabbit's grimy New York City neighborhood after the hiatus. While this does feel like an extension of the first season, and the usual environments are all still there, Telltale has taken the time off to do some remodeling. One of President Max's robot soldiers has made some "adjustments" to the neighborhood's layout, hurling Sybil's storefront into a nearby alley. Even better, you'll finally get to travel across the street to Stinky's Diner, and chat with your old neighbor, the hardboiled PI, Flint Paper.
Despite the changes, it does feel much like the first season. The gameplay is essentially unchanged, with classic point and click puzzles that may skew a little harder this time. The developers have done a great job of making the game a little less linear, giving players room to explore and solve puzzles out of order. There is a much needed injection of new characters, but expect to see a lot of old ones, too. And yes, those ever-annoying Soda Poppers are back.
Perhaps the most unfortunate change is the questionable hint system Telltale has implemented. In later episodes in the first season, players could ask Max for a hint. Now this is no longer an option. Instead Max will offer hints on his own with user-controlled frequency, so those looking for a hint will have to stand around and wait, and those not quite ready might get one they didn't want. It's an odd decision, and one I hope they will reverse as the season progresses.
By now players should know exactly what they're getting. Solid point and click adventure gaming in the old-school Lucas Arts tradition, sharp writing, and the usual stable of characters. While there have been some changes and remodeling in the time off, this is more of the same good stuff as the first season. If the craving for more has hit you by now, this will make the perfect stocking stuffer.
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