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Whether you've listened to, played, or watched it, a well-written story can leave you wanting more. If you get to thinking a bit deeper about possible follow-ups, you'll wonder if the authors could keep up that kind of crowd-pleasing quality. The writers of Sam and Max had their highs and lows during their first season, but they kept the series' appeal up, and the second season's sophomore entry proves that they've still got it.
'Course, giving away the story beforehand would spoil your fun, since smartly executed comedy is what Sam and Max are about. There's more to make Moai Better Blues worth pointing and clicking through, like the puzzles and entertaining little diversions. The point-and-click form of adventure can be played by just about anyone, and in the second season, Telltale wanted to give people reasons to play episodes more than once. They did it in 201, and again in 202 with an amusing diversion that cleverly spoofs a certain Hero series of games without playing anything like them.
Music plays an important part in many of the puzzles, and a big role in general. Appeasing the creative requirements of an infant Glenn Miller, satisfying the ear of an apprehensive Moai statue – almost all the Blues brain-teasers are related to sound somehow. Once you've realized this (and a few other shared details that'll help solutions click into place), everything begins to flow, and a little brain-scratching is all you'll need to progress through one obstacle to the next.
Smartly executed comedy is what Sam and Max are about.
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The recently implemented hint system is useful this time around too, though playing with it always at its highest setting is a bad idea. You aren't supposed to do that, but if you're setting this up for a casual gamer, here's your forewarning: Like an insane little lagomorph on a too-long road trip, Max will incessantly complain about the area you're in if there's nothing for you there, repeating the same two lines until you get out. When you're idly exploring, that's irritating, and without Sam telling him to calm down, it's not as digestible as his usual outbursts.
For casual players, the middle setting is best, though being angrily told you're in the wrong place without being pointed in the right direction is never helpful. Instead of looking at your overall progression and commenting on where to go next, the tip system is strictly area-based. There are times when this method of hint-giving works out though, making the feature's appeal a case of give-and-take. If you're really stuck, turn the hints meter all the way up, listen to the two lines or so of advice, and be done with it.
Compared to other Sam and Max adventures, this is a short one. There are fewer locales to check out than usual, but that lets it tell a nicely condensed story that amuses well before it frustrates (and free hints are better than no hints, anyway). This applies to you whether you're fifteen or fifty five, unless you lack culture and a funny bone. If that's you, I hear they sell that show Friends on DVD nowadays for you to waste a fifty on. For the rest of us, it takes a lot less green, very little effort (and much less time) to get plenty of enjoyment out of the latest well-scripted episode of Sam and Max.
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