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Like bygone legends, Sam and Max are comedic characters who meant a lot to the world once, but they don't hold the attention of the masses anymore. Heck, you can't say they ever did, but this twisted duo has always had a cult following among point-and-click adventurers. Besides, you couldn't blame it on the poor guys for losing the limelight; their creator, Steve Purcell, wanted to bring them into the public gaming eye again. Making it happen was tougher than it should've been, and you might want to look into his story's finer details sometime, but the short of it is this: His witty freelance police are back in The Mole, the Mob and the Meatball.
Actually, if you're counting, they're back for a third time, since this title's number three in an episodic series. Like the previous episodes, this entry evokes memories of old-school adventure gaming with its "click there, go there" control scheme, requiring nothing of you but a halfway decent computer, a few hours of your time, and some smarts. If you've done the hardware requirements one better with a powerhouse of a PC and expect to see mind-blowing graphics, you're looking in the wrong place. From the intro alone, you can gather what the entire visual experience is going to be like: Cartoony and colorful, but simplistic. Don't take that the wrong way, as Sam & Max's art style is befitting of its off-beat humor (flavored with a smidgen of "deranged," a touch of "cerebral," and a gallon of "hilarious"). It's nothing you'll take seriously, but it pleases the eyes, and invites you to explore its vivid world.
Right away, you'll find out that a healthy amount of the scenery can be clicked on. Unfortunately, your interaction's often limited to a description, but the resultant liners usually make up for that. Every line in Sam & Max is spoken, and it's all brought by the talented dead-pan masters. No matter how deliberately ridiculous their lines may be, the voice actors deliver them skillfully, selling you on all of the odd balls you'll meet (and the two fellas you command). Thankfully, you can keep some of the discussions going in the form of dialog trees, and that's where the juicy meat of this scrumptious experience is. Whether that makes you hungry for the whole meal or not depends upon your gameplay tastes.
Sam & Max's art style is befitting of its off-beat humor, flavored with a smidgen of "deranged," a touch of "cerebral," and a gallon of "hilarious."
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Like those graphics-obsessed people we dismissed earlier, we'll have to bid adieu to those of you lusting for variety. For all of its demented charm, Sam & Max doesn't offer a lot beyond pointing and clicking. This makes it a fine choice for the casual gaming sect, but a letdown to those seeking a twitchy, white-knuckle experience. A couple of short sequences ask you to be deft with your mouse, but there's no penalty for failing (since you can't die or get a “Game Over”), which gives even the slowest Joe time to pick up the pace and pass.
That's not to say that this is a flaw, as these sorts of games were always more about the actual adventure and not button-mashing madness. Even so, our population as a whole has come to expect more from its entertainment, and a selection of mini-games or something similar could've provided an amusing distraction. They'd be particularly welcome in a puzzler like this, since being unable to find one item or trigger a discussion could get you stuck for a while. A way to continue enjoying the game while trying to figure out your dilemma would have been a great addition, and here's to hoping there's more than one time waster in future episodes.
All in all, your enjoyment of The Mole, the Mob and the Meatball is going to rely on a few things. Would tapping your mouse's buttons to get around and interact with a colorful world satisfy you, or would you want something more demanding? Can you chuckle after observing how "One Way" street signs represent the human condition? Are you willing to part with less than $10 bucks of your hard-earned money to have fun for a good three to four hours, or must you buy that $60 blockbuster title instead? You could do a lot worse the money. It won't buy you the best graphics you've ever seen, you won't receive virtual cars to ride around in or open-ended worlds to explore, but you'll get to kick back, relax, and laugh. Now, let me ask you, isn't that a fine way to spend a tenner?
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