“All the coolest
people are dead!”
What can we expect from Telltale Games’ new offering and
final chapter of Sam & Max Season Two? With a title such as “What’s
New, Beelzebub?” will we see a musical Satan gyrating his hips as Tom
Jones once did? Uhm…no, sorry. However, what we do get is another raucous
rollercoaster ride full of innuendo and yes, sometimes even outuendo from
the previous five episodes of Season Two. Now those of you who have kept
up with the last episode’s cliffhanger will find that our intrepid duo are
still trying to save the paranoid and long-suffering Bosco’s soul.
The story opens with our loveable dog and rabbit,
followed closely by a very dead convenience store owner (Bosco) and the
illustrious, albeit rather pompous chicken (Mr. Featherly) landing in a
mysterious yet somehow familiar subway station. As a triangular space
portal hovers overhead, the portable AI (ala HAL of 2001 fame)
announces that the spaceship will self-destruct in seconds. Yet we hear no
explosion...hmmm did Sam & Max finally meet with their own demise? Are
they about to meet their Maker? Are they really on a tributary of the
River Styx? If so, where’s the “damned” boat? Is the River Styx really the
largest in the world or is it just an extension of the great Missouri? Why
are there mountains of garbage here? Is it just that we are in the city
where the refuse of the ages can sometimes pile up? And why does Charon
look suspiciously like Harry Moleman? Ahh yes…important questions all, to
be sure…okay, well maybe not all of them.
I must give points here for the way in which the
adventure begins. We open with a fascinating cut scene and start straight
away into the interaction of the game. Our boys must eventually find their
way into the corporate offices of Hell to chase after Bosco’s soul. It is
only after they realize just what steps they (and you) need to take in
order for them to get there, that the opening credits role, as does their
beloved Desoto, the music commences and the devious fun really begins.
“Bosco’s
Personal Hell….A play with an infinite number of Acts.”
And when they finally do arrive, just who do you think
is there waiting for them, working as a receptionist? That Eurotrash
undead child of the night, our friend Jurgen. As a matter of fact, you
will be quite pleased to note that many of the main characters and
villains of Season Two have been well placed in this finale. Who are they?
Well, they are legion…. Now, because of all I’ve just leaked to you, does
it follow that you simply cannot understand this episode without the
previous four? Only slightly...this still is a fine stand-alone game,
however if you do decide to play this game without the rest of the season
under your belt, I’ve a feeling that you’ll want to play the others,
because the storylines are as intriguing interlaced as they are
addictive.
"It’s that kind of
thinking outside the box that makes me wish you were my partner.”
The puzzles, as in the previous episodes, are inventory
and story based. I do believe that Max’s hints are devilishly delightful
-- although remember it is Max’s thought process that proposes these
hints…’nuff said. However, those of you who know and can remember the
previous storylines leading up to this finale will have the advantage in
solving them, especially in the “Soul Room.” But then, being “The Father
of Lies,” the Devil may care.
I don’t know how to work it… Computers in Hell all run
Linux.”
Although the look of the adventure has not changed
throughout Season Two, it still does not disappoint. The palette is as
brilliant as ever, lending a certain assurance to its comedic vibrancy.
The “Options” page remains the same, offering the user changes for
graphics, resolution, audio, subtitles and hint levels. There are no
abrupt endings, dead ends or other such frustrating nonsense within the
technical aspects of the adventure, and the developers still offer an
automatic save system along with unlimited manual saves. Be assured that
any timed sequences or wrong turns are repeated automatically or can be
corrected within the confines of the storyline. I must say that while
playing, I found that the script offers no holes in the plot at all,
despite the story’s complexity. This is a true credit to the writers, and
this gamer has nothing but admiration for the work (though diabolical at
times) and wild abandon they have undoubtedly poured into the game. They
had me “By
the ruby red goiters of Rube Goldberg”
for most, if not all, of the adventure.
I must also give an appreciative nod to Jared
Emerson-Johnson, who does the music for this series. His style and panache
work beautifully with Sam & Max, like a creamy caramel sugar-spun web laid
upon the richest of devil’s food cakes. Yum! A case in point was a
beautifully haunting corruption (ala Kenny G) of Amazing Grace.
Keep in mind that the musically challenged may not be able to recognize
it at first or second … but it is oh, so deviously there. Where is it?
Well, that would be telling now wouldn’t it?
“If they’re
successful with this first round… They’ll be unstoppable.”
Once again the writing, plot and
character development are strong points for the game. Yet it was the
dialogue and voice talent which grabbed me with this season finale. No
villain was left unscathed from throughout the season. The crispness of
the repartee had me in gales of laughter on more than the odd occasion.
Absolutely brilliant. The amount of work that went into this last episode
is indeed apparent. The inside jokes and insane lunacy that permeate
“What’s New, Beelzebub?” is immersive, fiendishly delightful and a
gleeful joy to play.
Grade A
Quotes:
Sam & Max Two
Episode 205 “What’s New, Beelzebub?”
Minimum Requirements:
OS:
Windows XP / Vista
Processor: 800MHz (if using a video card
with hardware T & L);
1.5GHz (if using a video card without
hardware T & L)
RAM: 256MB
Video card: 32MB 3D-accelerated
video card
Recommended Requirements:
OS:
Windows XP / Vista
Processor: 1.5 GHz
RAM: 512MB
Video card: 64MB 3D-accelerated video card
Played on:
OS: Microsoft Windows XP Home
SP 2
CPU: Pentium D 950 3.4GHz
800MHz
RAM: 2GB DDR2
Video: BFG nVidia Geforce
7600GT OC 256MB 128bit
Sound: SoundBlaster Audigy
DVD ROM: DVD-ROM DVD-1S16P 16x
Monitor: Northgate 20' Flat
Panel Monitor
DirectX Version: 9.0c
April 2008
design copyright ©
2008
GameBoomers
Group
