Sam & Max Save the World

This page is for Telltale's episodic Sam & Max games. For the 1993 computer game by LucasArts, see Sam & Max Hit the Road.

Sam & Max
Sam & Max screenshot
Developer(s)	Telltale Games
Publisher(s)	Telltale Games GameTap
Platform(s)	Windows
Release	October 17 2006 (GameTap) November 1 2006 (Online)
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player

Sam & Max is an episodic series of adventure games by Telltale Games based around the characters of the Sam & Max comic series created by Steve Purcell. The first of the six-episode series—referred to collectively as Season One—was released on October 17, 2006. The second episode was released through GameTap on December 21, 2006 and to the public on January 5, 2007. Subsequent episodes are expected to follow on a monthly basis.

As with Telltale's series of games based on the Bone comics, the games are being created with close co-operation of the creator of the characters. Although many Telltale employees previously worked on Sam & Max Freelance Police (the cancelled LucasArts game), this new game is unrelated in its content.In an interview with CBR News, Steve Purcell has noted that the stories "will each be self-contained, but with a continuing thread that links them throughout the season."

The first season of Sam & Max games was co-financed by the U.S. game distribution company GameTap. Each game will be available via the GameTap service for a 15 day exclusive debut period, followed by a general release directly from Telltale's website, whereafter the game will be available through either outlet. Telltale have also expressed interest in bringing the title to the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii consoles, and are currently looking for a Wii programmer.[1]

Plot

Culture Shock

Sam and Max find that a group of former child stars — Whizzer, Peepers and Specs, known as the Soda Poppers — are found committing various crimes in their neighborhood to promote ocular fitness guru Brady Culture.

A trip to Sybil Pandemik's Tattoo Parlour Psychotherapy Clinic reveals to Sam and Max that the Soda Poppers have been hypnotized into doing someone's nefarious bidding. The reason why they are committing these crimes are later revealed as Brady Culture's deliciously ironic scheme to gain popularity by using the Soda Poppers, whose popular prime-time television show had overshadowed his own in the 1970s, to commit the crimes.

On Sybil's advice, and through many of their trademark applications of violence, Sam and Max knock the hypnotized delinquents unconscious to halt their rampage of terror, vandalism and assumed-psychotherapy. As each goes down, a sinister voice (later revealed to be Brady Culture) is heard to be observing them, blasting Sam and Max for threatening his plan whilst enjoying the harm that they are bringing to his former television rivals.

After returning the former child stars to their hyperactive vertically-challenged selves, Sam and Max track Brady Culture to the Asylum for Former Child Stars. After a heated exchange of words and organ music, Brady attempts to hypnotize the duo. Max's unique mental physiology protects him, but Sam quickly falls under Brady's spell. Under the villains control, he returns to Bosco's Inconvinience store to resume Whizzer's job - reverse shop-lifting (or shop-dropping) 'Eye-bo' Occular Fitness videos against Bosco's will.

By fighting the hypnotism and indulging in a spot of kleptomania, Sam is eventually knocked out by Bosco's Anti-Theft system and has to fight Brady Culture in his mind. When Sam rids himself of the demons that have invaded his subconscious, he awakens to find that Culture has kidnapped Max. Desperate to rescue his buddy, but unable to face his nemesis without some form of anti-hypnosis device, he consults Sybil Pandemik. She provides Sam with plans for an anti-hypnosis helmet, which Sam convinces Bosco to build (with a little help from a bent coat-hanger) for the good of the world.

Sam returns to the asylum and manages to resist Brady's attack. Joined by the Soda Poppers, Sam prepares to make a move on Brady, only to find that the pint-sized celebrities are still under Culture's control. Sam finally tricks Brady Culture by playing on his arrogance, self-worth and need for attention.

With the villain dispatched, Sam rescues Max and destroys the hypno-glasses. Recognizing a job well done, the Freelance Police depart. As they leave, the camera pans to a nearby television, where the guest presented on a chatshow is revealed to by hypnotized. Is this Brady's doing, or the work of a higher power?

Situation: Comedy

Talk show host Myra Stump has gone berzerk! Sam & Max head down to the WARP TV studio to find out why she's been holding her audience hostage for 3 days. But getting onto Myra's stage isn’t going to be easy. First the Freelance Police will have to prove they're worthy of fifteen minutes of fame.

After arriving at the studio, the director won't let Sam and Max in to the show to investigate, but will let them in if they can pass an audition by creating the last scenes from Old Yeller. In order to act as a rabid dog, Sam returns to Bosco's store to get some shaving cream. However, Bosco, now disguised as a British gentlemen to hide from "them", is having problems with "skinbodies", rats who have taken to shaving off all their fur and stealing the shaving cream from Bosco's to do so (Inadvertently, after the events of the first episode, Bosco had constructed a device to protect the store from people bringing in dangerous goods, but had to scavenge the parts from the device that prevented people from shoplifting in the first place). Sam and Max are able to stop the rats from taking the last bottle of shaving cream, and with a little bit of Boscotech help, they are able to pass the audition and enter the studio.

First, however, the director wants them to complete an episode of the sitcom they have just tried out for "Midtown Cowboys", the tale of two ranchers trying to raise a herd of cattle in their city apartment while keeping the existence of their "herd" (consisting of a single cow) from the nosy and neurotic apartment manager, Mr. Featherly. Ad-libbing their way through the script, as it was eaten by the cow, and making sure to get the product placement within the show, they are able to then freely explore the rest of the studio.

They find that Myra, with a "mother-knows-best" attitude won't even let them into her studio set until the Freelance Police have some famous aspect, including a shot from a TV show they were in, a recording contract, and news of a big scandal. The television show is a shoe in, but getting the other two may be tricky.

While on the sets, they meet Hugh Bliss, an eerily happy magician who is trying to sell his feel-good self-help system based on colors which allows him to turn his skin to any color at will. Knowing that Sybil (from the first episode, but now publishing a tabloid newspapers called "The Alien Love Triangle") is looking for a picture of a green alien getting romantic with someone, the two manage to make Hugh turn himself green, and then get a picture with him, which they give to Sybil to publish as proof of their "scandal", completing the second requirement for getting on the Myra set.

Another set as a taping of Embarrassing Idol (a parody of American Idol), with two of the Soda Poppers sitting in as judges and Max offered to stand in as the third, as Peepers is competing in the show. Sam competes to try to get the prize, the recording contract, but has trouble with the two Popper judges; Specs doesn't think Sam's voice is good enough, while Whizzer refuses to not vote for his brother since he was the only one to remember that is was his birthday. While some more Boscotech will help with convincing Specs to vote for Sam, Bosco will only sell it for a million dollars. Fortunately a game show in the studio, Who Will Never Be a Millionaire offers the prize Sam needs, and after rigging the questions, easily acquires the necessary cash in the form of food stamps to get the Boscotech. Sam then manages to give Whizzer a birthday cake covered with ketchup that doesn't sit well with Whizzer's digestive system, making him have to abandon his judging post and race off to the restroom. With the now unanimous decision of the remaining judges, Sam and Max have their recording contract and are able to make their way to Myra's show.

Unfortunately, Myra immediately confines them to the guest couch, where they can clearly see that a strange looking teddy bear on her desk appears to be hypnotizing her every few minutes. Noticing that Myra's microphone is sparking due to being used so heavily for the last three days, they manage to cause Myra to shock herself and electrocute the bear, breaking the hypnotic hold on her and solving the case. However, that bear came from someone, leaving the trail open on exactly who would do such a thing and the next episode.

The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball

The commissioner is looking into an underground operation at the Ted E. Bear Mafia-Free Playland and Casino, but the mole he sent in has suddenly gone quiet. To find the mole, Sam & Max must infiltrate the operation and become members of the Toy Mafia themselves. To do this, they must find a way of discovering the password to the back room at the casino. They successfully cheat a cheater at cards (Leonard Steakcharmer), and buy an organic listening device from Bosco. Using it to discover the password, they are offered a position in the Toy Mafia if they do three things for them. First, they must display a teddy bear in Bosco's store. Then, they must kill Sybil Pandemik. Also they must recover Ted E. Bear's Original Meatball sandwich, which has been stolen. After successfully faking Sybil's death, and a run-in with Leonard Steakcharmer, they are accepted into the Toy Mafia, only to discover that the infamous Ted E. Bear is actually the mole they are there to rescue, who has changed sides. After eluding their capture by the Toy Mafia, they return to the headquarters, and discover that the Mafia is producing hypnotic teddy bears for an unknown purpose. After they destroy the factory, the camera shows one Secret Agent Chuckles, who is evidently part of an organization which planned this for some higher purpose. Ominously, Chuckles tells them they need to switch to Plan B.

Recurring characters

Sam

Sam is the leader of the duo, and tends to be the voice of reason of the duo. He is never seen without his trademark grey suit and fedora.

Max

Max is the rather hyper and rather violent rabbit in his approach to problem solving, tending to only look out for himself but always loyal to Sam.

Jimmy "Two-Teeth"

The rat that lives and runs a business out of his hole in Sam and Max's office. He could care less that Sam and Max don't like him living their, and avoids getting involved in their business.

Bosco

Bosco owns and runs "Bosco's Inconvenience Mart" at the end of the street from Sam and Max's office. He is highly suspicious of anything and anyone and takes great care to keep his store secure. He is also an inventor of a line of "Boscotech" products that he sells at extravagant prices, though these items are just useful applications of everyday items, such as his "voice modulator" that consists of a helium balloon on the end of a funnel.

Sybil Pandemik

The owner of the store on the corner across from Sam and Max's office. Her store, however, has undergone a number of different offerings, including being a tattoo parlor, a psychiatric office, and the newsroom for a tabloid.

The Soda Poppers

Three ex-child stars from the past, the vertically-challenged trio of Whizzer, Peepers, and Specs still are familiar icons in the modern world.

Episodes

Season 1

#	Episode	Release date (GameTap)	Release date (International)	Overview
1	"Culture Shock"	October 17 2006	November 1 2006	A group of former child stars, known as the Soda Poppers, are found causing trouble in Sam and Max's neighborhood.
2	"Situation: Comedy"	December 20 2006	January 5 2007	Myra Stump — a television talkshow host — has taken her audience hostage. Sam and Max are called to diffuse the situation.
3	"The Mole, the Mob, and the Meatball"	January 25 2007	February 8 2007	The commissioner is looking into an underground operation at the Ted E. Bear Mafia-Free Playland and Casino, but the mole he sent in has suddenly gone quiet. To find the mole, Sam & Max must infiltrate the operation and become members of the Toy Mafia themselves.
4	"Abe Lincoln Must Die!"	February 22 2007	March 9 2007	Unknown.
5	"Reality 2.0"	March 29 2007	April 14 2007	Unknown.
6	Unknown	April 26 2007	May 11 2007	Unknown.

Season 1 machinima shorts

Following each episode, Telltale are releasing three machinima shorts for Sam & Max, as a lead-up to the next episode.

#	Episode	Release date	Overview
1.1	"Frank Discussion"	2006	Sam and Max share a discussion regarding weenies and their preservative properties in Bosco's Inconvenience store.
1.2	"Trainspotting"	2006	Sam ponders the meaning of life while Max questions the sensibility of being outside, away from the comforts of their office.
1.3	"A Painstaking Search"	2006	Having misplaced the keys to their office, Sam and Max attempt to retrace their steps.
2.1	"Reality Blights"	January 4 2007	Max volunteers the duo to appear on the fictional reality television show Four Freaks in a Terribly Cramped Office.
2.2	"Egregious Philosophy Platter"	January 11 2007	Sam and Max host the fictional television show Egregious Philosophy Platter, discussing the philosophers Socrates and Descartes.
2.3	"Kitchen Inconsequential"	January 18 2007	Sam and Max host Fun in the Kitchen With Sam and Max where they showcase a few recipes.
3.1	Unknown	February 1 2007	Unknown.
3.2	Unknown	February 8 2007	Unknown.
3.3	Unknown	February 15 2007	Unknown.
4.1	Unknown	March 8 2007	Unknown.
4.2	Unknown	March 15 2007	Unknown.
4.3	Unknown	March 22 2007	Unknown.
5.1	Unknown	April 5 2007	Unknown.
5.2	Unknown	April 12 2007	Unknown.
5.3	Unknown	April 19 2007	Unknown.

Reception

Due to its episodic nature, Season One has yet to be reviewed as a whole. However, reception for the first episode Culture Shock was very positive. As of October 2006, the first episode has been favorable reviewed, generally commending the faithfulness of the game to its predecessor:

• 9/10 from Eurogamer [2] ("... playing the new Sam & Max fills you with that same warm 1993 glow.")
• 9.0 from Computers N Stuff [3] ("Episode 1 is a great start for the return of Sam & Max and hopefully the others will be as good as this.")
• 9/10 from HonestGamers [4] ("Culture Shock is more than just a stepping stone into the second episode of the new Sam & Max franchise; it's an experience that came a lot closer to recapturing the old game than I had dared to hope.")
• 89/100 from SaveSamAndMax.com [5]
• 8.7 from IGN [6] ("Here's a title that's done the seemingly impossible: faithfully updating a beloved franchise while creating something that feels entirely fresh and original.")

Game Rankings currently averages reviews together as 82.7%. [7]

Awards

• Received IGN's award for Best PC Adventure Game of 2006.

Trivia

• The box on top of Sam & Max's filing cabinet bears the label "03-03-04", the date that the Lucasarts Sam & Max sequel was officially canceled, which explains Sam's comment when the box is examined. The date also appears as a post-it note on the desk and the back wall. (Only visible when the camera zooms in, such as when talking to Jimmy.)
• There are several references to 1993's Sam & Max Hit the Road, including the "Human Enigma" and "Harry Moleman" posters, Jesse James's hand on the office wall, and many of the objects which Sam can request from Bosco (which were inventory items in Hit The Road).
• The two framed pictures hanging on the left side of the office are scenes from the Sam & Max comic book stories "Bad Day On The Moon" and "On The Road".
• On the bulletin board in their office, a Max paper bag hand puppet can be seen. A short segment in the animated series, the comics and the Hit The Road game manual originally explained how to construct one.
• Hubert the dehydrated plant is a possible reference to Chuck the Plant.
• An earlier screenshot [8] revealed that the Hotbunny magazine in Bosco's store was originally named Playbunny. This was probably changed because of copyright reasons.
• If Sam asks Bosco about his security system, he will tell you about the various times he got robbed. This is another reference to Hit the Road, where if you get Sam to walk into Bosco's store, Sam will comment that he sees that "Bosco is generously giving away his profits to the underprivileged ski-mask wearing youth of the neighbourhood again".
• Myra Stump is based on Oprah Winfrey and Myra keeping her viewers hostage and showering them with gifts is a parody of the time Oprah gave away free cars to members of her audience.

External links

• Telltale's Sam & Max website
• Telltale's Sam & Max FAQ
• Sam & Max MySpace page
• Gamasutra interview with Sam & Max designer Dave Grossman

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