Developer: Telltale Games
System: PC
Minimum requirements: 1.5 GHz processor; 256 MB RAM; 32 MB 3D accelerated video card; Windows XP
Genre: Adventure
Release date: Available now
Review by: Jason Pitruzzello

Note: Sam and Max Episode 205 is a shorter, episodic game in a larger series. As the game uses the exact same engine as previous installments and seasons, this review will be similar in length to our XBLA reviews.

Following up on their success with Sam and Max Season One, Telltale games has been busy producing their second season of Sam and Max. In television terms, the final episode of Season Two brings the series to a climax. Bosco has died prematurely, and our two heroes must go down to Hell and try to free their friend. But Hell has been updated since Dante took us there in the Divine Comedy, and now Sam and Max must fight Hell LLC, a corporate entity whose CEO, Satan, is interested in efficiency. If this sounds like another wild and zany Sam and Max adventure, that’s because it is. The first season of Sam and Max was known for its crazy humor and absurd plotlines; season two is no different.

Sam and Max is an adventure title. All of the usual game elements we’ve come to expect from adventure titles are there, including collecting and using inventory items in creative ways to solve problems and conversing with characters to learn new things and advance the plot. A good portion of the game also consists of interacting with the environment in which the characters are placed. Whether it’s chatting with the various employees in Hell or driving your demon-possessed Desoto, you can rest assured there’s plenty of interaction beyond the simple act of collecting items and advancing the plot.

But what makes Sam and Max fun aren’t just the puzzles and adventure; it’s all about humor. This is a notoriously difficult thing on which to base a game, but the designers pulled it off again. Seeing Satan panhandling on a street corner after he loses his job is priceless, while the Cake of the Damned and the Culinary Dark Arts will leave you chuckling. As unlikely as it might sound, just wandering around and trying to do weird things and exploring dialog can be pretty entertaining, even if you aren’t advancing the plot.

But does Sam and Max keep pace with its earlier installments? Let’s find out.