Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space Review

Sam & Max return for a second XBLA outing.

The Sam & Max series will evoke a mixed response from gamers. Some of you may remember playing the classic point and click adventures on PC, whilst others may return a look of resounding confusion as to what Sam & Max is. Telltale Games has recently revived the classic franchise with the latest console iteration release: Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space.

Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space is considered season two of the new Sam & Max series (previously the game was released on PC with each chapter being sold separately). The Xbox 360 version differs from its earlier PC cousins because the season is included in its entirety. You don’t need to have played the previous Sam & Max episodes to play Beyond Time and Space (the game makes references to the events of previous games to ensure that you have a relative understanding of the Sam & Max universe) although it definitely helps.

The game looks pretty good graphically although it isn’t anything that will break new ground; the animations are smooth and at times will put a smile on your face. While playing the game you may notice a few frame rate drops which is a bit disappointing. The art style works well but is not as effective as Telltale’s Wallace and Gromit titles.

The voice acting is pretty good, most of the original cast reprise their roles so those that have played the other Sam & Max games will have a sense of familiarity. The dialogue is hit or miss, you will either love all of it, some of it, or none at all. I fell into the middle; while some of the dialogue was witty and funny it felt forced and uninspiring at times. The music is very fitting for both a Sam & Max title and a point and click adventure game.
 
The controls work surprisingly well and the screen is pretty barebones making it easy to navigate. The thumb sticks control the on screen cursor that allows you to move characters, select objects, etc. Some gamepad buttons can be used as ‘shortcuts’ to get things done faster – the X button for instance will allow you to access your inventory quicker than scrolling over to it.

The presentation is fitting for a point and click title, the interface is very clean making it easy to navigate especially when using a controller, and the visual style of the menus help to maintain the tone of the game. However, the XBLA port is missing a few extra features present in the PC release such as outtakes and commentaries, which is a bit disappointing for completionists such as myself especially for a 1600 Microsoft Point release.