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Sam & Max Hit The Road In Bonus Pre-Order

Thanks to 1UP for pointing out that the classic Sam & Max PC graphic adventure will be a bonus pre-order item for anyone reserving LucasArts/Planet Moon's wacked-out Xbox/PC shooter Armed & Dangerous. The article suggests: "PC adventure fans still venerate Sam & Max for its cool cartoon graphics and demented sense of humor", and this bonus disc, which includes a fully-compatible Windows talkie version of the classic title, also features a trailer to help promote the Sam & Max sequel, due on PC in early 2004.

19 comments

  1. "What's a good word, little buddy?" "Lumbar." by Decaffeinated+Jedi · · Score: 4, Funny
    From Sam & Max Hit the Road:
    Sam (holding the decapitated head of a mad scientist with a ticking timebomb implanted in the skull): Where should I put this thing so that it doesn't hurt anyone we know or care about?

    Max: Out the window, Sam. There's nobody but strangers out there.

    Sam throws the bomb out the window. Moments later, there's an explosion outside.

    Sam: I hope there was nobody on that bus," said Sam eventually.

    Max: Nobody we know, at least.

    What a great game! And, even though it's a bit out-of-date, this website offers up some great memories of the canine/lagomorph duo.
    --
    DecafJedi
    my weblog: apropos of something
  2. Sam & Max wasn't that great. by Sheetrock · · Score: 0
    Different strokes for different folks, of course, but I much preferred the humor in Discworld, which would also make an excellent bonus item were it offered.

    Sam & Max is a little too hard to be a worthwhile title -- what use is there in having a really great plot (which I'm not accusing it of) when you're stuck on the same puzzle for hours (aka the Myst conundrum).

    At least it's free, I guess.

    --

    Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
    -- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.




    1. Re:Sam & Max wasn't that great. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, what puzzle were you stuck on?

    2. Re:Sam & Max wasn't that great. by Haeleth · · Score: 1

      How on earth can you make a post comparing Sam & Max to Discworld - and object to the former being "too hard"?!

      Discworld has to be one of the hardest graphic adventures ever, what with its creators completely abandoning any semblance of logic in the solution to half its puzzles. At least Sam & Max had some sort of logic to it... if a rather twisted one.

    3. Re:Sam & Max wasn't that great. by der_joachim · · Score: 1

      Discworld has to be one of the hardest graphic adventures ever, what with its creators completely abandoning any semblance of logic in the solution to half its puzzles. At least Sam & Max had some sort of logic to it... if a rather twisted one.

      Well spoken. In DiscWorld II, many references were made to DW1 being too hard:

      Rincewind: *Cough*hint*cough* . (pause) All right: this is a hint. Get it?

      der Joachim

      --
      Geek runner, motorcyclist and professional know-it-all
  3. YAY! by DrEldarion · · Score: 1

    Finally somone is making good on their promises when they say "Please don't trade this as abandonware, we're actually going to use it again..." If only other companies would get the hint. I'd love to have a compilation of all the old Sierra adventure games, for instance.

    -- Dr. Eldarion --

  4. Arrr Matey by Utopia · · Score: 1

    Hope a Monkey Island sequel is next on Lucas Arts' list.

    1. Re:Arrr Matey by sahonen · · Score: 1

      In "Escape," Guybrush says he has an unbreakable 5 game contract, so they've gotta put one out eventually. =D I didn't like Escape, though, the 3D characters just weren't as expressive as they were when they were cartoons.

      --
      Make me a friend and I'll mod you up
    2. Re:Arrr Matey by AvantLegion · · Score: 1
      Agreed. While Grim Fandango's 3D look was GREAT, Monkey Island suffered because it was trying to make 3D characters look like their 2D counterparts, and that doesn't tend to pan out too well.

      Curse of Monkey Island looked GREAT. The best the series ever looked. Go back to that, LucasArts.

    3. Re:Arrr Matey by Haeleth · · Score: 1

      But we've had four Monkey Island games already! Surely it's not too much to hope for another Maniac Mansion title first? (I learnt most of my American history from Day of the Tentacle...)

    4. Re:Arrr Matey by sahonen · · Score: 1

      Agreed about Curse. Go back to that look, with perhaps some minor upgrades like making the sprites antialiased. The pixel shifting from a poorly resized sprite is the only complaint I have about the look, and that's just a technical thing, something that can easily be fixed with today's hardware.

      Too bad Lucasarts seems to be sticking with 3D, at least with Sam and Max. {sigh}

      I wish they'd go back to the old format of Indiana Jones, too. Now Indy's just another Lara wannabe.

      --
      Make me a friend and I'll mod you up
    5. Re:Arrr Matey by sahonen · · Score: 1

      Yes! Another MM sequel! In fact, LucasArts should drop the stupid Star Wars license games (they haven't made a good one yet) and go back to adventures, it's what they're best at.

      But, I don't want any more bad adaptations to 3D. The Sam and Max trailer looks simply awful. Escape from Monkey Island looked awful. Cartoons do not work in 3D, Lucasarts!

      --
      Make me a friend and I'll mod you up
    6. Re:Arrr Matey by buffer-overflowed · · Score: 1

      Cartoons hold up well.

      Movies: Look at Who Framed Roger Rabbit, it still looks amazing. Most Disney stuff doesn't look too dated either.

      Games: Apart from some granularity, Sam and Max, Full Throttle, the Dig and the like still look good. Not SOTA, but good. A modern 2D cartoon format game will, IMO stand the test of time graphics-wise. 3D and rendered games, well, they get dated looking after a year or two. Now, cell-shaded games done well (Like Viewtiful Joe or Windwalker) will also stand the test of time and not degrade in quality as quickly. I'm wondering how they'll top the graphics in Viewtiful Joe personally (And I hope they don't make it multi-platform and make them worse! The gamecube is the best at that style)

      Play FFX then go play FFVII. FFVII looks like shite in comparison.

      Dragon's Lair still looks good, the animation style dates it, and I f*cking hate that game, but it still looks almost as modern as the day it was released.

      Oh well, so long as they don't bring back those filmed games(ack they looked/look awful), I'll be happy.

      In conclusion, Cartoony graphics have more staying power.

      --
      The key to the enjoyment of pop music is to replace any instance of "love" with "C.H.U.D."
  5. Gratuitous acts of senseless violence are my forte by Khalek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The version of Sam & Max will more than likely be the updated directx version by by Aaron Giles of MAME and ex-LucasArts fame. Previously this updated binary (resources are the same I believe) was only available in parts of the UK and Europe in a compilation pack know as the Entertainment Pack. As LucasArts don't have this available for people who already have the game, preordering Armed & Dangerous to get the bonus disc is the only way many people can get an updated version from LucasArts, or your could just look here.

  6. Best S&M quote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We're in a race against time!

    And we're barefoot!

  7. There are two important questions: by sebi · · Score: 1

    Question one: Will they include a version of Sam & Max that is playable on the XBOX? Or will you need a PC to take advantage of the bonus? I can't be the only person out there owning a XBOX but no Windows PC. After all you can get the XBOX so you don't have to get a Windows machine.

    Question two: Is the Armed and Dangerous game any good? I guess I could get myself to play through Sam & Max for a tenth time (after all it has been a couple of years since I last did that), but the bonus won't make my buy a shitty game.

    Day of the Tentacle still is the Lucasarts adventure I remember most fondly. I tried downloading it a while ago as perfect fodder for one of those newfangled SCUMM interpreters but couldn't find my original manual. I had to stop more or less immediately after going through the grandfather clock. Sooner or later they will hopefully re-release that one as well.

  8. They always have by AllenChristopher · · Score: 1
    LucasArts has always been good about this, and it takes a pretty sleazy lowlife to ignore their record and pirate anyway on the old "it isn't there" excuse.

    The LucasArts Collections have been great, and it's actually still possible to order Curse of Monkey Island, Escape From Monkey Island, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, and a collection including Sam and Max and Day of the Tentacle from the LucasArts site. Also all the Star Wars titles, good and bad. I can't confirm that LucasArts has never once had a month during which these titles weren't available, but I've never been to the site and not seen Sam and Max for sale.

    Of course, unlike Sierra, Lucasarts has the advantage of not having been purchased three or four times since these games were published.

  9. Coffee Achievers Anonymous by bitrott · · Score: 1

    Yeeeeah. It was too hard. boo hoo. It was still an amazing title with tremendous wit. I'd always give Pratchett mad props for laughs, but Sam&Max was a real gem.