The Devil's Playhouse and Hit The Road

[GuruGuru214]

Honestly...I wasn't crazy about Hit the Road in the first place. It had moments I enjoyed, several things that made me laugh, but in the end, when I reflect back on the feeling I have on the overall experience, it's less of a positive feeling and more of a weird one. I'd be perfectly willing to give the game another shot, but after one play through... It doesn't even come close to beating any of the Telltale games in my book.

Of course, it was my very first experience with Sam and Max, other than seeing a bit of the animated series when it originally aired (which I have no memory of at all), so maybe I'll enjoy it more now than I did then. And by then, I mean a few months ago.

[Avistew]

Oh, and apart from the art and controls, I think I like all of Telltale's Sam and Max games better than Hit the Road.

Have only played Hit the Road once, though, and at a time when I probably would have missed most of the jokes. So I guess I should probably play it again soon.

[GuruGuru214]

Maybe if I manage to get Surfin' the Highway, I'll play Hit the Road again after I've finally gotten to read the original comics. I'm hoping to have a chance to preorder Puzzle Agent and finally pick up Surfin' the Highway, so it could happen before too long.

[The Highway]

Originally Posted by tredlow

Would you also agree with me that Tales of MI has a better story than MI 1 and 2? Just the story.

Well, I've only played MI 1, tales, and about 4% of 3 and 4, so I can't definitively say, but Tales certainly has a more epic storyline than the secret. can't wait for mi2 se though, that's why i havent played 2 yet.

[Cyrus7]

To me, the Devil's Playhouse would have been better if it had those awesome animated map icons like the ones HTR has. The city map in Penal Zone looks rather boring compared to HTR.

[The Highway]

Originally Posted by Avistew

Oh, and apart from the art and controls, I think I like all of Telltale's Sam and Max games better than Hit the Road.

Have only played Hit the Road once, though, and at a time when I probably would have missed most of the jokes. So I guess I should probably play it again soon.

I also need to replay Hit the Road. Actually, I'm not even sure I finished it the first time... but after replacing the box art with Laserschwart's, it seems to have breathed a new life into the game and makes me want to play it more.

[SillyStell]

Well The Devil's Playhouse is my favourite so far, in most of the games I usaully have that small niggle in the back of my mind is thinking "Now how was I suppose to figure that out?!" though never enough to make me hate the series, infact I love them all but season 3 (so far) hasn't made me feel like, infact the times I have gotten stuck and finally do figure it out I feel like "well that was just my own incompetence right thar". I know that's a pretty dumb reason but it's more than that. The story is really intriguing and the dialog even seems better and... flows better... somehow. I always find my self interested and hyped for the next episode. Of course it's only been two episodes so far so who knows.

As for Monkey Island... I dunno not played those... YET!

[Pantagruel's Friend]

Originally Posted by GuruGuru214

Honestly...I wasn't crazy about Hit the Road in the first place. It had moments I enjoyed, several things that made me laugh, but in the end, when I reflect back on the feeling I have on the overall experience, it's less of a positive feeling and more of a weird one. (...)

It was quite an extraordinary game back in '93, and I think it ages quite well. I also like the Telltale seasons better, but there's nearly 15 years between HTR and Season 1 - the kind of humour HTR had was not very usual back then.

[Ignatius]

I think episodic gaming cant match the old long adventure projects. Between episodes i always find cracks were story elements, puzzles and difficulty fall down.
There is of course progress; about graphics, camera movements, puzzles lay out and such, but they re technical progress that make the form of the game rather than it content. About pure content i think the long LA adventures are still unmatched.

[tredlow]

Originally Posted by Ignatius

I think episodic gaming cant match the old long adventure projects. Between episodes i always find cracks were story elements, puzzles and difficulty fall down.
There is of course progress; about graphics, camera movements, puzzles lay out and such, but they re technical progress that make the form of the game rather than it content. About pure content i think the long LA adventures are still unmatched.

Well, you can always wait until the full series before playing it, so it's not really up to the game whether you have to wait between episodes or not.

Also, the episodic system is actually good for the story, because each episode contains several major plot points. In HTR, there are very few major plot points(Sam and Max go to the carnival, they are assigned to find a bigfoot. They found him, but he needs help finishing a bigfoot ritual. They helped him), which makes the events feel unnatural, because they all happen solely because Sam and Max did something or go somewhere. In TDP, there are more plot points that happen naturally, and not through the actions of Sam and Max (Max's brain got stolen, but not because Sam and Max did something, or went somewhere, it just happened.) This makes the story more complex and eventful, as well as making it feel less like a string of puzzles and objectives.

It's kinda like Grim Fandango, a game that, while not episodic, is divided into chapters, or 'years'. There is no overall objective in Grim Fandango. The story direction and the characters' motivations change each plot point.

This is also why I like the story of TMI more than the first two MI games. MI2 doesn't have much plot points; most of the game is about Guybrush looking for four map pieces, and there aren't many plot points within that objective. While in TMI, Guybrush's objectives, and the roles of each character in it, changes constantly (Morgan started of as an enemy, then she became his friend, then there's betrayal, and so on.)

[Ignatius]

When i talk about cracks between episodes im not referring to the month between them, in fact i think they are most noticeable when you play it without waiting.

And i found more natural the long plots rather than the short ones that are later smashed together. On one side you have this one long case that they should resolve by clues and stuff, its a big map with lot of clues, places, etc. There is still diversity. On the other side its a different motive for each episode, and at the end of the season they just pile all those things up and make a big surreal conspiracy plot. Its ok because its Sam and Max, but in the first 2 season a very simmilar scheme was used: different plots piled up at the end and presented as a big secret conspiracy plan.

Again, its perfect im not against it, but personally i found the "long ones" to be better planned.

[Falanca]

Originally Posted by SillyStell

Well The Devil's Playhouse is my favourite so far, in most of the games I usaully have that small niggle in the back of my mind is thinking "Now how was I suppose to figure that out?!"...!

I felt EXACTLY like that at the red oozing snail puzzle in Moai Better Blues.

[Yohmi]

I still prefere Hit The Road for the feeling. I mean, even if Telltale’s writing is good, I still think that the jokes in Hit the Road are way better. The personalities are funnier, I mean, since Season one, there is still not any character as funny as snuckey’s waiters, molemen (you really can’t compare), Conroy Bumpus, the fakir, even the fat guy in the world of fish. Maybe because back then, they didn’t care at all about cameras and everything, and more focused in animation, writing and acting. Nothing so far beats the cat in the begining. 2D has probably a lot to do with that… but I also think sometimes TellTale tries to make something fun, instead of just being fun.

[kane]

a grade

[kane]

ps Ignatius they side it all red e in episode 301 professor max destroys everything or something

[Rubarack]

In terms of puzzle design I reckon TDP is right up there with the best of them, much better than HtR but in terms of style and humour it's still nowhere near.

[SHODANFreeman]

Originally Posted by Avistew

Oh, and apart from the art and controls, I think I like all of Telltale's Sam and Max games better than Hit the Road.

I can't stand the verb system in Hit the Road. Irritating and cumbersome, at best.

[MRN]

I loved how if you kept clicking on an unpickable object sam would get annoyed and then start crying, in HTR xD