Thank God LucasArts canceled Sam & Max: Freelance Police

[ToXic]

Originally Posted by marsan

while the Lucas Arts games has are re-written to run fine in XP.

Where did you hear that? Lucas has never and will never re-write any of their games for XP compat, it even says on their website that they can't ensure compatibility for their older titles on XP.

I for one am glad Lucas cancelled Sam & Max: FP, purley cause the shots I viewed from it didn't look all that good, and plus then we wouldnt of got yet more masterpieces from Telltale.

[marsan]

Originally Posted by ToXic

Where did you hear that? Lucas has never and will never re-write any of their games for XP compat, it even says on their website that they can't ensure compatibility for their older titles on XP.

Surely you are mistaken. I bought the Sam & Max that was released just two days ago(30th), and that cd includes a rewritten Sam & Max executable(a so called version 2.0) that runs fine on everything from Windows 95 to XP

I've heard the same goes for all the other newer releases in the Lucas Classic Line series.

From the readme file for the version 2 update:

Thank you for purchasing Sam & Max™ Hit the Road
version 2.0.

This version of Sam & Max Hit the Road has been
modified to allow you to play the game in Windows 95
OSR2, 98, 98SE, Millennium Edition (ME), 2000, or XP.

NOTE: The original Readme on this CD has not been
modified to reflect the additional supported
operating systems.

[Dangerzone]

happy april fools day to you too..........

[marsan]

1st of april is a gift that keeps on giving

[ToXic]

Originally Posted by marsan

Surely you are mistaken. I bought the Sam & Max that was released just two days ago(30th), and that cd includes a rewritten Sam & Max executable(a so called version 2.0) that runs fine on everything from Windows 95 to XP

I've heard the same goes for all the other newer releases in the Lucas Classic Line series.

From the readme file for the version 2 update:

Thank you for purchasing Sam & Max™ Hit the Road
version 2.0.

This version of Sam & Max Hit the Road has been
modified to allow you to play the game in Windows 95
OSR2, 98, 98SE, Millennium Edition (ME), 2000, or XP.

NOTE: The original Readme on this CD has not been
modified to reflect the additional supported
operating systems.

Ah well I didnt know that, just shows how out of date I am, me owning the original and all.

[marsan]

Originally Posted by ToXic

Ah well I didnt know that, just shows how out of date I am, me owning the original and all.

lucky you. I wish I had the original. Unfortunately I didn't consider it back then. At least I was able to find a original first release copy of day of the tentacle in germany, but unfortunately they didn't have sam & max. I'm glad they re-released it at least, so I at least got something to put on the shelf. Also, this re-release is probably the best one I have ever seen.

[LuigiHann]

I'm pretty sure they actually release discs like that in Europe and Australia, but it's not Lucasarts itself doing that, it's their distributors.

Why can't Lucasarts get a US distributor? Their current one sucks

[jannar85]

I think Telltale could buy the licence after LucasArts got their sam and max game out. But of course, it wouldn't be the same hype as it is now.

[Udvarnoky]

Originally Posted by LuigiHann

I'm pretty sure they actually release discs like that in Europe and Australia, but it's not Lucasarts itself doing that, it's their distributors.

Why can't Lucasarts get a US distributor? Their current one sucks

LucasArts is the LucasArts distributor in the US. That's the thing.

Originally Posted by marsan

Surely you are mistaken. I bought the Sam & Max that was released just two days ago(30th), and that cd includes a rewritten Sam & Max executable(a so called version 2.0) that runs fine on everything from Windows 95 to XP

You're both right kind of. LucasArts (or Activision) did update some of the games, including Sam & Max, for XP, but those releases were never available in the US (with the exception of the Armed & Dangerous demo disc which did have the updated Sam & Max on it, but there was an error in the mastering that caused the audio to cut out).

[LuigiHann]

LucasArts is the LucasArts distributor in the US. That's the thing.

I know, I was semi-joking. Well, I was totally joking, but it would still be nice if somebody distributed the old LucasArts adventures on this side of the ocean. LucasArts hasn't been doing a great job of it lately.

[AdamG]

Originally Posted by LuigiHann

LucasArts hasn't been doing a great job of it lately.

That's because LucasArts really sucks lately.

[Wickywoo]

Actually, you do need the manuals for some of the old Sierra games. They used copy protection in the form of puzzles in the manual that you had to solve at some point in the game.

Right, and they included the manual on the CDs for that, and alert you to that fact beforehand, at least on the Space Quest one

[Smollie]

Ah, yes, I do remember that wonderful manual of Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders. A sort of newspaper with even some clues in it, if I remember well. Or at least, I was hoping to find some clues in it.
Come to think of it, I'm not even sure I found any clues in there.

I do have the original packaging, so I could check it out, if I wanted to.
But why spoil a perfectly happy memory?

The fun of this kind of manual is that it's a sort of tangible piece from the game-world. It deliciously fades all borders between the reality you're living your life in and the reality of the game you're playing.
Well, maybe I just have an overactive imagination and a problem with accepting reality as it is. Maybe it's the result of playing too many computergames in the past 20 years, or so.

Mommy, I need help!

[LuigiHann]

Originally Posted by Smollie

The fun of this kind of manual is that it's a sort of tangible piece from the game-world.

I was surprised that the manual for WarioWare Smooth Moves was somewhat along those lines. It was some sort of bizarre tabloid. It was neat.

...

What was this thread about again?

[Smollie]

Originally Posted by LuigiHann

What was this thread about again?

If my memory serves me well, it was about me being greatfull for LucasArts' cancellation of S&M2.

You could always go to the top of this thread of course, or were you pointing out the fact we're going somewhat off topic with this manual business?

But then, threads tend to do that.
I don't know why. But I don't mind.

[LuigiHann]

I was just joking around, making fun of myself as much as anyone else.
As for it being a good or bad thing that S&M:FP was canceled, it's hard to say. I'm content with the current incarnation of Sam & Max, but who's to say their alternate-universe versions aren't having equally exciting episodic adventures? It's possible that if Freelance Police came out and did well, then Lucasarts might have made one or more sequels, or if it did poorly, they might have let the license expire and Telltale might have gotten it then!

Still, it's nice to have certainty, through the episodic schedule, that there is more Sam & Max to come. And it's nice to be able to be confident that each episode will be good quality, thanks to the talented Telltale team. With some game franchises, sequels are frightening, because you never know when the company is going to muck it up.

[AdamG]

There's no doubt in my mind that Telltale is doing better then LucasArts would've done. S&M2 was a lot like what we are getting today according to the trailer for S&M2, but the models and voices are better, and the humor is better too. I doubt S&M2 would have met our high standards.

[ShaggE]

Originally Posted by Smollie

Ah, yes, I do remember that wonderful manual of Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders. A sort of newspaper with even some clues in it, if I remember well. Or at least, I was hoping to find some clues in it.
Come to think of it, I'm not even sure I found any clues in there.

I loved how they hid hints where you least expected them... my favorite example: Shivers 2. They hid hints in the lyrics of the songs on the second CD. (The game itself had the songs in them too, but only abbreviated versions... you had to listen to CD2 to get all the clues)

Best part was, it was actually some good rock music! You could listen to it in your car without getting weird looks from passersby

[marsan]

Originally Posted by AdamG

There's no doubt in my mind that Telltale is doing better then LucasArts would've done. S&M2 was a lot like what we are getting today according to the trailer for S&M2, but the models and voices are better, and the humor is better too. I doubt S&M2 would have met our high standards.

I agree. When I watch the trailer of Sam & Max - Freelance police, and compare it with the telltale games sam & max episodic trailer, I feel Telltale games have done much more of sam & max than lucasarts would have done with a sequel(in terms of humour, graphics, and other things you already mentioned).

Still, I am sure the Sam & Max - Freelance police game would have ended my appetite for Sam & Max. After I have waited such a long time since the last Sam & Max game, one only really needs a certain something(a game) to end that hunger. One doesn't really expect there to be another Sam & Max game(at least not in another 10 years) after waiting for such a long time for the sequel, so after one has gotten the sequel, one kind of goes back to normal life and are happy to have gotten the sequel they promised all those years (ago?).

[barchetta]

I agree. When I watch the trailer of Sam & Max - Freelance police, and compare it with the telltale games sam & max episodic trailer, I feel Telltale games have done much more of sam & max than lucasarts would have done with a sequel(in terms of humour, graphics, and other things you already mentioned).

From what I see on http://media.pc.ign.com/media/489/489000/vids_1.html -- the dancing stuff looks really fluid and spiffy! And the way the De Soto drives away is very cartoonish. I wouldn't say the current S&M is better than back then.