After being released in episodic form on the PC and later on a disc for the Wii, the first season of the new Sam & Max adventure series has finally made its way to the Xbox Live Arcade. The six episodes are now bundled together, and the entire package goes by the name Sam & Max Save the World. Save the World is essentially just a port of what was previously referred to as Season One, although  the game did get a fresh coat of paint and leaderboards, if you’re into that sort of thing. Point-and-click fans who have already played through this adventure will have no reason to buy it again, but if for some reason you still haven’t saved the world with a couple of freelance police officers, this is the way to go.

Created by Steve Purcell over two decades ago, canine Sam and hyperkinetic rabbity thing Max previously freelanced their way through a comic series, TV show, and the 1993 LucasArts adventure game Sam & Max Hit the Road. A few years ago, Telltale Games, which was formed by some LucasArts alums, acquired the rights to the series, and Sam & Max Season One was born. I didn’t get a chance to play it until it was released on the Wii last year, but as a huge fan of Sam & Max Hit the Road, I absolutely loved what Telltale had done with the characters and the franchise. Playing it through again on XBLA took significantly less time, obviously, but it also gave me the chance to notice some Easter eggs and inside jokes that I didn’t see the first time.



Gameplay-wise, nothing has changed other than the fact that you will now use a 360 controller instead of a Wii remote or mouse. The game does look great on the 360, and it’s clear that the graphics have been given a fresh coat of paint. I was glad to find that the random framerate drops from the Wii version are no longer an issue, although there were a few audio glitches. Instead of cutting off lines of dialogue like in the Wii version, there were times when the volume got inexplicably and noticeably louder for a second or two. It was a little distracting, but didn’t really hinder the gameplay experience at all. The addition of leaderboards is notable, but kind of unnecessary (is anyone really keeping track of who has seen the most lines of dialogue?).

Unlike the Wii and PC, the 360 isn’t an ideal platform for games of this genre, which means that moving the cursor with the thumbstick could be a little inaccurate. This is rarely an issue, unless you’re solving a puzzle in which timing is of the essence. Since I originally learned how to play adventure games with a console controller (thanks to Maniac Mansion on the NES), I really didn’t mind at all. However, it must be said that the control scheme is not exactly console friendly, and some gamers may find this annoying.



Since this is the third time this particular group of episodes has been released, there really isn’t that much more to say about it. If you didn’t play this yet on the PC or Wii, go ahead and download the XBLA version. It’s only $20, which is less than the Wii port was when it came out—and that was definitely worth the price. Sam & Max Save the World will give you about 10-12 hours of enjoyment the first time through, and the addition of achievements is good motivation to hunt for some extra tidbits you may not have known were in the game otherwise. Despite the fact that point-and-click adventures typically don’t have much replay value, I still enjoyed spending a few hours revisiting this game. The writing is excellent, the humor is great, and the characters are as lovable and fantastic as they have always been. If you haven’t saved the world yet, it’s about time that you did.