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Instead of putting in a lot of throwaway characters, the writers included a mere eight, but each one has a lot to say. My favourites, both in terms of voice and dialog, are of course Sam and Max (better than the Hit The Road voices, I think). I also liked the paranoid Bosco, owner and operator of the local Inconvenience Store. The rest of the characters’ voices ranged from ok to annoying, but at least they provide lots of fodder for Sam’s sardonicism and Max’s over-the-top threats. Much of the game consists of conversations, through which clues are delivered to help you solve the puzzles; in some cases, the dialog itself is the puzzle.



In sum, Culture Shock has a lot of hype to live up to and a lot of people to please, and I’m not sure it can do either. Its success will make or break the whole series, much like the pilot episode of a new TV show, and I’m more than a bit concerned. The plot thus far isn’t nearly as awesome as LucasArt’s Freelance Police was supposed to be (where’s my dance-off against a local gang of unruly youth, space station built by the third-rate countries of the world, or rogue artificial intelligence made out of tortilla chips, huh?), and the mature dialog content doesn’t mesh well with the overly-easy puzzles. I think Telltale was trying to please both hardcore Sam & Max fans and the Bejewed crowd, but I don’t think that’s really possible (or even necessary).



For those of you who still aren’t sure what to think, or who are a bit confused or leery of this whole “episodic gaming” thing, let me put it this way: Culture Shock is the equivalent of paying the price of a movie ticket to watch a feature-length sitcom episode. If that sounds good to you, go for it. If (like me) you need something more satisfying to sink your teeth into, wait for the whole season to come out and buy the whole shebang for a cheaper total. After all, good things are worth waiting for. What’s another six months, really, after waiting 13 years?

Review by David Pettitt.