[After a brisk nap]

Ah! Glad to see that someone decided to review this. Good job, Squinky!

Interesting to see the resolution listed as a "con" (for some players). I realize that it probably does put some people off, but I've never felt that it's more enjoyable to play a high-resolution game merely because it has more pixels. Low-res graphics is an art-style in its own right, and when it is done well it can be just as impressive as a high resolution or 3D game. SJM is a little bit minimalistic for my tastes (especially the restricted pallette), but the skill and verve is undeniable. So when you compare it to Telltale's Sam & Max... well, it's not obvious to me that S&M looks better.

Another interesting thing is the reference to The Blackwell Legacy. The two games came out almost on the same day, I think, it seems they are about the same length, and Ian Schlaepfer did graphics work for both. Yet the two games make some very different design decisions (most notably SJM's decision to not include voice acting, but on the other hand sell for about half the price of TBL). You praise the originality of the story, and indeed the premise of SJM is unique in an almost oddball way, while TBL plays it relatively safe. TBL seems designed to make the leap to commercial development, while SJM, with its anti-commercialist message, almost seems like the opposite. Dave Gilbert appears to be doing pretty well with his game, and I hope the Schlaepfers experience similar success. It would be sad if this became another Adventures of Fatman.

And in the end we gave them exactly the same score...

Something I think should be pointed out, though, is that SJM comes with some pretty f---ing annoying copy protection. After you download the game, you have to register so they can send you an activation code. And in order to do that you have to copy down a long string of numbers and letters from the game to a web form. And I guess if you ever lose the activation code after uninstalling the game, and if Herculean Effort isn't around anymore, you won't be able to play the game.

Just because an evil may be necessary doesn't make it any less evil.

[Squinky]

Ooh, cool! My review's getting picked apart already!

Regarding graphics, you make a good point, and that's exactly why I tried my best not to sound too subjective and absolute in my assessment. (Of course, it's impossible for game reviews to be completely objective, but that's best saved for another discussion.)

For the record, I thought Sam & Max looked great, particularly given the character animations, lip-synch, and varying camera angles. But then, I did get to see all the hard work happen behind the scenes when I worked at Telltale, meaning I'm probably slightly biased. Still, I wasn't trying to make such a direct comparison; I just mentioned S&M by name because it sounded to me like the most recognizable $8.95 game I could think of.

As for the copy protection, well, I can't really see how it's all that much worse than methods used for other downloadable commercial games out there, so I didn't really see much of a point in mentioning it in my review.

[After a brisk nap]

Originally Posted by Squinky

Ooh, cool! My review's getting picked apart already!

Oh no, I'd give your review 4 stars, 4.5 maybe. This is how I write about things I like.

Regarding graphics, you make a good point, and that's exactly why I tried my best not to sound too subjective and absolute in my assessment. (Of course, it's impossible for game reviews to be completely objective, but that's best saved for another discussion.)

For the record, I thought Sam & Max looked great, particularly given the character animations, lip-synch, and varying camera angles. But then, I did get to see all the hard work happen behind the scenes when I worked at Telltale, meaning I'm probably slightly biased. Still, I wasn't trying to make such a direct comparison; I just mentioned S&M by name because it sounded to me like the most recognizable $8.95 game I could think of.

I'd say S&M looks... fair, given the graphic style it's using. It's not Psychonauts, that's for sure, but it's not offensive to the eye, either.

As for the copy protection, well, I can't really see how it's all that much worse than methods used for other downloadable commercial games out there, so I didn't really see much of a point in mentioning it in my review.

I don't remember copy protection on S&M:CS, and The Blackwell Legacy didn't have it. Did Al Emmo? It wouldn't have been too bad if you got the code when you purchased the game, but this extra step, after you've installed the game and you're just starting it up, of having to go back online to register and wait for the code to be emailed, that pissed me off.

[Erwin_Br]

The review pretty much summed up my thoughts. It's a fair game for a fair price, but the graphics left me unimpressed (even though it has a certain class and charm). The use of colour is a bit bland and I didn't really like the huge amounts of unused space in an already low resolution. (I'm not complaining about the resolution itself, though.)

But overall, it's a very clever game that I liked really much. Everything feels very thought-out and polished. (I still have to finish it, though.)

--Erwin

[AGA]

I just have to point out, Gunnar, we didn't give SJM and TBL the same score. Scores are subjective, and depend on the opinion of the member of staff reviewing them. AG unfortunately doesn't yet consist of some magical hive mind that decides a review score unanimously

[After a brisk nap]

Just because you're not part of the hive mind doesn't mean it doesn't exist. (D'oh! I just broke the first rule of the hive mind.)

But I didn't mean "we" in the site sense. I meant Deirdra and I. She gave SJM 3.5, and I gave TBL 3.5. Thus, she and I, "we", gave the two games the same score. Part of my point was to wonder what would have happened if we had switched reviews.

[Wormsie]

Originally Posted by After a brisk nap

Something I think should be pointed out, though, is that SJM comes with some pretty f---ing annoying copy protection. After you download the game, you have to register so they can send you an activation code. And in order to do that you have to copy down a long string of numbers and letters from the game to a web form. And I guess if you ever lose the activation code after uninstalling the game, and if Herculean Effort isn't around anymore, you won't be able to play the game.

There's a good reason not to uninstall the game, then! If you are really worried about it getting lost, copying it to a CD-R would do the trick. (Deleting a game you downloaded from an anline store would seem a bit strange to me in any case.) Besides, the HEP guys seem nice enough to release their games as freeware if they happen to go kapputt.