[sanildefanso]

in reply to: First impressions #11676

On the Lucasarts moon-logic scale, I would say Sam and Max rates pretty low overall, especially compared to some of the later games they made like Grim Fandango. (I know, I know. It’s a great story with terrible puzzles.) I actually think it’s better than most of the Monkey Island games besides the first one too.

But this genre is very strange about what is and isn’t a difficult puzzle for people. I’d be really interested to poll people in detail and see where they were tripped up, and where things were easy for them.

[sanildefanso]

in reply to: First impressions #11601

Honestly, I’m not sure the setting is all that recognizable in a first-hand kind of way, but the big tropes of goofy roadside attractions are still very much in popular culture. It does improve the kitchy flavor of this game though, making its vibe even stronger.

I played through most of the Lucasarts games several years ago, and Sam & Max was one of my three favorites, maybe even as high as second to only the original Monkey Island. Just a great game, and it has inspired me to jump back in to other adventure games for the time being.

[sanildefanso]

in reply to: First impressions #11566

I just finished it too. The final puzzle sequence is pretty fun in how it all works out. I even managed to do it without a walkthrough!

The times I got stuck it was almost totally down to not realizing something in the background was something I could interact with. I’d blame the UI, but I’ve beaten this game a couple times before so I think it’s just a me problem.

[sanildefanso]

in reply to: First impressions #11552

I’m at about the halfway point now, and even though I’ve played this through at least twice I ended up having to use a walkthrough. It was entirely stuff I had missed or forgotten to pick up somewhere. Nothing has been too much to a howler yet, but I still wish I could make it through.

Really curious how this game would play to someone who wasn’t alive in the US during the mid-90s. Does anyone even get the references to Stuckey’s anymore? They were ubiquitous for decades, but in the intervening years since this game came out they have gone virtually extinct. I was thinking of this because there’s a specific reference that’s important to solving a puzzle in the game, that I think might go over people’s heads.

*edit* I misspoke; there are apparently still 65 Stuckey’s locations in the US still. They are not very common around the Midwest anymore so maybe that’s what I thought they were gone.

[sanildefanso]

in reply to: First impressions #11540

It’s very hard for me to approach this with fresh eyes, so I’m willing to concede that things that seem obvious to me are not going to be obvious to most people. So it goes replaying adventure games.

I think the biggest issue with this game visually is that it’s not always obvious you can go someplace. Often there are further sections of an area that aren’t altogether clear. I think this is mostly down to the new interface, which is less clear when something can be interacted with.

[sanildefanso]

in reply to: First impressions #11538

I knocked out a few more locations yesterday, it’s still holding up for me. I feel like this one is pretty solvable; if it’s got moon logic, it is at least an internally-consistent and well-telegraphed logic.

[sanildefanso]

in reply to: Already excited! #11526

This is one of the only CRPGs I’ve replayed multiple times, so I clearly am a fan of this one. It’ll be fun to revisit it with everyone else when the time comes!

I’ve always felt like the old Fallout games are just a touch opaque compared to games that would come out the next year like Baldur’s Gate. A lot of it comes down to the interface, where it’s clear what the game wants you to do, but it’s not obvious how the UI will allow you to do it. It’s also from those early days of quest journals, when they would provide SOME useful information, but never quite enough.

Still a real triumph of atmosphere and aesthetic though, and really emphasizes choice well.

[sanildefanso]

in reply to: First impressions #11525

I only just started this one the other day, but it’ll actually be my second time to replay this one, so it’s clearly one I’m already inclined to like.

The new interface is a mixed bag, I think. I like the bigger field of vision a lot more, but it does feel like if you’re using the mouse everything takes more clicks in general. Clearly they would land on what to do when Full Throttle came around, that game gets its interface right.

This is one of my favs from Lucasarts, along with the first Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle. I’m only a little ways in but I’m really looking forward to digging into it one more time.

[sanildefanso]

in reply to: Finally, an excuse to play this #11517

Really looking forward to this one. I played a whole lot of both Civ V and VI, with a little IV before that. Several years ago I tried out the original game and actually got sucked into it bigtime. It’s got the one-more-turn energy in spades, and feels really stripped down compared to the sequels.