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> Results: Sam & Max Episode 5: Reality 2.0
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Just when you thought Sam & Max had warped reality as far as it could go, along comes Reality 2.0! Computers everywhere are going crazy, and it is up to Sam and President Max (who has conveniently been running the country from the pair's Freelance Police office) to figure out what is wrong and how to fix it. Pretty quickly they uncover yet another evil hypnosis plot at work (like the last case, and the three before that, as Sam notices) - this one involving virtual reality and the internet. Of course, as Sybil notices, they're Luddites and need help with just about everything.
This episode unfolds largely in the same manner as the previous four, but with a whole new twist - you need to infiltrate the 'new' Reality 2.0, which is a wild combination of just about every popular social networking buzzword out there. This provides a great new landscape for familiar territory, with puzzles that can bridge two sets of Reality, since some items behave differently depending on which reality you're in. Many of the old jokes have gotten a bit of a refresh in this episode as well, so interacting with everything once again has value. Aside from that, everything remains top notch - the visual styling is superb in both worlds, the voice acting and characterizations just keep getting better, and there seem to be more incidental items to click on in every episode. This isn't the funniest episode - that was Abe Lincoln Must Die - but it still fires up a very tightly scripted thrill ride that will have you laughing and clicking your way through to the very colorful end. Now what was that color mnemonic again? Ah yes, Roy G. Biv!  
Specific to this episode: this is perhaps the most mild episode of all in terms of content. All I noticed during the game was a single instance of the word 'hell' and some gross-out humor related to a used handkerchief.
Note: the remainder of the kid factor is identical for all of the Season 1 episodes, as they are very similar in terms of presentation of content.The original Sam & Max game featured some pretty edgy humor that would amuse younger audiences while also often being insightful and biting satire that adults would appreciate. Sam & Max Season 1 continues that trend very nicely. There are great lines such as Max saying "By patronize you, he means we want to buy stuff from you, not... mock you. We probably will mock you, but that's not what he meant." And that stuff is scattered throughout the entire game. Your 10 year old will laugh; your 18 year old will laugh; and you will laugh - a lot. The games are not ESRB rated, but I would estimate them as E-10 based on some minor language and violence. And trust me that Max is highly disappointed by the 'minor' aspect of the violence. As they say "Sam: We're the Freelance Police. We're here to keep the peace. Max: Violently, if possible!" But all that transpires are small things like hanging Jimmy Two-teeth the rat out the window, bonking a few people on the head, and other minor stuff. The language is also minor and in line with what is said in most cartoons aimed at kids of that age - Sam referring to giving lawlessness a 'boot in the ass' is one of the primary examples I can recall. There really was very little objectionable content - the game is just a load of fun! Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Sam & Max Episode 5: Reality 2.0 |
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