I just got Sam and Max Episode 1: Culture Shock the other day, and I loved it. While the puzzles were pretty easy, the series’ sense of humor remains completely intact, and in the end I felt satisfied. Kind of.
While $8.95 isn’t much to charge for a game–especially one that promises to be the first in a series of six, released a couple of months apart–it was extremely short, and almost felt more like a demo than a full game. If these complaints sound familiar, then you’ve probably played Half Life: Episode One. While it was a fantastic game in its own right (the final Strider fight alone is worth the cost of purchase), it was pretty short, and we’re evidently going to have to wait until next summer to play the sequel. So the question is, does episodic gaming interest you?
Hit the jump for some discussion questions.
With two major franchises already subscribing to the idea, gamers can make a somewhat-informed opinion about the concept. And on a personal level, I’m curious as to how Dtoid’s readers feel about episodic gaming, and whether or not it has a future.
Do you find small, frequent chunks of gameplay better than large experiences separated by two or three years of waiting?
Does the delay of HL Episode Two discourage you from the idea that episodic gaming will actually adhere to a schedule of frequent new releases?
Does the potential for immediate developer feedback excite you at all? (Keep in mind there is voluntary and involuntary feedback, an example of the latter being when the difficulty of the pitch-black zombie fight level in HL: Episode One was toned down severely because Valve recorded many instances of players dying in that particular part. Whether or not that’s a good thing is up to you.)
Comment, or post in the forums.
As a postscript, if you’re a fan of adventure games or, uh, humor, I strongly advise pre-purchasing the Sam and Max Season One pack. It’s 35 bucks for all six episodes (and at the end of the season, a disc with all six put together shipped to you) as opposed to having to pay 9 bucks apiece as they come out.
