Freeware Face-off!

My last review was of some recently released titles on the PC. This review will be another grouped game review. This time I will look at the freeware games that you can download and play without spending a penny. Included in this review will be Sam & Max Season 1 Episode 4 Abe Lincon Must Die!, Track Mania Nations Forever, Americas Army 3, and Alien Swarm.

Sam and Max always hold a special place in my heart. I was a big fan of the cartoon when I was a kid, and the game is well known as a classic point and click adventure. The newer iteration is just a small entry in a series of new Sam & Max games. Abe Lincon Must Die! Is another point and click adventure game. In this episode Sam & Max find themselves tangled up in a political conspiracy so deep it may go as far as both the former and current President of the United States.

The controls and basics of gameplay are very simple. This means that almost anyone should be able to just pick up the game and figure out how to play. Knowing how to play is just the beginning. The gameplay is easy to pick up, but the various puzzles in the game ( while logical and solvable ) are actually quite challenging. I had a hell of a time figuring out the debate portion of the game.

The visuals in are bright, vivid and won't be any problem for even more modest machines. There isn't much to configure, but that is okay for a game of this nature. The feel from the old games is still strong , and I am a big fan of the voice acting. It is almost like interacting with memories of the old cartoon. Old fans like me will be hit with feelings of nostalgia. The storyline seems to play heavily on both the old style of the show and the gameplay of the original game. In this episode Sam and Max are noticing some strange activity, at the Whitehouse. As the tale goes on, the heroes ( both played by you ) must use all deductive skills and insanity to uncover one of the most bizarre conspiracies ever conceived. If successful this conspiracy could topple the United States government!

As mentioned before, you get to play both of the title characters as the situation needs. A number of the interactions between characters provide some of the best comedic dialogue in PC gaming.

A major criticism I have would have to be the inside jokes and references. This game is the 4th episode in the first season of the new Sam and Max series of games. Enough inside jokes in the Sam and Max universe exist as it is. When you throw in a bunch of references to earlier episodes, that you may or may not have played, you will probably come to several points where you don't understand the context of the dialogue.

All said Abe Lincon Must Die! is a quirky little game that pleases fans like me, and seems to have developed some popularity amongst a new set of fans. While it may not revolutionize, or blow the mind of anyone who plays it, I find it hard to pinpoint things to complain about. Sam and Max : Abe Lincon Must Die! can be downloaded for free via you free steam client.

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