I like to think I have a well-developed sense of humor. 

Seriously, tell me a joke. If it’s funny, I’ll laugh. If it’s not, I won’t, and it would be your fault. To blame a person for not laughing at your lame jokes would be lunacy; accept your unfunniness, and find a new shtick. 
Yet the blame I’ll take from fans for this review is inevitable. Sam and Max aren’t funny, but it’s obviously my fault I don’t get their smart, witty humor. 

Let’s end the delusion.  This isn’t Monty Python. This isn’t Spinal Tap. This isn’t even Ren and Stimpy. Sam and Max are as funny as crickets chirping, a result their tired and clichéd jokes almost always precipitate. 
When a game frames itself around supposed humor, unfunniness is a problem, and to quote Dickens’ Ghost of Christmas Past, “do not blame me.” 

Sam & Max: Season One is a six-game compilation of the episodic PC series, arriving on Wii more than a year after the last episode was released. Developer Telltale Games,  perhaps best known among Wii owners for the Strongbad point-and-click WiiWare games, is the hand responsible.

Not many developers make point-and-click games anymore, a delicate art lost as the industry shifted focus to modern genres. But Telltale provides fresh takes on the old point-and-clicker, for which it deserves credit. 

Telltale Games also deserves commendation for offering a terrific value. Sam & Max costs only $29.99 and includes six separate episodes. Do the math, and you’re paying a five-spot per episode, each of which offers three or four hours of gameplay. We’re talking about Dollar Menu-like value. 

That’s kind of a big deal in an industry fond of robbing people blind. 

The problem with Sam & Max, though, is based less on its failed jokes than my ranting might indicate. I’m not a comic critic; I don’t review funny. I review video games, and in that regard, Sam & Max still underwhelms. 

It’s not bad and certainly has its moments, but like a greasy $6 breakfast platter at a low-end family restaurant, it’s a largely forgettable affair. 

You control “freelance policemen” Sam and Max, a not-so-dynamic duo harkening back to the classic detectives of American film noir. Sam is a tie-wearing dog with a penchant for crime-solving, and his partner Max is a rabbit who, like the game suggests, isn’t sure where his hands have been. 

Each episode presents a different mystery for Sam and Max to solve. As per the name of this old-school genre, you simply point at the screen and click to interact, a mechanic particularly well-suited to the Wii Remote. 

The stories are clever, too, and it’s easy to be absorbed by “gaming’s first sitcom” as you work to catch the crook. The problem is the sleuthing itself, which is often abstruse and nonsensical. After a while, you realize you’re trying random actions to solve the crime with little regard for logic. 

Try this, and if doesn’t work, try that. Or try something else. Because the logic is so stretched and vague, it becomes an arbitrary process.

Dedicated point-and-click fans will probably pick up the puzzles’ scents quickly, but the majority of players will likely respond to the esoteric solutions with a befuddled look and a “you’ve got to be kidding me” quip. 
If you have the patience to try different conversations with different people and use different objects hoping for different results in a seemingly random manner, you’ll find plenty to like about Sam & Max’s Wii debut. Of course, you might also enjoy pulling lottery balls or names from a hat. 

Sam & Max isn’t staggering to look at, either. The original look of the PC games has been mostly carried over to Wii, but something has been lost in the translation to less-powerful hardware. The graphics look relatively bland, and the framerate suffers from an awful case of stutter-itis. 

It’s not an ugly game. It’s just very average-looking.  

It’s great to see the tried-and-true point-and-click adventure making a resurgence on Wii, but fans of the genre would be well-advised to check out Zack and Wiki and even Telltale’s own Strongbad series before turning to Sam & Max, which is ultimately the bottom-tier of the three. 

Your reaction to Sam & Max will depend on your acclimation to the genre and the characters. Fans swear by the games’ supposed hilarity; I don’t see it. Strip away the clichés disguised as jokes and cringe-inducing attempts at wit, and you’re left with an average point-and-clicker. 

There’s nothing at all wrong with that. Just don’t expect much more.   

Gameplay: 7.5
There’s nothing extraordinary about Sam & Max. You point, click, converse with characters and solve mysteries. It’s simple and effective. 

Graphics: 6.5
Visually, Sam & Max is standard, bland-looking Wii fare. The art style hasn’t translated well to Wii, and there are frequent framerate issues. 

Sound: 7.0
The voice acting is very good, but the dialogue is uninspired. The soundtrack is littered with sleuthy tunes, but most of them are forgettable. 

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Sam & Max is a game of trial and error, and it quickly begins to feel arbitrary. It’s easy to be absorbed by the clever mysteries and stories, but the logic fueling the sleuthing is stretched and often nonsensical. 

Concept: 7.5
The Sam & Max concept seems fitting for point-and-click interpretation. Too bad it tries harder to offer cheap laughs than great gameplay. 

Overall: 7.0
Fans swear by the games’ supposed hilarity; I don’t see it. Strip away the clichés disguised as jokes and cringe-inducing attempts at wit, and you’re left with an average, unremarkable point-and-clicker.