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Stong Bad's CGfAP - Episode 1 - Homestar Ruiner

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Developer: Telltale Games Publisher: Telltale Games Genre: Adventure > General Released: Jun 14, 2008 Players: 1 Website

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Michael Scarpelli: 10

There's almost nothing I can say as a critic about SBCGfAP. If you love Homestar Runner, and dammit you should, then you will love this. All your characters are there, they look great, they move great, they sound great. The writing is funny and very clearly authentic Homestar Runner quality. The interface is clean and useable and feels totally part of the world.

I often say that it's the little touches that make a game great, and that's the case here. From your ability to scribble locations on a hand-drawn location map in whatever spot you please, to the totally optional and totally in-character ability to prank call people when you stumble upon a mobile phone, to the super sweet Teen Grrrl Squad mini-game� it's all here. You can interact with this world in a very complete way and that is the crux of any great adventure game. Telltale Games, for the win. Sewiouswy.

Pany Haritatos: 8

Episode 1 of the Strong Bad game is a really well designed adventure game with great visuals, top notch audio and excellent writing. The beauty of this game is in the flawless execution by Telltale Games, who are obviously experts at the genre. I've never been a die-hard Strong Bad fan, but this game still kept me chuckling and interested enough to keep playing. I'd say this is an instant buy if you're a Strong Bad fan, but its worth taking a look at even if you've only ever casually dabbled with the internet phenomenon. The amount of polish applied here is staggering. The only reasons not to give this game a try is if you don't like adventure games, or if you don't like Strong Bad.

Coby Utter: 8

Telltale Games has become synonymous with humor-laden adventure games. SBCGfAP takes all of the great elements from their previous Sam and Max games and infuses them with the even more offbeat humor of Homestar Runner to create a compelling and hilarious game. The core mechanics here are the standard fare; you'll visit different locations, collecting items, meeting people and solving puzzles to keep progressing. Fortunately, Telltale has these mechanics mastered, and the game surprisingly doesn't get stale quickly, although I personally yearn for some more innovation here.

If you are familiar with the Homestar Runner universe, then the game's humor will be right up your alley. If not, there will probably be some things that don't make a whole lot of sense, but the majority of the material is transparent enough to get new initiates cracking up. The humor definitely drives the game, and stays fresh and funny for all of the 3 hours of gameplay. SBCGfAP is not mind-blowing, but it is an extremely solid and well-polished adventure game laced with laughs.

Russ Carroll: 8

Here is a game where the score is pointless. I don't even know what it means. As a huge fan of Strong Bad, I savored Homestar Ruiner, the first episode of this new series from episodic masters Telltale Games.

It was everything I could have hoped for. I enjoyed the Sam & Max games, but was more focused on finishing than on exploring. With Homestar Ruiner, I explored every nook and cranny simply because it was so rewarding. The humor is spot-on to the website, which is to say it's fantastic. There is even a fun little exercise of making your own Teen Girl Squad comics.

The only negative side was that the story started to drag a bit about half way through after Homestar lost the race and his girlfriend, but it quickly picked up and I soon myself giggling again. It's a solid 2 hour play through with about 3 hours of content and worth every penny. If you're not a Homestar fan you'll miss half the humor in getting to know the characters, but if you are a Homestar fan, then you couldn't possibly be disappointed.