Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc)

Discuss visual novels and story-based games that didn't originate on this forum.
Message
Author
User avatar
Apius
Newbie
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 8:52 pm
Contact:

Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc)

#1 Post by Apius »

Is it okay to discuss these here? I haven't done my research, but I can only assume that there's been a lot of argument over whether The Walking Dead counts as a visual novel or if it even counts as a game. But I don't think any of that particularly matters because by almost any definition it fits under the category of "Other Story-based Games". Whatever category people want to put it under, I think it's developed a unique new way of telling a story that I haven't seen before. And I think there's a lot that we can learn from it.

So anyways, have you finished Season 2 yet? What did you think? I thought it started off pretty bad, and it lost some focus in the middle of the season, but the climax was unforgettable and just perfect. Remember to spoiler stuff.

User avatar
Aurélie
Regular
Posts: 58
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 11:27 pm
Organization: Lyonesse
Location: London, England
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#2 Post by Aurélie »

Apius wrote: I thought it started off pretty bad, and it lost some focus in the middle of the season, but the climax was unforgettable and just perfect.
Actually, I think the opposite. The first two episodes were strong and the third was decent, but the last two were a mess. It's obvious that Telltale taking on so many projects at once was a terrible idea. The plot of season two of The Walking Dead just didn't have a trajectory and you don't need to look at the mismatched title cards to see it.
They had no idea where they were going with anything after you left Howe's. They could've sustained the season with the cabin group and Carver's group, but instead they just run you halfway across the U.S. with a everchanging lineup of characters who change personalities when plot requires it. Luke - the guy who didn't eat or sleep for days when you were kidnapped - decides to spend time with Jane instead of keeping lookout, and the writers don't even give him a decent excuse because apparently they forgot Luke's best friend of twenty years died recently.
Even though they pushed the "Who will your Clementine be?" idea, every Clem was the same. My Clementine
watched Carver get his face beaten in,
and it seemed like it was going to have a serious effect on her, but she was the exact same as every other Clementine. It wasn't even an illusion of choice because they didn't even try. And if I get started on how they treated their neuroatypical characters I'm going to have a conniption, so I'll just move along.

The Wolf Among Us was way better. To be fair if they were going to lose plot trajectory on any project I'd rather it was The Walking Dead. TWAU was a whodunnit; they really needed to know exactly what they were going to do. They did, and I'm glad for that. Couple of issues that inevitably arise with nonlinear fiction, but otherwise a solid season.

User avatar
Apius
Newbie
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 8:52 pm
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#3 Post by Apius »

Aurelie wrote:Actually, I think the opposite. The first two episodes were strong and the third was decent, but the last two were a mess.
The main reasons I disliked the first episode were that in my opinion it was very short, it did a poor job of explaining what happened in the time between the two seasons, and there was very little in the way of difficult moral choices which had become the staple of the series. The part with the dog was smart and interesting though.
It's obvious that Telltale taking on so many projects at once was a terrible idea. The plot of season two of The Walking Dead just didn't have a trajectory and you don't need to look at the mismatched title cards to see it.
They had no idea where they were going with anything after you left Howe's. They could've sustained the season with the cabin group and Carver's group, but instead they just run you halfway across the U.S. with a everchanging lineup of characters who change personalities when plot requires it. Luke - the guy who didn't eat or sleep for days when you were kidnapped - decides to spend time with Jane instead of keeping lookout, and the writers don't even give him a decent excuse because apparently they forgot Luke's best friend of twenty years died recently.
Even though they pushed the "Who will your Clementine be?" idea, every Clem was the same. My Clementine
watched Carver get his face beaten in,
and it seemed like it was going to have a serious effect on her, but she was the exact same as every other Clementine. It wasn't even an illusion of choice because they didn't even try. And if I get started on how they treated their neuroatypical characters I'm going to have a conniption, so I'll just move along.
I basically agree with all of this, though. I really liked episodes 2 and 3 (I probably should have clarified what I meant by "it lost some focus in the middle of the season"). It was after episode 4 that I felt it totally lost focus and I basically thought the situation was irreparable. But I was very surprised by the last episode and thought it did a great job. It spent more time getting to know the (remaining) characters, who had previously been grossly lacking in characterization. And it seemed more focused and had a memorable climax and ending, in my opinion. And one big highlight of the season was the character of
Kenny. I had previously liked how divisive his character was among the audience, and they managed to ratchet both his good and bad qualities up to new levels with this season. I personally had a strange sense of closeness and camaraderie with him, while still being really disgusted with some of his actions and thinking that overall he was a danger to everyone.
But yeah, overall the season suffered from one major flaw which is that your decisions didn't feel impactful or particularly difficult. Yes, honestly none of the decisions in the first season actually mattered or changed much in the long run, but they did a great job of making it SEEM like they did. If that makes any sense.

By the way, which ending did you get?
I ended up leaving Kenny and going to Wellington.
I thought it was incredibly satisfying and emotional, despite my mixed feelings towards him.

And I actually haven't played The Wolf Among Us Yet, hah.

gekiganwing
Lemma-Class Veteran
Posts: 2473
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2004 1:38 pm
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#4 Post by gekiganwing »

I have the following sitting on my shelf:

* Sam and Max seasons 1 and 2, for Wii
* Walking Dead season 1, for Vita

I started Sam and Max but made almost no progress. I don't know if I'll give it another chance. These days, I occasionally use a portable video game if I'm commuting by bus or train. I rarely sit down and play home console / computer games unless I'm with friends in the same room.

I got a copy of Walking Dead after hearing mostly positive buzz, and because there are few adventure games for portable game systems. I've thought about starting it. However, I'm not sure if I will end up liking it. I admit that this uncertainty is because of my admittedly unrealistic worries.

User avatar
octacon100
Regular
Posts: 163
Joined: Thu Sep 12, 2013 11:23 pm
Projects: Regeria Hope
Organization: Golden Game Barn
IRC Nick: Octacon100
Location: Boston, MA
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#5 Post by octacon100 »

I think that season 1 of The Walking Dead is better than season 2, mostly because the characters were better, and I cared about them more. In the second season, they kind of lampshade that your choices don't really matter by having you be a little girl and less of a leader, but they still make a little girl do all the hard work. It became annoying to my wife and I.

Here's my ending:
Killed Kenny, let the family into the Howe's with Jane. Not really much I could do, since they were going to keep fighting, and there was no way to stop Kenny.
It was great that you could affect the ending, but I think the game kinda railroads you into the ending I picked.

User avatar
Apius
Newbie
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 8:52 pm
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#6 Post by Apius »

gekiganwing wrote:I got a copy of Walking Dead after hearing mostly positive buzz, and because there are few adventure games for portable game systems. I've thought about starting it. However, I'm not sure if I will end up liking it. I admit that this uncertainty is because of my admittedly unrealistic worries.
My advice for the Walking Dead game is basically the same advice I give for Breaking Bad. Play the first five-ish minutes of it and it should hopefully grab you because it has a very strong opening scene.

Coincidentally, it also does a great job of subtly foreshadowing some of the major themes for the story will be
(ie. "It goes to show, people will up and go mad when they think their life is over.")
octacon100 wrote:It was great that you could affect the ending, but I think the game kinda railroads you into the ending I picked.
Here's my current insane prediction for season 3:

Each of the 5 episodes is sort of an alternate reality, based on each of the 5 endings to season 2. It does seem incredibly unlikely, but it might be interesting to see the unexpected positives and negatives of Clem's life while surviving after each of the endings.

User avatar
breadslam
Regular
Posts: 97
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:57 pm
Tumblr: breadslam
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#7 Post by breadslam »

The only Telltale game I've played was their Jurassic Park one, and... I wasn't happy. Let's just leave it at that.

I have, however, heard very good things about their Walking Dead series and watched a let's play of the first season which I thought was interesting.

Did they make the Strong Bad game for the Wii, or was that a different developer? I loved the heck out of that one, mostly due to early 2000s nostalgia and some really funny jokes.

Caveat Lector
Miko-Class Veteran
Posts: 680
Joined: Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:02 am
Completed: Colette and Becca
Projects: Rainbow Love (HIATUS), The Haunting of Blackbird School, Cry of the Roses [TBA]
Organization: Velveteen Rabbit Productions
Deviantart: Velveteen-Rabbit-CL
itch: caveat_lector
Location: My chair
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#8 Post by Caveat Lector »

I'm considering buying The Wolf Among Us, which is available on Steam, but I'm also slightly reluctant because the main point that both the summary and reviews (at least on Steam) use to sell it on is "it's a dark, violent, mature re-imagining of fairy tales". A darker and edgier re-imagining can be done well if it adds depth to the characters and the story, but if it's done just to be grimdark and "mature", then yeah, that just turns me off. That said, I'm also aware it's possible for overemphasizing one element to turn people away from an otherwise good game.

So if there's anyone who has played it and enjoyed it, can you recommend it on any basis other than "it's darker and edgier"?
Reader Beware!


The Haunting of Blackbird School: In Progress

Colette and Becca: Complete

User avatar
SinSisters
Regular
Posts: 97
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 11:07 am
Completed: The Spanish Privateer
Projects: The Spanish Privateer
Tumblr: sinsisters
itch: sinsisters
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#9 Post by SinSisters »

I've played The Wolf Among Us and read the comic that it's based on ("Fables". The game is set as a 'prequel' to the comics.) I should tell you that I avoid anything dark, disturbing, etc. I've never seen a horror movie and I don't plan on ever watching one. I originally avoided TWAU because it looked "too scary."

But, having played the game, and as someone who loves mysteries (Agatha Christie is my Queen), I can assure you that this is a fantastic game, from the awesome dialogue, startling plot twists, and funny characters. The actual gaming aspects (fighting scenes, for example) are interactive and can be challenging, but shouldn't be a struggle for novice gamers, either.

I really recommend it if you like mysteries, quick thinking games, etc. Also, for a game that's supposed to be dark and edgy, I found it more humourous than anything else (of course, depending on your choices, you could also make it darker than it would be normally.) This game had me hooked, and as long as you're not squeamish about seeing video game violence, animated blood or swearing, then you'll be fine.

EDIT:

This is also to the general chat, I love Telltale games (Guybrush, can we say holla for Guybrush Threepwood?) I also think that Heavy Rain is an awesome game for people to check out if you're into this sort of game! Incredibly emotional (I sobbed at two separate parts), but amazing.

-Nat

User avatar
MaiMai
Yandere
Posts: 1757
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:04 pm
Completed: [Phase Shift]
Projects: [ None ]
Organization: Paper Stars
Tumblr: maiscribbles
Deviantart: maiscribble
Location: USA, Southern California
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#10 Post by MaiMai »

SinSisters wrote:
EDIT:

This is also to the general chat, I love Telltale games (Guybrush, can we say holla for Guybrush Threepwood?) I also think that Heavy Rain is an awesome game for people to check out if you're into this sort of game! Incredibly emotional (I sobbed at two separate parts), but amazing.

-Nat
You should mention that Heavy Rain is Quantic Dream, not Telltale. I have mixed feelings about Heavy Rain because it technically is the most grounded out of David Cage's games, but if you take a step back it's not a very good narrative. There's been a backlash against his first major interactive game, Indigo Prophecy (Farenheit) and Beyond Two Souls has gotten a lot of flack and for good reason.
Image COMMISSIONS AVAILABLE (check Tumblr sidebar)

User avatar
SinSisters
Regular
Posts: 97
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 11:07 am
Completed: The Spanish Privateer
Projects: The Spanish Privateer
Tumblr: sinsisters
itch: sinsisters
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#11 Post by SinSisters »

I haven't actually checked out his other games, so Heavy Rain was a unique experience for me. I think that taking into consideration that there are so few PS3 games that are targeted towards women, or aren't FPS, or war-based games, so I had only played a few PS3 games prior to Heavy Rain (Portal 2, LBP, Lego games, Uncharted ((because Nathan Drake)), Tomb Raider, and a few others that I can't think of off the top of my head), so I found Heavy Rain to be quite refreshing. Personally, I really enjoyed the plot and characters and found it entertaining from the beginning to the end, but maybe that's just me.

-Nat

User avatar
MaiMai
Yandere
Posts: 1757
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:04 pm
Completed: [Phase Shift]
Projects: [ None ]
Organization: Paper Stars
Tumblr: maiscribbles
Deviantart: maiscribble
Location: USA, Southern California
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#12 Post by MaiMai »

It's okay if you enjoy it! Like I said, Heavy Rain is Cage's best game and I do think it does its job garnering a genuine emotional response.

One Let's Player on YouTube put it best; Heavy Rain is good as one playthrough, but if you play it multiple times to see the different outcomes and consequences of your actions, it's easier to see the flaws in the writing, plot, and character motivations.

On the topic of Telltale Games, I definitely didn't enjoy Season 2 of The Walking Dead. The problem is something that's pervasive in a zombie apocalypse story; you have the beginning where you can get good emotional moments because seeing how things go downhill from there is really interesting.

But then you reach the bottom where bad stuff happens just because. And even though it makes sense, it doesn't make for an interesting long term narrative, kind of like what happened with the TV show.
Image COMMISSIONS AVAILABLE (check Tumblr sidebar)

User avatar
breadslam
Regular
Posts: 97
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:57 pm
Tumblr: breadslam
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#13 Post by breadslam »

Oh, I completely forgot Telltale made Monkey Island, to be honest. It's nice to know that a company that made the summer between third and fourth grade awesome still exists. :D

User avatar
SinSisters
Regular
Posts: 97
Joined: Sat Sep 20, 2014 11:07 am
Completed: The Spanish Privateer
Projects: The Spanish Privateer
Tumblr: sinsisters
itch: sinsisters
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#14 Post by SinSisters »

Hmm, well I actually only played it through once (the 'the good guys win' best ending), so maybe that's why. I keep meaning to play the other endings, but I was emotionally wiped after the first play through and I haven't had free time in ages.

Monkey Island is so fantastic... which reminds me that LucasArts published fabulous games such as Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis. Oh, point and clicks...

-Nat

User avatar
breadslam
Regular
Posts: 97
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2014 7:57 pm
Tumblr: breadslam
Contact:

Re: Telltale Games (The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, etc

#15 Post by breadslam »

Ah, I love point-and-clicks! I'm fairly sure that most of my PC game collection in the 90s and early 2000s was developed by LucasArts. That, or it was a Humongous Entertainment game like Putt-Putt or Freddi Fish or Spy Fox or Pajama Sam or...

... :|

I think I should shut up now before I bring this thread entirely off the rails.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users