SubJeff on 25/11/2012 at 13:03
I've never read the comics but I really like the TV show.
Should play?
faetal on 25/11/2012 at 13:07
I've never read the comics and thought the TV show was "OK" (lost interest a few episodes into S2) and this was my game of 2012.
Play it. If nothing else, it will rejuvenate your faith in the medium of games as a way to tell stories.
poroshin on 25/11/2012 at 18:33
Was it just me, or did anyone else feel Episode 5 was way short?
Sulphur on 25/11/2012 at 18:50
SubjEff: Yes. But it's a completely different story from the TV show. henke says that some of those difficult choices feature on the show at times; the game's practically built upon them.
poroshin: it does, and part of that has to do with the pacing, of course. It's still 2 hours or so according to my runthrough.
Quote Posted by Angel Dust
I really enjoyed the series but I've got to say they dropped the ball a bit on the last 2 episodes. It was inevitable that after the events of episode 3 that the following episode was going to take a while to get back on its feet,
what with most the cast that we'd gotten to know being culled, but it never really recovered. A lot of the new characters were, by the standards set in the previous episodes, barely developed and the couple that were, like Molly and Vernon, were under utilised. The plotting also got a little more contrived, especially
some of Ben's plot-required stupidity and the whole abduction thing, and there was needless exposition like
the video that shows Molly and the doctor - it was all nicely ambiguous and implied before that. The way they handled
Kenny's death(?) was terrible. His whole change of heart needed more development than that one stagey, melodramatic scene and the whole 'did he or didn't he die?' angle of his off-screen death seemed a bit off. He was probably the most developed character of the cast and deserved better. Although I am interested in seeing how it plays out if you let Ben die in episode 4.I mostly agree with that, but Kenny --
it made sense given the dressing down Ben gave him. He's been a dick most of the season, a very practical-minded one, but still an asshole. He finally did something that wasn't self-serving because Ben, of all people, was the one person who finally got through to him. I don't really think he went down, though; it'd be more in his character to get the hell out when there's no other way, and you don't get to see him bite it, so you never know. Maybe they're leaving his fate open for Season 2.I wasn't excited with how they handled the
party carryover from episode 4 -- they funnelled every possible choice that could have been made into a linear sequence of events designed to eventually separate Lee from every member of the party, which was too thinly veiled a contrivance in my book. Quote:
There was still a lot of good stuff in the last two episodes though, the scene in the attic with Kenny and the final sequence being two examples. Also bonus points for
not giving Lee a 'beautiful death' (he really looked terrible for most the last episode) and that post credits scene was masterful. Despite my quibbles, I still think it's one of the best of 2012 and I'm very much looking forward to season two - especially
if we get to play as Clementine.
Yes. Like I said, I had a lump in my throat at the conclusion to it all. I tip my fucking hat to Telltale. Despite the flaws and the question of how much of a 'game' this is, what they've wrought is some of the finest fiction I've experienced in the medium. Sean Vanaman & co. should be proud.
faetal on 25/11/2012 at 19:09
I'd say that the proof of concept has been wholly met and look forward to a full fleshed-out sequel with a bit more budget now that they know it works.
poroshin on 25/11/2012 at 21:39
I wish they keep it going with many more seasons. Maybe intersect with the comics and/or TV series from time to time. Clementine would be a great character to appear on TV.
june gloom on 25/11/2012 at 22:17
Clementine is adorable, and they really know how to make the player care. Though, really, I care about the others too -- Kenny, for example. I need to keep an eye on the poor guy.
poroshin on 26/11/2012 at 01:43
Yeah, they did an amazing job with the characters. They seem so real, and Clementine is just like a real little girl. You really feel like she's your adopted daughter quite early on. It's a testament not just to the writing but the voice acting, which is pretty much impeccable.
Angel Dust on 26/11/2012 at 02:02
Quote Posted by Sulphur
I agree mostly with that, but Kenny --
it made sense given the dressing down Ben gave him. He's been a dick most of the season, a very practical-minded one, but still an asshole. He finally did something that wasn't self-serving because Ben, of all people, was the one person who finally got through to him. I don't really think he went down, though; it'd be more in his character to get the hell out when there's no other way, and you never do get to see him going down, so you never know. Maybe they're leaving his fate for Season 2.Yeah, I know that's what they were going for, I just didn't
quite believe it. Mostly due to the
dressing down scene not feeling natural, it was too much of a 'big speech' moment, but also the relationship between them, pre-conflict, being underdeveloped. In episode 4, Ben talks about how close he and Kenny are getting, and how the guilt is eating him up, but I would have liked to actually see more of that closeness. Also, what Kenny ultimately did didn't really make any sense. It seems his intention was to spare Ben being mauled by the zombies, and he does that: you hear Ben get cut off by a gunshot, but why did he stay down there pistol whipping them? I think it says something about what the game has achieved that this is the type of nitpicking I'm doing though :)
Quote Posted by Sulphur
I wasn't excited with how they handled the
party carryover from episode 4 -- they funnelled every possible choice that could have been made into a linear sequence of events designed to eventually separate Lee from every member of the party, which was too thinly veiled a contrivance, in my book. Not to mention that the said funnelling
relied heavily on crumbling structures which was a bit lazy. Splitting Lee away from group, so the final scene is just him and Clem, was of course the right move but it could have been done much better.Quote Posted by Sulphur
Yes. Like I said, I had a lump in my throat at the conclusion to it all.
Since I've been a bit negative here, about a game I really enjoyed, here is some shit that I thought was great and don't see get mentioned much:
* The range of ages/races/body types of the characters.
* The use of music, which includes knowing when not to have any it at all.
* The shot-selection, editing, mise-en-scene etc where all spot on and cinematic in a really understated way.
* That they didn't spell out absolutely everything (
Christie being pregnant, Lee's past)
* The fact that silence is always an option (sometimes one inadvertently taken because you're sitting there gaping at what just happened. :p)
One awesome thing I've found out reading around on other forums is that
in order to kill the abductor guy, you have to keep pressing 'Q' to choke him, even when the prompt fades away. So in other words, you have to be in a rage yourself in order for Lee to kill him.Malf on 26/11/2012 at 10:13
I bought this in the Steam sale, and it gripped me from beginning to end.
To be honest, I'd been avoiding it for a few reasons; one, having played Monkey Island again when it was re-released, it had made me realise just how annoying and awful I find point & click adventures now. And two, I hadn't been overly impressed with Tell Tale's Sam & Max games. One solution for one particular scenario isn't enough these days for me.
So I was massively impressed by how they delivered The Walking Dead, with there not really being any right or wrong choice, and with the best character portrayals I've seen in years. I'm just not used to seeing characters as well realised as Katjaa in games; Katjaa sticks out because she was a mum, she kept her true feelings hidden, she was homely, if not dumpy, middle aged and had an interesting accent (I'm guessing she was meant to be Scandinavian, but it was wonderful that it was never raised; you just accepted it).
I'm wondering if things would play out differently on a second playthrough; for example, in my game Lilly shot Carley, leaving me with Ben. That scene was shocking in how abruptly it happened and a fantastic example of how Zombie apocalypse stories can excel. If there is a difference, it would be intriguing to see how the rest of the game following that scene plays out.
I was also incredibly impressed with the graphics; while not technically the best, it was obvious that the character artists were massively talented and supremely comfortable with the tools at their disposal. While stylised, it was very easy to read the faces of characters, with half the story being told by their expressions.
What with Spec Ops and this, it looks like we're seeing a resurgence in properly grown up games.
