Telltale is capable of doing well.
Okay, I know people have been bashing the latest Telltale titles, and I agree with most of what people are saying. A New Frontier is a flop, I get it. But it doesn't mean the company can't make good titles, because Batman was probably my second favorite Telltale game and it ALWAYS had me excited for future episodes. Telltale's "Game of Thrones" concluded just a year ago and that was one of the most heart wrenching and emotional games I've ever played. (I haven't played Tales) While I do have hope for the future of Telltale, I don't have hope for the future of TWD. The company is a mess with them completely rewriting episode 3. The Walking Dead might just not work out for them anymore, maybe they don't have good enough material to use for it. I believe Guardians of the Galaxy will be just as successful (if not more) as Tales was. (once again, I have not played it) So yeah, while I think The Walking Dead is a mess that can't be cleaned up. I think the future games will be very good.
Comments
I agree with most of what you said except for the Walking Dead. I'm really enjoying it so much that it feels like I played a different game than everyone on the forums.
Who knows whats gonna happen.
I kinda wish ANF is the last Telltale Walking Dead game, if they want to continue with a series might as well do The Wolf Among Us or Tales from the Borderlands, two games people have been begging for Telltale to make another season of.
Definitely play Tales. You won't be disappointed!
But yes they did flop and I unfortunately don't have much hope for the future of TWD even though I'm a big fan of it.
TellTale also needs to drastically change their formula. It's been the same with only a few changes.
All Telltale needs is a bigger budget and the ability to make choices matter in their games.
It's not that telltale does make great games i don't think anyone would disagree with that. The problem is for the life of them they cannot translate that effectively into the walking dead products. I loved S1&2 of TWD,Batman,Borderlands,and Game of thrones. The biggest problem is Telltale themselves have no clue or structured direction for this product and the reception shows it along with Melissa's interview and the gaming quality.
As much as I want another season of The Wolf Among Us or Tales from the Borderlands, I'd like Telltale to show that they've got their shit together with another series first.
Besides, Tales seems kind of unlikely until after Borderlands 3 (unless Gearbox hits a wall during development and want to keep the franchise going in another way) and for Wolf, it should be worth the wait.
I don't think anyone said that they couldn't. Every thread I've read bashing ANF and Batman have even pointed out that Telltale has done amazing stuff.
I feel it's too early to consider A New Frontier a "flop" at this point as there are only two episodes out so think it's unfair to judge the season as a whole, i'm not really sure where Telltale is going with A New Frontier but i have personally enjoyed it and am looking forward to the rest of the season but i just hope there was more interactions with Clementine.
In terms of Telltale "flops" it looks like Batman is slightly less popular by looking at Steam sales figures which i will go into detail about below.
In 5 months Batman has sold an estimated 124,716 copies on Steam
In comparison A New Frontier has sold an estimated 113,958 copies in only two weeks
Another thing that concerned me with Batman's sales figures was Telltale offering episode 1 for free during the middle of the season which they have never done before so it looks like they where trying to get people to try it to get more sales.
Looking ahead at Guardians of the Galaxy i think it could be successful if it has the right amount of comedy and drama but i haven't seen the movie yet so i am not sure exactly what the theme will be like, i loved Tales from The Borderlands so it will be interesting to see how it compares as they both have a space theme to them.
I think that the thing with Batman is that almost all fans who played the game really enjoiyed it, but a lot of fans weren't willing to give it a chance so they gave Batman a pass.
That sounds possible, if it wasn't for the fact i am a moderator i would probably have given Batman a pass as i am not really into Batman in general.
Did you enjoy the game?
It was ok but i would't consider it a favourite, normally i find myself playing episodes more that once to see different choices but i only did it for the first two episodes of Batman because i wasn't enjoying it a much so i only played episodes 3-5 once.
At this point i feel i am enjoying A New Frontier more but i think that is because i like The Walking Dead more as a series.
It would be silly to not make another Walking Dead game, considering there is obviously a big demand for a game that properly continues the storyline from season 2
Not everyone. I'm not on this "I hate Telltale and this game" train. I thought the first two episodes were fine and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story is going.
That's actually not true. I got into The Wolf Among Us when episode 1 went free in December 2013. It was during Xbox's countdown to New Year sale. The season pass went on sale for half off the next day, and I immediately jumped on it.
I think that Telltale launching the game without the engine update being properly optimized didn't really help. Although Batman's not on the same tier as Walking Dead Season 1, Wolf, Borderlands, etc, I still think it is above the likes of Thrones, Season 2, etc, and I think it's unfortunate that Batman didn't perform too well overall because of the technical issues at launch.
Game of Trhrones was amazing and had done well in sales. but it did have some negative feedback cuz of some who got butthurt over the direction they took the story in. It still was amazing.
[Disclaimer; Moderators are not Telltale Staff - we are just community volunteers and our opinions are our own.]
At this point, I honestly hope they focus on other franchises from here on out; there have been tons of Walking Dead episodes already, and they don't seem to be able to fully recreate the success of Season 1, leading to lots of vocal disappointment from some fans. Seasons 1 & 2, 400 Days, Michonne, and New Frontier altogether are one episode short of being the equivalent of four full length Seasons' worth of content. Everything after Season 1 and 400 Days has repeated the same storyline of finding some community of bad guys run by a Carver-esqe type of person, and it just seems to be going in circles.
Season 1 had one episode (Episode 4) dedicated to turning the cliche of a hostile group of survivors in a settlement (Crawford) on its head by having the colony be overridden and abandoned, whereas Season 2, Michonne, and New Frontier have all dedicated the foundation of their plots to that same cliche that Season 1 was smartly written and varied enough to have subverted within just one single episode. They need some more plot variety like what Season 1 had, and they need to focus more on smartly written, slow burning interpersonal drama like Season 1 instead of shoving people through episodes with lightning quick pacing because they have some patronizing belief that players prefer short episodes and that they don't have the attention span to appreciate hub areas.
If they just want to keep repeating the same Carver-type storyline, only to have fans complain en-masse because they long for the halcyon days of Season 1, than I think that Telltale's writing talent would be better suited for different franchises. For better or worse, people have set crazy high standards for the rest of the Walking Dead series because of Season 1. So, Telltale either needs to follow through with that or they should move on to newer, more creative ideas.
I liked Game of Thrones too, and although I agree with some that the traitor twist was poorly executed in some areas, I think the response of certain people disliking the whole game - even the earlier episodes in retrospect - because of that one plot twist was overblown. I just meant that Thrones was not on the same level as Season 1, Wolf, or Borderlands in the eyes of most people.
I have been finding the other series like Wolf, Tales, and Batman more engaging. The WD model kind of lends itself to repetitiveness. I still enjoy them, but I would like to see more of the other series.
Yeah, I didn't care for the traitor thing, but I did like GOT overall.
Exactly; people in the Walking Dead fan base that only became Telltale fans after playing Season 1 falsely believe that Jake R. and Sean V. were the only good writers that Telltale had, but games like Wolf and Borderlands show that is not the case. I think Telltale works better when they work as the underdog in an uphill battle and have to prove themselves, be it with unestablished characters (Walking Dead Season 1), with niche franchises (Fables -> The Wolf Among Us), or eccentric ideas (Tales from the Borderlands).
I still liked games like Batman, Game of Thrones, TWD Season 2, etc - but for those games, Telltale seemed to have relied more heavily on the prestige of the franchise instead of being forced into that uphill battle that they had put themselves in for games like Season 1, Wolf, Borderlands, etc. In other words, I think they work better when they are forced to use limitations to their benefit. When Minecraft: Story Mode was first announced, I was normally expecting it to have also been one of those "underdog/uphill battle" type of games, since the concept was too strange for Telltale to have not had an original take worth making a game over, but Minecraft in the end was mainly a kid-friendly power fulfillment story that didn't really channel the same sense of ingenuity in creating a unique take of the universe like Borderlands did.
That's not to say that those games are bad or mediocre - I still liked Batman, Thrones, etc - but rather, my point is that the really good titles that fans consistently set as the gold standard for modern Telltale (Season 1/Wolf/Borderlands) were designed when Telltale had to really work to prove themselves, instead of just being giddy that they got to contribute lore to a major franchise.
To elaborate - with Batman, they designed the game under the assumption that people had already been saturated with exposure to Batman and that they already had a familiarity/appreciation of the source material, so their take of the game was made as a reaction to that by adding several plot twists.
With Fables (The Wolf Among Us) however, they assumed that people would not be as familiar with the source material, so they were forced to take a really deep look at the source material, and in establishing/contextualizing those character relationships for new players, they had to work extra hard at humanizing those characters and making them multi-dimensional, as well as showing the struggles instead of assuming that players already knew. This ended up making their interpretation of Fables as one where they contributed original ideas, instead of being reactive to the ideas that others had come up with, if that makes sense?
Yeah, I get what you're saying. I enjoyed playing Batman because I'm not that versed in the lore. Ive seen some of the films and that's about it. And I enjoyed the fighting mechanics and the detective linking clues aspect. So, it was all new to me. But I get what you mean about putting more of their own spin on things and having to be a bit more creative for that.
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I thought they were fine, but not necessarily worth the asking price. I think Telltale should make all their episodes the same length so people know how much they're buying, to be honest.
I also think the way they're talking about the episode doesn't quite add up. For example, they said they cut the first episode into two because it was so long - but with the two together they make an average length episode. Also if it were really the case that they late on decided to split the first into two because of length, we'd have 6 episodes total, not 5.
I think it's quite possible that they broke up the first episode in order to create less work for themselves for the same monetary gain, or to create more buzz. But it just doesn't tally up with what they are saying. And this lack of transparency is rather irritating, especially since they so rarely interact with their fans in any capacity.
Hmmm, I get what youre saying, kind off, but at the same time, I think that there is still alot of interesting stories to be told in The Walking Dead series, I may just be beating a dead horse who knows, but I will say, that I am one of those people that enjoyed Season 2 more than season 1. Not because it is a better game per say, or because it had a better story, but because of the way it immersed me into the world on another level, in season 1 I had mostly been picking all the good options, because as an adult character, the consequenses werent too great, and because in the end I was still just a player of the game. But when season 2 thrust you into the shoes of Clem, something changed, it was quite a fun experience actually, I started being alot more survivor minded rather than trusting and such like I was in season 2, because Clem is a child, she didnt have the body strength or size to get out of the situations that a character like Lee had.
Also, because she was a child, it gave a real sense of helplessness, that a game has never given me before, when you meet the cabin group for the first time, it does not matter how much you plead, you get locked in the shed, probably to bleed out, but you take things into your own hands. The cabin scene from getting to the cabin and until the end of like episode 2 or so, is probably the most memorable moment for me in this series, because it felt so different from anything else. It was not a clear enemy or evil preventing your progress, it was a concerned group of survivors, some of them even want to help you, but they cant take risk, it was that kind of stuff that made season 2 a real experience for me, and yeah, the story was kind of all over the place, especially after episode 3, but I really enjoyed it alot.
And maybe youre right, maybe they should focus on other franchises, who knows, I just feel like Clementines chapter in this story is far from over, and there is so many stories that could be told, but if they keep trying to tell the story as the same sort of Villain type cliché, then maybe youre right, we dont need more. I would just really like to tap into that magic that I felt with season 2 again some day, it was a different experience, not quite something I have ever experienced before in video games, and while I agree that Batman and The wolf among us are good enough games, they just dont have nearly the same weight that The Walking Dead had, maybe it will be years down the line, or maybe never, but I really hope that one day, we get a more focused continuation of Clementines story, as it has taken a huge backseat in A New Frontier, and the interesting thing, and the thing that got me into The Walking Dead in the first place, was her character, and the development of such, and her change as she grows in the world she is thrust into.
I also think there is alot of more "mature" subjects they could base future games on as she gets older, like the problems of repopulating, what is gonna happen once all the current survivors start dying and there is less people to take their place?
Sorry if this came off as cheesy or something, I am actually pretty recent here, as having played The Walking Dead only at the end of last year, in December, but I would hate for it to end with (what I consider) to be a whimper in the form of A New Frontier, I would like to have at least a proper conclusion to the story (of Clementine that is), and I dont think it will be a satisfactory end to the story, considering that, while it does have some good moments, most of the good moments in A New Frontier, at least for me, was in the flashbacks when playing as Clementine.
Borderlands 3 wow. I wished that they'd make the new Duke Nukem game. Borderlands is a shallow experience. Call of Duty games in story mode are more fun to play.
I respectfully disagree with all of you. TT shouldn't stop making Walking Dead games as there is lots of potential. I want TT to refocus their original aspirations for this series and to listen to their fans as Ubisoft does.
I still feel like TellTale has created what is essentially a new genre in gaming- their games don't really count as point-and-click adventures, especially since they haven't really focused much on that aspect since TWDS1. Their style seems more like a "cinematic" P&C, like how cinematic platformers take up their own subgenre. TellTale has introduced this format, and by this point seems to be the only company still pioneering it. Ultimately, Telltale is good (or, at least, is getting better) at what it does, but I'd love to see more companies try their hand at the format to create more variety and competition. I love the concept of episodic cinematic point-and-clicks, but I have yet to come across one that I can say really shows that they have a place in gaming. Out of all modern game companies I've seen- especially with a budget to pump out games for multiple consoles regularly- TellTale is definitely the most experimental, which is why I hope that in the future more development teams (independent or otherwise) start and/or continue experimenting to refine this subgenre into the best game type it can be. TellTale is a great games company, even more so for continuing to test its limits, but until it finds itself competing with more game publishers to realize the full extent of its potential, I wonder if I'll ever see a game from it that's perfect for me personally.
Yes, TellTale is capable of doing well, but capability won't take them far without being able to learn from other teams... unless I turn out to be completely wrong, in which case I'll be happen to be proven so.
I believe Telltale can do it, they're not stupid. Game of thrones and Tales from the borderlands were huge example of telltale working on their A Game. Game of thrones was their first game ever to play a determinate character and then the actually character lived. I never understood why people hated GOT, I think it handled determinants way better. Choices mattered too. If GOT S2 did what Ep6 did, then S2 would be one of the best. Tales from the borderlands also had decisions that mattered and determinates lived to the end. TWD S1 handled determinates good aswell. Then there stories were excellent aswell. Like cmon telltale.
I'm agree with you. The game is not the best of all the Telltale Games, but to me this episodes were good.
However, I think that Telltale could do a better job with the following episodes.
Some people think Telltale has lost their magic since TWD S1. I honestly don't think so-- I think they just lost their way. They got the wrong ideas from S1, and they started heading down the wrong path in pursuit of them.
They just need some course correction. They need to stop developing their games like they're on an assembly line, and just take a moment to catch their breath and look back at things. They need to take the time to look back at what worked for their more popular/better received series, what is being criticized in their lesser received titles, and apply what they learned from those findings to their newest games.
They need to stop doing active rewrites and stop the consistent shifting of people between projects. Telltale can probably handle two concurrent games at their current size, but trying to balance any more of that just makes it seem like they're in a never-ending game of musical chairs, shifting people around to different teams. Writers and designers need time to work. They need time to get comfortable, to find their groove. If you have a good enough reputation among your audience, and have developed enough loyalty within your fans, they'll be able to wait. You don't just immediately lose half of your customers just because you aren't putting something out every few months. People that truly like your work for what it is are willing to be patient and wait for it. There's nothing forcing you to put games out constantly. You can take a break.
I mean, think about it. Ever since TWD S1, Telltale has practically been making new games nonstop. They don't really seem to have any kind of reprieve outside of the usual company vacation(s). Seriously, they developed enough goodwill after S1 to be able to take a few months to chill out and figure out their next move. They don't have to always be working on something.
Anyways, to cut to the chase: they just need to slow the hell down, and chill the fuck out. Just stop moving, and look back at all your their progress in the past 4 years. Look at what worked and what didn't. Learn from it. Take your time, and work at whatever pace is the most reasonable for your writers/designers/directors/etc.
As my older brother always tells me regarding success "Rome wasn't built in one day."
It almost sounds like management is afraid the company is going to fall into obscurity if they don't keep making games of different franchises.
We know they can make good titles, that's why we are all disappointed that ANF sucks.
Again, careful using the word "all".
sigh mhm
The traitor i believe should not have been determinate but rather the same person. for exaample Duncan could have been te traitor regardless of your sentiel,as i also thought maester oteregeryn was too obvious. but also the way it was done was slightly poor. but its still stands as one of the best TTGs and descions actually mattered in the most part.
Game of thrones was amazing. The choices matered ,in cases even more than S1 TWD. some times id think the S1 TWD writers were involved in the writing becaue it was such a good game, and the team there recieved some hate although they made choices matter, amazing game man.