I have to say that I don't really get a lot of the criticisms being presented ere. The assumption seems to be that Telltale cannot capture the style of any genre or franchise beyond what they have already done. I don't see the logic in assuming that because Telltale has done a lot of Lucasarts franchises, that this somehow makes them inherently incapable of doing anything else. Maybe we should wait and see what they do with these games before assuming they are incapable of it, or that they are destined to be failures.
I am down on Telltale for a number of reasons, some similar to and some different from the criticisms posted here over the last few days. The Jurassic Park trailer is terrible. However, I'm still somewhat optimistic about King's Quest and the rest of them, and totally agree with you on this. It's the kind of thinking you're talking about that has left the genre stagnant for decades - all people want is for Telltale to keep churning out "Lucasarts 2" games that play exactly the same as they did in 1990? Anything that mixes things up is a good thing.
But there is still hope for another Bone, right? :O)
Hey, Fables is a Vertigo book, which is owned by DC, which is owned by Warner Bros who, last I checked, has the film rights to Bone, so maaaaybe if there isn't too much bad blood there....
Nah, that horse is dead, isn't it?
As for the announcements, I admit I would have liked another Monkey Island just like everyone else (Sam & Max, not so much...Season 3's ending was a perfect place to let them rest for a while) but if there's one thing us MI fans should be good at by now, it's waiting. That said, I think it's really great to see Telltale branching out so much thematically. Can't wait to see how some of these turn out.
Jurassic Park (if that counts): I don't know. I'm not a huge JP fan, and it doesn't look like the Telltale Games that I know, so I might wait a bit if I pick this up.
Puzzle Agent 2: YES. Loved the first, I'm sure to get this.
Hector: Hmm. It looks funny, but being only, it seems my parents might get upset about some of the stuff in this... so I guess it's riding on them.
King's Quest: Well, I haven't played it before (and the Adventure Bundle didn't really help... XD), but it sounds like something I'd enjoy. I'll wait for more info, but I'll probably end up getting this.
Fables: Never read it, but the story looks interesting, so maybe.
The Walking Dead: Never read it, looks interesting, but like I said, parents.
This is why we can't have nice things. Are you adventure game fans or Lucasarts fans? If the only things you like from TTG are Monkey Island and S&M, then you don't really like TTG or the stuff they're making, you just like the holdovers from the Lucasarts era.
No, I'm not particularly an adventure game fan or LucasArts fan. I just like particular games - funny and enjoyable with loveable characters. I like to play Sims and Plants vs Zombies, so I don't only like adventure games. I like Monkey Island and Grim Fandango very much but I don't care about Star Wars, so not really a LucasArts fan. In other words, I'd buy a MI game even if it was made by some other company.
But seriously, viewing from the trailer, it looks like I'd be out of luck, but depending on how much of that material's in it, I might be able to slip it by them without them noticing...
Haven't finished the first Puzzle Agent yet, couldn't really get into it even though I enjoyed Professor Layton. I'll carry on with it but I doubt I'll be rushing to buy the second. Hector might be quite good, as long as it's funny and not just crude. Never played a King's Quest game but I'll give it a go if there's a demo. The concept of Fables is really interesting, I'll be keeping my eye on this one. Of all the announcements, that's the one I'm intrigued by the most. The Walking Dead could also be good, I suspect that'll feature the 'Heavy Rain gameplay' that Jurassic Park is getting.
None of the announcements were anywhere near as exciting as BTTF and JP.
...get a chance to play the games being demoed at their leisure...
Alan, I'm not sure if anybody else has asked this since the thread is growing at about the speed I can read, but can you elaborate on how many/which games were playable?
Also, congratulations on the announcements. I don't know if there's a lot there for me personally (I'll definitely be getting Puzzle Agent 2, and I'm interested to see what kind of treatment Kings Quest will get), but landing those franchises is certainly something to be proud of.
It's the kind of thinking you're talking about that has left the genre stagnant for decades - all people want is for Telltale to keep churning out "Lucasarts 2" games that play exactly the same as they did in 1990? Anything that mixes things up is a good thing.
While I don't expect Telltale to be "LucasArts 2", I don't think they should "mix things up" by making something that's inferior to something LucasArts or Sierra would have made. Seriously, I'd have more fun actually playing an older LucasArts or Sierra game than I would basically watching any new Telltale game with the same design philosophies they've had since the beginning.
So Telltale announces an exciting roster of games that seem contrary to their previous roster, then displays Jurassic Park, which promises to be way different than anything so far, and your reaction to this isn't, "Wow! Telltale is changing their philosophy a little! It looks like they might start catering more to classic adventure fans." but is instead, "Telltale is completely incapable of change, despite this evidence to the contrary, and they will ruin these games."
Seriously, what announcement would have made you people happy? What's more awesome sounding to the hardcore old-school adventure gaming crowd than "MORE KINGS QUEST?" Why does it seem impossible to people that they won't try to scale Kings Quest to its likely audience the same way they scaled Back to the Future? Was all this anticipation and excitement for the last month just everyone waiting for a chance to express their outrage? You can love Telltale or hate them, but where's the scenario where they win, here?
Seriously, I'd have more fun actually playing an older LucasArts or Sierra game than I would basically watching any new Telltale game with the same design philosophies they've had since the beginning.
So Telltale announces an exciting roster of games that seem contrary to their previous roster, then displays Jurassic Park, which promises to be way different than anything so far, and your reaction to this isn't, "Wow! Telltale is changing their philosophy a little! It looks like they might start catering more to classic adventure fans." but is instead, "Telltale is completely incapable of change, despite this evidence to the contrary, and they will ruin these games."
What evidence? All we have is a promise. We've never actually played Jurassic Park yet. It could be anything from exactly the same with the ability to die (not much of an improvement) to completely contrary to everything Telltale have ever done or anything in between. So yes, we don't know. But we don't know either way. That's why I'm waiting to see what happens. But I can only base my current opinion on what they've already given us because I've given them too much benefit of doubts over the years and been disappointed to just blindly trust them again.
Seriously, what announcement would have made you people happy? What's more awesome sounding to the hardcore old-school adventure gaming crowd than "MORE KINGS QUEST?" Why does it seem impossible to people that they won't try to scale Kings Quest to its likely audience the same way they scaled Back to the Future? Was all this anticipation and excitement for the last month just everyone waiting for a chance to express their outrage? You can love Telltale or hate them, but where's the scenario where they win, here?
That's a good point. And I can only hope this is what will become of it. But the fact that so much actual evidence that we have right now points to the contrary, I just can't outright believe or hope for that at this point.
Just a few random thoughts from inside Mount Doom over here:
*Hector is being developed by Strandlooper, the dev on the original game. The guys there made an awesome first game that we'll be re-releasing before their all-new episodes 2 and 3. Nobody here at the mother-ship is contributing creative content to the game: it's their humor and their art and it is all the more badass for it.
*Even if I weren't co-leading the thing with Jake, I'd say grab the first few trades of The Walking Dead if you're not familiar with it. What starts a typical zombie story becomes about the impossible human choices of living during the apocalypse. It's about people; if you like Telltale's stuff I imagine you're the type of person who would be keen on that sort of thing.
Telltale is more and more becoming a place for people who like stories and characters to make a wide variety of games that are about those types of things. I don't think we're moving away from the good ol' days of Sam & Max, et. al; we're just guys who like to make games and feel like stretching out legs in some new and exciting genres -- when we've got something awesome to say in the genres ya'll are familiar with, rest assured we will.
Hopefully, over time, TTG becomes a place for all sorts of gamers to find something they'd love to play.
I for one am interested in some of the projects. You just can't please everyone with such a wide variety of material. I think peoples expectations were a little high here that they can't appreciate what is being offered right now.
If I don't like a game i'll say so. I don't feel like I have to pretend otherwise. I like to think i'm not one of the bitchier people on here. There's always gonna be people who get upset about stuf and whinge incessantly, this is the internet.
OMG The walking dead !!! That is awesome. I loved the series.
The big question is whether it will be tied into the series at all. I know there is a 13 part 2nd series later in the year. I guess a prequel would be nice, going back to when the outbreak first started.
I can't wait to find out what you have planned for it. Telltale you rock!
*Hector is being developed by Strandlooper, the dev on the original game. The guys there made an awesome first game that we'll be re-releasing before their all-new episodes 2 and 3. Nobody here at the mother-ship is contributing creative content to the game: it's their humor and their art and it is all the more badass for it.
Could you please clarify something? When you say that Telltale isn't contributing content to the game, are you just talking about Episode 1, or all three episodes?
Could you please clarify something? When you say that Telltale isn't contributing content to the game, are you just talking about Episode 1, or all three episodes?
Could you please clarify something? When you say that Telltale isn't contributing content to the game, are you just talking about Episode 1, or all three episodes?
Rather Dashing is correct: they will be writing, designing and art-ing all of their episodes.
The Walking Dead: Very excited for this. Has A LOT of potential and I think it could make a great Adventure Game!
Fables: Don't really know anything about this. People who know it seem excited though. I'll look into it.
Hector: Badge of Carnage: This looks brilliant! Can't wait!
Puzzle Agent 2: Hmmm, only a one episode conclusion. This probably means it wasn't successful enough for them to do a whole season, however it least it sold well enough for them to justify finishing it up. I'll pick this up, but for no more than $5.00.
King's Quest: A nice surprise. I played some of the old Serria games back in the day but I always like the LucasArts ones better. I would have thought Space Quest would have been a better fit for Telltale but if this takes off they might end up doing SQ too. I might go back and play through the KQ games I never finished before this comes out.
Overall I'm looking forward to many of these things though I am a bit disappointed in no Monkey Island announcement. However there was no 'no Monkey Island' announcement either so there is still hope I guess.
Programming resources, production resources, publishing, marketing, sales...
Telltale is evolving into a company that not only lets us, the designers, make great story-based stuff but goes out and finds guys who are doing the things that fit with our vision and helps them out, which I think is pretty cool.
Puzzle Agent 2: Hmmm, only a one episode conclusion. This probably means it wasn't successful enough for them to do a whole season, however it least it sold well enough for them to justify finishing it up.
Not the case. If you remember, Puzzle Agent was put out as part of our "Pilot" program. It then went on to do great business on the iPhone and iPad where it was never marketed as episodic. If you go read the reviews folks like the game but wondered what the deal was with the ending (because we never promised or even mentioned more installments). We felt like we couldn't leave them on the hook with another crazy ending again, so we'll be finishing the story in Scoggins, but that doesn't mean Nelson Tethers and the FBI's Department of Puzzle Research goes away.
Jake, Mark, Graham and I are super stoked about how this story wraps up.
Not the case. If you remember, Puzzle Agent was put out as part of our "Pilot" program. It then went on to do great business on the iPhone and iPad where it was never marketed as episodic. If you go read the reviews folks like the game but wondered what the deal was with the ending (because we never promised or even mentioned more installments). We felt like we couldn't leave them on the hook with another crazy ending again, so we'll be finishing the story in Scoggins, but that doesn't mean Nelson Tethers and the FBI's Department of Puzzle Research goes away.
Jake, Mark, Graham and I are super stoked about how this story wraps up.
If there's a chance of there being more Nelson Tethers games, please don't wrap up the space dream subplot in Puzzle Agent 2!
We felt like we couldn't leave them on the hook with another crazy ending again, so we'll be finishing the story in Scoggins, but that doesn't mean Nelson Tethers and the FBI's Department of Puzzle Research goes away.
So, this isn't necessarily the end for ol' Tethers?
One thing I've noticed that stands out about Telltale is that they are able to develop all these titles from separate and known properties, while still keeping 'the feel' of each and the individuality of each property intact.
That's pretty impressive (to me).
These five new announcements are a lot to take in at once, especially since I'm just settling in with the Universal licenses.
The only worry I'd have is that Telltale will 'change' (or grow, or morph, and all your anecdotes about change, yes, we've heard them) from an adventure game company.
I guess that's kind of an annulled fear, though. They're known for what they do, and that's probably why they're sought out.
So, congratulations on all your new licenses Telltale!
Looking forward to many memorable hours in your worlds.
I think I'll probably get Puzzle Agent 2. I'm not really interested in any of the rest, but hey, I've got 60 dollars worth of credit with them so you never know.
Not the case. If you remember, Puzzle Agent was put out as part of our "Pilot" program. It then went on to do great business on the iPhone and iPad where it was never marketed as episodic. If you go read the reviews folks like the game but wondered what the deal was with the ending (because we never promised or even mentioned more installments). We felt like we couldn't leave them on the hook with another crazy ending again, so we'll be finishing the story in Scoggins, but that doesn't mean Nelson Tethers and the FBI's Department of Puzzle Research goes away.
Jake, Mark, Graham and I are super stoked about how this story wraps up.
That sounds fantastic! I loved the first game and look forward to more stories after this conclusion!
Uh Oh, TellTale entering a deal with Activision? This can obviously mean two things:
1) The game do well, Activision buys TellTale and becomes another corporate rehash studio and never speaks to fans again.
2) The game does ok-ish, Activision buys TellTale, decides they arn't doing well and shuts down TellTale Games.
There is a third option.
3) After quite a bit of internet speculation and anticipation for the game, Activision drops it from their release schedule and cancels it without actually saying it's cancelled, Telltale continues work on the game in the meantime, finds a different publisher who promotes the HELL out of the game, only for Activision to try to sue them for copyright violations to try to stop them from releasing the game, subsequently losing the suit and what little respect they still had from gamers, and finally end up releasing a game that's an obvious knockoff of the game they were trying to stop from being released over a year later.
Great news, but I have a REALLY hard time understanding why somebody who has the opportunity to grab a Sierra license would take King's Quest instead of the greatest game series of all time (all genres included): Gabriel Knight. But who knows what happens in the future. It will still be really fun to play a modern version of King's Quest.
Comments
I am down on Telltale for a number of reasons, some similar to and some different from the criticisms posted here over the last few days. The Jurassic Park trailer is terrible. However, I'm still somewhat optimistic about King's Quest and the rest of them, and totally agree with you on this. It's the kind of thinking you're talking about that has left the genre stagnant for decades - all people want is for Telltale to keep churning out "Lucasarts 2" games that play exactly the same as they did in 1990? Anything that mixes things up is a good thing.
b) There still is dark matter, hah!
Hey, Fables is a Vertigo book, which is owned by DC, which is owned by Warner Bros who, last I checked, has the film rights to Bone, so maaaaybe if there isn't too much bad blood there....
Nah, that horse is dead, isn't it?
As for the announcements, I admit I would have liked another Monkey Island just like everyone else (Sam & Max, not so much...Season 3's ending was a perfect place to let them rest for a while) but if there's one thing us MI fans should be good at by now, it's waiting. That said, I think it's really great to see Telltale branching out so much thematically. Can't wait to see how some of these turn out.
Puzzle Agent 2: YES. Loved the first, I'm sure to get this.
Hector: Hmm. It looks funny, but being only, it seems my parents might get upset about some of the stuff in this... so I guess it's riding on them.
King's Quest: Well, I haven't played it before (and the Adventure Bundle didn't really help... XD), but it sounds like something I'd enjoy. I'll wait for more info, but I'll probably end up getting this.
Fables: Never read it, but the story looks interesting, so maybe.
The Walking Dead: Never read it, looks interesting, but like I said, parents.
Earthquake!!!!!!
It's not like they're selling porn or anything...
No, I'm not particularly an adventure game fan or LucasArts fan. I just like particular games - funny and enjoyable with loveable characters. I like to play Sims and Plants vs Zombies, so I don't only like adventure games. I like Monkey Island and Grim Fandango very much but I don't care about Star Wars, so not really a LucasArts fan. In other words, I'd buy a MI game even if it was made by some other company.
Haha.
But seriously, viewing from the trailer, it looks like I'd be out of luck, but depending on how much of that material's in it, I might be able to slip it by them without them noticing...
None of the announcements were anywhere near as exciting as BTTF and JP.
Alan, I'm not sure if anybody else has asked this since the thread is growing at about the speed I can read, but can you elaborate on how many/which games were playable?
Also, congratulations on the announcements. I don't know if there's a lot there for me personally (I'll definitely be getting Puzzle Agent 2, and I'm interested to see what kind of treatment Kings Quest will get), but landing those franchises is certainly something to be proud of.
While I don't expect Telltale to be "LucasArts 2", I don't think they should "mix things up" by making something that's inferior to something LucasArts or Sierra would have made. Seriously, I'd have more fun actually playing an older LucasArts or Sierra game than I would basically watching any new Telltale game with the same design philosophies they've had since the beginning.
The other two kind of break my heart.... because its not Monkey Island.
Seriously, what announcement would have made you people happy? What's more awesome sounding to the hardcore old-school adventure gaming crowd than "MORE KINGS QUEST?" Why does it seem impossible to people that they won't try to scale Kings Quest to its likely audience the same way they scaled Back to the Future? Was all this anticipation and excitement for the last month just everyone waiting for a chance to express their outrage? You can love Telltale or hate them, but where's the scenario where they win, here?
ditto..
What evidence? All we have is a promise. We've never actually played Jurassic Park yet. It could be anything from exactly the same with the ability to die (not much of an improvement) to completely contrary to everything Telltale have ever done or anything in between. So yes, we don't know. But we don't know either way. That's why I'm waiting to see what happens. But I can only base my current opinion on what they've already given us because I've given them too much benefit of doubts over the years and been disappointed to just blindly trust them again.
That's a good point. And I can only hope this is what will become of it. But the fact that so much actual evidence that we have right now points to the contrary, I just can't outright believe or hope for that at this point.
*Hector is being developed by Strandlooper, the dev on the original game. The guys there made an awesome first game that we'll be re-releasing before their all-new episodes 2 and 3. Nobody here at the mother-ship is contributing creative content to the game: it's their humor and their art and it is all the more badass for it.
*Even if I weren't co-leading the thing with Jake, I'd say grab the first few trades of The Walking Dead if you're not familiar with it. What starts a typical zombie story becomes about the impossible human choices of living during the apocalypse. It's about people; if you like Telltale's stuff I imagine you're the type of person who would be keen on that sort of thing.
Telltale is more and more becoming a place for people who like stories and characters to make a wide variety of games that are about those types of things. I don't think we're moving away from the good ol' days of Sam & Max, et. al; we're just guys who like to make games and feel like stretching out legs in some new and exciting genres -- when we've got something awesome to say in the genres ya'll are familiar with, rest assured we will.
Hopefully, over time, TTG becomes a place for all sorts of gamers to find something they'd love to play.
I for one am interested in some of the projects. You just can't please everyone with such a wide variety of material. I think peoples expectations were a little high here that they can't appreciate what is being offered right now.
When do I whinge?
The big question is whether it will be tied into the series at all. I know there is a 13 part 2nd series later in the year. I guess a prequel would be nice, going back to when the outbreak first started.
I can't wait to find out what you have planned for it. Telltale you rock!
Could you please clarify something? When you say that Telltale isn't contributing content to the game, are you just talking about Episode 1, or all three episodes?
Rather Dashing is correct: they will be writing, designing and art-ing all of their episodes.
The Walking Dead: Very excited for this. Has A LOT of potential and I think it could make a great Adventure Game!
Fables: Don't really know anything about this. People who know it seem excited though. I'll look into it.
Hector: Badge of Carnage: This looks brilliant! Can't wait!
Puzzle Agent 2: Hmmm, only a one episode conclusion. This probably means it wasn't successful enough for them to do a whole season, however it least it sold well enough for them to justify finishing it up. I'll pick this up, but for no more than $5.00.
King's Quest: A nice surprise. I played some of the old Serria games back in the day but I always like the LucasArts ones better. I would have thought Space Quest would have been a better fit for Telltale but if this takes off they might end up doing SQ too. I might go back and play through the KQ games I never finished before this comes out.
Overall I'm looking forward to many of these things though I am a bit disappointed in no Monkey Island announcement. However there was no 'no Monkey Island' announcement either so there is still hope I guess.
So what the crap are you guys doing?
A pat at the back. It's pretty crucial.
Also porting and solving compatibility issues I guess, but who cares those, really?
Programming resources, production resources, publishing, marketing, sales...
Telltale is evolving into a company that not only lets us, the designers, make great story-based stuff but goes out and finds guys who are doing the things that fit with our vision and helps them out, which I think is pretty cool.
Not the case. If you remember, Puzzle Agent was put out as part of our "Pilot" program. It then went on to do great business on the iPhone and iPad where it was never marketed as episodic. If you go read the reviews folks like the game but wondered what the deal was with the ending (because we never promised or even mentioned more installments). We felt like we couldn't leave them on the hook with another crazy ending again, so we'll be finishing the story in Scoggins, but that doesn't mean Nelson Tethers and the FBI's Department of Puzzle Research goes away.
Jake, Mark, Graham and I are super stoked about how this story wraps up.
If there's a chance of there being more Nelson Tethers games, please don't wrap up the space dream subplot in Puzzle Agent 2!
So, this isn't necessarily the end for ol' Tethers?
That's pretty impressive (to me).
These five new announcements are a lot to take in at once, especially since I'm just settling in with the Universal licenses.
The only worry I'd have is that Telltale will 'change' (or grow, or morph, and all your anecdotes about change, yes, we've heard them) from an adventure game company.
I guess that's kind of an annulled fear, though. They're known for what they do, and that's probably why they're sought out.
So, congratulations on all your new licenses Telltale!
Looking forward to many memorable hours in your worlds.
That sounds fantastic! I loved the first game and look forward to more stories after this conclusion!
There is a third option.
3) After quite a bit of internet speculation and anticipation for the game, Activision drops it from their release schedule and cancels it without actually saying it's cancelled, Telltale continues work on the game in the meantime, finds a different publisher who promotes the HELL out of the game, only for Activision to try to sue them for copyright violations to try to stop them from releasing the game, subsequently losing the suit and what little respect they still had from gamers, and finally end up releasing a game that's an obvious knockoff of the game they were trying to stop from being released over a year later.
Okay, let's indulge your little scenario with a fourth option.
4) Activision attempts to buy Telltale, Telltale doesn't sell out.