If it's anything like the prototype I heard of when I worked there, I don't think it will be QTE. But it has been 2 years. Maybe something changed.
What that interview said is that it's an evolution, a departure. It didn't directly comment on what type of departure it is. "Like" Jurassic Park - Heavy Rain - QTE, meaning very different from what they've done before.
Or I am wrong. I've had no insight into it for years. Last I recall, though it was pretty daaaaaamn cool.
What that interview said is that it's an evolution, a departure. It didn't directly comment on what type of departure it is.
I've had no insight into [The Walking Dead game] for years. Last I recall, though it was pretty daaaaaamn cool.
You say "departure" and I hear "becoming a more 'interactive cinematic experience' and less of an adventure game."
Granted, they can do whatever they want with this. However, if it's not an adventure game, I'm not interested; as well such "departures" don't give me any hope for their King's Quest title.
Suffice it to say that I used to think Telltale Games was the foremost developer of new adventure game titles, but lately it seems that they aren't interested in making those kinds of games anymore in favor of increasingly "departing" from it.
I also remember that Jake once wrote here on the forum that he prefers easy games. Now i don't know how relevant this rather old statement is for TWD but i definately had enough of easy games from TTG. Secondly, and this isn't TTG's fault, i'm not into the comics and the few episodes i once gave a try were rather horrible and boring.
It sounds like you've oversimplified whatever I said. My favorite games are often the hard ones -- the big in scope old adventure games, or physically/emotionally destructive mechanical mastery focused stuff like Super Meat Boy. That said, I like many kinds of games. Games as a medium have a super wide breadth and I think limiting yourself is worthless. There are games I want to pour my life into, and there are games I want to burn through to relax and unwind after work and there are games which fall somewhere in between.
I don't know what you'll think of The Walking Dead. Given that you haven't liked Telltale's output in years and years, I don't expect you to like it and I'm not going to tell you you will, but like anything else in the world, you won't really know until you give it a try I guess?
If it's anything like the prototype I heard of when I worked there, I don't think it will be QTE. But it has been 2 years. Maybe something changed.
The game's pretty different than the rough ideas you heard about years ago, but Walking Dead is not QTE focused, either. There are a few action sequences in which a couple timed button presses matter, but they are few and far between. The game is also really not about skill as a puzzle solver, though there are puzzles, too. The game's about exploring the story, and about making choices which have an impact on the people close to you. That's not a very mechanically sound definition but like most adventure games, there aren't that many deep mechanics, there is the story and the world and the characters to explore and figure out how they work, and overcoming obstacles in the narrative to advance. The big difference here between WD and other Telltale games is that things can and do change across the season as you leave your mark on the game's world. It's the Walking Dead so you're never going to save the world or cure the zombie plague, and it's impossible to save everybody, but hopefully the mark you leave by the end will have some meaning/make some impact on the people you are with.
The big difference here between WD and other Telltale games is that things can and do change across the season as you leave your mark on the game's world. It's the Walking Dead so you're never going to save the world or cure the zombie plague, and it's impossible to save everybody, but hopefully the mark you leave by the end will have some meaning/make some impact on the people you are with.
By "leaving your mark," do you mean that the player has some level of control over the outcome of the story and/or the fate of certain characters (eg. saving vs. killing little sisters in Bioshock); or does it just appear that you have a choice as to how to leave your mark when really the game is scripted to follow certain choices that the player is forced to make (eg. the ending of The Whispered World, wherein you appear to be given 2 choices but are prevented from making one of them)?
@Jake
I don't agree that i oversimplify things, in the worst case i might reduce complexity here and there from time to time in order to spare myself typing all the thoughts because articulating them this way can be tedious, talking to each other, especially face to face, is the preferable way of communication. I enjoy being lazy, sometimes, when i can afford it. :O)
In this case i just remembered a discussion years ago here on the forum were you favoured easier adventures also due to a more relaxing experience. I don't know if this is still the case in a more general sense or relevant for TWD. But i'm sure you agree with me that from a customer's point of view, knowing this and looking at what TTG has done lately, it's a valid point keeping in mind.
FWIW i didn't enjoy Super Meat Boy, i didn't like the music, the design and the overall atmosphere the game offered and disliking The Binding of Isaac as well it seems that Team Meat aren't my cup of tea so far but i for instance could relax with Sword&Sorcery or felt challenged in Braid.
So i kind of agree that you sometimes enjoy different type of games due to different needs&moods but when talking of adventures i simply do not enjoy a game being as simple and more important as poorly designed as for instance BTTF was because then i prefer watching a movie where i can switch completely into passive mode instead of getting interrupted by doing stupid or way to obvious things in between. Moreover when watching a film i can also choose one with a interesting story.
I mean an adventure needs to be an adventure and also challenging to some degree because otherwise it stops being an adventure as it removes an fundamental aspect of an adventure, the joy of tinkering about a problem with and without the game. Although i'm also fine with some easier adventures if you for instance can offer a constant puzzle quality level on DeSinge lab niveau or get me emotionally involved a lot more.
As for that i didn't like TTG's games since years. I always was honest with my critics and tried to give feedback which i thought might be valuable as i'm playing these games since Maniac Mansion. From the few titles, specific episodes, i really liked, i also gave you credits for and convinced friends giving them a try, especially Bone, but i'm sorry i can't lie and praise something which simply isn't good.
And looking at how things started, how much hope there was and the potential TTG had, well, it more and more turned into a rather frustrating process and believe me it wasn't only me who was thinking this way.
The final products never seemed to care about the important difference between being nice and being great and instead of getting better things got even worse. So what do you expect me to say and what do you think i would love to say?
Anyway going back to TWD, i already wrote that i'll obviously wait with my judgement until the product will be released. Btw. will there be a demo as well? Because if not, i probably won't have a chance to give it a try due to that TTG lost their credit being worth a no brainer preorder for me. So, a demo would be welcome, otherwise i'll wait for some playthrough videos first. When it's a very good game, i also wish you good luck with it. If it plays in the league of JP, why should i care?
Man, I love Telltale to death. They consistently pop out interesting, compelling, and often hilarious games.
I'm a huge fan of both Grickle and Jared Emerson-Johnson, and the fact that they work in the same game company is crazy exciting.
In my mind, they're tied with Valve as the most reliably great developer.
But ever since Back to The Future, I got a weird little sense of foreboding. Which is bizarre, really, because I absolutely adore the franchise. Yet the game just seemed kind of....unusually uninteresting, you know? Like, it was a good game. It really was, and I'm totally satisfied with it. But it didn't feel like it was up to the quality that still causes me to regularly check the Telltale site.
I dunno, to be honest, Puzzle Agent 2 and Hector were the only recentish games that caught my eye. Maybe it's me? Maybe my expectations are just set too high nowadays? Hell, that's almost definitely what's going on, but I still get the sense there's just something missing.
Edit:
Haha, actually now that I've typed this out and am lookin at it, I think I might know what the deal is.
It's their freedom!
What's the main difference between Sam & Max, and Back to the Future? I'd wager it's the fact that Telltale's pretty much made the former into their own characters. I mean, look how the Devil's Playhouse ended. There's no way that'd ever, ever happen in one of the comics.
But with bttf, things seemed kind of pained, since they had to work in an established and well-known, uh, universe, i guess? There was no doubt Biff would be a character, right? And consider all the needless acknowledgement of the films. Those were great for a geeky moment, but I bet if Telltale had the freedom to say something along the lines of, "Hey, what if Marty was actually secretly a dog?" the games would have been the great kind of crazy story this company's so good at telling.
Would Tales of Monkey Island have been as good as it was, if Telltale wouldn't have been able to ever consider killing Guybrush?
I think I'm feeling really optimistic about King's Quest all of a sudden.
In my mind, they're tied with Valve as the most reliably great developer.
Wow. That's a huge statement to make. Not even close in my mind. Even if I enjoyed the latest TTG games. But everyone has their own opinion.
But ever since Back to The Future, I got a weird little sense of foreboding. Which is bizarre, really, because I absolutely adore the franchise. Yet the game just seemed kind of....unusually uninteresting, you know? Like, it was a good game. It really was, and I'm totally satisfied with it. But it didn't feel like it was up to the quality that still causes me to regularly check the Telltale site.
I agree there.
Haha, actually now that I've typed this out and am lookin at it, I think I might know what the deal is.
It's their freedom!
Maybe. But I don't think that's the only reason. Not by a long shot.
I think I'm feeling really optimistic about King's Quest all of a sudden
To expand on what I wrote on the top of the page, Back to the Future was disappointingly easy and Jurassic Park left a extraordinarily sour taste in my mouth. To me, Telltale hasn't had a really solid major release since ToMI and Sam and Max: Season 3 so it's been pretty easy for those "they're losing their touch/they're abandoning the adventure genre" feelings to bubble up to the surface.
Yes, part of what's pecking at the back of my head is the fear is that they don't want to make adventure games anymore (at least, adventure games that still have a certain level of difficulty to them *cough*BTTF*cough*), though King's Quest (or maybe one of their other upcoming titles) certainly has the potential to prove me wrong, and I really hope it does.
Of course, there really isn't anything wrong with Telltale branching out into other genres, and if they have what it takes to make a great non-adventure game, more power to them, but speaking as a Telltale fan, as well as an adventure game fan, it would be tragic to no longer see great Telltale-made adventure games released in the future.
To sum it all up, I suppose that what I'd like to see is some form of reassurance that they're still willing and able to make the kind of games that made me fall in love with them in the first place.
The game is also really not about skill as a puzzle solver, though there are puzzles, too. The game's about exploring the story, and about making choices which have an impact on the people close to you.
Ugh...another 'interactive movie' then? Count me out.
Of course, there really isn't anything wrong with Telltale branching out into other genres, and if they have what it takes to make a great non-adventure game, more power to them, but speaking as a Telltale fan, as well as an adventure game fan, it would be tragic to no longer see great Telltale-made adventure games released in the future.
You know, I am curious...I wonder just how versatile the Telltale Tool can be. Is it capable of doing some really out-of-left-field stuff you wouldn't expect from an adventure game engine? If they could make sports games with SCUMM, I'm sure the Telltale Tool is capable of some crazy stuff.
Judging by the Wolfenstein parody bit from SBCG4AP, you could probably make an FPS with the Tool. Probably not a good FPS, but still.
I think at one point Telltale had a real opportunity to carve out a brilliant niche for themselves. They could have sustained that niche and grown, but instead it seems like they've gone on a misguided grab for the mainstream.
I do like how Walking Dead is shaping up (though I'm not sure it's for me), but I can't help but feel this is just such a different company to the one that just had tons of good will in the bank when they started out. Meanwhile, Double Fine stroll in and without even having a game to show us somehow appear to be much more interested in appealing to the fans who WANT to love Telltale's output, and have managed to raise a tidy sum to make it happen.
We're here. We obviously have money. I know some of us even work at Telltale. And you guys have the talent when you really step up. But somehow it hasn't been happening.
I think at one point Telltale had a real opportunity to carve out a brilliant niche for themselves. They could have sustained that niche and grown, but instead it seems like they've gone on a misguided grab for the mainstream.
I do like how Walking Dead is shaping up (though I'm not sure it's for me), but I can't help but feel this is just such a different company to the one that just had tons of good will in the bank when they started out. Meanwhile, Double Fine stroll in and without even having a game to show us somehow appear to be much more interested in appealing to the fans who WANT to love Telltale's output, and have managed to raise a tidy sum to make it happen.
We're here. We obviously have money. I know some of us even work at Telltale. And you guys have the talent when you really step up. But somehow it hasn't been happening.
I think you've found the root of the problem. Telltale seems to want to become a mainstream company. Not only have they been acquiring more recognizable licenses like BttF, Jurassic Park, and The Walking Dead, but they've also been trying to make their games more...accessible.
The thing is, most likely Telltale's never going to be a "big company." They're never going to be a game company everyone can name, in the same sense that Nintendo, EA, or even Valve is. I don't mean that as an insult, I'm simply stating a fact. In fact, that's arguably a good thing, since in the gaming industry being "big" usually means compromising yourself creatively. Activision and EA may make tons of money, but that's because they treat games like a product to be sold and nothing more.
I sort of feel like Telltale would be better if they just stuck to their niche instead of trying to go completely mainstream. The casual angle may work in the short term ("Jurassic Park! I loved that movie!"), but I don't think it's going to bring Telltale many long-time fans.
In fact, if I can do a quick poll of sorts to anyone reading this:
1. What was your first Telltale game?
2. How many of Telltale's other currently-released games have you played or want to play?
3. Do you have any interest in any of Telltale's upcoming projects (The Walking Dead, Fables, King's Quest) and if so, which?
I have a feeling most of the people who say BttF or JP to the first question will have pretty short answers for 2 and 3.
1) Sam & Max (Save the World, to be exact)
2) Played pretty much all of them except Poker Night, because I don't like Poker. (Or the CSI or Law & Order games, which I completely forgot Telltale did. Oops. Haven't played them due to lack of interest in the shows)
3) None. None of those properties interests me at all, though I will be curious about what they do with King's Quest.
1. Sam and Max: Season 1
2. All Sam and Max seasons, Tales of Monkey Island, Back to the Future, Puzzle Agent 1/2.
3. I was never much of a Sierra person back in the day but I have a mild interest in King's Quest. The other projects will have to turn out to be more than just interactive movies for me to take any level of interest in.
I've purchased pretty much all of the TTG games since Sam and Max season 1, except for the poker stuff, CSI (I hate CSI), law and order (I hate law and order), and Strong Bad (hm...i really should get around to playing it one of these days).
Something really bothered me about BttF because I could only get through two episodes before becoming bored to tears. I thought maybe it was because I was just getting tired of these kinds of games, but after signing up on this forum I found out I wasn't the only one, and that my reaction was a result of overly simple game design. Then when I saw that JP was basically one long QTE, I said forget it. Puzzle Agent 2 was disappointing, especially since I had been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the first one. We've now reached the point where I will only buy another TTG game if people here vouch for it.
I'm really not familiar with the Walking Dead comic or TV series, but I would have bought it if not for the fact that it's going to be another interactive movie. I know nothing about Fable, so I'll see what happens when it's released.
I was never a big fan of Sierra adventure games back in the day (I never liked how you could die so easily, or that there were ways to make the game unwinnable, although the death scenes were kind of amusing). I would still be interested in King's Quest though, because you would think that TTG would make the game full of difficult puzzles in order to appease the old KQ fans. Nothing is certain with TTG anymore, however.
1. My first Telltale game was Bone: Out from Boneville
2. I've played all of them except for the newest Law & Order: Legacies games, and I want to play those. I've also double dipped, and purchased Telltale's games for iPhone/iPad, Wii, and Xbox 360.
3. The Walking Dead looks very interesting to me, though I'm waiting for Monday when we can see what the gameplay is like before I get too excited. I'm also really interested in how Telltale handles King's Quest. I like the idea of the Fables comic (classic characters from fairy tales and folklore living in our world), but I haven't read the comics. So, I'm just mildly interested in that one.
1. I played an episode of SBCG4AP on the Wii, but my first full season was TOMI.
2. I've played all of Telltale's games except for the CSI games--I'm just not very interested in CSI.
3. Definitely! More so the Walking Dead than anything else--the choices idea is fascinating to me.
1) Been around since Out From Boneville
2) Pretty much all of them except CSI and Jurassic Park, but I've watched someone play a chunk of the latter
3) Kinda curious what they do with King's Quest, and The Walking Dead. But I wouldn't say 'excited.'
In fact, if I can do a quick poll of sorts to anyone reading this:
1. What was your first Telltale game?
2. How many of Telltale's other currently-released games have you played or want to play?
3. Do you have any interest in any of Telltale's upcoming projects (The Walking Dead, Fables, King's Quest) and if so, which?
01 One of the CSI-titles
02 Played: All S&M, Bone 1+2, TTTH, PNatI, ToMI, SBCG4AP, W&G, Puzzle Agent 1+2, that one CSI game, Jurassic Dildo Episode 1 (haven't had any motivation to continue this game).
I do own Episode 1 of BTTF but I will not play it.
03 I am scared of what they will do to King's Quest. No interest in any of the other projects at all.
1. What was your first Telltale game?
2. How many of Telltale's other currently-released games have you played or want to play?
3. Do you have any interest in any of Telltale's upcoming projects (The Walking Dead, Fables, King's Quest) and if so, which?
1) "Tales of Monkey Island"
2) The most recent Telltale games I played were "Back to the Future" (very disappointing), "Hector" (law of diminishing returns) and "Puzzle Agent 2" (come on, you left a hook for a sequel! And what about the Inventory?).
3) No. If only because the idea of playing an adventure game where you might get irrevocably killed and have to start over doesn't appeal.
1. Tales of Monkey Island, although if I'd known about Sam & Max it would've been that.
2. Played all of them aside from CSI (no interest) and Jurassic Park (poor reviews, waiting to see it cheap somewhere)
3. Interested in The Walking Dead and Fables. But it depends entirely on reviews now. Back to the Future was too disappointing for me to take the risk without at least playing a demo of any new titles.
1. Sam and Max Season 3
2. Telltale games i got for my pc. Sam and Max Seasons 1-3, Tales Of Monkey Island,Wallace & Gromit,Back to the Future,Hector,Puzzle Agent 1, and Poker Night at the Inventory.
Telltale games i got for my ps3. Back to the future,Sam and Max seasons 2 and 3, Puzzle Agent 1,Strong Bad,Jurassic Park, and Tales of Monkey Island.
Telltale games i got on my Nintendo Wii. Sam & Max Season 1, Tales Of Monkey Island Episode 1
3.None as im not interested in The Walking Dead, Kings Quest, Law and Order, and Fables.
Ok i got a question for everyone but has Telltale given up on comedy in their games? it seems to me that all the games after Jurrassic Park is just going to be serious games.
Ok i got a question for everyone but has Telltale given up on comedy in their games? it seems to me that all the games after Jurrassic Park is just going to be serious games.
I dunno, the King's Quest series could be pretty funny at times, albeit in the "Haha, you died in a really stupid way" sense.
yeah but still im worried about Telltale after Jurassic Park it seems Telltale has been going down hill. I mean conpare Old Teltale to New Telltale. Old Telltale. Sam and Max = Funny, Hard, Full of Gameplay,Is a long game,Fun. Now New Telltale. Jurassic Park = Serious,Hardly any Gameplay, is not that long because of quick time events,Easy,Not As Fun As Other Games. Telltale let me get one thing clear here. I think it's good your trying new things but guys you need to take our advice and start getting back to your roots. Telltale's games have gotten me into Adventure games Like Sam and Max, Monkey Island and Shown me Strong Bad. They Made a Game out of 2 of my favourite movie characters Wallace & Gromit. They made a good Back to the Future game which many people tried to do and failed. but now Telltale has me worried. They are making games which im completely not interested in. Telltale please Like i said its good your trying new things but you guys are known for Awesome Funny Adventure Games Not Serious games. Now Don't get me wrong i did enjoy Jurrassic Park but conpared to your other games its disapointing.
yeah but still im worried about Telltale after Jurassic Park it seems Telltale has been going down hill. I mean conpare Old Teltale to New Telltale. Old Telltale. Sam and Max = Funny, Hard, Full of Gameplay,Is a long game,Fun. Now New Telltale. Jurassic Park = Serious,Hardly any Gameplay, is not that long because of quick time events,Easy,Not As Fun As Other Games. Telltale let me get one thing clear here. I think it's good your trying new things but guys you need to take our advice and start getting back to your roots. Telltale's games have gotten me into Adventure games Like Sam and Max, Monkey Island and Shown me Strong Bad. They Made a Game out of 2 of my favourite movie characters Wallace & Gromit. They made a good Back to the Future game which many people tried to do and failed. but now Telltale has me worried. They are making games which im completely not interested in. Telltale please Like i said its good your trying new things but you guys are known for Awesome Funny Adventure Games Not Serious games. Now Don't get me wrong i did enjoy Jurrassic Park but conpared to your other games its disapointing.
They can't just inject humor into just anything, though. Jurassic Park isn't supposed to be funny, Walking Dead isn't supposed to be funny. Let's wait until they make a game where humorous writing would fit in well before we start to get worried about their ability to make a funny game as well.
yeah but still im worried about Telltale after Jurassic Park it seems Telltale has been going down hill. I mean conpare Old Teltale to New Telltale. Old Telltale. Sam and Max = Funny, Hard, Full of Gameplay,Is a long game,Fun. Now New Telltale. Jurassic Park = Serious,Hardly any Gameplay, is not that long because of quick time events,Easy,Not As Fun As Other Games. Telltale let me get one thing clear here. I think it's good your trying new things but guys you need to take our advice and start getting back to your roots. Telltale's games have gotten me into Adventure games Like Sam and Max, Monkey Island and Shown me Strong Bad. They Made a Game out of 2 of my favourite movie characters Wallace & Gromit. They made a good Back to the Future game which many people tried to do and failed. but now Telltale has me worried. They are making games which im completely not interested in. Telltale please Like i said its good your trying new things but you guys are known for Awesome Funny Adventure Games Not Serious games. Now Don't get me wrong i did enjoy Jurrassic Park but conpared to your other games its disapointing.
Ok i got a question for everyone but has Telltale given up on comedy in their games? it seems to me that all the games after Jurrassic Park is just going to be serious games.
I don't think Telltale's given up on comedy. However, after three full seasons of Sam and Max, a Homestar Runner game, and bringing back Monkey Island, they probably want to take a break from silly stuff for a while.
Of course, serious isn't a bad thing, mind you. I prefer my adventure games to be funny myself, but there have been plenty of great serious ones (A Mind Forever Voyaging, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Blade Runner...). And as much as I despised Jurassic Park, the one good thing I can say about it is that Telltale showed they can do a decent dramatic storyline.
That said, I would like Telltale to do something silly again soon. Aside from them doing adventure games, a big reason why I got into Telltale in the first place is that their games made me laugh my ass off.
I don't think Telltale's given up on comedy. However, after three full seasons of Sam and Max, a Homestar Runner game, and bringing back Monkey Island, they probably want to take a break from silly stuff for a while.
Of course, serious isn't a bad thing, mind you. I prefer my adventure games to be funny myself, but there have been plenty of great serious ones (A Mind Forever Voyaging, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Blade Runner...). And as much as I despised Jurassic Park, the one good thing I can say about it is that Telltale showed they can do a decent dramatic storyline.
That said, I would like Telltale to do something silly again soon. Aside from them doing adventure games, a big reason why I got into Telltale in the first place is that their games made me laugh my ass off.
I don't think there is anyone who is mad that Telltale is doing "dramatic" games vs comedic ones. The only people who are mad are the ones who expect a game to be included with their purchase of a game.
I don't think there is anyone who is mad that Telltale is doing "dramatic" games vs comedic ones. The only people who are mad are the ones who expect a game to be included with their purchase of a game.
I agree, I was just answering Ryan's question there.
I don't care what kind of tone Telltale gives their games so long as they make actual games.
Comments
It's not gonna be your average shoot-em-up, blood-festy, over-exzaterated zombie game, but something completely new.
If it's anything like the prototype I heard of when I worked there, I don't think it will be QTE. But it has been 2 years. Maybe something changed.
What that interview said is that it's an evolution, a departure. It didn't directly comment on what type of departure it is. "Like" Jurassic Park - Heavy Rain - QTE, meaning very different from what they've done before.
Or I am wrong. I've had no insight into it for years. Last I recall, though it was pretty daaaaaamn cool.
You say "departure" and I hear "becoming a more 'interactive cinematic experience' and less of an adventure game."
Granted, they can do whatever they want with this. However, if it's not an adventure game, I'm not interested; as well such "departures" don't give me any hope for their King's Quest title.
Suffice it to say that I used to think Telltale Games was the foremost developer of new adventure game titles, but lately it seems that they aren't interested in making those kinds of games anymore in favor of increasingly "departing" from it.
I meant that I'm not interested in Telltale's games that are not adventure games (with exception for Poker Night).
Case in point: I love Sierra's King's Quest series, but I can't stand Mask of Eternity because of the "departures" it makes from the genre.
It sounds like you've oversimplified whatever I said. My favorite games are often the hard ones -- the big in scope old adventure games, or physically/emotionally destructive mechanical mastery focused stuff like Super Meat Boy. That said, I like many kinds of games. Games as a medium have a super wide breadth and I think limiting yourself is worthless. There are games I want to pour my life into, and there are games I want to burn through to relax and unwind after work and there are games which fall somewhere in between.
I don't know what you'll think of The Walking Dead. Given that you haven't liked Telltale's output in years and years, I don't expect you to like it and I'm not going to tell you you will, but like anything else in the world, you won't really know until you give it a try I guess?
The game's pretty different than the rough ideas you heard about years ago, but Walking Dead is not QTE focused, either. There are a few action sequences in which a couple timed button presses matter, but they are few and far between. The game is also really not about skill as a puzzle solver, though there are puzzles, too. The game's about exploring the story, and about making choices which have an impact on the people close to you. That's not a very mechanically sound definition but like most adventure games, there aren't that many deep mechanics, there is the story and the world and the characters to explore and figure out how they work, and overcoming obstacles in the narrative to advance. The big difference here between WD and other Telltale games is that things can and do change across the season as you leave your mark on the game's world. It's the Walking Dead so you're never going to save the world or cure the zombie plague, and it's impossible to save everybody, but hopefully the mark you leave by the end will have some meaning/make some impact on the people you are with.
By "leaving your mark," do you mean that the player has some level of control over the outcome of the story and/or the fate of certain characters (eg. saving vs. killing little sisters in Bioshock); or does it just appear that you have a choice as to how to leave your mark when really the game is scripted to follow certain choices that the player is forced to make (eg. the ending of The Whispered World, wherein you appear to be given 2 choices but are prevented from making one of them)?
I don't agree that i oversimplify things, in the worst case i might reduce complexity here and there from time to time in order to spare myself typing all the thoughts because articulating them this way can be tedious, talking to each other, especially face to face, is the preferable way of communication. I enjoy being lazy, sometimes, when i can afford it. :O)
In this case i just remembered a discussion years ago here on the forum were you favoured easier adventures also due to a more relaxing experience. I don't know if this is still the case in a more general sense or relevant for TWD. But i'm sure you agree with me that from a customer's point of view, knowing this and looking at what TTG has done lately, it's a valid point keeping in mind.
FWIW i didn't enjoy Super Meat Boy, i didn't like the music, the design and the overall atmosphere the game offered and disliking The Binding of Isaac as well it seems that Team Meat aren't my cup of tea so far but i for instance could relax with Sword&Sorcery or felt challenged in Braid.
So i kind of agree that you sometimes enjoy different type of games due to different needs&moods but when talking of adventures i simply do not enjoy a game being as simple and more important as poorly designed as for instance BTTF was because then i prefer watching a movie where i can switch completely into passive mode instead of getting interrupted by doing stupid or way to obvious things in between. Moreover when watching a film i can also choose one with a interesting story.
I mean an adventure needs to be an adventure and also challenging to some degree because otherwise it stops being an adventure as it removes an fundamental aspect of an adventure, the joy of tinkering about a problem with and without the game. Although i'm also fine with some easier adventures if you for instance can offer a constant puzzle quality level on DeSinge lab niveau or get me emotionally involved a lot more.
As for that i didn't like TTG's games since years. I always was honest with my critics and tried to give feedback which i thought might be valuable as i'm playing these games since Maniac Mansion. From the few titles, specific episodes, i really liked, i also gave you credits for and convinced friends giving them a try, especially Bone, but i'm sorry i can't lie and praise something which simply isn't good.
And looking at how things started, how much hope there was and the potential TTG had, well, it more and more turned into a rather frustrating process and believe me it wasn't only me who was thinking this way.
The final products never seemed to care about the important difference between being nice and being great and instead of getting better things got even worse. So what do you expect me to say and what do you think i would love to say?
Anyway going back to TWD, i already wrote that i'll obviously wait with my judgement until the product will be released. Btw. will there be a demo as well? Because if not, i probably won't have a chance to give it a try due to that TTG lost their credit being worth a no brainer preorder for me. So, a demo would be welcome, otherwise i'll wait for some playthrough videos first. When it's a very good game, i also wish you good luck with it. If it plays in the league of JP, why should i care?
I'm a huge fan of both Grickle and Jared Emerson-Johnson, and the fact that they work in the same game company is crazy exciting.
In my mind, they're tied with Valve as the most reliably great developer.
But ever since Back to The Future, I got a weird little sense of foreboding. Which is bizarre, really, because I absolutely adore the franchise. Yet the game just seemed kind of....unusually uninteresting, you know? Like, it was a good game. It really was, and I'm totally satisfied with it. But it didn't feel like it was up to the quality that still causes me to regularly check the Telltale site.
I dunno, to be honest, Puzzle Agent 2 and Hector were the only recentish games that caught my eye. Maybe it's me? Maybe my expectations are just set too high nowadays? Hell, that's almost definitely what's going on, but I still get the sense there's just something missing.
Edit:
Haha, actually now that I've typed this out and am lookin at it, I think I might know what the deal is.
It's their freedom!
What's the main difference between Sam & Max, and Back to the Future? I'd wager it's the fact that Telltale's pretty much made the former into their own characters. I mean, look how the Devil's Playhouse ended. There's no way that'd ever, ever happen in one of the comics.
But with bttf, things seemed kind of pained, since they had to work in an established and well-known, uh, universe, i guess? There was no doubt Biff would be a character, right? And consider all the needless acknowledgement of the films. Those were great for a geeky moment, but I bet if Telltale had the freedom to say something along the lines of, "Hey, what if Marty was actually secretly a dog?" the games would have been the great kind of crazy story this company's so good at telling.
Would Tales of Monkey Island have been as good as it was, if Telltale wouldn't have been able to ever consider killing Guybrush?
I think I'm feeling really optimistic about King's Quest all of a sudden.
Well, I hope that happens! I think there are some people in the company that still don't even know who these two are.
That was a great video. Thanks for that.
Wow. That's a huge statement to make. Not even close in my mind. Even if I enjoyed the latest TTG games. But everyone has their own opinion.
I agree there.
Maybe. But I don't think that's the only reason. Not by a long shot.
I've got a long way to go to get there.
Yes, part of what's pecking at the back of my head is the fear is that they don't want to make adventure games anymore (at least, adventure games that still have a certain level of difficulty to them *cough*BTTF*cough*), though King's Quest (or maybe one of their other upcoming titles) certainly has the potential to prove me wrong, and I really hope it does.
Of course, there really isn't anything wrong with Telltale branching out into other genres, and if they have what it takes to make a great non-adventure game, more power to them, but speaking as a Telltale fan, as well as an adventure game fan, it would be tragic to no longer see great Telltale-made adventure games released in the future.
To sum it all up, I suppose that what I'd like to see is some form of reassurance that they're still willing and able to make the kind of games that made me fall in love with them in the first place.
Ugh...another 'interactive movie' then? Count me out.
You know, I am curious...I wonder just how versatile the Telltale Tool can be. Is it capable of doing some really out-of-left-field stuff you wouldn't expect from an adventure game engine? If they could make sports games with SCUMM, I'm sure the Telltale Tool is capable of some crazy stuff.
Judging by the Wolfenstein parody bit from SBCG4AP, you could probably make an FPS with the Tool. Probably not a good FPS, but still.
I do like how Walking Dead is shaping up (though I'm not sure it's for me), but I can't help but feel this is just such a different company to the one that just had tons of good will in the bank when they started out. Meanwhile, Double Fine stroll in and without even having a game to show us somehow appear to be much more interested in appealing to the fans who WANT to love Telltale's output, and have managed to raise a tidy sum to make it happen.
We're here. We obviously have money. I know some of us even work at Telltale. And you guys have the talent when you really step up. But somehow it hasn't been happening.
I think you've found the root of the problem. Telltale seems to want to become a mainstream company. Not only have they been acquiring more recognizable licenses like BttF, Jurassic Park, and The Walking Dead, but they've also been trying to make their games more...accessible.
The thing is, most likely Telltale's never going to be a "big company." They're never going to be a game company everyone can name, in the same sense that Nintendo, EA, or even Valve is. I don't mean that as an insult, I'm simply stating a fact. In fact, that's arguably a good thing, since in the gaming industry being "big" usually means compromising yourself creatively. Activision and EA may make tons of money, but that's because they treat games like a product to be sold and nothing more.
I sort of feel like Telltale would be better if they just stuck to their niche instead of trying to go completely mainstream. The casual angle may work in the short term ("Jurassic Park! I loved that movie!"), but I don't think it's going to bring Telltale many long-time fans.
In fact, if I can do a quick poll of sorts to anyone reading this:
1. What was your first Telltale game?
2. How many of Telltale's other currently-released games have you played or want to play?
3. Do you have any interest in any of Telltale's upcoming projects (The Walking Dead, Fables, King's Quest) and if so, which?
I have a feeling most of the people who say BttF or JP to the first question will have pretty short answers for 2 and 3.
1) Sam & Max (Save the World, to be exact)
2) Played pretty much all of them except Poker Night, because I don't like Poker. (Or the CSI or Law & Order games, which I completely forgot Telltale did. Oops. Haven't played them due to lack of interest in the shows)
3) None. None of those properties interests me at all, though I will be curious about what they do with King's Quest.
1. Sam and Max: Season 1
2. All Sam and Max seasons, Tales of Monkey Island, Back to the Future, Puzzle Agent 1/2.
3. I was never much of a Sierra person back in the day but I have a mild interest in King's Quest. The other projects will have to turn out to be more than just interactive movies for me to take any level of interest in.
Something really bothered me about BttF because I could only get through two episodes before becoming bored to tears. I thought maybe it was because I was just getting tired of these kinds of games, but after signing up on this forum I found out I wasn't the only one, and that my reaction was a result of overly simple game design. Then when I saw that JP was basically one long QTE, I said forget it. Puzzle Agent 2 was disappointing, especially since I had been pleasantly surprised at the quality of the first one. We've now reached the point where I will only buy another TTG game if people here vouch for it.
I'm really not familiar with the Walking Dead comic or TV series, but I would have bought it if not for the fact that it's going to be another interactive movie. I know nothing about Fable, so I'll see what happens when it's released.
I was never a big fan of Sierra adventure games back in the day (I never liked how you could die so easily, or that there were ways to make the game unwinnable, although the death scenes were kind of amusing). I would still be interested in King's Quest though, because you would think that TTG would make the game full of difficult puzzles in order to appease the old KQ fans. Nothing is certain with TTG anymore, however.
2. I've played all of them except for the newest Law & Order: Legacies games, and I want to play those. I've also double dipped, and purchased Telltale's games for iPhone/iPad, Wii, and Xbox 360.
3. The Walking Dead looks very interesting to me, though I'm waiting for Monday when we can see what the gameplay is like before I get too excited. I'm also really interested in how Telltale handles King's Quest. I like the idea of the Fables comic (classic characters from fairy tales and folklore living in our world), but I haven't read the comics. So, I'm just mildly interested in that one.
2. I've played all of Telltale's games except for the CSI games--I'm just not very interested in CSI.
3. Definitely! More so the Walking Dead than anything else--the choices idea is fascinating to me.
2) Pretty much all of them except CSI and Jurassic Park, but I've watched someone play a chunk of the latter
3) Kinda curious what they do with King's Quest, and The Walking Dead. But I wouldn't say 'excited.'
01 One of the CSI-titles
02 Played: All S&M, Bone 1+2, TTTH, PNatI, ToMI, SBCG4AP, W&G, Puzzle Agent 1+2, that one CSI game, Jurassic Dildo Episode 1 (haven't had any motivation to continue this game).
I do own Episode 1 of BTTF but I will not play it.
03 I am scared of what they will do to King's Quest. No interest in any of the other projects at all.
1) "Tales of Monkey Island"
2) The most recent Telltale games I played were "Back to the Future" (very disappointing), "Hector" (law of diminishing returns) and "Puzzle Agent 2" (come on, you left a hook for a sequel! And what about the Inventory?).
3) No. If only because the idea of playing an adventure game where you might get irrevocably killed and have to start over doesn't appeal.
2. Played all of them aside from CSI (no interest) and Jurassic Park (poor reviews, waiting to see it cheap somewhere)
3. Interested in The Walking Dead and Fables. But it depends entirely on reviews now. Back to the Future was too disappointing for me to take the risk without at least playing a demo of any new titles.
2. Telltale games i got for my pc. Sam and Max Seasons 1-3, Tales Of Monkey Island,Wallace & Gromit,Back to the Future,Hector,Puzzle Agent 1, and Poker Night at the Inventory.
Telltale games i got for my ps3. Back to the future,Sam and Max seasons 2 and 3, Puzzle Agent 1,Strong Bad,Jurassic Park, and Tales of Monkey Island.
Telltale games i got on my Nintendo Wii. Sam & Max Season 1, Tales Of Monkey Island Episode 1
3.None as im not interested in The Walking Dead, Kings Quest, Law and Order, and Fables.
I dunno, the King's Quest series could be pretty funny at times, albeit in the "Haha, you died in a really stupid way" sense.
They can't just inject humor into just anything, though. Jurassic Park isn't supposed to be funny, Walking Dead isn't supposed to be funny. Let's wait until they make a game where humorous writing would fit in well before we start to get worried about their ability to make a funny game as well.
IT'S CALLED THE ENTER KEY. It is your friend.
I don't think Telltale's given up on comedy. However, after three full seasons of Sam and Max, a Homestar Runner game, and bringing back Monkey Island, they probably want to take a break from silly stuff for a while.
Of course, serious isn't a bad thing, mind you. I prefer my adventure games to be funny myself, but there have been plenty of great serious ones (A Mind Forever Voyaging, I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, Blade Runner...). And as much as I despised Jurassic Park, the one good thing I can say about it is that Telltale showed they can do a decent dramatic storyline.
That said, I would like Telltale to do something silly again soon. Aside from them doing adventure games, a big reason why I got into Telltale in the first place is that their games made me laugh my ass off.
I don't think there is anyone who is mad that Telltale is doing "dramatic" games vs comedic ones. The only people who are mad are the ones who expect a game to be included with their purchase of a game.
I agree, I was just answering Ryan's question there.
I don't care what kind of tone Telltale gives their games so long as they make actual games.