I feel like ep 5 kept things realistic but still interesting.
Ben getting a epic last stand where he sacrifices himself to save everyone would have been predictable and really cheesy as well as against Bens character. I didn't think Kenny saving Ben was random or stupid, he just realised Ben had lost his family and didn't even get to say goodbye. He finally saw things from Ben's point of view. Also where people expecting Clem's parents to be alive? Did they not hear the phone message? Also Clem having to put her parents down then immediately after having to kill Lee would have felt forced and stupid
I feel like ep 5 kept things realistic but still interesting.
Ben getting a epic last stand where he sacrifices himself to save everyone would have been predictable and really cheesy as well as against Bens character. I didn't think Kenny saving Ben was random or stupid, he just realised Ben had lost his family and didn't even get to say goodbye. He finally saw things from Ben's point of view. Also where people expecting Clem's parents to be alive? Did they not hear the phone message? Also Clem having to put her parents down then immediately after having to kill Lee would have felt forced and stupid
The protagonist putting down a zombie they came across earlier is exactly what happened in the first issue.
It didn't feel forced and stupid, it's what brought closure for Rick. In Walking Dead #1.
I'll have to agree with some of the people here that some of you guys are just drawing straws to defend flaws in a game.
This is not a perfect game, but it's one of the best I've ever played in a while.
The protagonist putting down a zombie they came across earlier is exactly what happened in the first issue.
It didn't feel forced and stupid, it's what brought closure for Rick. In Walking Dead #1.
I'll have to agree with some of the people here that some of you guys are just drawing straws to defend flaws in a game.
This is not a perfect game, but it's one of the best I've ever played in a while.
I have no issue with Clem killing her parents just the timing. Clem kills parents and then Lee in the space of 20 minutes? Would have felt forced and stupid
I'm not sure if it's different writers or if it was the complexity of the episode that caused some of the issue with episode 5. A lot of work had to go into accounting for player choices over the previous 4 episodes, so that's probably why the episode ended up shorter. Probably things just had to give here and there to make the schedule, including the story.
1. Ben's redeeming moment
Consider that Ben had his moment where he stood up to Kenny. Ben didn't become a hero, but he did grow a bit as a person before he died. Also, if you blame Ben for everything, you can argue he didn't change at all, since Ben managed to guilt Kenny into suicide by zombie. Ben had a hand in one (or two, if you count both Ben and Kenny) more death(s) before he went.
2. Kenny's treatment
Kenny was inconsistent not only with Kenny throughout the series, but with Kenny's speech two minutes before he dies. Killing Kenny in episode 5 was a checklist item, and ... it happened. Not much to be proud of with this writing. Maybe all the effort went into Kenny's death when he saves Christa, which was better. Although I'm kind of surprised Kenny didn't drop a brick on the walkie talkie, which would have put the walkie talkie out of its misery and closed the issue in Kenny's favor.
3. Omid and Christa's fate
It was bad closure, but I feel like Telltale wanted to punt this issue until later, when the writers had some time to decide if they want those characters back. Unless Telltale didn't know whether they were alive, the player should get to know Omid and Christa's status. Maybe Telltale did this as a hook for next season. Instead they could have had Omid show up wearing a new jacket, then mysteriously ask Clem what new shirt she thinks he's wearing. It would have had only slightly less groundwork that it was the hook for the next season.
4. Clem's Parents
Agree that Telltale built up Clem's parents and dropped the potential, deflating the tension without payoff, just like with the stranger. Maybe Telltale can revisit this. Give Clem some nightmares about her parents and that she left them shambling around. She could explain that she was in shock from her kidnapping and distress at Lee's condition ... or that she really doesn't care about walkers. Just another day for her, no matter who they are.
I agree you on most points, but not on the Ben and Kenny ones. I thought it was great that it wasn't another heroic story where he eventually does something to redeem himself, instead he suffers a horrible death. Even if Kenny shoots him, it's still pretty bad.
Now Kenny, he lost everything he had, his family and now the boat. You can see depression taking over him in the attic. He also drank, which made him slightly tipsy and gave him courage to sacrifice himself.
Personally I think the whole "rushed" feel thing came about because of the fact you didn't really have true "choice" or the ability to "effect" the game/story which the developers kept shoving in your face every time you booted up the game.
I mean the first 2 episodes were very dense and rich in character narrative/development making you as the player think about the long term and repercussions of your actions..like I honestly remember having a serious mental battle with the idea of going to the coast for a boat or staying at the motel fort (do I butter up kenny and feed the duck for a boat ride? Or do I side with the old geezer and his bitch daughter and ect..)
But they then must have realised too much of that type of interaction creates problems when the player MUST go to said location to progress the story in a pre-determined way...
Thus things started to feel washed out a little on episode 3 for me, and just plain weird by episode 4 as I felt more like I wasn't really making a difference (spent all game being butt buddies with kenny only to then have him act out of character and be a dick to me for no damn raisin!)
So by episode 5 I felt like it was (SHIT THE PLAYER'S PROBABLY CATCHING ON WRAP IT UP QUICK!).
In regards to clem's parents, I half expected to come across the mother while in the marsh house, the zombie at the door would have been good timing... and it would add a massive amount of horror to the "mucking up scene" ...covering clem in her mothers rotten innards ...>_>; or in a not so gross way, of finding her (clem's mother) in one of the rooms while hunting for chem and the radio guy, then you can decide to tell clem or not.
Make it that the mother suicided... to add weight to the whole suicide talk from earlier.
There were so many better ways it could have been done...
I thought Ben telling off Kenny was his moment of redemption; he not only shows himself to have grown, but he also helps Kenny to overcome some of his own problems.
Comments
^This.
Ben getting a epic last stand where he sacrifices himself to save everyone would have been predictable and really cheesy as well as against Bens character. I didn't think Kenny saving Ben was random or stupid, he just realised Ben had lost his family and didn't even get to say goodbye. He finally saw things from Ben's point of view. Also where people expecting Clem's parents to be alive? Did they not hear the phone message? Also Clem having to put her parents down then immediately after having to kill Lee would have felt forced and stupid
The protagonist putting down a zombie they came across earlier is exactly what happened in the first issue.
It didn't feel forced and stupid, it's what brought closure for Rick. In Walking Dead #1.
I'll have to agree with some of the people here that some of you guys are just drawing straws to defend flaws in a game.
This is not a perfect game, but it's one of the best I've ever played in a while.
I have no issue with Clem killing her parents just the timing. Clem kills parents and then Lee in the space of 20 minutes? Would have felt forced and stupid
1. Ben's redeeming moment
Consider that Ben had his moment where he stood up to Kenny. Ben didn't become a hero, but he did grow a bit as a person before he died. Also, if you blame Ben for everything, you can argue he didn't change at all, since Ben managed to guilt Kenny into suicide by zombie. Ben had a hand in one (or two, if you count both Ben and Kenny) more death(s) before he went.
2. Kenny's treatment
Kenny was inconsistent not only with Kenny throughout the series, but with Kenny's speech two minutes before he dies. Killing Kenny in episode 5 was a checklist item, and ... it happened. Not much to be proud of with this writing. Maybe all the effort went into Kenny's death when he saves Christa, which was better. Although I'm kind of surprised Kenny didn't drop a brick on the walkie talkie, which would have put the walkie talkie out of its misery and closed the issue in Kenny's favor.
3. Omid and Christa's fate
It was bad closure, but I feel like Telltale wanted to punt this issue until later, when the writers had some time to decide if they want those characters back. Unless Telltale didn't know whether they were alive, the player should get to know Omid and Christa's status. Maybe Telltale did this as a hook for next season. Instead they could have had Omid show up wearing a new jacket, then mysteriously ask Clem what new shirt she thinks he's wearing. It would have had only slightly less groundwork that it was the hook for the next season.
4. Clem's Parents
Agree that Telltale built up Clem's parents and dropped the potential, deflating the tension without payoff, just like with the stranger. Maybe Telltale can revisit this. Give Clem some nightmares about her parents and that she left them shambling around. She could explain that she was in shock from her kidnapping and distress at Lee's condition ... or that she really doesn't care about walkers. Just another day for her, no matter who they are.
Now Kenny, he lost everything he had, his family and now the boat. You can see depression taking over him in the attic. He also drank, which made him slightly tipsy and gave him courage to sacrifice himself.
I mean the first 2 episodes were very dense and rich in character narrative/development making you as the player think about the long term and repercussions of your actions..like I honestly remember having a serious mental battle with the idea of going to the coast for a boat or staying at the motel fort (do I butter up kenny and feed the duck for a boat ride? Or do I side with the old geezer and his bitch daughter and ect..)
But they then must have realised too much of that type of interaction creates problems when the player MUST go to said location to progress the story in a pre-determined way...
Thus things started to feel washed out a little on episode 3 for me, and just plain weird by episode 4 as I felt more like I wasn't really making a difference (spent all game being butt buddies with kenny only to then have him act out of character and be a dick to me for no damn raisin!)
So by episode 5 I felt like it was (SHIT THE PLAYER'S PROBABLY CATCHING ON WRAP IT UP QUICK!).
Make it that the mother suicided... to add weight to the whole suicide talk from earlier.
There were so many better ways it could have been done...
they definitely want it to be a mystery