Engine issues
Having just re-booted my PS3 for the third time in 30 mins, trying to get TWAU ep2 going, provided a good opportunity to raise an issue that has become increasingly apparent.
First of all, it's great to see adventure gaming persist, Sierra was my bread and butter - arguably started my love affair with gaming (Space Quest all the way). I have been playing PC/consoles for over 22 years.
As Telltale continues to gear up and expand, we have watched them settle into their stride and undertake more mature properties. The fact that I enjoy these stories despite not being a comic book fan, speaks volumes. To a degree, the strength of these stories mitigated the presentation, but now that the first feverish waves of romance dissipate, it's becoming increasingly annoying - a barrier to my engagement.
Stuttery is a nice word...and apt. Boot into a new episode and after extended loading, watch a series of cut scenes that start and stop like it was edited by someone with Narcolepsy.
So now we start the episode and watch a series of stilted in-game movement and lines delivered with a limited palette of facial expressions, unless you count their passion for re-defining the blank stare.
Dialogue synchronicity - very important; otherwise, you end up with a badly subbed Kung Fu film playing in your head. Character lips move, dialogue comes later - you know the sort.
Transition pauses of varying length between scenes. You choose an option and the character stands around, looking bored until the next scene kicks in. Doesn't always happen but it does happen enough to stilt the flow and make itself evident.
Jittery scenes as the engine struggles to keep up. Someone starts walking and stops and starts, and stops and starts, and stops and maybe...okay it's smoother now.
I love these games, but I don't think it's out of line to expect that a game based, not on complex systems interacting, but binary decisions and storytelling should be a lot better than this. The look, sound, story and dialogue are great, but are being muted by the tech.
As you ride the well deserved wave of success, please consider waxing the board into a smooth, consistent sheen.
Cheers.