Inconsequential Standoffs in Telltale Games
This is actually a problem in a lot of action-oriented media, but I still think should be Telltale above resorting to this. Hear me out for a second.
At the end of Episode 2, the two main supporting characters have guns fixed at their brains, and depending on your choices, turrets flying at their aggressors. So, with the panicked tone, intense music, and overall dire circumstances, things don't look too great for Sasha, August, Vaughn, or Vasquez.
In fact, it would actually be pretty anticlimactic if they all made it out alive. Are these characters safe from the chaos of Pandora? Is there a cozy, overly-convenient little plot shield protecting every single valued character from death? I'd hope not. Telltale should be better writers than that. Or, well... They've actually done this before in The Walking Dead S2. A big, dramatic standoff with a cliffhanger ending that's built up as especially dangerous... and every character that isn't unfamiliar cannon fodder makes it out safe and sound. It really devalues these sort of situations.
Borderlands is more than just a simple comedy. There's more than enough tragedy to go around in all of the games, so Telltale can still shine through by incorporating their typical tragic style of writing.
So, here's the big question; should someone important die, or not? Here's a poll: http://strawpoll.me/4289874
On a side note, if Telltale does kill someone of plot value, I suspect that it'll be Vasquez. Celebrity voice actors aren't cheap.
Comments
I don't think any of the main four characters should die here. It's not bad writing if they don't - they all have important character arcs and story lines that would be unresolved if they died too early. Too much attention has been put into their characters to throw away like that, comedy or not.
However, I do think something big has to happen for our choice between Jack and Fiona to count. But for now, I think everyone will live through this. I wouldn't be so sure if it was the cliffhanger for episode 4 as The Walking Dead should have done and kill off at least someone, but not this early in the game.
I agree about Borderlands being more than a simple comedy and having deeper writing to it, HOWEVER though, I feel like this isn't the direction Tales is going to take. I feel like this was an oppurtunity for Telltale to go back to their roots with one of their newer series by using a comedic feel for their writing, and I feel like it (EDIT: Wow just realized I said "I feel like" 3 times, lmaoo) really works for Tales, sure maybe a little darkness here and there but I think deaths would be going a little over the top for this series. They can do a lot with this, and make it work really well (the first 2 episodes are awesome, so they're already doing a fantastic job) without implementing that dark writing style that we've seen for the last 3 Telltale games already. That's actually one of the reasons I like Tales so much, is cause it does stick out from the pack of games TT has been doing lately, and is a much fresher take on things (not to say GoT isn't good, I actually like it more than Tales, but you know what I mean
)
Why? They already pulled it off with Felix.
I'm talking about more major characters (Vaughn, Sasha) IMO Felix wasn't very major.
Also I dunno about you, but Felix's death had basically no lasting impact on me, maybe it did with the characters, but the players emotions are more important in a story based game and I didn't feel that with Felix.
I could still see it happening, based on the deaths in the main series itself. Bloodwing and Roland were both pretty major and heart-wrenching, even if they weren't the main protagonists anymore.
Felix's death was determinate and came right after he betrayed you and stole 10 million dollars. There will be some death in Tales of course, it is based from a shooter game where bandits die left and right. Still, the deaths of main cast characters weren't that many, like you said really only Roland and Bloodwing (and Angel?) on the protagonist side. Not a lot compared to Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. We still have 3 episodes left so I feel like they'll space out deaths accordingly between more lighthearted segments. I don't think they'd put in jar jar binks and jay-z references where Rhys and Fiona should be mourning over one of their friends.
I think if anyone important were to die, it could/would be Vaughn. Vaughn at the moment doesn't have anything to contribute to the group besides being Rhys' good friend, while Sasha is the most badass member with a gun that she she's not afraid to use. Maybe he won't necessarily die, but I have a feeling something bad will happen to him (perhaps he'll be kidnapped to be used as leverage to manipulate Rhys) Other than that all the characters are too valuable to die just yet. Also having Fiona lose both her father-figure and then her sister would be way too much grief imo.
That last choice is some Jack-level delusion, and we saw how well thinking that the "hero" always wins worked out for him...
I don't any of the main four are going to die from EP 2's ending, regardless of decision. No death =/= anticlimactic. Maybe an injury or another hostage situation, but no main deaths. If there will be any choice-based deaths, it'll be Vasquez or August. The way Jack said that last line, "I can almost guarantee no one dies... unless you want them to... probably." It's iffy, but maybe if we sided with Jack, Rhys will have the choice to kill or spare Vasquez?
I do think someone should die, but chances are that no one will on our side. I'm sure all of August's unnamed goons he brought with him are simply the red shirts of this game, similar to how the Russians were in TWD. I doubt Vasquez will die, even if he is a celebrity voice actor, he's too important to the plot to die, and I'm sure Gearbox has probably helped, similar to how HBO helped Telltale, obtain the voice actors for this game and are helping Telltale pay for them. I'm on the fence about August, he has about a 50-50 chance of surviving in my eyes. As for Vaughn and Sasha, I used to think that, based on who we decided to trust, one of them would die, but I just don't see that happening anymore, especially since Telltale released that screenshot of Sasha last week.
August can't die! we still need to se that epic scene where he and Sasha are walking towards each other in the sandstorm with bullets flying everywhere! August is probably just going to abandon his minions just like every big boss does. If there's a point where Vasquez needs to save August he won't do it. August is Pandora Vasquez is Hyperion. Vasquez is above him. (I also mean that literally)
I just have this feeling that, since they're going to introduce Vallory in the next episode, she's going to end up replacing August.
Definitely not Vaughn or Sasha. From a character standpoint, they're still too valuable as foils for Rhys and Fiona. Both duos can express how the feel about the situations to the other member, and killing either one off would seriously cripple that characterization. At least not by the beginning of the third episode; series isn't even halfway done.
Nah, I think August is going to idolise her. He'd go on his knees and kiss her boots (if she wears them) and he'd treat her as if she was royalty.
Yeah, I've seen this problem with a Lot of Telltales Games.
And more recently, this one. Now, if Sasha Makes it outta there, Perfectly fine, Understandable. But If Vaughn Makes it out, We can chalk that up as one of Telltales Understandable Mistakes.
I think the Alleyway scene was fair enough. Bigby's a fable, and he had SOME consequences from his wounds. Kinda.
Well, they weren't really threats, and Dee/Dum weren't looking to hurt either of them--ESPECIALLY Crane.
I was refering to how Snow and Crane didn't get shot.
Nah, they'll live like a big happy family. x) But I get your point and agree with it, I want the story to be believable, I don't want anyone to die but it really looked like that something bad was going to happen to someone.
But the attack on the Motor Inn got Duck bit.
But none of the gunmen landed a single shot on any of the inn members.