Season 2 episode 2 thoughts, complaints, or recommendations,
I wanted to start a thread for folks who wanted to discuss episode 2 - A house divided.
Let me start off that I don't throw around praise all that much. My wife calls me "Too Hard" and "Old School" when it comes to giving praise. I'm not sure it's as bad as she says but I firmly believe if you do something extraordinary then you should be given praise to reflect the achievement.
Anyway for me this episode was might come close to my favorite episode. Anyway one who has seen my posts knows I liked episode 2 of season 1 the best.
Here are the reasons why I like this episode 2.
- The direction seemed to flow well with the story line.
- I have been critical of clementine being the playable character in the past but this episode pulled it of much better then episode 1 of season 2 for me.
- The zombie killing sequences were harder.
- I particularly enjoyed the scene where carver first arrived to the house.
- Deep down inside I was glad the "I thought you were dead" person ended up being Kenny.
- I felt that TTG a did a good job with the reunion of Clementine and Kenny.
- Christmas is always my favorite holiday of the year. It was nice to have a Christmas themed episode.
Here are the reasons why I disliked episode 2.
Holy shutter bug! It's clear that the TTG engine needs to be retired and it's time to introduce a new one. I know TTG pressed this during the Reddit interview and episode 2 shows more then the others so far that the engine needs a overhaul.
This could be contributed to the engine again but the camera angle and distance is much closer then in season 1. In season 1 the scenes seemed larger or more open because the camera was further. Think back to Lee in clementines house the playable character could show see much ore because the camera was further back. Another good example would be Hershel's farm. Again the camera was far back giving a large open world feel to the level.
With the camera being so close there is only so much the playable character can move. I feel some scenes are incredibly too confined and not open enough. Literally some scenes in both episode 1 and 2 of season 2 are moving the character from left to right on the screen. I really feel they should have opened the cabin up much more to give a explorer open world feel to it.
The ending seemed a little bland. There was no OMG cliffhanger at the very end other then walking back to carvers camp.
I wish that TTG left the "I thought you were dead" person out of the "next time on the walking dead" trailer after episode 1. I really feel that the moment was emotionally watered down for the player because we were expecting to meet someone.it would have been much more emotional if it was a shock surprise not in the trailer cut scene.
Where is the scary stuff? By now we should be coming across families who committed suicide, children walkers, more truly horrific stuff. Where is it? So far season 2 feels toned down and censored from the gory horrific stuff you would find in TWD universe. Why is season 2 not as dark, where is the hopelessness, and disturbing stuff encountered in season 1? One thing is for sure the loss of Sean and Jake shows in the game. I played this episode in the pitch black at night alone and did not get the chills once. No goosebumps at all. That is just not good. Not good at all.
Say what you want about delays. The extended length from episode 1 to episode 2 put a sour feel to this episode. It is a shame that it was not avoided. I firmly believe the PR team has no hand in keeping fans in the dark. I believe that because of contracts, micromanagement, and other reasons that they are not allowed to pass relevant information on to the fans. Hopefully TTG as a company can learn from this mistake and keep customers more in the loop for the products they have purchased.
Overall I enjoyed episode 2 much more then episode 1 of season 2 but still do not like it as much for starved for help or the long road ahead of season 1. I feel TTG is moving in the correct direction for story of season 2 but has toned down a lot of the hopeless, dark, horrific gore that exists in the TWD universe. Season 2 is at a cross road where episode 2 could be the "Jump the shark" episode for the season depending on the direction TTG goes for episode 3.
Comments
Thank you. I can't stop thinking to myself how TTG missed such a golden opportunity with the "I thought you were dead" reveal. I just looked up a YouTube of the trailer for a long road ahead. Other then a 2 second show of Katcha holding Duck in the RV the players had no idea he was bitten. No idea of the cut wrenching scene of putting him down. Bottom line is TTG missed such a emotional unanticipated OMG scene that could have really shocked the player.
After thinking about this something is missing overall in season 2. It is the unanticipated OMG gut wrenching deaths. Other then Omid's death we have not had any any real OMG deaths that were unanticipated. We knew Pete was bitten so his death was not a surprise. In a long road ahead Katcha, Duck, Carley all were gut wrenching deaths completely unanticipated.
Where is all the frightening stuff that we should be seeing from a TWD game? I sure miss the after shots of a baby sitter all mangled bleeding out on the floor, random people who are bitten killing themselves right in front of you, how when a person or group is desperate he she or they would do ANYTHING to survive. Season 2 seemed toned down for me in the scary department.
Later guys I'm going to bed. Interested in the replies tomorrow!
It was too short Kenny should be dead and Rebecca shouldn't have carvers baby and walter is aisan and for only that reason I tried to save him. That's what I think
Don't really have any complaints about the technical issues aside from one response not playing completely. If there is one recommendation I'd like to give, it's that Telltale needs to find a way to make Clem competent that doesn't involve making the adults looks like idiots.
Carlos: "Anyone got any ideas on how to do this?" Adult characters are baffled.
Clem: "I got this." Flicks a lighter. Takes a key and puts it in a keyhole. Voila!
I mean seriously? I'd rather see more cooperative problem solving in the future to be honest. Otherwise, I greatly enjoyed this episode. I'm sure I'll have more thoughts later once I get more mentally organized.
Ha. Yea.
Meet someone new "hey Clem you do the talking".
Take a look out for safety "hey Clem what do u see on top that tower"
I made a thread months back about the playable character being a kid and it was pretty much for those reasons.
Hardest decisions ever! The whole hostage sequence was pure gold! Let me tell you, I had to swap T-Shirts cause I was sweating so hard from all the stress. The ending made up for most of the other flaws, in my opinion.
Yea the hostage situation played out well. Not sure I liked the walk to carvers camp at the very end but it was much better then ep 1.
Starved for Help was overrated, and this episode is my personal favorite episode
I loved the game but i wish they made the wind turbine puzzle slightly more involved rather than turning a key and pressing the button, maybe something slimier to the train where you need to press more than one button or switch.
AHAHHAHAHAAH Laughed so hard at that omg
it is actually funny how everyone is talking about the engine in which this game is made, because i personally don't give a damn how good/bad it looks, since it is some kind of RPG/Adventure/Storytell-thing.
And the graphics are in my opinion fitting, but that is not the point.
my complaint about this episode, is simply, that the writer are lazy.
which is funny, since we waited over 3 month for this very disappointing episode.
compared to the first season it was a constant thrill and characters you loved and hated. even the ones you hated was something you loved, because you had some kind of fight. no matter if you liked ben or someone else, you always had some thing which could be considered an antipathy to this person aswell.
in this season everything is made out of glas (sorry for the lack of words here, but english is not my native language)
nothing really affects me and i give a damn about technically everyone, the closest connection i had was with the dog from episode 1, which was made nice and (until i killed it) well thought trough, sicne nothing would come close to the relation to clem and lee.
so i was like: it's nice, it's a dog.. we can go on a journey.
but what happened then?
just bullshit.
in season one you had the constant thrill of being hunted by this stalker guy, had to protect clem. had to keep the group calm or your loved ones safe.
in this one?
i dont really care about anyone.. everyone of them could die and i wouldn't give a damn.
and why the writers are lazy? because they take out every "mindfucking" or "interesting" point of those characters.
if it is the father or fakefather of christa (i guess that was her name, read as in: i don't give a damn what her name was, while i remember every relationship and name about season 1) which could have been interesting how this works out. if he will stand to her and the child, even knowing that it is not his. - bam, dead.
what about the relation to nick, since he killed walters "boyfriend" - bam, dead.
so everything which keeps you playing, which would be interested is brought up/build up by the writers and completely killed a second after.
no some smart asses like you come up with: THIS IS THE WALKING DEAD.
yeah, might be.. but i am not really interested in playing the next episode. everything which was build up is broken/dead.
not like kennys fights in season one.. or "what will happen with clem" "what will happen with ben"
those characters are completely boring and nothing which hooks me to them.
season 3 will look like this:
we are bound to go there. christa is sad that her husband is dead. she doesn't want to be there.
clem is inbetweeen the chairs, still. is seen, like she even said herself, as someone who cant cope with anything herself.
but one thing is still "nice" -> kenny and his new wife thing and her thoughts about him.. but since i was never really hooked to kenny i don't even care about this.
(a cutscene would have been nice, about kenny fleeing from the ben-zombie situation.. but even his long fight and brave behavior is "killed" in under 3 sentences and never mentioned again.
yes i do know, that i dont have to play it
yes i do know, that telltale is awesome
yes i do know, that it is the walking dead
yes i do know, that it is hard work
yes i do know, that i can be happy that they are so generous to produce a game selflessly to not earn any money.. oh wait.. i thinkn my sarcasm is on a too high level for the most of you here. - no offense.
i can't find the edit button, so i guess i have to leave the format how it is, now idea why the forum messed it up.
in addition: i really don't understand why so many people liked this episode or season so far. season one was perfect, this one is just.. bad.
and if you would think about it objectively and compare the things which are important in this game (definitely not the graphics) you notice the differences yourself.
also, i would like to say/ask, that if you downvote this post, be so fair and say something to this and prove me wrong, this is what this forum is for. downvoting just proves for me, how ignorant and immature some people here are. still: no offense.
Hi, new to the community.
I like the earlier points about Season 2 not seeming as grim as Season 1. There really should be more of the dark scenes to deal with (suicides, etc.).
My bigger complaint is that both Episode 1 and 2 of Season 2 have been very short to play through. I found it very frustrating to wait so long for a new episode, and find that I could play through it in less than two hours. I was thinking back to Season 1, and I enjoyed it more because the tasks, missions, and puzzles that were required involved a lot more dialoguing with the other characters, getting their opinions, developing backstory, sometimes returning to them to get their take on how things went. "Starved for Help" is a very good example. In both of these episodes, there has been much less time for back and forth, character exploration, etc. For example, we went on a five day walk through the woods. No time for any conversations or relationship development???? Come on.
Also, the tasks and puzzles have been way too easy. What kind of tree topper should I pick? Oh, this trunk is locked. Oh, here's a knife, good that's done.
Don't get me wrong, the story is good. I love the stories, love playing Clem. But please, stop rushing. Part of what I love about the game is the atmosphere, being at risk, having things uncertain, and when the story is rushed it gives NO time for that anxiety to build.
Oinmo, I wouldn't say it's bad, I just think it's rushing through the narrative way too fast.
Seriously dude? Who the hell you think you are?
I don't care about your opinion on TWD or anything but "I think my sarcasm is on a too high level for the most of you here"?
REALLY? It's the best you got? Couldn't find anything better?
Man, take a chill pill and think about the things you say before actually saying them. Don't put yourself on a pedestal - look what happened at those who did.
Learn from history instead of repeating errors. And yeah - everyone has opinions doesn't mean if you're not okay with them that you have to diss them or treat them as retarded.
Whatever.
I actually didnt watch the "next time on" stuff. But it was spoiled for me by the forums sadly.
That time jump on the 5 day journey really hampered character development between clementine and the group. How can the player get invested if there is little to no dialog between the group and clementine?
I liked the episode but it does not feel as creepy as season1.
"Mark! Where are your legs? Lee don't eat the meat"
The one major thing that i disliked was that whoever you didn't sit at the table with at dinner just fucking gives up on the group
Im sorry Luke I just met someone Who I thought was dead for a year and a half you dont have to fucking leave
then again this is a somewhat minor complaint and hell who knows? mabye Luke will come back to help us escape carvers camp
Second: Some of the S2 group feels like recycled personalities from S1 and in Nick's Case RECYCLED SCENARIO
Nick: Idiot who kills indiscriminately:Kenny
Sarah:Idiot who almost gets everyone killed(in his first episode at least) :Ben
Rebcca:Mean bitch that no one likes:Lilly
Thirdly: the Anti climactic ending
I know that this isn't Starved for help 2.0 but cmon dont say you weren't expecting an awesome fire fight between the new combined groups and Carver's 400 days gang
Fourthly: the clinically depressing ending
You know what i mean
Luke/Kenny is just fucking gone
And everyone is captured by carver
5TH: no [glass him] option
ON the bright side it is a little bit more intresting to have a clear antagonist as there wasn't really one that affected the plot in S1 Besides Campman
I also loved the [Hug Kenny] option
I reccomend to telltale if they dont want to break everyone's hearts
They Bring Luke back in ep3 OR 4 to come back and help the group escape carver
I guess I missed it. Every variation I played had Luke missing and Kenny outside taking potshots. Kenny always wound up inside and a hostage. I think Luke is missing no matter what . . . unless you were able to make it work out differently.
I wanted to kill luke on that bridge and wanted to see how carver kills carlos... With Nick, Alvin and Pete already dead, clems revenge to cabin groip for locking in the shed would then be completed (if rebecca dies in episode 3)...
I have to agree with a few certain points about the 'puzzles' (if you could call them that) being watered down, though I really enjoyed how we got a few more options with how to dispatch walkers (hit them in different places, a choice of weapons despite the direction of the narrative). If only they had a difficulty selection for puzzles that upped the challenge and made hints scarce the harder they are, much like in Silent Hill... it wouldn't change the story, but it does allow for different players to get what they want out of a single game instead of having the same basic task given to everyone.
If Clem is truly supposed to be resourceful, I don't think it would hurt to add a few more layers to puzzles, or make them time sensitive so that if you open something before a certain point in the story, it can change the reaction of a key player and really affect them later on. Also, episode 2 was not tense at all, even the bridge part, if only because the main characters who were involved at that point were pretty well guaranteed to survive.
However, I was quite pleased to see that you could update your group on what happened with past scenarios (mainly with Lily and Carley) and get an idea of how the group should reassess Clem despite her age. I was a bit perturbed at how she's getting snarky, but then she's been through a lot and I think it's starting to make her more callous, which she may then take on as a necessary trait to survive.
I also agree that the 5 day jump could have been better used to create tension in the group (see how nightime exposure, hunger and a desperate plan wears on each individual), or just give Clem a chance to show others how she survived with Christa (maybe hunt a weasel or something, use walker guts to hide her scent even from bigger prey) and depending on what you came back with, it would either ease or amplify the tension of the group.
Of course I'm still interested to see what happens with Carver's little camp and whether or not Tavia is related to Rebecca somehow, or whether or not Tavia is the nice person she appeared to be in 400 Days, and what happened to the other survivors besides Bonnie, so I take episode 2 as an interesting experiment in changing gears to focus on plot points without so much flash/bang involved. I also don't mind the anti-climactic ending so much, either, because it seemed more of an introspective take on how Clem is really quite weak and helpless on her own when in Carver's control, so I suspect a more cerebral fight in episode three where each person vies for their own safety and gets played against each other for a way out.
Lastly, I think Sarah is going to be the most interesting character (is she bi-polar or something?) in the next episode because that pinky swear is going to come into play in captivity, and from how she acted with the gun she found (BAM!), she might end up being the ace up Clem's sleeve because she seems very loyal to her friends, so I can see her doing some terrible things in the name of friendship.
I agree with you, I think the ending was perfect. There's no other way to really explore Carver and to up the drama of being a little kid in this type of situation than to go into the belly of the beast, so I think winding up in the camp is just right.
Nice thoughts on what they "could" have done with the five day jump.
Luke leaves either way?
My bad I just assumed that it was who you sat with ill edit that now
That makes me think that well definately see Luke again
it also makes me feel a little bit better about the ending......
I see much potential in Sarah as Clem's Ace
She (kinda) taught her how to use a gun and they seem to be getting really close to each other
Especially since no one in the group knows sarah knows how to shoot a gun
Also "terrible things in the name of friendship"....lol
Well from her actions with the gun it seems to me she's not that well in touch with reality and its consequences until after they happen, so there could be an advantage in that.
At first I was scared that Sarah was gunna be our new Ben But i now see that she has a lot more positive potential than negative
Although her disassociation with consequences could turn REALLY bad when we force her to do something horrible Honestly im predicting 2 things for EP 3
Luke coming back and trying to save the group OR Sarah killing Carver
Also....Yah Nick is our New Ben..........
I agree with most your points except the cliffhanger ending one, and the fact this series is not as dark as the first Season. I actually think it's much more gruesome and darker. Example? Seeing an eleven year old stitch her arm back was one of the prime ones. Oh and killing a dog with a switchblade was also a pretty nasty one.That's just seeing it from the first episode though. The second one wasn't as gruesome at all. And after what we went through in the previous one it was nice having an episode where the pace was much more comfortable and I got to know my new group better.
And I think the newest episode had one of the best cliffhangers this series has ever had really. It may have left a sour taste in your mouth since you have to wait 2+ months for the next episode. But compared to the last episode's cliffhanger this one is noticeably more stronger in my opinion.
I don't feel like posting much else right now, but you can read the concerns I had here. For the most part, most of them have actually been remedied. And I don't think the writing quality has dipped at all now after playing this episode. Telltale have a clear direction of this Season and where it's going to go from here and I'm really excited for it. I was concerned when Sean and Jake departed Telltale in pursuits of new creative endeavours in favour of Telltale but now, I'm not worried. Season Two has an awful lot of potential here. The second episode was very strong, and I'm really looking forward to where we go next.
If you convince Alvin and Rebecca to give themselves up and then protect Alvin when Carver has a gun to his head, Carver then holds Clem hostage (after hitting her in the stomach) and he 'will remember what she did', so this could be the most prominent point for what happens to Carver if Clem somehow gains the upper hand.
Nick might be your new Ben but in my case he's done and gone, so, no liabilities here. I think he and Kenny would be at great odds, anyway, as they seem to have the same need to do something even if it doesn't make a lot of sense because of their past.
The whatever at the end reminds me of Nick. CUZ THIS IS MY UNITED STATES OF whatever.
That puzzle was incredibly easy. That was the worst attempt at a puzzle I have ever seen.
That the hell has happened to this company's puzzle making ability. Folks were complaining during BTTF and TWDS1 that the puzzles were too easy....
What does TTG do make it easier!!!!!!!! After a 3 month wait and the best puzzle they could come up with was grab key insert here and push.
I can't really follow I what your trying to say but I'm going to try my best.
It looks like you do not feel there has been enough character interaction between clementine and the new group so you as the player do not care about them.
Stitching up was the only memorable event I can recall from episode 1. What I am mainly talking about is the world of shit that us TWD universe. The truly horrific finds of family's who committed suicide. I mean by now the world is pretty far gone we should be coming across more scary shit then just some zombies walking around. Heck the tv show touches on this all the time and really does a good job.....
So far in season 2 I feel TTG has ramped up the swearing and aggressiveness but getting lost in the story is just how far gone the world really is and the horror that exists just being alive in it.
I enjoyed the episode, I just thought a lot of the interactions moved too quickly.
Let me chat with Sarah on the roadtrip. Let me ask the group more about what happened to them before we came along. Let me ask Kenny how he survived. etc.
TTG has moved to a more cinematic format. Gone are the open world levels where you had the ability to roam free and talk to the group.
Think back to the motor inn or St. John's dairy. You could walk around these LARGE areas and explore. You could talk to each character sometimes multiple times.
Now all you do is literally move left to right talk to maybe 2 or 3 people and move on. The camera is just too close. Everything has too much detail. If TTG backed the camera away they could fit more area on the screen.
I sure hope they go black to the older format and ditch this one they are currently using. The game plays top much like a movie now.
I feel the "a man came to our house" part of the preview was way worse. What could have been an extremely tense scene is spoiled by a preview months in advance that nothing bad happena
There is hope for Episode 3. Carver's community seems to be the perfect place for an open social area. Then again, they also had that chance with the ski lodge...
Get this: We. Need. To. Talk. To. People., and not just for the sake of the plot, but because part of this IP's brilliance comes from the interactions of people in a zombie apocalypse, sometimes in the simplest and quietest of moments. Call it zombie soap opera, call it whatever you like, but it is one of its strengths. Now, you have some great potential to have a very innovative and interesting protagonist bond or clash with an also potentially good cast and you are not taking full advantage of it.
Episode two was a bunch of steps in the right direction in my book, but this continues to bug me big time.
please bring back the open world environments where we can explore and talk to all the characters
What do you mean by "shutter bug"? Is that what causes some camera movement to look jittery regardless of FPS? I especially noticed this effect when Clementine was climbing the latter, even though I play at a constant 120 FPS.
Or does it have something to do with the fact that mouths randomly glitch out on certain characters (Nick, Walter) making them look like they are having a stroke?
If Telltale really listens to fan feedback and uses some of it, we should make a point of having this particular suggestion be very public.
On the ps3 everything shuttered. Walking was particularly bad.
I played this episode on my ps3 and my iPad. It actually shutters less and is smoother on my iPad then ps3. I think it's because the graphics are too much for the TTG engine. The graphics are much more in depth on the ps3 then iPad.