Am I the only one who just doesn't...
care anymore?
Now hear me out before the downvotes pour in (I'm ready for them, lol)...
I really wanted to like this episode. I really want to like TWD. I really want to like TTG, and I bought the season pass for a reason, and that reason was not to whine incessantly about the episodes, not that you could tell by my posting history.
But... I realized after reading the response to Ep4 (after playing it, of course)... that I just don't care anymore. People talk about how tense and emotional the episode was and I just don't feel that anymore. At all. I was ready to feel something about this episode, too, because I haven't so far this season...
And nope, nothing.
I cut Sarita's arm, Kenny screamed at me, I tried to apologize, but other than that whatever. He would have done the same thing whether he likes it or not, but there's no option to tell him that, and honestly I just wanted to leave the man alone. Let him do what he's going to do, considering I still haven't been sold on him even making it out of Savannah. Tried to not put down Sarita so he could choose life or death for himself, and for some reason Sarita not dying makes a second walker grab Clem. Because of course.
Was nice to Jane, thought her story was nice enough, although very Molly. Was nice to Rebecca, because she was starting to unravel. Kenny was still angry when I talked to him, fine, fair play. He's allowed to be angry, his gf just died, and his life sucks. Didn't make me sad or hurt or angry or whatever. Nick dying surprised me, I expected him to die but I also expected to care. I mostly just thought his blue eyes looked cool as a walker, which is a disturbing thought to have about one of your favorite characters dying.
Saved Sarah, that was nice. She started to come around a little, that was nice. Had some nice talks with Mike and Bonnie, although those 'hubs' were... not exactly more than a "find the thing". Didn't steal the pills, didn't want Jane to threaten Arvo (did she miss the part about him having lots of friends?) but I knew I couldn't stop her, so it happened. I talked to everyone it was possible to talk to at all times. I noticed, often, how rarely I was actually given control of Clem. It was still mostly cutscene. When Sarah died, it sucked, but when she was crying for me to help her I just thought "That isn't very nice of you, TT, you know she's determinant, you know I know what goes down here." It was not, at ALL, the nausea and regret I felt when Ben died in S1E5, and I liked Sarah more than Ben.
Couldn't manage to care about the Luke/Jane thing... was pretty obvious as soon as they changed Rebecca's skin tone and had her cough what was gonna happen. I was slightly irritated by Arvo saying I robbed him, and when I shot Rebecca and the screen cut to black, I turned off the game and went back to my book. Now it seems like people think that it was a cliffhanger, and I guess it was. But at this point I just don't care whether that group lives or dies, and I like pretty much everyone in it.
I'm happy for other people who enjoyed it, but... I felt nothing. I used to love TWD, still love this forum. What happened? 
It sucks to not enjoy the episodes anymore. I might not even download E5 even though I have the season pass...
Comments
Working on 4 games at once is what happened
Well thats your opinion. I think its still great and just as good as season 1
I feel as if sometimes I love the community more than the game...
It's not a bad game, it's actually good, not as good as it used to be though...
The only thing I don't feel this season is the emotion. Nothing so far has been sad IMO. That's something that this season is lacking.
Few examples: Even though Omid was a well known character and fan favorite, his death was way too quick for anybody to really feel any emotion. I did feel shocked however because of how unexpected it was. Then there is Pete's death. We barely knew the guy, It's hard for me to feel sad for a character we barely got to know. Then Alvin, his character wasn't developed enough IMO and all the new deaths in Amid The Ruins weren't sad either. It sucks though because I was actually getting used to having Rebecca around but oh well. No feels were felt this season, but hopefully some hit me in the finale.
You're 100% right that it's my opinion.
Words cannot describe how happy for you and jealous of you I am that you are still enjoying the episodes, really.
That I kind of agree with you. Don't get me wrong the season has been amazing but I haven't really had any emotional feels. Except when the dog died.
Though I respect your opinion I disagree, I care about the characters a lot especially after the way episode 4 ended. Episode 4 in my opinion was the best episode in season 2.
Kind of where I'm at, too... I come on the forums close to daily, and I love discussing things... but I still mostly play other games, and I don't even bother with looking for release news, etc. anymore. I just wait for the episode to come out, shell out my 2 hours, and hurry back to the forum to read the fresh threads. Not really how it's supposed to work XD
There's so much sadness in this game it doesn't affect me as much as when we didn't see it coming. I already guessed who was going to die, and all my guesses were correct, so it didn't have as big of an affect.
I was annoyed when Arvo called me out on lying, but I hope to see a little more why he said that next episode.
I honestly am dreading the wait for the last episode, because this cliffhanger killed me.
I'm with you on this. I finished the episode and my reaction was basically, "meh," and I turned the Ps3 off without even listening to the credits. The majority of people seem to be enjoying the season and I'm glad for them, but after Episode 3 I've pretty much stopped caring about the series. I have the season pass as well and I feel the same way about it.
That is something that has concerned me ever since it was announced that two more games were in the pipeline. Maybe it hasn't made a difference, but it's hard to look at things like episode 3 of this season or episode 4 of The Wolf Among Us and not wonder if attention was focused elsewhere.
IF Telltale stuck to their longer episodes, all of our problems would be solved.
I enjoyed Episode 4. It wasn't the strongest episode, but it was still pretty damn good.
I'm getting there.
I didn't hate this episode by any means, in fact, I thought it was pretty decent, but...excitement for the next entry just isn't really there anymore after I completed it.
Well cool story bro
as I said before don't like it don't play it jesus all these annoying whiners are getting on my nerves
The Episode was awesome
I care about Clementine and hopefully we will get a satisfying ending in E5
Opinions and honesty are awesome, right?
And your idiotic ignoring (Edit: my mistake, I mean just flat out disrespectful dismissal, ignoring would actually be a valid choice) of others' opinions and valid criticism is beginning to get on my nerves. Nobody is trying to diminish your enjoyment of the game, but we have every right to point out when we feel something isn't living up to expectations, so fuck right off with that "don't like it, don't play it" crap, which makes no sense because we clearly do like it. That's why we feel so sad that it's just not hitting the notes it once did.
Freakin Telltale killing off the dog.... all jokes aside I agree here. First episode sucked awfully (for many reasons but also) because I didn't care about any of the characters, and although 2 was awesome and 3 was almost as good, 4 was a huge let down. None of the choices seemed to have any effect this time.
Oh my God, we just went full Vernon.
I really think this happens because we are supposed to for those bonds and relationships along the journey. This episode was supposed to be a payoff in a lot of places. Not finale level closure, but some closure, nonetheless. There was no real buildup in a personal level with any of the characters, so of course there is little to no emotional payoff for many. I see it as the logical consequence.
The argument for this is that hubs are busywork, and there needs to be an objective for your average hub-hater to focus on. Thing is, I think TT has misunderstood some of our suggestions, or maybe we could've been clearer (Damn walls-o'-text of mine were not clear enough
), but they were often a welcome thing because of the cast we go to talk to. I would like to make a thread on how hubs work for everyone (if at all). What is their priority, what they have in mind when they cry for hubs? A lot of us might ask for those, and neither Telltale nor between ourselves know what every one of us is talking about.
Not that it would matter, but I think it is worth discussing.
I stole the pills and expected to at least get to go full pragmatic for the bloody sake of the group, but no, he lives. Of f***** course that is going to bite me in the ass later. Apparently, it does no matter what, so eh.
What. A. Goddamn. Waste. What a waste of a character, and of scenes and development that back in A House Divided looked like we were getting somewhere, but evidently not. Tell me about it being hard coding determinants, I'll say to you that it was still a waste. I understand it, but it was a fucking waste.
The bigger waste, however, I think are Sarah and Carlos. That is a rant for another time.
I enjoyed it, but felt nothing, either. Weird, huh?
totally agree. the wasted potential is what irritates me the most. By the end I wasn't really rooting for anyone. I hope the pizza/icecream choice isnt what I think it is because I couldnt care less about Luke, and Kenny's story (although I love him) I think needs to come to a close, considering his only seems to exist at the cost of everyone elses. Sarita, Sarah and Nick all deserved better endings than what they got. It would have been nice for Nick to do something significant this episode, rather than not say anything and simply appear re-animated. Considering he barely said a word in ep3 either. I love his character and it is such a waste after everything that happened in ep2. I wish he would've had the chance to prove himself. I know he is determinant but Ben had this kind of scenario last season as well.
The episode was too focused on the 'heroes' of the group like Luke and Jane, who actually did pretty much fuck all when it came to helping people (eg Sarah). I was glad Bonnie and Mike made it to the end but I dont think there was much to redeem that episode. Apart from finally seeing under Nick's hat.
sorry man but I loved the episode and mostly veryone else did
stop playing then?
I Agree I Don't See Where People Are Saying This Episode Had No Emotion Um Lets See Saving Blah Blah Or Blah Blah That Had Emotion And Then At The End With Rebecca Um I Guess People Are Gonna Be Pissy No Matter What Maybe Telltale Should Just QUit Releasing Games Maybe That Will Make People Happy I For One Enjoyed This Episode Even Though It Was Harsh And Made Me Seriously Think About My Decsions
Sometimes opinions can be wrong. I don't think you "don't care" anymore. I think you're misunderstanding yourself. Now, I'm not you. I don't feel how you feel, but you can at least have the courtesy to listen to an old man for advice.
You're getting used to TWD's aesthetic. You're expecting TWD to be TWD. You don't feel the same way you were before because you've played this far into it. How many times can a comedy make you laugh in one day? How long can you enjoy listening to the same song throughout a month?
It's like Vernon. He noticed how he felt nothing when Brie was killed in Crawford, and it made him uncomfortable. He got used to it. Now, you got used to it too, and it's making you uncomfortable.
Not only is the season not complete, but it's not ever going to be as good as season one either...
Though I love this season just barely less than season one, it's different, but that's what it was intended to be. This season isn't for everyone.
Sarah dying was my final straw, I wanted to do some good in a world full of shit. Now, I'm only loyal to myself.
perhaps that's the point..... not caring. The further you make it in the ZA, the more deaths you'll see, the more people you'll lose, and the less it will impact you over time. When you first start out/meet people, you talk to them, try to get to know them/their history/etc, and get attached to them; so it hurts more to lose them. You meet up with others later and you keep your distance, don't ask so many questions, don't get attached to them; because you know it's just a matter of time before they bite it.
It's possible... entirely possible.
But I can still play Season 1 and get into it, even though I know what happens. I can play other games and get into them. Something about this season... it's like it's kept me at arms length this whole time, showing just enough of a character to move the plot along and no more. I mean, how am I supposed to care about characters when they're essentially plot devices now?
I expected for deaths to not be shocking anymore, but it's past not being sad, I think. I just don't even want to play the episodes anymore. It sucks to feel this way about a good series.
But thanks for your input.
How would I have known that I didn't like it if I didn't play it?
Or alternatively (this is a choose your own snark game) : Don't like the thread, don't read it.
Except Telltale is not letting the player make those decisions for themselves... I do want to know more about the characters, and I do WANT to care. Something in the formula here is not letting me, unfortunately.
I dunno, full Vernon might be accurate.
I started out the season being really psyched to see what they could do with it... and then when it disappointed me I just got very clinical about identifying the flaws, looking at the plot, the characters, etc... stuff I usually save for the second playthrough of a game, because I expect to be too caught up in it the first time through. So I got progressively less involved with it, but I always kind of hoped that it would all get pulled together into something great and sensible and get me back onboard again. I don't think that's gonna happen anymore.
And now, while I can say "Hm... this is objectively a good episode, this happened, this happened, these 3 things were done well, this failed but forgivable.. etc..", I just don't feel anything about it. It was 2 hours of... something. I played it, I turned it off, I probably will never think about it again when I'm not actually on this forum typing something about it. The choices don't haunt me, the deaths didn't touch me, It just felt hollow.
So I can totally see someone enjoying it, a lot of pieces are there, there were some solid decisions. But I say that purely analytically. As a person, totally missed the mark on making me care whatsoever what they do in Episode 5 and beyond. As some wonderfully polite people here are suggesting, I might just not play onwards. A strange prospect.
I'm definitely getting there myself. Most of the deaths just left me with a numb feeling. And it's weird, because I am sad about a lot of things that happened in this episode, but it's not emoting well.
The only thing I didn't like was how they used Nick's death in this episode, I've seen the zombies get better sendoffs! I liked the episode overall, one of my favorites, but the Nick thing dampened it.
I was sad by Carlos dying but that was p much it so far.
Oh and Carver dying and Sarah
Season 2 isn't about making dynamic characters. Telltale already went through those hoops when they crafted Season 1, which needed to have all the edges to show that they were capable of making grand interactive narratives. Season 1 is their magnum opus, and we would be unfair to them if we demanded every episode to be like Season 1's Episode 5. We can't expect every season to be as engaging as Season 1 had been.
Don't play the episodes for the new characters. Play it for Clem. They're just as much strangers for us as they were for her. It's her story, it always has been. How she handles each death doesn't necessarily translate to our own reactions, so we should be focusing on her responses to every time a character dies, not our own. Not all of us felt much for Nick's death, but Clem sure did. That's what's important.
I really don't see what's wrong with dynamic characters, there really is no excuse for why the writing has been lacking considerably, if you're going to have characters, DO something with them, I don't want nobodies or walking plot devices, this is the Walking Dead, which is a property based solely on the idea of focusing on the survivors and not the zombie killing itself, Season 2 didn't HAVE to be like this.
I'm sorry, really truly sorry, but that just does not work for me. Especially when Clem has been reduced to near silent-protagonist levels of emotion and characterization. I mean, yes, she does emote, but it is not the same. And assuming the feelings of a fictional character who has been... in my opinion only rather inconsistently written later is not as simple as it sounds.
And I disagree about making dynamic characters. TWDG seasons are just barely games. S2 at least is about 90% cutscene. So when they make a game, there has to be something attractive about them. The plot is usually shaky, so the characterization, atmosphere, world, and choice-making takes center stage over all. If you can't make me care about the characters or the plot in what is essentially a visual novel now, then what is there to care about? The QTEs?
I know that this is not the norm, but I have become less invested in Clem since S1E5. She just doesn't even seem like the same person remotely, and making her a player character has stunted her ability to react, emote, and inspire sympathy significantly. I don't see the progression, and I've become so alienated from what was once her character that I feel less close to her than I did to the 400 days characters. It's bizarre, really.
And for the record, I know I've said this on previous threads, but I'll restate it here. Season 1 was a very very solid 8/10 for me. I was hoping to see the same degree of improvement from then to season 2 as I saw from Monkey Island to TWD (very different genres, I know). It didn't happen. It's like seeing someone be 3 steps from the finish line only to have them run back towards the starting gate while sawing one of their legs off.
I don't know. I almost stopped after Episode 3, but convinced myself 4 might really improve given the tone of the forum feedback on 3. It really DID improve, and I can see that it's a good episode objectively. I just don't feel invested at all anymore. So I'll probably stop for a while. Maybe wait a year or two and try to replay Season 2 and see if I like it then.
I still really like this "game" but the emotional impact of season 1 and the general likability of the characters is not as much. I actually don't think the game is worse though, just not as groundbreaking as season 1.
To be honest for me, after reading all the comics, the TV show, and this game... I'm starting to feel the burnout. Most of the people I didn't like died so YAY but I'm just rooting for Clem to get in a more longterm situation but can they really make this game around that?
I feel exactly like you do. In Season 1 I was immersed, but now with Season 2 I feel more like I'm on the outside looking in. The investment I had even after S2E2 was still pretty good, but the lame 400 Days cameos, Carver's complete change of character, the realization that Nick was no longer going to have any impact at all because of his determinate status, as well as the overall feeling that choices mattered even less than in S1 drew me out and I haven't been able to get back in. I know choices in S1 ultimately didn't change the outcome of the game, but in general they changed a multitude of scenes over the course of the season, for example Carley/Doug, Larry, Ben, and I haven't really seen that in S2.
I enjoyed the episode. The only thing that pissed me off, were the half assed hubs. Forced to go find stuff, and no chance to talk to characters.