The major Problem with walking dead that is hurting the show, comics, and now the game
"Where is the story going and why should fans continue to care" is the big question that has been hanging over the entire Walking Dead franchise and it is the main issue i have with seasons 2.
What the first season did well was give a strong sense of where the overall story was going and by episode 3 of season 1 they made it very clear that savannah was the end game for all the major characters of the story. Clem wanted to find her parents, Kenny wanted to find a boat and Lee wanted get Clem to safety
season 2 Lacks something that both walking dead season 1 and wolf among us had "Focus" Think about it if i asked you what the main story is about what would you say because its not about about going to wellington , Its not about Carver and its not even really about Clementine wanting to find Christa
the story seems aimless with us going from one crazy episode to the next and sadly this also the same problem that is hurting both the comics and tv show too.
Comments
This is the argument I use whenever I meet a Walking Dead TV show fan that hasn't played season 1 of the game. And yes, you are completely correct. Have an upvote.
Episode 1: Wellington.
Episode 2: Wellington.
Episode 3: Fuck you Carver.
Episode 4: Wellington.
I agree completely. I really like The Walking Dead: Season One and The Wolf Among Us because they are both games about redemption, and both games manage to carry out the story well for the main protagonists right to the end of the season. I'm really not sure what to think about The Walking Dead: Season Two at this point since it's not clear what Clementine's story arc is supposed to be. I really hope Telltale gives Clementine's current story a satisfying closure by the end of the season, but at this point I'm not sold on the season yet (which is a weird place for me to be, since I really like the story arcs in all of Telltale's other seasons).
How I felt playing TWD S2 (Kinda a spoof, I really like S2)
episode 1: Damn... I hate that pregnant bitch.
episode 2: Why are they putting all there pressure on a little girl?
episode 3: 90 minutes of Kenny making me do everything, expect the only fun thing. (kill carver)
episode 4: I have no fucking right Kenny? She was bitten! and don't call me a little girl I just did everything for you so you could escape.
I agree with you Jennifer, nice post. It's cool to see a moderator. How did you become one?
Moderators are chosen by a consensus by other moderators and members of the Telltale staff whenever its felt that there is a need for someone new to add to the moderation team. We're all just volunteers who give up a little bit of our free time on the forum, and are chosen from people who are just regular forum members who are friendly and polite and help others out on the forums with useful information and helpful posts.
That's cool, glad to have you here.
The focus is now to live life and try to fix any problems that will occur.
I hear you Myusha and this is how I personally feel about the progression. It's so chaotic. In the first season of the game, the story was about Lee and Clementine working their way to Savannah. I was Lee. I looked after Clementine and made sure I gave her the best shot at surviving this horrible world. The focus may be Wellington, but it seems mythical compared to the hard reality that was Savannah. Wellington doesn't even seem as an option when the group is so weak and fragile.
With that in mind... kudos to the writing staff for keeping the storyline fresh and giving us a season of chaos with some really emotional highs and lows. Yes, the choices you made in previous games aren't amounting to much, but given the scenario, it seems logical. The whole world is in chaos and Clementine's group is certainly no different. It's me, being Clementine, that needs to think about how to weigh what's in my best interest against the interest of the group.
Yes exactly , just what I thought at the end of episode 4
Yes exactly , just what I thought at the end of episode 4
because we have 6 people writing different episodes and all want to tell there story and don't care what people think
i think both walking dead season 1 and wolf among us benefited from having writers who had a clear vision of the story they wanted to tell.
Sean Vanaman Mark Darin and Gary Whitta were the main writers of season 1 and they clearly knew were they wanted their story to go
Pierre Shorette was the main writer of wolf among us and he wanted to do his own take on the fables universes since he was a big fan of the comics
I agree. This season is an endless episode of survival. You survive, one of your group dies. I think TTG focuses on the rivalry between Kenny and Luke which clearly shown in the past episodes. I hope Clementine won't have to choose between the two of them.
Seems like the season is about Not wanting to be alone. And what you have to do in order to make it so.
Clementine is still a little girl, and everything around her is chaotic from everyone not knowing whether to treat her like a child or an adult.
That overwhelming feeling of learning/ being stuck in a decision and loneliness and friendship is cutting it hard.
I agree. Season 2 has no compelling story. It was supposed to be about Clem coming of age as a survivor, but there's barely anything thoughtful to say about that. "And then she learned how to kneecap zombies" is a fact, not a story. Season 1 had a strong story with Lee and Clem, along with all the stuff that was happening. Season 2 just has stuff happening. At the end of Season 2, they'll all get to Wellington (maybe) and it will be no big deal. People barely remember that's the point of the season, because it's only about as important as "we must get on a boat" from Season 1. It's a goal, not a story.
And in general, the rest of the TWD universe is like that, too. Stuff just happens, but it's not going anywhere. Telltale's Season 1 was something special; it took the TWD formula, and told a story with it.
Episode 4 this season didn't tell much of a story, but it did tell character stories. It told Jane's story, about what it means to keep going when others give up, and how that changes you when you make peace with it. Thinking about what it would be like to have to give up on a loved one who won't help themselves and then having to live with it .. that was some good stuff.
It also told some of Rebecca's story, about what it means to try to bring new life into a place like TWD and what family means when anyone can die at any moment.
Lots of them blamed Clementine, while she worked the most to get them out of the Community.
Clementine is left with a bitter woman after 16 months whose baby she may have even lost along the way, and even further has shown no personal experience or qualifications in delivery of Rebecca's baby when prompted. Omid was killed by her foolishness in not watching over her own possessions. And just 16 months and possibly even more months atop of that, she was with Lee who cherished and did all he could for her like a surrogate father. She's lost most of the people she's bonded with at the mere age of 9 and feels responsible for the deaths her own foolishness in listening to the Stranger caused. She may have even had to shoot Lee.
She survives the attack on her and Christa, survives a cold harsh river washing her down stream, beating bitten by a rabid psycho dog, being locked up in a shed where she had to force her way out, steal and manipulate her way inside the Cabin, and fix her very own arm while fending a Walker off on top of that accomplishment. She then either saves Pete or Nick from Walkers, and makes several connections within a new group.
She deals with a lunatic leader of a camp chasing after this group, survives being surrounded and locked up by zombies. She proceeds to go hike for nearly a week, killing several walkers while doing maneuvers on a broken bridge and saved Luke's life. She proceeds, and uses her connection with Kenny to get her group safe passage. She handles advanced technology in mere seconds (dumbest puzzle ever), and shoots off Walkers in quick succession, even going so far as to knife one in the face under a bench. Her own influence can save another's life and she can volunteer to try and lead an offensive on Carver, or choose to surrender in order to save lives.
She then becomes the key catalyst to the group's escape due to her short stature and has Carver's respect due to him recognizing her own ability and skill. She's an exemplary survivor for her age and ultimately the group relies on her for their own sake. She learns instructions quickly and can even pick berry-bushes/trees with ease and helps advise the plan of escaping into the herd.
Even in Episode 4 she's the glue keeping Jane with the group, keeping Kenny's sanity in check, and just making sure everything's alright. She learns, adapts, and even has to kill someone she knew if he's still alive.
Clementine isn't the girl who can't shoot a Walker, scrambles onto the floor, or nearly gets crushed with a statue. Her parents have died, her original group has either abandoned her, died, or probably hates her. She's responsible for alot of people's deaths and has always been swept up in it. Going with the Stranger, cost Ben (potentially) and Lee their lives, while Kenny, Omid, and Christa risked theirs. She can even make the decision to kill Sarita. Her agency has grown and she has to deal with the decisions that come with staying alive in such turbulent times.
The overlying question is, is it worth it? I don't think anyone wanted Clem to go through all this.