I'm free at the moment and been'a thinkin, so I guess now would be a decent time to say something on this: The expected answer should probably be no, the "easy" answer would be to veer towards yes a little, but the reality would more likely be a stated, "It's complicated."
So to tell this story one more time in a place where it'd probably matter more, my getting into this game series was kind of a fluke, productively speaking. I'm not a zombie person and what little I knew/know about the TV Show(and apparently comics) was that it aired on the gory and somewhat shlocky side, so there never any chance of me paying it any mind. And while I definitely saw a few things of the game like the cover, fanart, and the wonderful G4 scene, it too was not on my radar beyond being that thing that existed. It was on a day in Technical College that I, having done much of my work in advance pretty early in the morning and lacking my own car at the time, had little to do besides watch videos including a Let's Play channel. And with the games I was interested in either being gradually uploaded or simply having been watched a couple of times before, I eventually caved in on watching Season 1 Episode 1 and ended up enjoying it.
When isolated on that grounds, I'd say it's one of those blessings in disguise, if another case of me liking something I was initially sidestepping. With Starved for Help some days later, I realized that was a great game and with the eventual finale, it was a great story. I liked a number of the characters, I appreciated the level of detail and thoughtfulness, and I loved the complicated, but ultimately positive themes of humanity and what people will do to protect what they care about. It such a relatively upstanding experience start to finish that it honestly affected how I would look at and think about things going forward, as has no doubt been demonstrated in this very community numerous times in the past. On those self-contained yet technically Monster of the Week grounds, one could probably get away with saying the answer is yes.
And it was because of that watch that I patiently waited at least another 2-3 years to buy Season 2 on disc and experience it firsthand for myself. A couple of weeks/days after that playthrough in June 2016, I seriously worked up the courage and presentations to join this Community and here a few of us still are. Oh Season 2--such a fairly agreed upon batch of Wasted Potential for something great if not greater and a disillusioning frustration overall. Whereas Season 1 was a grounded, comprehensive, and uplifting tough act, its sequel was a more pretentious, wishy-washy, and cynical follow up. You know, it probably says something that a lot of my own former zeal was borne of and can spiritually be traced back to how I felt going into and following the finale.
Ah well, ashes can apparently be used as a fertilizer, so I suppose there was still some good that came both with the bad and because of the bad. Looking back, I still remember the comparatively brighter days where interesting conversations, fun asides, and even cheeky lampshades were being made here. There were things like @Lilacsbloom and @RavenSnowstorm 's quirkiness, Bossman @Deltino and later @Graysonn gamedelving out some insight about the game's development, or sometimes even Old man @dan290786 's habit of getting into long drawn out arguments involving you-know-who; in my case, I suppose that would be the casual jokes about my tendency to make a couple of paragraphs up to even essays out of things or my peculiar flourish to some ideas. Fun times were had, interesting discussions happened, and it just generally felt like, well, a community around here.
And because I had gone to the effort of signing the dotted line to be here in such a convenient year, I of course was technically sticking around for the earlier road to "Season 3," and the actual experience of being here while a game installment/Season was going through it's collective lifespan. There were the many lists of who could return for it, the E3 teaser of the initial concept, the speculation about who Javier was gonna be, the Amazon listing, and the suspicious in hindsight conspiracy theories about "Capricorn Farms." Then we got the buildup to A New Frontier proper with the cover art, the Twitter screenshots, the trailer, and finally the two part premiere. Yeeeah....
A New Frontier is unfortunately where the first answer comes into play by the end. It's a shame because I personally was sorta welcoming of some of the shakeups it was trying to do, surprisingly liked more of the cast than Season 2, and feel it was more positive in its vibe-bi-doo. Alas, this was the objectively weakest put together game in the series overall that in spite of it's streamlining departures ultimately retained some of the trappings of Season 2 and in some places accentuated them. If Season 2 shook many senses of idealism, A New Frontier is what damaged the investment into dismissal. But the worst part of it from my perspective wasn't the game itself, which some have said is just sub-par in itself, but rather the stuff around it.
Before I get too downing, let's give a shoutout to the staff. From the the Telltale Dev Team Twitch Stream that was done in honor of the premiere to the AMAs that were held after some episodes, their hospitality was legit one of the few positive things to come out of that 2016-2017 semester onward. To have some writers, voice actors, and other developers take the time out of their lofty schedule to come down, answer our questions, and level with us was something special--at least for me personally. So I'd like to take to time to say--Ms. Finley, Mr. Douglas, Mr. Schroyer, Mr. Stauffer, Mr. Howe, Mr. Mudle, Ms. Liddick, Mr. Ortega, Mr. Lenart, Mr. Latino, Mr. McManus, Mr. Shorette, Ms. Shennoy, Ms. Rapp, Ms. Jones, Mr. Hammon, Ms. Yvette, Mr. Hoffman, Mr. Herman, Mr. Thomas, Ms. Hutchinson, Mr. Fennoy, and all your many other talented guys&gals I'm blankin on--thank you.
Now to the falloff: the overall climate of this community was...not the best at around ANF. There were the statements from developers regarding what was gonna be in the game that, honestly, even I think was pretty unwise to say that people loved to levy for a start. Then there was the general negativity, controversy, and that came with how the game was turning out. There was a inescapable sense that Telltale no doubt was aware of many issues and quibbles that were being had and yet eventually did some fairly off things with the last two episodes that kinda drug the installment overall. And finally, there was the infectiously toxic sentiments that started as somewhat understandable and fair points of concern but rose to be discordant and downright hostile marshes that really stunk up the joint for almost everyone involved.
I say [almost] everyone involved in part because that had myself included. I'll admit right now that after ANF, there was a sense of severed anger that I would feel from time to time and it probably showed. Granted, there was undoubtedly an outrage to me back in the day at certain points, particularly whenever Jane was relevant, but I seem to remember this festering longer like a cloud. As much as I try to be understanding and patient, the way things were then just left a smokey haze because of Telltale and especially because of it's consumption.
Basically, I was effectively "done" with the series emotionally after all that. Between TWDG continually dropping in quality and quantity, Telltale making some weird choices, the constant inconsistency and shilly-shally to the experience, a fickle and sometimes hurtful fanbase among others, real life having a managing say-so, and just plain not getting much out of it, I not unlike others just felt like I had been burned one time too many. Thus I was pretty open in admitting that I had no real interest in Little Ms. Mascot anymore nor was I entertaining getting "Clementine's Story," which tellingly ended up being The Final Season. And while I will say there were still a few things that were potential interest because of course, that Season couldn't escape undertones of both "too little, too late" and more of the same beyond something to get over with.
So with all of that roughly recounted, added up, and whatnot, that lands me, the OP, as the latest in the replying position. To answer each of the questions quickly, no, not really, and that's a sum.
Heh hard to say,i'm gonna say yes i'm still not very happy of how this Final Season turned out but what's done is done,i'll still remember all the good times we had here and look back fondly on the first two seasons at least.
In the recent times that I've generally been away from this community and these games, there's been a select few moments where I'm reflecting on my hand with this series. And there are some times where that reflection makes me feel somewhat regretful.
Now whether that's just a part of life in general or not, it comes up. Is there anyone else that feels that kinda way?
In the recent times that I've generally been away from this community and these games, there's been a select few moments where I'm reflectin… moreg on my hand with this series. And there are some times where that reflection makes me feel somewhat regretful.
Now whether that's just a part of life in general or not, it comes up. Is there anyone else that feels that kinda way?
I'm just recalling the immense disappointment, frustration, and anger many of us had towards this game, its content, and in a few cases even it's staff for the stuff that didn't exactly pan out well. Oops, wrong thread.
I sometimes feel bad about gettin involved and some of the stuff that came of it.
I'm not sure about that. The sequel should have been done better than that. Season 2 was pretty decent, A New Frontier was such an abomination and TFS should have been more than just better than its garbage predecessor. But I feel bad for the employees more than the games. Kevin Bruner was such a fucking dickhead, getting away with everything he has done to ruin the studio. Telltale had such terrible management as well, reusing the same gameplay formula for all future titles, not switching their old engine with a better one, releasing 2-3 projects yearly, buying too many license properties, no original IP and releasing games nobody asked for like Guardians of the Galaxy and Minecraft Story Mode etc. Pete Hawley tried to fix everything and everyone should respect him but it was already too late, considering the poor sales of their latest titles. They haven't done any redeeming qualities since Tales from the Borderlands. Both Batman games were pretty good but also forgettable and The Final Season did try everything it could but didn't receive enough attention. The Walking Dead in general just overstayed its welcome over the past few years. The games deserved better, Survival Instinct and Overkill couldn't have the same magic as Season 1 and Clementine's story is the only one at least gets a decent ending. The TV show is just being milked, being less faithful to the comics and AMC doesn't stop despite the loss of viewers. Robert Kirkman just had George Lucas the shit out of his beloved comics and put it in the coffin for the last time, completely out of nowhere. He never even credited Telltale for the game that made his franchise more popular in his goodbye letter. What a fucking dick.
I originally dismissed the walking dead season 1 for being a cheap cash-in on the comic that didn't even have the characters in it.
I was so wrong. These games made feel things beyond anything the comic did. I came to love the games so much more than the comic. They reignited a spark inside me that had faded long ago.
So I have no regrets despite the many, many flaws.
The finale really made me feel regretful being invested in this series. Like what was the point if it all came down to this shoddy, medicore mess?
But now that some time has passed I feel like I can still compartmentalize S1 and S2 separately from TFS.
I can still appreciate S1 as the classic standalone that it is, and S2 as the sort-of-but-not-really worthy sequel. Nothing can take away from S1. But it will be weird down the line when people will suggest TT's TWD to people wanting a narrative game, they'll be likely to say "Play S1 and stop there. Don't play the 3 sequels".
ANF and TFS are fanfiction spin-offs that should have never existed, and at this point don't truly exist to me. I think it's even more easier to digest given that none of the original writers worked on S3 or S4. They're the least of the sequels that feel canon.
. S2 atleast felt canon on some sort of level. Someone can play S1 and that alone, and feel like the story that was told was 100 percent completed and self-contained. The theme and meaning of the series is all encapsulated; no need or feeling that you have to expand. The rest of the series in regards of its themes is essentially already in the original season. S2 throws some new ideas around but ANF is simply unredeemable. TFS especially is the biggest culprit in just essentially being a rehash. You don't really need to play the sequels to gain something more.
Someone can also play both just S1 and S2 and feel that a proper narrative was completed and tied up, if you were curious in completing Clem's character arc. Clementine's story finishes nicely enough in S2 that if she were never re-introduced ever again (and if TT specifically announced so, with no cameos at all either), most would be content.
ANF and TFS are just not necessary.
So to definitively answer, no not really.
S1 has been worth it.
S2 was semi-worth it
But not at all to the entire later half of the series. Only half of the investment was worth it.
Kirkman views everything not related directly to his comic as separate entities.
I don't blame him, I view them separately too.
I've never watched the show or or read the comics in my life. TWD S1 is completely separate to me. It's not even written by Kirkman in any way shape or form. I don't know why people try to relate it to the show and the comics so much.
TWD S1 could have easily been an IP and not a product based on someone else's creation, that's how masterful it was.
I'm not sure about that. The sequel should have been done better than that. Season 2 was pretty decent, A New Frontier was such an abominati… moreon and TFS should have been more than just better than its garbage predecessor. But I feel bad for the employees more than the games. Kevin Bruner was such a fucking dickhead, getting away with everything he has done to ruin the studio. Telltale had such terrible management as well, reusing the same gameplay formula for all future titles, not switching their old engine with a better one, releasing 2-3 projects yearly, buying too many license properties, no original IP and releasing games nobody asked for like Guardians of the Galaxy and Minecraft Story Mode etc. Pete Hawley tried to fix everything and everyone should respect him but it was already too late, considering the poor sales of their latest titles. They haven't done any redeeming qualities since Tales from the Borderlands. Both Batman games were … [view original content]
Kirkman views everything not related directly to his comic as separate entities.
I don't blame him, I view them separately too.
I've n… moreever watched the show or or read the comics in my life. TWD S1 is completely separate to me. It's not even written by Kirkman in any way shape or form. I don't know why people try to relate it to the show and the comics so much.
TWD S1 could have easily been an IP and not a product based on someone else's creation, that's how masterful it was.
Agree. Unless you want to find out what happens but don't mind being dissapointed, then you should still play the rest. But still, there is some fun to be had with the latter games, you're just going to have to force a different mindset where you somehow ignore the issues in the writing.
The finale really made me feel regretful being invested in this series. Like what was the point if it all came down to this shoddy, medicore… more mess?
But now that some time has passed I feel like I can still compartmentalize S1 and S2 separately from TFS.
I can still appreciate S1 as the classic standalone that it is, and S2 as the sort-of-but-not-really worthy sequel. Nothing can take away from S1. But it will be weird down the line when people will suggest TT's TWD to people wanting a narrative game, they'll be likely to say "Play S1 and stop there. Don't play the 3 sequels".
ANF and TFS are fanfiction spin-offs that should have never existed, and at this point don't truly exist to me. I think it's even more easier to digest given that none of the original writers worked on S3 or S4. They're the least of the sequels that feel canon.
. S2 atleast felt canon on some sort of level. Someone can play S1 and that alone, and feel … [view original content]
Comments
I'm free at the moment and been'a thinkin, so I guess now would be a decent time to say something on this: The expected answer should probably be no, the "easy" answer would be to veer towards yes a little, but the reality would more likely be a stated, "It's complicated."
So to tell this story one more time in a place where it'd probably matter more, my getting into this game series was kind of a fluke, productively speaking. I'm not a zombie person and what little I knew/know about the TV Show(and apparently comics) was that it aired on the gory and somewhat shlocky side, so there never any chance of me paying it any mind. And while I definitely saw a few things of the game like the cover, fanart, and the wonderful G4 scene, it too was not on my radar beyond being that thing that existed. It was on a day in Technical College that I, having done much of my work in advance pretty early in the morning and lacking my own car at the time, had little to do besides watch videos including a Let's Play channel. And with the games I was interested in either being gradually uploaded or simply having been watched a couple of times before, I eventually caved in on watching Season 1 Episode 1 and ended up enjoying it.
When isolated on that grounds, I'd say it's one of those blessings in disguise, if another case of me liking something I was initially sidestepping. With Starved for Help some days later, I realized that was a great game and with the eventual finale, it was a great story. I liked a number of the characters, I appreciated the level of detail and thoughtfulness, and I loved the complicated, but ultimately positive themes of humanity and what people will do to protect what they care about. It such a relatively upstanding experience start to finish that it honestly affected how I would look at and think about things going forward, as has no doubt been demonstrated in this very community numerous times in the past. On those self-contained yet technically Monster of the Week grounds, one could probably get away with saying the answer is yes.
And it was because of that watch that I patiently waited at least another 2-3 years to buy Season 2 on disc and experience it firsthand for myself. A couple of weeks/days after that playthrough in June 2016, I seriously worked up the courage and presentations to join this Community and here a few of us still are. Oh Season 2--such a fairly agreed upon batch of Wasted Potential for something great if not greater and a disillusioning frustration overall. Whereas Season 1 was a grounded, comprehensive, and uplifting tough act, its sequel was a more pretentious, wishy-washy, and cynical follow up. You know, it probably says something that a lot of my own former zeal was borne of and can spiritually be traced back to how I felt going into and following the finale.
Ah well, ashes can apparently be used as a fertilizer, so I suppose there was still some good that came both with the bad and because of the bad. Looking back, I still remember the comparatively brighter days where interesting conversations, fun asides, and even cheeky lampshades were being made here. There were things like @Lilacsbloom and @RavenSnowstorm 's quirkiness, Bossman @Deltino and later @Graysonn gamedelving out some insight about the game's development, or sometimes even Old man @dan290786 's habit of getting into long drawn out arguments involving you-know-who; in my case, I suppose that would be the casual jokes about my tendency to make a couple of paragraphs up to even essays out of things or my peculiar flourish to some ideas. Fun times were had, interesting discussions happened, and it just generally felt like, well, a community around here.
And because I had gone to the effort of signing the dotted line to be here in such a convenient year, I of course was technically sticking around for the earlier road to "Season 3," and the actual experience of being here while a game installment/Season was going through it's collective lifespan. There were the many lists of who could return for it, the E3 teaser of the initial concept, the speculation about who Javier was gonna be, the Amazon listing, and the suspicious in hindsight conspiracy theories about "Capricorn Farms." Then we got the buildup to A New Frontier proper with the cover art, the Twitter screenshots, the trailer, and finally the two part premiere. Yeeeah....
A New Frontier is unfortunately where the first answer comes into play by the end. It's a shame because I personally was sorta welcoming of some of the shakeups it was trying to do, surprisingly liked more of the cast than Season 2, and feel it was more positive in its vibe-bi-doo. Alas, this was the objectively weakest put together game in the series overall that in spite of it's streamlining departures ultimately retained some of the trappings of Season 2 and in some places accentuated them. If Season 2 shook many senses of idealism, A New Frontier is what damaged the investment into dismissal. But the worst part of it from my perspective wasn't the game itself, which some have said is just sub-par in itself, but rather the stuff around it.
Before I get too downing, let's give a shoutout to the staff. From the the Telltale Dev Team Twitch Stream that was done in honor of the premiere to the AMAs that were held after some episodes, their hospitality was legit one of the few positive things to come out of that 2016-2017 semester onward. To have some writers, voice actors, and other developers take the time out of their lofty schedule to come down, answer our questions, and level with us was something special--at least for me personally. So I'd like to take to time to say--Ms. Finley, Mr. Douglas, Mr. Schroyer, Mr. Stauffer, Mr. Howe, Mr. Mudle, Ms. Liddick, Mr. Ortega, Mr. Lenart, Mr. Latino, Mr. McManus, Mr. Shorette, Ms. Shennoy, Ms. Rapp, Ms. Jones, Mr. Hammon, Ms. Yvette, Mr. Hoffman, Mr. Herman, Mr. Thomas, Ms. Hutchinson, Mr. Fennoy, and all your many other talented guys&gals I'm blankin on--thank you.
Now to the falloff: the overall climate of this community was...not the best at around ANF. There were the statements from developers regarding what was gonna be in the game that, honestly, even I think was pretty unwise to say that people loved to levy for a start. Then there was the general negativity, controversy, and that came with how the game was turning out. There was a inescapable sense that Telltale no doubt was aware of many issues and quibbles that were being had and yet eventually did some fairly off things with the last two episodes that kinda drug the installment overall. And finally, there was the infectiously toxic sentiments that started as somewhat understandable and fair points of concern but rose to be discordant and downright hostile marshes that really stunk up the joint for almost everyone involved.
I say [almost] everyone involved in part because that had myself included. I'll admit right now that after ANF, there was a sense of severed anger that I would feel from time to time and it probably showed. Granted, there was undoubtedly an outrage to me back in the day at certain points, particularly whenever Jane was relevant, but I seem to remember this festering longer like a cloud. As much as I try to be understanding and patient, the way things were then just left a smokey haze because of Telltale and especially because of it's consumption.
Basically, I was effectively "done" with the series emotionally after all that. Between TWDG continually dropping in quality and quantity, Telltale making some weird choices, the constant inconsistency and shilly-shally to the experience, a fickle and sometimes hurtful fanbase among others, real life having a managing say-so, and just plain not getting much out of it, I not unlike others just felt like I had been burned one time too many. Thus I was pretty open in admitting that I had no real interest in Little Ms. Mascot anymore nor was I entertaining getting "Clementine's Story," which tellingly ended up being The Final Season. And while I will say there were still a few things that were potential interest because of course, that Season couldn't escape undertones of both "too little, too late" and more of the same beyond something to get over with.
So with all of that roughly recounted, added up, and whatnot, that lands me, the OP, as the latest in the replying position. To answer each of the questions quickly, no, not really, and that's a sum.
Heh hard to say,i'm gonna say yes i'm still not very happy of how this Final Season turned out but what's done is done,i'll still remember all the good times we had here and look back fondly on the first two seasons at least.
In the recent times that I've generally been away from this community and these games, there's been a select few moments where I'm reflecting on my hand with this series. And there are some times where that reflection makes me feel somewhat regretful.
Now whether that's just a part of life in general or not, it comes up. Is there anyone else that feels that kinda way?
Could you elaborate a bit more, what do you mean with made me feel regretful?
I'm just recalling the immense disappointment, frustration, and anger many of us had towards this game, its content, and in a few cases even it's staff for the stuff that didn't exactly pan out well. Oops, wrong thread.
I sometimes feel bad about gettin involved and some of the stuff that came of it.
I'm not sure about that. The sequel should have been done better than that. Season 2 was pretty decent, A New Frontier was such an abomination and TFS should have been more than just better than its garbage predecessor. But I feel bad for the employees more than the games. Kevin Bruner was such a fucking dickhead, getting away with everything he has done to ruin the studio. Telltale had such terrible management as well, reusing the same gameplay formula for all future titles, not switching their old engine with a better one, releasing 2-3 projects yearly, buying too many license properties, no original IP and releasing games nobody asked for like Guardians of the Galaxy and Minecraft Story Mode etc. Pete Hawley tried to fix everything and everyone should respect him but it was already too late, considering the poor sales of their latest titles. They haven't done any redeeming qualities since Tales from the Borderlands. Both Batman games were pretty good but also forgettable and The Final Season did try everything it could but didn't receive enough attention. The Walking Dead in general just overstayed its welcome over the past few years. The games deserved better, Survival Instinct and Overkill couldn't have the same magic as Season 1 and Clementine's story is the only one at least gets a decent ending. The TV show is just being milked, being less faithful to the comics and AMC doesn't stop despite the loss of viewers. Robert Kirkman just had George Lucas the shit out of his beloved comics and put it in the coffin for the last time, completely out of nowhere. He never even credited Telltale for the game that made his franchise more popular in his goodbye letter. What a fucking dick.
I originally dismissed the walking dead season 1 for being a cheap cash-in on the comic that didn't even have the characters in it.
I was so wrong. These games made feel things beyond anything the comic did. I came to love the games so much more than the comic. They reignited a spark inside me that had faded long ago.
So I have no regrets despite the many, many flaws.
The finale really made me feel regretful being invested in this series. Like what was the point if it all came down to this shoddy, medicore mess?
But now that some time has passed I feel like I can still compartmentalize S1 and S2 separately from TFS.
I can still appreciate S1 as the classic standalone that it is, and S2 as the sort-of-but-not-really worthy sequel. Nothing can take away from S1. But it will be weird down the line when people will suggest TT's TWD to people wanting a narrative game, they'll be likely to say "Play S1 and stop there. Don't play the 3 sequels".
ANF and TFS are fanfiction spin-offs that should have never existed, and at this point don't truly exist to me. I think it's even more easier to digest given that none of the original writers worked on S3 or S4. They're the least of the sequels that feel canon.
. S2 atleast felt canon on some sort of level. Someone can play S1 and that alone, and feel like the story that was told was 100 percent completed and self-contained. The theme and meaning of the series is all encapsulated; no need or feeling that you have to expand. The rest of the series in regards of its themes is essentially already in the original season. S2 throws some new ideas around but ANF is simply unredeemable. TFS especially is the biggest culprit in just essentially being a rehash. You don't really need to play the sequels to gain something more.
Someone can also play both just S1 and S2 and feel that a proper narrative was completed and tied up, if you were curious in completing Clem's character arc. Clementine's story finishes nicely enough in S2 that if she were never re-introduced ever again (and if TT specifically announced so, with no cameos at all either), most would be content.
ANF and TFS are just not necessary.
So to definitively answer, no not really.
S1 has been worth it.
S2 was semi-worth it
But not at all to the entire later half of the series. Only half of the investment was worth it.
Kirkman views everything not related directly to his comic as separate entities.
I don't blame him, I view them separately too.
I've never watched the show or or read the comics in my life. TWD S1 is completely separate to me. It's not even written by Kirkman in any way shape or form. I don't know why people try to relate it to the show and the comics so much.
TWD S1 could have easily been an IP and not a product based on someone else's creation, that's how masterful it was.
Essentially. Just give replace Hershel & Glenn and you're gold.
Agree. Unless you want to find out what happens but don't mind being dissapointed, then you should still play the rest. But still, there is some fun to be had with the latter games, you're just going to have to force a different mindset where you somehow ignore the issues in the writing.