Post by Teacakes on Nov 17, 2014 21:42:47 GMT
Telltale's The Walking Dead - Season 2: The Dissapointment
After the success of Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 1, I expected its follow up to be just as good. Sadly, the second season was a lack-luster. Season 1 had several flaws but was a very enjoyable game, an experience that I shall treasure forever. However, Season 2 will be forgotten in time because of the little impact it had on myself, with a few exceptions. I'll get back to that later.
The Walking Dead game by Telltale is based off of the comic's wrote by Robert Kirkman, but instead of following Rick Grimes group, it follows original characters from the same universe. Each season has 5 episodes, each one having dialogue and major choices, and the game shapes itself around your decisions.
In season 1 we played as Lee Everett, a murderer looking for redemption by taking care of a little girl known as Clementine, the heart and soul of the first season. After Lee's demise in the finale, the player now take's on the role of Clementine in the second season.
The subject I would like to touch upon first is the gameplay, lack of puzzles and hubs. Telltale took on a more cinematic approach this time round, with cutscenes taking up the majority of the 5 episodes. When I was finally given control over the game, I would be prompted to take part in quick time events that ultimately got boring the third time I was forced to press Q and E when being attacked by a hungry walker. In the first season, this QTE carried meaning, such as episode 2, where Lee had to hold Lilly, a fellow survivor, back while Kenny, a good friend to Lee depending on player choices, crushed Larry's (Lilly's father) head with a salt lick. The struggle to hold the poor, grief stricken woman back carried weight, making the player question what they were doing, if this was the right thing to do, unlike the QTE from the second season that eventually just became a chore.
The puzzles from season 1 were simple, but rather entertaining. They extended the play time, gave the player a chance to put away they're weapon for a while and concentrate on the puzzle, prompting them to figure it out and use they're brain, with no hand holding necessary. In season 2, there were many wasted opportunities where a puzzle could've been introduced, such as episode 3, where Clementine and the group were trapped inside Carver's, the antagonist of the season, camp. There could have been a puzzle that would help the group escape. Sadly they're was not, and the fact that Telltale developers claim that they thought putting a puzzle into episode 3 would've been shoehorning annoys me a great deal.
Hubs were also lacking in this season. In season 1, when it was calm and the group was settled, we were allowed to walk around the area and talk to our fellow survivors and exhaust dialogue options. In season 2, there were once again many wasted opportunities, for example episode 2, where Clementine and her group had arrived at a Ski Lodge, only to meet up with Kenny who had presumably died in season 1. In the Ski Lodge, we were allowed to talk to several characters, but instead of being given dialogue options, we were simply thrown into a conversation that was over in seconds. In season 1, hubs provided lots of character development, which season 2 lacks.
On the subject of character development and characters in general, many of the survivors we came across this season were boring and overall carried no impact once their unavoidable death occurred. We were given a very dull cast of characters, some being one dimensional, others that showed no personality or just being plain insufferable. Either way, I found it really hard to care about any of these people as Telltale didn't show me why I should care.
However, there are a few exceptions. I am rather fond of characters such as Nick, Sarah, Pete and Rebecca. These characters had great potential but turned out just to be throw aways. Kenny, one of my all time favourite characters, received the most character development this season, and I would go as far as to say he kept this season afloat. But he is a carry over from season 1, and overall overshadowed many characters, who were never given a chance to shine, and might have done if he had stepped down.
Out of all the character introduced this season, Nick, Sarah, Pete and Rebecca are probably the only ones I really cared about. Others like Luke, who's status of being such a 'good guy' was rubbed in our faces constantly, Mike, Bonnie, Jane, etc. I just didn't care too much for or disliked a great deal. The characters I were most fond off received an awful treatment from Telltale.
Nick was a determinate character, he could either be saved or killed in episode 2. If he lived, he had little to no dialogue in episode 3 and 4. He met his demise in episode 4, being killed off screen by a walker. He turned and Clementine had to put him down. As a result, neither of his deaths have an impact on the rest of cast, suggesting that we are supposed to just forget about this character.
Sarah can either be saved at the trailer park or be left to get eaten alive. If Sarah lives, she dies later on in the same episode and yet again this does not have an impact on the cast as they are too busy fussing over Rebecca's new born child, who is apparently more important than a handicapped teenager who had just been eaten alive when she could've been saved, only Jane, who I have a disliking for, made little effort to help her.
The pacing of the season is not done very well. In season 1, each episode, aside from the finale, were at least 2 hours long. In season 2 we were given 1 hour to an hour and a half. This made every episode feel rather end rushed, with the story dragging me along with it, and never getting a chance to take a breather.
(More to come)
After the success of Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 1, I expected its follow up to be just as good. Sadly, the second season was a lack-luster. Season 1 had several flaws but was a very enjoyable game, an experience that I shall treasure forever. However, Season 2 will be forgotten in time because of the little impact it had on myself, with a few exceptions. I'll get back to that later.
The Walking Dead game by Telltale is based off of the comic's wrote by Robert Kirkman, but instead of following Rick Grimes group, it follows original characters from the same universe. Each season has 5 episodes, each one having dialogue and major choices, and the game shapes itself around your decisions.
In season 1 we played as Lee Everett, a murderer looking for redemption by taking care of a little girl known as Clementine, the heart and soul of the first season. After Lee's demise in the finale, the player now take's on the role of Clementine in the second season.
The subject I would like to touch upon first is the gameplay, lack of puzzles and hubs. Telltale took on a more cinematic approach this time round, with cutscenes taking up the majority of the 5 episodes. When I was finally given control over the game, I would be prompted to take part in quick time events that ultimately got boring the third time I was forced to press Q and E when being attacked by a hungry walker. In the first season, this QTE carried meaning, such as episode 2, where Lee had to hold Lilly, a fellow survivor, back while Kenny, a good friend to Lee depending on player choices, crushed Larry's (Lilly's father) head with a salt lick. The struggle to hold the poor, grief stricken woman back carried weight, making the player question what they were doing, if this was the right thing to do, unlike the QTE from the second season that eventually just became a chore.
The puzzles from season 1 were simple, but rather entertaining. They extended the play time, gave the player a chance to put away they're weapon for a while and concentrate on the puzzle, prompting them to figure it out and use they're brain, with no hand holding necessary. In season 2, there were many wasted opportunities where a puzzle could've been introduced, such as episode 3, where Clementine and the group were trapped inside Carver's, the antagonist of the season, camp. There could have been a puzzle that would help the group escape. Sadly they're was not, and the fact that Telltale developers claim that they thought putting a puzzle into episode 3 would've been shoehorning annoys me a great deal.
Hubs were also lacking in this season. In season 1, when it was calm and the group was settled, we were allowed to walk around the area and talk to our fellow survivors and exhaust dialogue options. In season 2, there were once again many wasted opportunities, for example episode 2, where Clementine and her group had arrived at a Ski Lodge, only to meet up with Kenny who had presumably died in season 1. In the Ski Lodge, we were allowed to talk to several characters, but instead of being given dialogue options, we were simply thrown into a conversation that was over in seconds. In season 1, hubs provided lots of character development, which season 2 lacks.
On the subject of character development and characters in general, many of the survivors we came across this season were boring and overall carried no impact once their unavoidable death occurred. We were given a very dull cast of characters, some being one dimensional, others that showed no personality or just being plain insufferable. Either way, I found it really hard to care about any of these people as Telltale didn't show me why I should care.
However, there are a few exceptions. I am rather fond of characters such as Nick, Sarah, Pete and Rebecca. These characters had great potential but turned out just to be throw aways. Kenny, one of my all time favourite characters, received the most character development this season, and I would go as far as to say he kept this season afloat. But he is a carry over from season 1, and overall overshadowed many characters, who were never given a chance to shine, and might have done if he had stepped down.
Out of all the character introduced this season, Nick, Sarah, Pete and Rebecca are probably the only ones I really cared about. Others like Luke, who's status of being such a 'good guy' was rubbed in our faces constantly, Mike, Bonnie, Jane, etc. I just didn't care too much for or disliked a great deal. The characters I were most fond off received an awful treatment from Telltale.
Nick was a determinate character, he could either be saved or killed in episode 2. If he lived, he had little to no dialogue in episode 3 and 4. He met his demise in episode 4, being killed off screen by a walker. He turned and Clementine had to put him down. As a result, neither of his deaths have an impact on the rest of cast, suggesting that we are supposed to just forget about this character.
Sarah can either be saved at the trailer park or be left to get eaten alive. If Sarah lives, she dies later on in the same episode and yet again this does not have an impact on the cast as they are too busy fussing over Rebecca's new born child, who is apparently more important than a handicapped teenager who had just been eaten alive when she could've been saved, only Jane, who I have a disliking for, made little effort to help her.
The pacing of the season is not done very well. In season 1, each episode, aside from the finale, were at least 2 hours long. In season 2 we were given 1 hour to an hour and a half. This made every episode feel rather end rushed, with the story dragging me along with it, and never getting a chance to take a breather.
(More to come)