At last the waiting is done. All that vaguely obsessive compulsive analysis of the trailer need no longer suffice for the hungry fans. It seemed like it would never happen, but finally, the Walking Dead Telltale game, season 2, has arrived. Episode one is ready for our thrilled exploration. And you'll hear no discouraging words from this aficionado. It rocks.
Robert Kirkman's mega successful franchise, The Walking Dead, has provided loads of opportunity for the creative explorations of a fan base keen to interact with the world of the zombie apocalypse. I've written elsewhere about the fervor of the Walking Dead fanfiction . Another opportunity for such interaction is provided by the Telltale game.
Fans of season one will certainly remember Clementine. She was kind of the object of the first season. The subject, if you will, the acting protagonist, Lee, was largely driven by his desire to protect her. However, as such fans will know, Lee is gone, and now Clementine has to fend for herself. Thus she has graduated to protagonist of season two. When we meet back up with her in season two, we already see how she has had to grow up, forced to make the hard decisions to survive the zombie apocalypse.
The almost universally celebrated game, in its second season, continues breathing new life into the adventure game genre, once left for dead by many a gaming aficionado. Its strength of the past carries through into the present, skirting the danger of lapsing into mere puzzle solving. Instead, the emphasis on dynamic and interactive story telling remains its forte. And these aren't empty choices.
The protagonist's choices matter. Not just in the moment, but also in the future. They can lead to surprising and tragic outcomes. The game keeps track of choices, even alerting the player about specific statements or actions that another character will remember. Often these past decisions come back to haunt the protagonist. And this is not only from episode to episode, but it appears choices from last season will affect options in this new season.
It's not all the same though. As great as season one was, there are notable improvements, especially on the technical end, in season two. The graphics are much better: richer and more detailed. And the frame rate seems more stable. Clementine is able to walk now much faster than in the past. That is kind of good when gripped in on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense.
My one complaint isn't a huge thing, but it does annoy me a little. And it is worth mentioning considering how much of the game's cache and value arises from its interactivity. The dialogue choices frequently struck me as excessively bi-polar. It seems I have to play Clementine as either a waif or a badass. She's either batting her eyes or spoiling for a throw-down. I think these options are too limited and don't get the most out of the story. I'll be watching that development going forward.
The other side of the coin, though, is that it is an interesting change in the game dynamic to have the options made available by a young girl protagonist. Certainly playing Lee didn't provide the opportunity to be coyly manipulative, as is possible with Clementine.
And, I'm happy to report, that Telltales' strongest strong suit remains firmly in place here in the first episode of season two. I'm referring of course to the moral complexities confronting the protagonist. For instance, are you prepared to make Clementine a dead cold killer right from the get-go?
Lots of people already have. What are the consequences of that? Only future episodes will tell the tale. This is why the Walking Dead Telltale games have been so successful and so compelling. So far, the future looks bright. At least, from outside of the zombie apocalypse...and all that.
Robert Kirkman's mega successful franchise, The Walking Dead, has provided loads of opportunity for the creative explorations of a fan base keen to interact with the world of the zombie apocalypse. I've written elsewhere about the fervor of the Walking Dead fanfiction . Another opportunity for such interaction is provided by the Telltale game.
Fans of season one will certainly remember Clementine. She was kind of the object of the first season. The subject, if you will, the acting protagonist, Lee, was largely driven by his desire to protect her. However, as such fans will know, Lee is gone, and now Clementine has to fend for herself. Thus she has graduated to protagonist of season two. When we meet back up with her in season two, we already see how she has had to grow up, forced to make the hard decisions to survive the zombie apocalypse.
The almost universally celebrated game, in its second season, continues breathing new life into the adventure game genre, once left for dead by many a gaming aficionado. Its strength of the past carries through into the present, skirting the danger of lapsing into mere puzzle solving. Instead, the emphasis on dynamic and interactive story telling remains its forte. And these aren't empty choices.
The protagonist's choices matter. Not just in the moment, but also in the future. They can lead to surprising and tragic outcomes. The game keeps track of choices, even alerting the player about specific statements or actions that another character will remember. Often these past decisions come back to haunt the protagonist. And this is not only from episode to episode, but it appears choices from last season will affect options in this new season.
It's not all the same though. As great as season one was, there are notable improvements, especially on the technical end, in season two. The graphics are much better: richer and more detailed. And the frame rate seems more stable. Clementine is able to walk now much faster than in the past. That is kind of good when gripped in on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense.
My one complaint isn't a huge thing, but it does annoy me a little. And it is worth mentioning considering how much of the game's cache and value arises from its interactivity. The dialogue choices frequently struck me as excessively bi-polar. It seems I have to play Clementine as either a waif or a badass. She's either batting her eyes or spoiling for a throw-down. I think these options are too limited and don't get the most out of the story. I'll be watching that development going forward.
The other side of the coin, though, is that it is an interesting change in the game dynamic to have the options made available by a young girl protagonist. Certainly playing Lee didn't provide the opportunity to be coyly manipulative, as is possible with Clementine.
And, I'm happy to report, that Telltales' strongest strong suit remains firmly in place here in the first episode of season two. I'm referring of course to the moral complexities confronting the protagonist. For instance, are you prepared to make Clementine a dead cold killer right from the get-go?
Lots of people already have. What are the consequences of that? Only future episodes will tell the tale. This is why the Walking Dead Telltale games have been so successful and so compelling. So far, the future looks bright. At least, from outside of the zombie apocalypse...and all that.
About the Author:
When you want to keep up with all the Walking Dead news , you should check out Mickey Jhonny's articles at the Pretty Much Dead Alhave a look aty site. Gaming fans will want to have a look at his piece on the best games for PC that is entirely free!
0 comments:
Post a Comment