I don't think my problem is that I'm playing GoT while Tales from the Borderlands is coming out. I think the problem is moreso that I've played The Walking Dead.
GoT Episode 5, some GoT Book 3 and general TWD spoilers
I think the problem is mostly that due to playing TWD, I can see the cogs shifting that operate the whole Telltale machine. I've probably mentioned this before, but it totally worked for Season 1! The whole game was about how sometimes, you can't change fate. But you can decide the kind of person you're going to be in the meantime, and what you teach others before everything ends. Are you going to be a friend to Kenny, or be repulsed by him? Are you going to teach Clem that nonviolence is key, or show her how to defend herself? Maybe the game was always going to end with Lee up against that wall, but the kind of person you were before that point is what the game was really about. So the lack of overall response those choices had fell into that structure and it worked!
The problem is, I don't think that narrative hook really works nearly as well for their following games, but especially for Game of Thrones. The thing that makes what happens in the books interesting - whether it's Eddard's fate, or Robb's, or anyone else... the majority of the time, personal choice is exactly what led them to that point. Ed chose honour and to try to tell Cersei in order to help her get her kids out of King's Landing - Ed gets his head taken off. Robb decides to follow his silly teenage heart over the advice of his political advisors, and causes the downfall of his house. The real impact and heartbreak comes from knowing that if they didn't decide on this one thing, maybe the character could have survived! Maybe things would have worked out in a traditional, heroic structure!
Meanwhile, compare it to what happened here. No matter what you did with the archers, Arthur still gets hacked to pieces. No matter what you told your sister to do at the fort, Ramsay still gets in, you still find the traitor. No matter whether you listen to the traitor or kill him, his info does nothing and Asher is still at risk. Yeah, a certain element of Game of Thrones is that bad things happen, people die and it's rare for anyone to play the hero. But if you're continually in a series of situations where you have no control, didn't do anything to land those characters in that position, and never get the feeling of "wow, this is working out and maybe, just maybe we'll be okay!" there's just no shock or emotional investment when things go wrong. I didn't feel much when I left Rodrik to die - maybe a tinge of resignation but mostly just kind of... apathy. The only characters I particularly have any interest in at the moment are Asher and Gared, and it's mostly because they're out there adventuring and doing things the whole time. If you're continually expecting things to backfire, you don't really get the experience of getting attached to the characters or ascribing meaning to whether or not they're even participating in the plot anymore. It doesn't help that Ramsay has basically served the express purpose of showing up, going HEY LOOK I'M CRAZY AND EVIL! ALLOW ME TO ESTABLISH ANOTHER PLOT POINT SHOWING YOUR CHOICES DON'T MATTER. SNOW-BOLTON OUTTTTTTTT.
The biggest victim of this to me is Mira - no matter what you do, every Show character goes "geez, you're really bad at this politics thing!" and then bails out of view. It feels like no matter what I do, nothing is happening or changing there, and it's to the point where there's no hope of ever getting anything, ever, from that plotline. It feels more like she serves the point of just getting cameos out of the way, and demonstrating how well they've managed to animate every Margaery pout.
If they really wanted to horrify players, and make them feel like they're part of the Game of Thrones world? I would have cut the number of episodes down to 3, maybe 4. And then used the extra resources to make it so that choices had real impact - not always positive, some leading to some really tragic ends. But you have enough Forresters to be able to have their plotlines vary and only really count on one or two to make it through to another season. If the player feels like there was just some way to save those characters and that they chose not to do it? That they were responsible for their ends? That would be a thousand times more effective and feel a lot more in line with what happens in the show/books.
My overall feelings on Episode 5 are pretty much that yep, I expected bad things to happen. Yep, I called the traitor back in episode... 2 or 3? I do really like Asher, and still like Gared, but the rest of the Forresters have kind of lost my interest. I'll still play the last episode, but I'm not frothing with excitement (like I am for the next Tales episode, at least).
Excellently put. Game of Thrones as a series asks me two big questions. The first is "Which house would you be in?", but that's not a choice you get to make in the Telltale games. The second is "Could you survive the game of thrones?", with the game's response being "not really, no."
Also I almost had a meltdown after hearing new Tales From the Borderlands is coming out soon; I really have no idea how I'll survive once that series ends. It's too good.
I think my favorite part of the episode is just Fiona's expression when she realizes Rhys and her sister are sharing a Meaningful Glance
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
Yeah yeah all this positivity is grand but how is the episode intro
1980s style power rock
with rocket ships
A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
- Scooter's death scene hit me hard, it was awesome and funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. I ended up switching hats with him. I really wanted to put that ad up, but like Fiona said, the mission had to come first.
- I still haven't mentioned Handsome Jack to anyone, while that obviously wouldn't have ended the game there, not mentioning it is likely going to bite me in the ass in Ep 5.
- On that note, I rejected Handsome Jack, which feels like the natural arc for how I've been handling Rhys (accepting Jack's offer at the end of Ep 2, then coming to regret it).
- I can't remember if Athena did say that she loved Janey, I'm hoping that if that wasn't the case, then that's what she's been wanting to say, otherwise whoops.
Loved how the Hyperion guard calls you out for making an anime reference if you choose "See you Space Cowboy..." for Scooter's billboard. Troy Baker also does a really good and hilarious Patrick Warburton impression.
Loved how the Hyperion guard calls you out for making an anime reference if you choose "See you Space Cowboy..." for Scooter's billboard. Troy Baker also does a really good and hilarious Patrick Warburton impression.
....I am definitely choosing that option next time.
Think I book-ended it well with Rhys not picking a choice for the decisions to tell the girls about Jack and taking over Hyperion with Jack's help. In the former, I felt he'd be a little indecisive over telling them as he told Vaughn but Vaughn doesn't seem to outright hate the company like the girls do. Plus the fact that he'd want to be honest with Sasha but at the same time feeling that knowing that Jack's inside his head would probably kill any possible shot with her. And that kinda dives into not choosing to take or reject Hyperion. After all, Rhys does want to run Hyperion but after everything he's gone through, he's not 100% sure he wants to run it with Jack despite what he idolizes about him. Which has gotten smaller as he spent time with the AI. Of course when Jack automatically jumps down his throat after assuming Rhys' silence meant 'no', I told him to kiss my ass.
Posts
yesssssss
more TFTBL
oh my god that means we're going to get a new credits intro next week
Excellently put. Game of Thrones as a series asks me two big questions. The first is "Which house would you be in?", but that's not a choice you get to make in the Telltale games. The second is "Could you survive the game of thrones?", with the game's response being "not really, no."
Also I almost had a meltdown after hearing new Tales From the Borderlands is coming out soon; I really have no idea how I'll survive once that series ends. It's too good.
3DS Friend Code: 0216-0898-6512
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It's me, Austin
Aw, son of a bitch
europsn has it the unrelenting geese
HGHHHHHHHHH WHY DO I HAVE TO GO TO WORK TOMORROW
3DS Friend Code: 0216-0898-6512
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So
I'm excited to play through this thing!
I want them to make seasons of this forever
just drop all your other IPs, okay, TellTale?
3DS Friend Code: 0216-0898-6512
Switch Friend Code: SW-7437-1538-7786
Aaaaahhhh
AAAAHHHH
1980s style power rock
with rocket ships
MAJOR SPOILERS
"I cannot hold back your tide of... bad decisions."
Just stuck with me. The way it sounds like he's trying so hard to be tactful but there's just no way.
Was disappointed with this episode's intro music. It wasn't bad, it just didn't live up to the others.
I told you! I told you all!
Borderlands Episode 4 spoilers
- Scooter's death scene hit me hard, it was awesome and funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. I ended up switching hats with him. I really wanted to put that ad up, but like Fiona said, the mission had to come first.
- I still haven't mentioned Handsome Jack to anyone, while that obviously wouldn't have ended the game there, not mentioning it is likely going to bite me in the ass in Ep 5.
- On that note, I rejected Handsome Jack, which feels like the natural arc for how I've been handling Rhys (accepting Jack's offer at the end of Ep 2, then coming to regret it).
- I can't remember if Athena did say that she loved Janey, I'm hoping that if that wasn't the case, then that's what she's been wanting to say, otherwise whoops.
Also, good lord I think this chapter is my favorite section of a Borderlands game ever.
I can't believe he's gone.
....I am definitely choosing that option next time.
3DS Friend Code: 0216-0898-6512
Switch Friend Code: SW-7437-1538-7786
I don't think I'll need to explain why.
(Episode 4)
It seemed a little out of place, maybe? Like maybe it was something they came up with way late in the process and they just sort of shoved it in there
But as a pay-off to the fact that we'd been seeing them do the finger-gun thing like, constantly, it was pretty great
I also really loved
I didn't choose that option
Twitch (I stream most days of the week)
Twitter (mean leftist discourse)
Let's Play Final Fantasy 'II' (Ch10 - 5/17/10)
for which one, you ask
ALL OF THEM
That intro credits cinematic, holy shit.
While I wait for the latest episode to download, I always go "...Oh fuck, I made that decision"