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Walking Dead Episode 3: Long Road Ahead

Started by sterlingcomics,

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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...so has anyone played Walking Dead Episode III The Long Road Ahead?

 

I've been a bit surprised (pleasantly) with the writers on this---the forking decisions seem pretty non-complicated though. There's not a lot of branching that I've seen yet--and major decisions don't look like they can be altered.

 

I'm foaming for Episode IV...but it looks a lot different than previous episodes.

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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Yes it is. Anyone who's played 1-3 let's talk. Basically, this is probably the best cinematic video game I've ever played---excellent story telling, writing, etc. You WILL care for the characters, and worry about your decisions.

 

As a fan of quick-time event games of the early 80s (Dragon's Lair, etc) I was hoping for a more complex arrangement of the decisions and implications. So far, NONE of the decisions have seen to change the overall outcome of the story or change what happens. In my opinion, the game itself would've had to quintuple on every episode with the maze of decisions/actions---they've chosen to basically negate the choices as simply dialog routes. I think after making that decision at the end of EP1 of who to save woke them up to what they were trying to do and scaled back the game--my opinion. They have, so far, not lived up to the "choice matters" logo for the series.

 

I'll keep it spoiler free for now but wanted others opinions.

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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Episode 3 was by far the best so far.

 

Story-wise correct. But have you noticed that the choices haven't actually made a difference in terms of direction of the story--it is all still very linear.

 

 

Remember wondering if Kenny would take you towards the boat based on how you treated his family? Guess what? Doesn't matter.

 

Remember wondering who you should save in EP 1 (Carly or Doug)? Doesn't matter--they both meet their destiny in this EP.

 

Decide to tell anyone (if you had Carly) or no one about your past? Doesn't matter.

 

 

It changes some minor dialogue...those who you sided with will come to your aid -- or not. That's my beef with the promise given in the series so far that have been unfulfilled. I'll be a little irritated if they don't start branching (if at all) until the very end. Wondering if anyone else feels as I do. The story is more than making up for this (so far), but I was hoping to be a little more in control of story direction.

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brandolsn

brandolsn

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I enjoyed episode 2 the best - it was pretty easy to guess what was really going on at the farm as soon as the group showed up, but that didn't take away from how perfectly the story was executed - it was really, really well done. It's much more of a story than a game but that makes it accessible to a huge audience including non-gamers that are fans of the series, and the story is so good that even hardcore gamers can appreciate it for what it is. I highly recommend turning off all the hints in the gameplay settings to at least get bit of a challenge. It has sold a ton of downloads, and after episode 5 is going to be released as a complete game in disc form in stores - more fuel to keep the WD craze going!

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brandolsn

brandolsn

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I'll be a little irritated if they don't start branching (if at all) until the very end. Wondering if anyone else feels as I do. The story is more than making up for this (so far), but I was hoping to be a little more in control of story direction.

 

I think the bigger impact than having your choices continually stack up is that you can make some of those choices in the first place. That's what really makes the game kick you hard in the gut - having to choose who to save, who will live, who will die, and how others in the group react to your decision in that very moment. I will be disappointed if there aren't at least 3 completely different endings to the game (not just minor differences). Also I love seeing the stats at the end of each episode showing your choices compared to other who played.

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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I just joined the TellTale boards---and as such I can appreciate the fact that you have to make those hard choices--and it does impact your feelings on the story/situation-like I said that part is executed flawlessly.

 

I guess they oversold it with the "Choice Matters" video. It's all an illusion---as simply no choice has allowed for ANY variance in the baseline story. I understand many of the choices are creating smaller ripple effects--but that's not "choice matters"--that's "choice makes for great dramatic viewing".

 

BTW, if you are a fan of the show, you owe it to check out this game--the story is just as good imo as the current comics and the tv show.

 

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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Is the PS3 episode 2 and 3 available yet? I kept waiting for them but haven't seen them.

 

Yeah man...got em both and played em. EP 3 was released last week. FYI they are releasing to all platforms the same day/week. Go to the PS Store.

 

Btw, I actually cried in EP 3...twice. :cry: Nothing the TV show has done so far, but this game has.

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Gratefuldan

Gratefuldan

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BTW, if you are a fan of the show, you owe it to check out this game--the story is just as good imo as the current comics and the tv show.

 

Couldn't agree more.

I found myself trying to explain to my wife how emotional this game was,she looked at me funny :blush:

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The Troll King

The Troll King

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This game is more of a "Choose Your Own Adenture" then a game.

It could easily be a book series

 

I obviously havent played anything but the first episode but I played it more than once to change my decisions to see if the outcome would be different.

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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BTW, if you are a fan of the show, you owe it to check out this game--the story is just as good imo as the current comics and the tv show.

 

Couldn't agree more.

I found myself trying to explain to my wife how emotional this game was,she looked at me funny :blush:

 

Yeah, it sounds retarded on the surface. I'm trying to speak for the immersion with the characters since YOU are making the decisions---I'm just a little miffed that the decisions haven't given me a payoff in terms of re-playability--but in terms of the psychology perspective, it's got it in spades.

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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This game is more of a "Choose Your Own Adenture" then a game.

It could easily be a book series

 

I obviously havent played anything but the first episode but I played it more than once to change my decisions to see if the outcome would be different.

 

First episode didn't really show you the impact of your decisions--heck some of those decisions are not even being realized until EP3. But they have not changed the story in a material manner, but more or less how the characters interact with you.

 

I don't disagree with that, but it's not even a "choose your own adventure"--the story has occurred without much variance. That's where I get a little frustrated--they shouldn't have put out the "choice matters" video because it hasn't panned out to be what I thought it was going to be.

 

I'm no fool either. I'm not expecting every interaction to branch the story (this would make it impossible to -script, write or program) but some material variance would be appreciated.

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The Troll King

The Troll King

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This game is more of a "Choose Your Own Adenture" then a game.

It could easily be a book series

 

I obviously havent played anything but the first episode but I played it more than once to change my decisions to see if the outcome would be different.

 

First episode didn't really show you the impact of your decisions--heck some of those decisions are not even being realized until EP3. But they have not changed the story in a material manner, but more or less how the characters interact with you.

 

I don't disagree with that, but it's not even a "choose your own adventure"--the story has occurred without much variance. That's where I get a little frustrated--they shouldn't have put out the "choice matters" video because it hasn't panned out to be what I thought it was going to be.

 

I'm no fool either. I'm not expecting every interaction to branch the story (this would make it impossible to -script, write or program) but some material variance would be appreciated.

 

I'm kind of looking at it the same as the Choose Your Own Adventure books that were popular when we were young. Different branches led to different thing yet still had the same result in the end.

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sterlingcomics

sterlingcomics

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I'm kind of looking at it the same as the Choose Your Own Adventure books that were popular when we were young. Different branches led to different thing yet still had the same result in the end.

 

Are we talking about the books where it says "If you want blah blah blah, go to page x."?

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