Game of Thrones by Telltale Games

[ReptilePZ]

Yeah, pretty much agreed, it was a nice episode and it was well-paced. A bit predictable so far, though. Then again, that's nothing new. QTEs are a bit inconsistent, the ones where you're supposed to time it just right. In some places, you can mash the button before the right time comes, in other cases - you can't. A little strange, guess it depends on how threatening the situation is, but still.

Overall, I quite liked it, looking forward to the next episode.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

The second episode was pretty awful. Now it simply feels like a bad juvenile fun-fiction, with cliche cartoon characters with no depth or complexity whatsoever, bad writing, pretty stupid situations, idiotic choices (only a complete retard can make a wrong one, which is always obvious), and no choices obviously matter at all, because the story will funnel us through the same plot-points. There was one tricky situation with marriage arrangement, but some of it was artificial - dialogue choices did not reflect what a character would actually say.

The whole episode feels kind of embarrassing, really. Why a hell would Telltale decide to turn a very gritty ASOIAF approach where no character is completely good or bad, into this clear-cut cartoonish villains vs good guys thing, which is also boring like hell? The first time I feel about Telltale episode like I just bleeping wasted a perfectly good $5.

 

[ReptilePZ]

I don't know, I feel like the game still has the potential to make you feel like you're not necessarily on the "good" side, just on a side. Also, the feud between the two families pretty much reminds me of the Stark-Lannister one, where the Lannisters are painted as the obvious villain initially, only to later kind of grow on you as the characters are developed further. Even then, it's still pretty clear they have a very twisted, appalling understanding of "family first." Still fairly obviously villain-y.

I will agree that the game feels predictable so far, though.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

Well, it is a lot to analyse in this episode, but, most obviously, Telltale people seem to pay no attention to such trivialities as geography of Westeros, because certain things simply do not make any sense. A scene of delivery of Rodrick on a cart. Recall geography of Westeros. The Red Wedding was on the Twins, and it is VERY FAR from the Foresters, who are way up North. Normal travel takes at least two weeks, even more given the war. So Rodrick was on a cart for at least TWO WEEKS (Garret already reached home on foot, got himself exiled, Ethan had a couple of visits, and got himself killed), without any food and water, badly wounded and among decaying corpses? Normal people can't survive without water for more than three-four days, especially wounded, without any medical help, and with all infection around. Or he what, suddenly got resurrected??? It looks like the entire geography/timeline is so messed up, for a sake of shock value or something.
And why would people turn the cart with the bodies of their dead away? To be dumped on a side of the road? Anyone who dragged a crapload of corpses over half of Westeros deserves to be paid a crapload of gold, you know.

Anyway, it simply looks like Telltale are working through a checklist of expected features, slapping pieces together as they go, with no real understanding how it all should fit the world. Also unlike in TWD, they follow the main characters and the story, and given the the Purple Wedding is coming, any deal Mira would make with Tyrion is doomed. It would be a nice surprise, unless we all ALREADY KNOW what is coming. Bad approach.

Probably having 4 sequel games in development, plus some new titles they promised, is taking its toll, and now they are just working to harvest as much green as possible.

 

[ReptilePZ]

Meh, I've yet to see a story without any plot holes. Personally, I think it's going alright so far, I'll reserve judgement until all the episodes are out.

 

[turuzzusapatuttu]

I've just finished playing the 2nd episode: awesome! Telltale Games employs writers who fucking know how to use a lore created by someone else. Looking forward to the other episodes!

 

[Cheylus]

The Telltale formula is getting really old...

 

[ReptilePZ]

Oh... didn't even realise the new episode was out. I should probably play that...

 

[goopit]

I hope Dany shows up for SFM reasons

 

[Quorealist]

I haven't realized that steam was downloading Episode 3 in the background, because I was reading A Feast for Crows. Oh the irony.

 

[ReptilePZ]

I did finish the episode, pretty solid, looking forward to the next one. Jon's voice wasn't recorded very well in some places.

 

[Quorealist]

The series is getting better every episode, even the boring King's Landing part becomes interesting.

The problem I initially had with this game was that the family you play is one step above a hedge knight. You have almost no power and the power you have dwindles episode per episode. But the characters are starting to grow on me. Some spoilers below

Spoiler

One major problem is that they just don't get the leading characters personalities of the tv series right. In King's Landing I almost always chose the wrong answer, because the inside I had from reading the books is getting me nothing. One of Varys' little birds even has a tongue. Tom or what was his name. I know you had to converse with him somehow, but it was stated that Varys cut their tongue and tought them too read so that nobody could question them.

Anyway the defiance against Gryff was just badass, but the fight against Britt on the wall was telltale all over again: Though I only deflected his blows and attacked his swordhand he died. I guess the search for the grove will be Episode 4-5 theme for the Wall plot.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

Actually, Varis' little birds have tongues even in the show. Recall the one telling Jorah that he got a royal pardon and could go home. So the game follows the show, not the books. What I don't like is a switch from having no villain antagonists at all to a clear good vs. bad settings. We can like and root for any and all characters in the books/show even though they are ready to kill each other, while in the game it was white-washed to the point of caricature. If they ever make, for example, Asher having an option of starting Gregor's Clegain-type campaign of terror, or Mira betraying people left and right, with all the consequences that follow with political changes, and with a chance of complete destruction of their house in the end, I would think much better of this game. Right now it is a pretty decent and unsophisticated fan-fiction made for a purpose of cashing-out on show's popularity. It is not a complete waste of time and money, but nothing special.

 

[Jack_in_the-Green]

What bothers me slightly is the fact they are reeeaaaally stretching the plot, like on this 3d one, some cool things happen, but we are more or less at the same place (plot wise) as in the 2nd episode... Like, they are delaying the "big events" on purpose, so if smthg "bad" happens you wont ever be able to reverse it; which, I get it, it's Telltale 101, giving you the "appearence" of choice and nothing more.

Also, things are going steadily to the toilet... Doesnt any of you have the feeling that by the time Asher gets home all the other Forreters will be dead?

Also, 1) If the "wildling" has been accepted by the Night's Watch as a "builder", why is he allowed to go on a ranging mission? 2) And how come that Whitehill douchebag was sent to the wall... I thought the Whitehills were "bad".. Why punish him? PLOTHOLES!!!

 

[vivaxardas2015]

Yeah, even if we forget that people behave like complete villainous morons that never happens in the books/tv show (really, I already got nauseous from all these Whitehill evil overlord tantrums), plot holes and inconsistencies pile up like bird crap on a roof. Wildlings born in the wilds simply couldn't pass for a regular peasant. They see every bloody grain storage as a palace, for fuck sake! Why were two guys sent to the Wall, both for killing a family, and for defending it? It seems Telltale does not want make Garret a willing oath-breaker. but why not??? How a wildling can be a pickpocket if it is pretty much a city trade? Where did he learn, and who did he steal from in the wilds? And yes, builders do not do rangings. Tyrion did not need to arrange any stupid meetings with merchants (really, a maid as a trade representative of a noble family???), but simply to make a decision. No need for all this stupid cloak and dagger stuff, especially given that all our decisions do not mean crap. Helped the boy? Left the boy to die? The same difference, he is alive and still our friend.
In any case, for my taste it is just too many motivational songs and speeches (compare this game crap with Rains of Castamere and Theon's speech, for example), cartoonish villains, inconsistencies with the books, and stupid things just for a sake of plot advancement. I guess the writers from Telltale did not have to pass some sort of selection process like screenwriters do before they get an agent, and can get away with junior-high level of writing.

 

[CostinRaz]

Why were two guys sent to the Wall, both for killing a family, and for defending it? It seems Telltale does not want make Garret a willing oath-breaker. but why not

It may be that he was sent there to kill Garret.

really, a maid as a trade representative of a noble family

She's not just a maid, she's the oldest daughter of the House and everyone's keen on using her.

If the "wildling" has been accepted by the Night's Watch as a "builder", why is he allowed to go on a ranging mission?

Because it was a volunteer mission that was not a ranging. Jon's a steward by the way and he's leading it.

Personally I quite liked the episode, a lot of emotions and tensions playing through it, it does not matter that not a lot of major plot progression occurred because bloody hell was it amazing.

In the ending I was defiant and what I was a superb moment for Rodrik as a character. It was not the smart decision in the long run, but bloody hell was it superb to stand up to that blind rabid dog biting everything that moves.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

In the ending I was defiant and what I was a superb moment for Rodrik as a character. It was not the smart decision in the long run, but bloody hell was it superb to stand up to that blind rabid dog biting everything that moves.

Well, given that whatever choice we make it all comes out the same, and there was no way in hell Rodrik would have been killed just for making this choice, there is no stake at all in defiance. The characters just go through motions to evince an emotional response, but it does not lead anywhere. Were choices really matter a big way, I would judge differently.

Still, I somewhat like this game. May it is just a matter of habit - the same format as a TV show, same places, same main characters. I just wish it were a real ASOIAF game, in a true spirit of the novels, and with widely different outcomes. where some stupid choices can get characters killed, and the house ruined.
As I heard, make-your-own-adventure books sometimes require lots of effort and many tries to get to a positive outcome. I wish Telltale games would be the same.

 

[CostinRaz]

Well, given that whatever choice we make it all comes out the same, and there was no way in hell Rodrik would have been killed just for making this choice, there is no stake at all in defiance.

Consequences don't have to be immediate you know If Witcher taught us anything. Rodrik wouldn't get killed by that little shit because Gryff would never get away with killing the head of the house. I know that, he knows that.

The long term consequence is that I showed everyone that a Foresterr will never submit or stand down, and judging by the reaction of the grunts I made them question the sanity of their leader. It also will adversely affect your relationship with Gwynn and bring your houses closer to war.

 

[Quorealist]

Is anyone still playing this?

I found episode 4 pretty lackluster. Maybe because it came out during my Witcher 3 playthrough, or maybe because I suffered through season 5 of the tv series - I don't know. During the first three episodes I was also reading the books for the first time, so this could have added to my GoT hype.

Anyway I've just completed episode 5 of the series and it was really solid. It wasn't the best so far, but it achieved something all others lacked: a choice that really matters in the scope of the series. And since it would be a massive spoiler to discuss it I won't even mention what it was about.

 

[NicodemusTNT]

Just finished Episode 5. Story is continuing to be good, and combat was more fun than in the past.