The Walking Dead: Michonne Episode Length Debate
I'm a type of person who likes to look at all sides of a debate. People think that Episode 1 is too short. But really though, is it? Episode 2 doesn't release until sometime this month, with episode 3 soon after, following Season 3 soon after that. I agree that Episode 1 was short, but many are only on board the hype train for Season 3. In a way, it's a good thing the episodes are not long, it allows an earlier release of Season 3. Although, I did not like the fact that it was about an hour long and then we have to wait a whole month for the next episode. Maybe if the wait was shorter? It also could be that we probably shouldn't horde over the game and go nonstop playing until we beat it. Then we have even longer of a wait. But my side in the matter is that Episode 1 was too short and have hopes for a longer Episode 2. But what are you guys' thoughts about it.
Comments
It's what I expected from a mini series. A shorter episode.
Ha! Never thought of it that way. XD
To be fair, I believe 'mini-series' referred to episode count and not episode length. Doesn't mean I agree with people, however, when it comes to episodes needing to be longer. Factually, every story should be as long as it needs to be. Subjectively, it's up to each person to decide whether the story was long enough to tell whatever story was being told. So, my thoughts are neutral, though I personally had no problem with the length. I might do if, after the mini-series wraps up, the story feels incomplete.
And, as a side-note, I think that when people say the episodes should be longer, they're really trying to say it wasn't satisfying. That's important, though I'd hasten to add that bumping it up to a specific run-time might not solve the problem.
I just hope episode 2 and 3 will be longer than the first episode. :P
Shorter episodes doesn't mean Season 3 is going to release any faster. As for my opinion on Michonne's Episode 1 length I'll agree it's short for a premiere episode. I think they could've spent more time with Michonne's and Pete's relationship considering he pretty much disappears during the 2nd half. I'm 100% a okay with 90 minute episodes as long as their paced well and Michonne ran into problems after the intro luckily it picked up steam durin the 2nd half.
For only 3 episodes, it was too short of an episode length, plus I'm also disappointed Telltale didn't throw in more determinant choices, which would have affected the whole 3 episodes (as its shorter, it would've been easier to carry choices over)
But I'm hoping the length will increase with the next 2 episodes
Why? Because episode 1 was such and such length? Or because it was unsatisfying? (Unless you mean you were enjoying it and didn't want it to end, in which case I can understand you saying what you did)
Bumping the run-time up won't automatically make the episodes more satisfying and could have the opposite effect, though sure, it would allow for more character development etc. Basically, it all boils down to how the time is used and it's something I know well. To talk in terms of films, rather than stories/games which I'm more familiar with, a short movie can be satisfying, yet it can also be unsatisfying. Same with longer ones, so I simply don't get the fixation on length and it is alien to me as a story-teller. Whatever length a story needs to be, it needs to be.
The most recent example I have for films would be Taken 1. Sure, it's just a good action flick you can mostly watch with your brain off, though it does touch on one or two pertinent issues. I have the view that a lot of films with a short running time, that being under 90 minutes, are poor. Yet Taken has ended up being one of my favorite movies. The sequels less so and while I could be remembering Taken 3 wrongly, that was possibly too long. Likewise, take something like Broadchurch. I have not watched it myself, but my immediate family's thoughts are that it, as well as other similar programmes, tend to draw out the story longer than they need to.
Sorry to pick on you here as well. You were civil and while I do have problems understanding emoticons, I get the feeling you were being light-hearted etc. I'm just trying to understand.
Again, why was it too short? Do you think extending the run-time will magically make the episodes better? It's how the time is used that should matter, not how long the episodes are.
As well as trying to understand this fixation on length as it feels like people are asking for episodes to be longer for the sake of it, I think it would help the developers (if they are willing to listen/make changes) if the issues were communicated better. When you say the episode was too short, at the end of the day, you're really saying it wasn't satisfying, right? If so, what makes it unsatisfactory? Not enough character development? Didn't think the episode was long enough to tell the story it wanted to tell? Though the last question/point is a bit tricky, as some tv series are more like one long movie rather than telling a relatively self-contained tale while progressing the overall narrative, which is why I said about waiting till it's over before I myself pass judgement. Or was it something else?
That's fine and you might get that in future episodes. Really, I just want people to stop using the length as a crutch and just focus on what they didn't like, which is what you did. How you phrased it can help Telltale, whereas simply saying it's too short doesn't. Of course, that's provided they want to listen and aren't happy with what they're doing.
So, how about a thought here, though it depends on whether they think it could work without bogging the story pace down and such: how about a roughly 90 minute episode if it had the hubs? I'd argue that the hubs aren't actually needed too, as long as the character interaction is present and you learn more about them. For instance, depending on a few factors, some of the fight sequences could be cut to focus more on the character relationships and allow you to learn more about them if they feel nothing would be lost by cutting them should they be set on the lengths they've chosen, and it seems they are.
I feel like a standard run through not worrying about conversations or too many clickables should be 90 minutes exactly (if their planning a shorter episode) and extra optional conversations and bump the length up to maybe 10-15 minutes. It's definitely something that should be optional rather completely shoved in your face like Season 1 (I didn't adore hubs I enjoyed them but sometimes it dragged the episode out too long and it felt like you weren't making any progress for a long periods of time. It's not to say I hate them, but definitely too much of something in such a story driven game can tire players out). Something like Tales did a good job with hubs having you not too long in the area but enough time to talk and interact with people.
It's not like a massive complaint, just when credits started to roll, my first thought was 'So soon?'.
It might not have been length, it might of been the fact that there was nothing really amazing or pulled my attention, I thought the ending was weak and the choices weren't really noticeable. But as you say, it might be better to judge when it's finished. I'm just saying my part on Ep 1.
As GOUSTTT and freelancepolicefan11 said, I think the way to tackle this would be optional hubs. If you want, you can stop, talk to all the characters, learn more and effectively slow the game time down. Or if you want to move forward, you simply talk to the character or interact with the object which will progress the story.
I think the fact that this is only a 3 episode series aswell, and what we all played was 1/3 of it, the episodes should be slightly longer or it's going to feel like this miniseries is over and done with before it even began, figuratively speaking
Perhaps, one of the hubs that you referenced is the St. John Dairy before and after going to Jolene's camp, but after the Motel Inn group arrived, which could easily take up to fifth minutes or more if stretched enough. That is my all-time favorite hub on the Video Game though—especially because it determinantly enlightened you on how Lilly feels about Larry and how Katjaa feels about Lee's choice back at Hershel's farm.
It's all a matter of taste, in the end. Some might have considered that walking-around-the-dairy nonsense tedious.
When I think of extending the length of the episode, it's more about talking to the side characters and interacting with them in some way. Mainly the boat crew. They got too few lines and I guess Greg (didn't really care what happened to him). As the lovely people above mentioned, HUB areas could help and they did in the intro, but other than there I didn't see where it could fit anywhere else. Quite a pickle for this mini series.
In my opinion the episode wasnt to short. It just failed by allowing me to get a connection with the character other then michonne. And it failed to show how michonne ended up on the boat and how the crew ended up accepting her. If you talk to the characters on the boat they all are wary of strangers except for pete. And it feels as if michonne totally isnt supposed to be there at all. I would have like to get more perspective on pete since he seems to be the closest to michonne in the game.
Fox just had a X files miniseries... Episodes were the same length....
I don't mind the length(so long as it's over 60 minutes and has replay value) what I look for in games is quality.
3 hours? That doesnt sound right.
They used to do 5 hours episodes. But because of people like you, you can't just play a game like Fallout 4.
oh five is extreme it was 2-3 even back in the old days.
What do you mean, people like me?
she is blaming you for the shorter episodes.
And why? I didnt make them. I was saying I dont recall any episode averaging three hours. They dont go longer than two.
I'm speaking in terms of the long run. If the episodes are shorter, there are less time putting into them, if there's less time putting into them, it will be finished sooner, if it's finished sooner, other works will have more work done on them due to having extra hands, if the other works get extra hands sooner, those works will be finished sooner. So, yeah I'm looking way ahead here.
Well, there could've been more detail. For example, we didn't get to see how Michonne met Oak and Pete, you just know she woke up and she knew them. It gave us no background or anything to allow ourselves to become attached to the characters. Another one, it could've given us the story of Michonne leaving her kids behind or when the apocalypse started.
That's the main one. You get no backstory whatsoever.
It was to Short for a Premiere Episode. I Really don't mind, If EP. 2 And 3 Are 80-90min. Long, But a Premiere should take its Time, to introduce me to the characters. It would Be good, If we got More Time on the boat And in Monroe.
ClementineTheGirl, are you referring to Fallout 4's roleplay scheme in which there's hundreds of ways to do things or are you talking about the gameplay time? No telltale game should be as long as Fallout. That is too long for those kinds of games. Do NOT get me wrong, Fallout is my FAVORITE game in the world BY FAR, but not every game should be this long.
Why would she do that?
Not when the team doing Michonne isn't even the team working on Season 3 right now.
"In a way, it's a good thing the episodes are not long" How? I paid the same I would have for 1 of the seasons of TWD. I expect something as good, not something rushed so I can play season 3, otherwise I would have never purchased Michonne.. A REAL SHAME I couldn't buy episodes separately; starting to understand that most of Telltale's projects are "rushed" so we can focus on the better ones such as GOT, and TWD. I don't care if they are on a monthly schedule, I want the same Telltale experience I've been having with Tales of the borderlands, Game of thrones, and The walking dead. Not this ultra short story with the same price tag on it. I also played the 1st episode twice because I thought maybe I just forgot some of what happened, and overall made it seem shorter; it is indeed very short.
Also to add I wasn't very impressed with any of the choices you got to make throughout the 1st episode.
Why would anyone expect or not mind a short episode just because its a mini series. "over charge us please!" is the translation for those of you saying that.
It's 3 episodes long....just because its a mini series doesn't mean the episodes themselves should be short. The hell is the point of it being 3 episodes then? It should be 1 really good episode or 2 at the most. There is no reason they should be short.
good thing it was short enough to get a steam refund.
Spending 15 bucks on 3 hours of gameplay without replay value doesn't seem right.
Mainly I was saying the faster Michonne finishes, the faster even more work can be put into S3. Which I REALLY want.
You don't really expect something as good; you expect something as long. Shorter episodes don't necessarily mean that they are worse.
I believe it's a he.
i normally default to he but was not sure this time.
Lol I looked at the wrong user name. XD
Well, we do know how Mich. and Pete met. It's at the beginning when Michonne was going to shoot herself, that is when Pete first sees her. "Hey. Thanks. ... Are you alright?" Then she kneels on the ground... And you make that choice. She was "in a bad spot" when he first met her.