My opinion, about others opinions
I see a lot of people in this forum complaining about things like character development sucks and Sarita, Sarah and Nick's death sucks because he was a fan favorite and this and that ( Which can get kind of annoying ). So... that adds an even better explanation to why he should be killed off. But what I noticed is that not too many people are thinking realistically about the things that has happened in The Walking Dead Season 2. In a zombie apocalypse, one of the last things on your mind would be getting to know a character that deeply unless you just feel a lot more connected to them. Ok, yeah, maybe if things are calm you guys might just sit down and relax for a bit, but you wouldn't hear his or her whole life story. You should, be more concerned about getting food and finding shelter and all the other things you need to do in order to live in a world like this. I also see that a lot of you guys want deaths to actually mean something in the game... shit happens, you won't see too many deaths that will and people have a way higher risk of dying than living in a normal world because they're in an apocalypse. People you know or just met and care about or don't care about could easily die. Maybe if people thought like this, we would have a lot less players being so angry about how the game plays out and actually get to enjoy it more. Now, I know this community is probably gonna dislike the hell out of this post, but hear me out and think about where I'm coming from. And in the end, The Walking Dead is just a game.
Comments
http://www.telltalegames.com/community/discussion/78883/but-why-the-hell-amid-the-ruins-is-so-hated
http://www.telltalegames.com/community/discussion/77474/where-s2-went-wrong-spoilers-formerly-shame-on-you-telltale
http://www.telltalegames.com/community/discussion/78807/why-episode-4-is-better-than-you-thought-it-was
Read the comments on any of these discussions and hopefully you'll have a bigger picture of why people are actually annoyed; in many cases it's not because Nick was a fan favourite but because his death was lazy and inadequate. Same for Sarah. I hope you don't think me rude for not posting all of the same arguments myself, but if you go to any of those links then you'll find comments from other people (and myself in some cases) detailing the exact issues at hand.
I also don't mean to be pedantic but in actual fact some people HAVE "thought like this" and are still annoyed at how the game panned out, because some people would rather have a well-written story than a realistic one. I know I would. And at the end of the day, 'The Walking Dead' IS just a game, but it's a game that people have paid good money for, whether they are buying the season pass or individual episodes, and if people think that the quality here is lacking compared to previously or if they aren't satisfied, then they have the right to complain. I'm sorry if that annoys you, but I can assure you that it's also annoying to see people complaining about people complaining, over and over and over again, as if we don't have a right to inhabit these forums unless we wholeheartedly praise every episode like a deity, and as if we're simply whining for the sake of whining rather than trying to give constructive criticism.
Anyway, I hope you don't think of me as too condescending, but it's not that people haven't considered your perspective; it's that they don't all agree with it, and that's a reality that I'm afraid you'll have to deal with, as will everyone else.
You're right, it is just a game, which is why compelling storytelling should be valued higher than strict realism. Look up "suspension of disbelief' - it's basically what I'm getting at here. I play TWD to interact with interesting characters and exciting situations, not sit around and count rations while everyone I love is unceremoniously killed off.
Also, "shit happens" is not a good excuse for lazy Season 2 deaths. Lee getting bitten was shit happening. Ben falling off of the balcony was shit happening. The fence breaking and Sean getting killed was shit happening, yet all of these deaths were powerful and effective. The same cannot be said about the majority of Season 2's deaths. Not all of them, though.
Pete's death was heartbreaking, but his sacrifice for Clem was downright heroic. Walter's death was very powerful, and we only knew the guy for 20 minutes! So to reiterate, there's a right way to write character deaths, and there's a wrong way. It's not as simple as saying "shit happens"; there are more elements to consider than that.
This isn't a "realistic" story by any means. If it was, the dog wouldn't have tried to eat Clem's face. If it was, Nick wouldn't have been able to shoot a guy in the throat from 30 feet away and get eaten by a single zombie when earlier on he'd taken a group on while drunk. If it was realistic, then Kenny would have died years ago. If it was realistic, then Sarita would have had a brain and remembered that Reggie had survived his amputation.
"Realism" seems to be a word that people use to mean "cool" or "does not challenge my world-view". The truth about survival is that it doesn't matter how "strong" you are - mistakes can happen and the people you least expect to can survive overwhelming odds. Children and babies live through wars and disasters all the time. We see this with Pete, who dies because he made a momentary slip-up and got bitten. We see this with Carver, who was too weak to hold onto his sanity and eventually dies because he underestimates the 'weak' himself. We even see this with Clementine, who's survived over two years of insane horrors because of the goodness of others and her own inner strength. 'Survival of the fittest' doesn't actually explain how humans in real life have thrived - they've survived because they give the 'weak' a chance, not because they step on them and steal from others like parasites. Clementine survived because she always had at least one person who cared about her
It's 'realistic' for Kenny to have died in any of the insane situations he found himself in - like screaming at Clementine in the middle of an ocean of zombies. Or beating up a single zombie while surrounded by dozens of others. It'd be 'realistic' for Jane to have slipped up - particularly if she went down to help Sarah - and get eaten. It'd be 'realistic' for Clem to have broken her leg rather than kicked down a door. Most people roll along with it because these characters are already established as strong, although Clem gets more criticism because she's seen as an "innocent girl" (although she also gets criticized for being jaded and desensitized - is it not feminine enough?)
I call bullshit on Sarah, Nick and Sarita's deaths because the writers' lack of investment in them was too obvious in it. It's why Nick had no lines and why his death isn't even explained (he got caught in a fence??) It's why we get emphasis on Kenny's self-loathing and Jane's defeatist attitude while the girl who Clementine really ought to sympathize most with (what with being the closest in age and situation) is written off as a lost cause and nobody really talks about her getting eaten alive in front of them.
Good point. I know EVERYTHING in the game isn't totally realistic, but I don't see how you would break a leg by kicking a door. Sarita just died because she just unfortunately was bit trying to get through a herd. Not everyone is gonna make it in this world. Every character you meet in The Walking Dead shouldn't have to have all that time invested in them. Nick's death doesn't really need to be explained though. He got shot and the story I think is behind that maybe he was bleeding out and he just fell through the fence? And shots can land anywhere. Im pretty sure he intended to shoot Matthew in the head
Realism isn't really used, when people say that it's too unrealistic that a certain event could happen, that's only unrealistic to their means, and vice versa. Representing things in a way that is accurate and true to life is one of the meanings of 'realistic', which means that we shouldn't be ranting about events that are unrealistic in a zombie apocalyptic world, the only way for our opinions to truly be realistic in such a world is if we lived in one ourselves.
Yea, but I didn't look at it in the way you put it. I think Sarah's death was fine. She was just a girl who wasn't properly... raised I guess, in a world like this and so she died and it was pretty sad ( Cause I left her behind, her first death is powerful ). And I don't think everyones death NEEDS to be powerful and effective. Not everyone should anyway.
True, nothing is truly realistic but you can try to make it as realistic as possible if that's what the writers want
I find it unrealistic how allot of the characters didn't do much to try and save Sarah, apart from Jane who was backed up by Mike and Bonnie.
She'd break her leg because Clementine is a little girl who just tried to kick down a locked door. If I walked up to a brick wall, and kicked it the hardest I could, I would very likely break my leg. Clementine attempting to bust down a locked door, despite her bones not being developed enough, would break her leg.
And I personally wish we knew who Nick was shot by. No one even fucking says anything about it, he just has a bullet hole in his chest, and then as a walker got stuck on a fence. What I wish for would be for Nick to have gotten more development. There have been plenty of times when the characters in Season 2 could have had character development, but honestly I don't care about any of them. Only Pete's death made me the slightest bit sad, because he was so nice. In Season 1, I have been sad about every character's death, even Larry's.
I see your point, man. As disappointed as I was with these deaths, I honestly am glad that there are also plenty of people who are still enjoying the game. More power to you guys.
I don't think I would try. She was in a bad situation and I wouldn't risk it lol
Nick was bitten on the leg and neck. He probably tried to escape from the fence and just bled out/succumbed to the infection while trying to get out of the fence.
I would try to help, I know that I'd die anyway so at least I should try.
People who don't agree with my opinion are irrelevant.
I don't get why people try to make "realistic" games. Just go outside if you want realism.
I play VGs to escape reality. Although, sometimes it's fun to sit down and play some Battlefield or a generic military game. But i think it's funner to play a game like Gmod. If people want realistic games, play Takeshi's Challenge. The hardest game in history.
Carlos- How hard is it?
TWD has some realistic aspects to it and some unrealistic aspects to it. Like, how does Sandra sneak up on Lee when a second ago she was no where to be found? That part always puzzled me. Where was she? If she was upstairs, it had a bookshelf on the staircase and that would make a ton of noise if she pushed it out of the way. Sandra is the walker babysitter, in case you didn't know.
Also, how does Andy survive a bullet to the head?
Also also, why can't Alvin move and escape with Clem? Did Carver break his legs? If Kenny can get up after the beating, i'm pretty sure Alvin can as well who is much bigger and i assume stronger than Kenny and Carver. Plot convenience at it's best.
Also also also, whenever Danny shoots Jolene, his shot goes right through her forehead. Well, that's impossible. Danny's shot would have gone through the side of her head because he was to the left of her, not in front of her like Lee. This is probably just a error by TTG.
Also also also also, Andy, Lee, and Carver are all active after they get shot by guns, but one shot to the side for Kenny makes him weak for the rest of the season. It could be because Kenny was shot by a rifle, but Andy can get shot one too by Lilly, flip Lee over and beat him to death with no trouble. But Kenny can't lift Lee without dropping him instantly. Lee can get shot in the side, punch Stranger in the face and choke him out. Carver can get shot in the shoulder, but can manage to throw Reggie off the roof with ease and beat Kenny with no trouble in his arm. But the second Lee reaches out for Kenny to lift him, he lets him go in pain.
I can actually address a couple of the flubs you mentioned for Season 1.
Andy got shot in the ear, and the adrenaline meant he could still fight for a few minutes. As for Alvin, it's implied that he was already too beaten up to walk properly - plus he's a fat man.
But Carver having no reaction to a wound that would realistically render his arm useless is just there to make him seem less human.
For me, realism is important in games - and don't give me that "go outside if you want realsim", because there are a lot of stuff you have no possibility to do in real life - but you might still want that "real" thrill of it, be it driving to fast on the highway, shooting talibans in Afghanistan or whatever.
For example, one thing that really gets on my nerve is shooters where you and the enemy stand there emptying clip after clip into each other. That is unrealsitic on so many levels, and I for one actually like that "real" feeling without having to go out and kill people for real. I'm a lover, not a fighter.
But, to adress a couple of other of your other points there:
Sandra: Good point. I always wondered that myself. I write that down as a Hollywood scare. As so much else from Hollywood, it didn't make any sense.
Regarding gunshots: It is very well possible to survive a gunshot to the head - in fact, you'd probably survive about 2/3s of all gunshot wounds as long as we are talking smaller calibers, from 9mm and smaller. This is why professionals are taught to fire three rounds, two in the chest and one in the head to maximise the chances of the bad guy going down.
Yes, I agree with this. It is a game, but more importantly it is a story and their characters should typically follow some loose archetypal format. If they don't have a format, or arc for that matter, how are we supposed to care for them? For example, in Season 1, doing things like saving Ben would allow him to reach his arc of redemption, while in Season 2 with Nick, he gets no redemption or arc for himself. If we don't care for the characters, and they die just because they can, then it makes them pointless.
it skimmed andy's ear
What??? I seriously wouldn't, think about it. Let me rephrase that. Maybe I would pull her to try to get her out but once they get close enough to where its dangerous then I'm runnin'. Don't you care about your life the most??
I think you mean grazed but i think you're right.