Nick Breckon (Lead writer of S2, Ep. 1,2,5)
What if he wrote the entire season instead of taking a backseat in Ep. 3 and 4? He had some great story lines and decent character interaction going in Ep. 1 and 2.
- Nick's depression - Pete and Luke both advised Clem to keep an eye on him which we can promise to or not. We also see how far his depression goes in that great speech in the shed (determinant), although all he wanted was to keep the people he loved safe. Gave him the watch to remind him of Pete. Tossed aside like trash in Ep. 3 and 4 when Luke forgets that Nick exists.
- Sarah's sheltered life - Sarah wanted to know what was out there seen when she stands up to Carlos and demands to stop being treated like a kid. We get to teach her how to shoot. We can befriend her. Also tossed aside like trash in Ep. 4 when our decisions have no impact whatsoever.
- Remembering Lee - Clem shows how deeply she misses Lee. She tells Luke about him. The music, atmosphere and voice acting was perfect and decisions mattered. Simple one-on-one convos like this is what makes The Walking Dead spectacular. Not everything has to be "choosing between Luke or Kenny."
- Kenny's questionable stability - I feel Nick Breckon did a great job in showing how subconsciously Kenny was attempting to replace Katjaa/Duck with Sarita/Clem. Calling Clementine Duck and Sarita's insecurity about Kenny was good as well.
- Rebecca's apology to Clem
- Carlos's valiant (but in vain) attempt to shield Sarah in a world gone to hell.
- Alvin scenes with the juice box (Ep.1) then peach cans (Ep.2)
- Choices made that can save/kill Nick and Alvin (ep.2)
- Carver wasn't a generic completely psychotic villain. He was plain menacing in the cabin without using any violence. His actions with the chessboard ("Someone's gonna be checkmated in 3 moves") showed he was also intellectual. He also could have been sympathetic but the writer of Ep. 3 chose to go the generic crazed evil villain route.
- Careful beginnings of 400 Days characters integration - Roman's dead body at the river. Bonnie showing up as part of Carver's group. Then...nothing. Lame cameos from Wyatt, Vince, Shel, Becca and Russell. No interaction with them at all. No Eddie or Nate. What a waste.
Decent development (or beginnings of) for most characters. Nick Breckon at least attempted to develop these characters and had far greater success (in my opinion) than those of Ep. 3 and 4.
Then along comes Ep. 3 and 4.
- Hardly any chance to talk and interact with others
- Lopsided development. Absolutely none in Ep. 3, then pouring on Jane in Ep. 4. Learned nothing about Mike.
- Carver turns into the Governor. Some small flashes of the old Carver but for the most part, he becomes a generic villain.
- Nick & Sarah
- Luke forgets Nick exists
- Russians are the villains
- Ep. 4 choices were awful. I feel like the writers were laughing at me.
- Did you save Sarah? -Haha screw you guys she dies anyway
- Did you rob Arvo? -Doesn't matter! He'll say you did anyway.
- Did you crawl through the ticket booth? -How the heck in this important to anything?
- Did you hold the baby? -Uh...
- Did you shoot Rebecca? -Doesn't matter Kenny did anyway.
I guess this is what happens when different writers take lead in different episodes. It's fine if they continue the same threads the previous writer left off on, but it's like the writers for ep. 3 and 4 completely disregarded the ideas and storylines Nick Breckon had going. There's no continuity. Ep. 5 could have been far better as well I believe if Nick Breckon had continued his story from Ep 2 onward instead of letting whatever incompetent fool write Ep 3 and 4. His plot would be far more engaging and interesting and our choices would have mattered.
Comments
You guys adore Nick Breckon way too much. He's a great writer, but the rest of the Telltale staff are not bad either. "In Harm's Way" and "All That Remains" are two incredibly complicated episodes with a lot of themes and stuff that is happening. It's hard to handle the storyline in these two episodes... Nick Breckon wouldn't have done it a lot better.
Not saying ep 3 & 4 were awful. I'm just saying... In ep 3 & 4, I missed the character interaction and the simple conversations we could have. Clem & Luke. Clem & Kenny. Clem & Nick. The campfire scene in ep. 5. Those were some of the best scenes in the game. Not everything had to be a choice between " A or B." Our choices had little significance as well.
Have you forgotten that dear old Nick wrote All That Remains, in which no choice matters?
I think that In Harm's Way had an incredible tension and Amid the Ruins a unique depressing, hopeless feeling. There are a few things that are missing, and Nick Breckon would've probably done things a little different. Doesn't necessarily mean he would've done it better. Pierre Shorette, JT Petty and Eric Stripe get way too much hate.
Agree with you though, campfire scene was the second best scene of the whole season.
Not every choice has to matter though, IMO. All That Remains is incredible IMO because of the athmosphere. I loved every second of it. (Apart from the... ending)
I also loved every second of All That Remains, but I was just saying it because it seems odd to me that he critizes the other writers for choices of little significance when Nick Breckon did the same.
Yeah, okay, then I agree with you. All That Remains had next to no significant choices.
I really should have thought of that. I guess what I'm really criticizing is the general atmosphere. The strength of The Walking Dead game has always been in its interaction with others and its pacing. Nick Breckon's episodes felt well paced. Deliberate movements mixed with meaningful conversations. (Conversation with Luke at the cabin. Pete's death/Nick's drunken depression. Fireplace w/ Kenny, Who to sit with at dinner.). I really missed those moments in 3 & 4.
Well, is that if you problem with episode 3 and 4, then I mostly aggre with you.
Am I the only one around here who loves In Harm's Way and Amid The Ruins?
The weakest episode of the entire series is Around Every Corner, IMO.
I do too. Is just that I like the others more.
Wait... What?
Nick Breckon is the best writer of Season 2, but the other writers are good too, I think it is just they should have been used in other places. Like Pierre Shorette, he wrote a very good first episode of The Wolf Among Us. There was a very good action scene and a strong mystery in episode Faith.
I think what Telltale should have done, is to have Nick Breckon write every episodes of the Season, but also give him a co-writer to help him. Like Episode 5, Nick and Pierre wrote a very good finale episode in my opinion.
Oh gosh... Around Every Corner... otherwise known as "Ben Screws Everything Up...AGAIN"
No, just kidding. It was a filler episode basically, like Amid the Ruins was, a build up to the finale. There were some great moments with Clementine and I liked Molly but she left in the same episode she was introduced. Yeah, just not as memorable as any other.
I did like In Harm's Way and Amid the Ruins. I like every episode of this game. I just feel it doesn't hold up compared to the standards previous episodes had set.
That Crawford Molly Sewers episode?
His main problem is the charcaters change personality drastically overnight. Ep 1 and 2 are the worst for this however ep 5 does it quite a lot too. Bonnie goes from kind and meek to being an aggressive smoker,
I agree, the finale was pretty solid for the most part. Just a few issues with it
OTOH, the campfire scene was spectacular and expertly written.
Around Every Corner was the weakest episode of both seasons IMO, it was still great though.
No, I mean why you think it was the weakest episode. I mean, it was 'weak', but not that bad.
It was the weakest episode of both seasons, still great though.
Yeah, especially compared to No Going Back, No Time Left and Long Road Ahead.
Yep, loved the campfire scene. It was so ... hopeful. Peaceful.
Spoiler Alert: Luke died.
She kind of liked him.
How about Bonnie completely blaming Clem for Luke's death? Mike going gay for Arvo (I understand he might be sympathetic towards victims of abuse) and completely forgetting Clem? Bonnie somehow making it out after Luke drowns. I personally believe these changes were made to get these characters out of the way. Luke would have held the group together. Kenny/Jane was a harder choice to make at that pint for me personally rather than Kenny/Luke.
Dude...amazing animation right there.
I didn't want Luke to die...I was in denial when it happened. And about the firefight, well, we don't know what happened when the first shot was fired. It may be that everyone immediately jumped for cover or at least jumped, all the while shooting for covering fire. That's what I would do when the first shot is fired.
If she didn´t help. I don´t think it was that unrealistic, honestly.
True.
True that.
...With Arvo crying in the background.
Luke specifically said "Don't you come here, I just need some time. Cover me. I just need some time to get out"
If you cover him, then with all the walkers gone, Bonnie inches towards him making the ice break. What a dumbnut! She doesn't even have to do that. Somehow she gets out of the water after Luke drowns which I don't understand either.
Of course, I guess it's debatable that Luke was really just plain stuck and did need help getting out. Still I wish it was possible to save him some way.
Poor Arvo.
I guess so. I think that's just lazy though and a cop-out. Somehow most of the Russians are dead when we come back and we have the upper hand, also the group escapes relatively unscathed from that encounter. Seems like a lot of build up for nothing.
We don't have to over analyze every line, people.
Grief makes people irrational. Blaming Clem is easier that blaming herself.
Lol, nope.
Fuck Arvo.
Very very true. Although I think it's bull that the blame is put on Clem 99% of the time. We see this with Kenny in the Sarita situation.
Haha dude, do you have any sympathy for the kid?
... yeah. Clem should've...
I'm sorry, what?