Well, that's the thing, isn't it? With a baby character in this kind of scenario, those are your only real options: keep them alive to be a "symbol of hope" (which, let's be honest here, is nine times out of ten nothing more than an attempt to justify having a baby around at all), or kill them off to show how deadly the world is. Neither one is original.
The only thing I can think of that could be somewhat interesting is a real attempt to blur the lines by showing the baby as a serious liability and a constant problem, and an actual push for us to consider leaving him behind as Clementine's drive to keep him alive sets her at odds with new characters she meets and possibly even inadvertently causes deaths of some characters. Of course, that would require AJ not being the perfect little baby he was portrayed as, and I doubt Telltale will switch gears on that. And even then, none of this is "original". It's really just using similar concepts of other "liability" characters like Ben, Nick, and Sarah (where you have a choice at some point to help them or leave each to their fate), but with a baby.
In the end, we have to just kind of accept that there is very little "original" material out there these days, and even less when we're talking about baby characters, which can barely be called characters at all when we're talking about a semi-realistic setting like the Walking Dead, where they can do nothing except eat, cry, and crap until they're older.
With a baby character in this kind of scenario, those are your only real options: keep them alive to be a "symbol of hope" (which, let's be honest here, is nine times out of ten nothing more than an attempt to justify having a baby around at all), or kill them off to show how deadly the world is. Neither one is original.
Therefore, those are questionable options to choose. TT has the opportunity to make AJ older along with Clementine, which would make him a three years old (as far as the story can progress, reffering to Kirkman's words). It'd cause him being older than TV and comics Judith, with whom we have uninterrupted contact since her birth, and we are be able to see her baby character affecting the rest of the characters. Timeskip done with AJ could be a shot in a different direction, although I'm not sure if it'd be accurate enough.
Not to mention they can always get rid off AJ in a manner other than death, simply removing him from the main storyline. However, it would be a waste of a unique chance to show a child born and raised in the environment of the apocalypse, and by rejecting it, deprive the player of the possibility to participate in the shaping of a new character from the very scratch.
This is mainly because all the other children are self sustaining badasses in world’s that are working endlessly to try and kill them, and AJ's story could be completely up to the player and optional.
Well, that's the thing, isn't it? With a baby character in this kind of scenario, those are your only real options: keep them alive to be a … more"symbol of hope" (which, let's be honest here, is nine times out of ten nothing more than an attempt to justify having a baby around at all), or kill them off to show how deadly the world is. Neither one is original.
The only thing I can think of that could be somewhat interesting is a real attempt to blur the lines by showing the baby as a serious liability and a constant problem, and an actual push for us to consider leaving him behind as Clementine's drive to keep him alive sets her at odds with new characters she meets and possibly even inadvertently causes deaths of some characters. Of course, that would require AJ not being the perfect little baby he was portrayed as, and I doubt Telltale will switch gears on that. And even then, none of this is "original". It's really just using similar concepts… [view original content]
Well, that's the thing, isn't it? With a baby character in this kind of scenario, those are your only real options: keep them alive to be a … more"symbol of hope" (which, let's be honest here, is nine times out of ten nothing more than an attempt to justify having a baby around at all), or kill them off to show how deadly the world is. Neither one is original.
The only thing I can think of that could be somewhat interesting is a real attempt to blur the lines by showing the baby as a serious liability and a constant problem, and an actual push for us to consider leaving him behind as Clementine's drive to keep him alive sets her at odds with new characters she meets and possibly even inadvertently causes deaths of some characters. Of course, that would require AJ not being the perfect little baby he was portrayed as, and I doubt Telltale will switch gears on that. And even then, none of this is "original". It's really just using similar concepts… [view original content]
Comments
Well, that's the thing, isn't it? With a baby character in this kind of scenario, those are your only real options: keep them alive to be a "symbol of hope" (which, let's be honest here, is nine times out of ten nothing more than an attempt to justify having a baby around at all), or kill them off to show how deadly the world is. Neither one is original.
The only thing I can think of that could be somewhat interesting is a real attempt to blur the lines by showing the baby as a serious liability and a constant problem, and an actual push for us to consider leaving him behind as Clementine's drive to keep him alive sets her at odds with new characters she meets and possibly even inadvertently causes deaths of some characters. Of course, that would require AJ not being the perfect little baby he was portrayed as, and I doubt Telltale will switch gears on that. And even then, none of this is "original". It's really just using similar concepts of other "liability" characters like Ben, Nick, and Sarah (where you have a choice at some point to help them or leave each to their fate), but with a baby.
In the end, we have to just kind of accept that there is very little "original" material out there these days, and even less when we're talking about baby characters, which can barely be called characters at all when we're talking about a semi-realistic setting like the Walking Dead, where they can do nothing except eat, cry, and crap until they're older.
Therefore, those are questionable options to choose. TT has the opportunity to make AJ older along with Clementine, which would make him a three years old (as far as the story can progress, reffering to Kirkman's words). It'd cause him being older than TV and comics Judith, with whom we have uninterrupted contact since her birth, and we are be able to see her baby character affecting the rest of the characters. Timeskip done with AJ could be a shot in a different direction, although I'm not sure if it'd be accurate enough.
Not to mention they can always get rid off AJ in a manner other than death, simply removing him from the main storyline. However, it would be a waste of a unique chance to show a child born and raised in the environment of the apocalypse, and by rejecting it, deprive the player of the possibility to participate in the shaping of a new character from the very scratch.
This is mainly because all the other children are self sustaining badasses in world’s that are working endlessly to try and kill them, and AJ's story could be completely up to the player and optional.
Isn't the baby a liability to begin with?
The cutest liability ever.
Hes probably too sugary even for zombies.