Opinions about episode 1.
Very solid first episode in my opinion, a perfect merge between Minecraft's crafting gameplay and the Telltale formula with a refined game mechanic, a wider set of outcomes and perfectly acted and written characters. Is it the best Telltale premiere? That's up to you, but it is surely a pretty good one. My rank is 9/10. Let me know what you think in the comments below,
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Comments
I enjoyed the episode. What I find interesting is the final choice and the 'next time' segment. It looks like we might indeed have branching story paths, though I imagine we'll still end up finding the other character. Could be smoke and mirrors too, but yeah . . . I imagine it'll branch for at least the initial segment or two of episode 2. (I haven't picked the other choice yet though, but I imagine the preview is indeed quite different based on the final choice)
I think that we'll end up looking for the other guy anyway too, but choices do seem to define my main playthrough at least. I'm really curious to know how it'll be like to play with female Jesse and the differences with the male version.
I'll admit this game has lived up to my expectations.
It's a 8.5/10 for me.
It did seem that way to me too, regarding the choices defining your playthrough, though obviously the story arc doesn't radically change. Won't know for sure till I replay and with streaming it, I couldn't really focus properly on it. From what I've read in another review, regarding female and male Jesse, someone said it seems like different characters might be romance or best friend options depending on gender.
While we're talking about this though, I should mention one negative aspect I noticed. In a few instances, I noticed character mouths moving after the dialog had been spoken on the PS4. Only a few instances anyway, but Telltale may want to look into it.
Also, I didn't notice it myself, but someone on the stream I ran mentioned something blurry in the top left of the screen. (As I said, I didn't notice this though. So, more just mentioning this in case others ran into it.)
But yeah, great job overall. Definitely didn't warrant all of the hate.
Glad you enjoyed it. I'm wondering how long it'll be before the negativity starts though.
Normally the way, isn't it? Positive thoughts, then negative.
I'm putting my cards on the table: I'm really not feeling this series so far. However, the back-half of the episode in terms of story started to get fairly interesting, but not enough to fully reel me back in.
If you held a gun to my head and forced me to rate this, I'd say a 6/10. It's not as bad as people make out, but I wouldn't say it's one of Telltale's best, either.
Let me clarify one thing before moving forward: to me, I still wouldn't consider 6 a bad score at all. I still liked this episode, for what it's worth, and for the most part, what I have to say is stil fairly positive, but there are definitely things that I feel didn't live up to par for me. Given it's the first episode of this series, I'm more than willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.
Now, what I do give it immense credit for is on the mechanical/gameplay side of things. If we're looking at it from that perspective, then I'd say it's actually one of Telltale's best. There's some good innovation going on in terms of more robust gameplay, and the merging of Minecraft elements in the Telltale-style of play is being handled rather well, and seemingly manage to mesh together better than expected. Choice tailoring seems to be pretty good so far, although since we're only one episode in, I can't say for sure that there's been any substantial improvements to the system.
Voice acting for me has been a little bit off. For voice acting, my problem doesn't lie in the overall performance (which is quite solid), but rather in some individual lines. Some conversations and dialogue just feels... half-hearted. Sometimes it just sounds like it's being read off the script without much personality to it, or without capturing the correct emotion/tone for the line in question. Some of the jokes fell flat because the delivery just wasn't there. It's like a comedian trying to tell a joke without understanding the joke or what makes it funny in the first place.
Graphics-wise, no real complaints. My only slight complaints would be in the animation department in particular. Now let me get this out of the way by saying that I'm generally quite forgiving of all the little animation quirks in Telltale's stuff. They mostly do hand-made animation (and part of me really respects that), and they're running on an engine that is-- to put it mildly-- primordial by now. And I'm also someone that doesn't think Telltale's animations are that bad at all. People tend to over-exaggerate how bad they are. Sure, there's some janky scenes and transitions here and there, but by and large, they're solid.
However, for Minecraft in particular, the animation-side of things has been sticking out to me much more than their other series, and not in a good way. I noticed a lot of awkward transitions between character animations, and the facial animations, which admittedly I wouldn't put a high standard to since this is Minecraft of all things, really seems to drop the ball at times.
I suppose I can forgive weird animation in a Minecraft game because, well, I imagine it's hard to animate a game where everyone is made out of blocks. That, and Telltale has their own animation style, one that doesn't particularly transition that well into a game like Minecraft. In comparison to every other game they've done so far, Minecraft had to have had the most extensive re-works in the animation department, or at least I'd imagine so. Minecraft characters simply don't conform to anything they've done in the past, and I'd reckon that a good 95% of the animations in M:SM had to be completely remade in order to work. I imagine that like with TWD, they'll get better as the season progresses, and they start to get the hang of animating in this new style.
Music-wise, also no real complaints. I mean, I was already sold when I saw the name 'Anadel', so yeah. I've seen quite a few people criticizing the soundtrack so far, but I don't really get it. I suppose it's probably due to two things: A) Jared isn't doing the soundtrack, and
while it's definitely in Minecraft-style, it's still unique in it's own way. Most people are probably just thrown off due to expectations: people that played Minecraft expect music like Minecraft, people that play Telltale stuff expect Jared's soundtrack, and people that play both expect both. It'll probably just take some adjusting for some people, but as for me, it's impressed me so far.
Story-wise, going back to what I said at the beginning, I'm not really feeling it yet. I'm going to giving it the benefit of the doubt, like I've always done with series premieres, as there's a lot of table-setting to do in the first episode of something. However, in comparison to their other series like TWD, the characters and story haven't reeled me in all that much. Outside of some obvious exceptions (Jesse, Petra, and the legend himself, Reuben), I'm not all that interested in the current cast. However, they all show signs of that changing in the near future, so I'll stick by for the next few episodes before I fully make up my mind regarding that. As for actual story, it's really only the back-half that was especially interesting to me, but that's partly because the back-half of the episode is when the story actually starts going somewhere. The whole first half doesn't have much of substance to me. The first half is literally just Minecraft; you and friends are building stuff. Of course, given that we are talking about Minecraft, that totally makes sense, but they could have transitioned into something more interesting a little bit quicker than they did, if you ask me.
That's mostly my thoughts right off the top of my head. There's probably some other things I haven't addressed here, so I'll probably follow this up later if I think of anything else worth talking about.
So yeah, to sum it up: it's average for me. Not bad by any means, but not exactly stand-out either. Kind of like that Destructoid review says: filled my belly and time, but didn't really leave a lasting impression on me yet. However, unlike that review, I'd say the back-half of the episode was like a dish having this really tasty spice to it that leaves you thinking "hm, you know, that might have actually been better than I originally thought" as you leave the restaurant.
After it release on all platforms. With all the "the story doesn't branch!!!! " BS.
Like duh, it's the first episode.
I agree wth you on most points, however some of them I don't feel as necessarily negative. For instance, I'm actually not fond of Axel and Olivia, but I think that, like you said, the next episodes will give them more characterization, so that's not actually a problem yet. The animations are weird, but not the "my game doesn't work" kind of weird, more like "that feels off but not that bad" kind of weird. I personally liked the musical score, I didn't know there was criticism about it. As for the voice acting, I guess I felt so comfortable with the voice actors that I didn't notice the half hearted one liners. I'll pay more attention to it in my second playthrough.
Oh yes, I can already see it coming. "Worst episode" "Why Minecraft: SM sucks" "Why I would rather eat Reuben than do anything else in the game". I guess we can just brace ourselves and get ready for it.
how long is the episode? i was gonna wait to play until all 5 episodes were out but i don't think i can wait now.
I'd give it a higher score, but a nice review. Generally, regarding books, I tend towards 3-4/5 stars. 3 being for those that I like, or I'm more neutral about, but I don't feel a rush to get back to. As I played this straight through, I guess it'd be a 4, as I saw nothing wrong with it really from a story point of view.
But on that point, I tend to like animated films like Antz, A Bug's Life, Toy Story etc. despite being 29. Not ashamed to admit it.
I didn't particularly find it laugh out loud though. The chicken bit was amusing, however. And there were a few small 'hah' moments.
Anyway, point being, I guess whether the story is liked or not would heavily depend on how much you like films such as the Lego Movie, Shrek etc. Obviously, those are higher quality productions and everything, but I think if you like those, you'll find something to like from a story perspective. Even if it's not as funny. Not sure if you agree or not though, Deltino. (Also, I'm glad you clarified you don't class 6 as a bad score. I tend to think it is, but that is because, whether rightly or wrongly, I have the belief that games on average tend to score higher than movies/tv shows, with them rarely going below a 6-7/10, as in I don't feel the full score range is utilised. I assume others have the same thought and that's why the myth about anything below an 8, essentially, exists even though it's not actually correct.)
Roughly two hours.
It took me an hour and 45 minutes, so a standard time really. As has been said though, it does feel like the story is more 'tailored/personalised' than some of Telltale's stuff.
I'm surprised. Surprised that people actually like it. I don't get it. This minecraft world, it's characters, their motivations. A step back in story telling, everything seems too childish. Even the humour - guy scared of chickens? Who is this Petra? Why they all are helping her? She says stealing won't be allowed, minute later she borrows a sword. Why the fat guy wants to steal potions? Bearded guy is creating monster - for what? To kill it? Silly idea. Fightning zombies is rather boring. Where those corpses are coming from? Episode with this kind of graphic should be much longer.
I'm too old for this.
For a very first episode it was alright. I'm not really into Minecraft, but it seems like something that Minecraft fans would enjoy and it looks like fun and sets things up really well too in terms of world and story.
Cringeful writing and has that icky corny humor to it even more than TFTB. The graphics are funny but I will admit I enjoyed the voice acting but that's about it
Shit man, when I was a kid, I was out on a farm, and this angry chicken kept hounding me around the place, so I just locked myself in a car like it was Cujo
Chickens can be pretty scary sometimes
I would have to rate this episode as 6/10. For me, it's just not up to the storytelling standard of the other Telltale games...perhaps that will change as time goes on, but the story is much more cookie cutter than I expected and the characters are very one dimensional. I was also disappointed by most of the voice acting...something I've never really said for a Telltale game. Axel was especially weak, and felt like he was reading everything half-heartedly...even when he was supposedly upset about Petra. And maybe it's just me, but I really felt like I was playing TWD 2 at some points...especially when you are making decisions about people accepting someone into the group or not. Also, the characters overreact to things for no reason just to create unnecessary conflict at times, just like TWD 2. And that's not a complement, since I think TWD 2 was a rather weak game. The best character so far is the pig.
The biggest problem is that I honestly struggled to stay interested at times....and that's a first. I found myself stopping to do other things.
The graphics and gameplay were fine...what I would expect from a minecraft/telltale game.
I know that Telltale can step up their game, and that the first episode is rarely the best in the series, so here's hoping for a big turnaround to justify the season pass.
It's called "Alektorophobia", it's a real thing.
A smuggler who goes hunting for stuff in the Nether from time to time.
Because they knew her already and they're friends, duh?
Money? Curiosity? To drink them? These are all possible.
Not really, he wanted to humiliate Gabriel and if the guys hadn't stolen his potion it would have gone smoothly. Also, I guess he was pretty desperate.
You ever played Minecraft?
I don't think so.
As a big fan of animation, let me tell you something, don't be ashamed of loving those movies. Pixar and Disney films are 99% of the time made for both kids and adults, and a lot of the time they seem more creative then most films that come out each year. Hell, Inside Out is probably my favorite film this entire year, and it's hardly been a bad year. I will even admit that I love Frozen to death, I said that, yeah! So just love what you love, I sure won't judge and I am pretty sure most people won't either. Oh, and the game, eh, that seems to be my thoughts. Hardly bad, but not really that substantial, might get better with time.
I thought it was a decent episode. There seemed to be a variety of choices and the voice-acting was on point. Plus, I love little Reuben.
Though, comparing it to the premieres of previous titles, this was definitely the weakest. I get that it's supposed to be catered more to a younger audience, but I wish it wasn't. The concept of an M-rated game based on Minecraft would have been interesting.
hmmm...
Graphics does not define how long or short an episode may be.Despite it's blockiness, it's still equal to that of Telltale's other titles.
Welcome to the forum Seth, feel free to express your opinion.
Damn I was hoping this was going to be good like the Lego Movie, since both of them had no story before and had to create their own. I'm glad I didn't buy the season pass for this one, I just think the story isn't up to standards. I don't mean 'Uhh, it isn't dark enough'. You can still make a good 'kids marketed' product and still have brilliant writing and storytelling.
Now that the game is close to being released i will say more about it that i couldn't say in my London play session thread due to the embargo.
I enjoyed the game and the similarities to movies like the Goonies and other old movies while playing (and i did notice references to movies like Babe and ET) but this does seem more geared towards a younger audience.
The fact it's a for more younger audience isn't a bad thing for me but i can understand why some people might not like it as i know some people are more used to Telltales more mature themed games, there are also things that people who have never played Minecraft before might not get like when characters talk about mobs or other creatures or references in the Minecraft world. One thing i wish was explained more was Jesses relationship with Petra prior to when the game takes place as it wasn't really explained in detail apart from they did know each other but that might be explained more in future episodes.
As per normal in a Telltale game i thought the voice acting was really good and the voices suited all the characters, i liked the fact they incorporated a combination based puzzle in the game (and i did get stuck for a couple of minutes :P) and i hope they incorporate them into future episodes, the end also a ended on a slight cliffhanger and i am looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Overall i would rate it 8.5/10
I saw most of this negativity coming, and I'm surprised by it. I thought the first episode was great.
If anyone's looking for the sort of disney "parts that kids won't get/appreciate" factor, you've come to the right place.
I felt like this wasn't aimed entirely at kids, or at least the main minecraft demographic (8 year old youtubers) because it felt like a homage to the films that everyone watched as a kid, with some humor that only adults will appreciate (I couldn't control myself when the 80's fitness montage thing started.)
The story for this game starts out weak, but still keeps itself entertaining for the first half. After the first half, the story kicks in, slowly at first, but nevertheless it managed to interest me.
The voice acting is solid and it has a nice combat mechanic for certain moments, not to mention it has many more explorable areas than other telltale games.
It's a typical first episode, it feels like it's setting up the rest of it and that things are really going to set off in episode 2 (All the other Telltale games in recent memory have had their first episode like this in my opinion)
I'd give it a solid 9/10 for now, for people expecting a great story, the first episode won't have one, most first episodes don't. For people wanting an entirely story based and dark game, this obviously isn't for you (unless you're like axel.) But for anyone who wants a fun game that gives a pretty interesting story and a few good laughs. This is for you.
Really? I thought facial expressions and moves of Jesse are simpler than Clementines. Simpler things usually take less time in production.
I think it was ok.
I know it supposed to be a gag with chickens. Weird one.
Sure, smuggler and friends. That simple. Story starts from beginning, not from the middle. Starts with introduction of characters.
Desperation, humiliation... and confusion of the player.
No I did not play. Is this game for Minecraft fans only? I didn't play Borderlands and I love Tales. It's all about the story.
I'll start by saying I never played it, but I did watch it from start to finish in a playthrough on youtube. I didn't have the highest hopes for this installment, but I tried to keep an open mind. The humour and pacing seems to fit more for a younger audience, which is entirely fine, and I'll probably buy it anyways for when my nephew visits, but for me personally it wasn't really what I would be looking for. I wasn't an avid fan of the original minecraft game itself, I dabbled in it now and then so maybe that's another point of disconnect. I can appreciate its more of a family oriented approach, and I don't think it's bad for what its set out to do, but it's just not for me. For my tastes, it was probably a 6/10, but I know for a fact my nephew would love it so I'll probably pick it up soon.
Nah I've seen worse.
On that I agree, Petra's background should have been expanded.
Er... Nope?
I'm not a Minecraft fan, it's common knowledge that Minecraft has various enemies, including zombies, appearing randomly at night. By the way I'm 18 and I liked the episode nonethless,
I think it was ok. I will not play it but I'll just watch it. It was really a good written story and gameplay even though I'm not a fan of Minecraft. What I enjoyed more is meeting Ellie and Lee in this game lol.
Cute, helpful guy called Lukas.
WITH TWD S2 LUKE'S VOICE.
Dammit TellTale.
I'm watching Yogscast Hannah's playthrough by the way. I don't think I'm buying it. She didn't post all of episode 1 yet though.
I really enjoyed it. 8.5/10
Oh come on. Don't make fun of Chicken Brah. I actually found his segment a bit amusing.
Did Scott voice Lukas?
Yep.
He broke my heard the minute he opened his mouth.
Luke... ç-ç
How the hell did I not notice? Ellie and Lee's voices are one of my most memorable ones.