Honest thoughts about Episodes 1 and 2
Before playing the game, I only looked up Kenny's and Jane's deaths. Needless to say that I dreaded to even touch the game after that. But I must say that these two scenes - luckily - really are the lowpoints of both episodes, and I found myself enjoying the present day storyline well enough.
About Episode 1
I liked the introduction to Javier and his family. They grew on me quickly and I was actually sad at Mariana's death. However, it was more of a "oh, man..." kind of sad and not a "oh my god, what the fuuuuck..." kind of sad. Still, for the amount of screentime she got, it was effective enough.
I also like that we can be an insufferable asshole as Javier. I never got the feeling that Lee and Clem were pricks when playing as them even in asshole playthroughs, but damn can Javier be an ass. On the other hand, this is only possible because he's a bit of a blank sheet, and not in an entirely positive way. He's a bit bland.
The first hub was fun to explore; it didn't streamline you through, but it also gave you a sense of direction. Also, thank god Telltale finally included walkers that don't serve any purpose and are just there because they died there. Not even being sarcastic if it came off that way. It's completely unrealistic how walkers usually only appear to further the plot or to guard something. Random walkers help make the world feel more natural (but not necessarily more alive lel).
I didn't really hate the New Frontier guys as much as I expected to. Sure, they were assholes. But many other characters would have just shot Javier in the face, especially after attacking (and presumably killing) that other guy. I liked that about them. Villains in TWD have always been too one-dimensional most of the time.
First semi-major complaint: Clementine. I don't know what to think about the way Telltale handles her in this. In the save file I used she was good, kind and honest; so was Lee. Yet she shoots a guy in the face and is then like "Come on, cover for me!"? Not something #MyClementine would have done. This also doesn't change in the slightest no matter how you played Clementine in Season 2. I also have no idea how she felled that tree (and right in time as well), but I guess she just kicked it like that trailer door.
I did like Javier's and Clementine's interaction okay, though. I like that you can be an ass to her as well and aren't forced to be nice to her (yes, my Javier is a dick and I love it). I made him warm up to her later and cover for her, though. All in all, I like their dynamic so far.
Clementine being some kind of nomad was interesting. I thought she'd either be working for Prescott or the bad guys. I liked the concept, one of the better ideas in the game so far.
Prescott was a great community. I really hope Telltale doesn't just throw it all out the window (cough Howe's cough Monroe cough Wellington cough), but if you take a look at their track record in these brackets earlier in the sentence, I'm afraid they really did just waste an awesome location. Still holding out hope for an epic "retake Prescott" moment similar to Alexandria, though.
I liked most of the new guys, but then Episode 2 happened.
Now the biggest complaint, which I'm sure most people guessed already: the flashbacks are complete and utter dogshit. Not only are most of them insultingly stupid and pointless, but Telltale also threw their chance out the window to prove that "choices do matter after all". Terrible. Just...not even a little good. Not one of them. The Alone flashback was actually the least terrible. I think that says a lot, seeing as how it was the worst ending by far. I didn't expect an entirely different plotline, but Kenny dying in a car crash? Jane being pregnant and killing herself because of it (seriously, this is by far the worst out of all of them because it is an overused clichée and makes no sense for Jane's character)? Wellington falling to...like three guys...? You know, the community...which was...overcrowded? And Clem lost her finger because of a car door. You can't make that shit up. It feels like bad fanfiction if I'm honest. Don't even get me started on the models of Kenny, Edith and (especially) Jane. The only positive thing is the change in Clementine's appearance, and I'm not even exaggerating. This kind of shit makes me dread Game of Thrones and Batman Season 2.
Like I said, Clementine's appearance being different depending on your ending is cool (just in case you stopped reading my flashback rant halfway through), but not nearly enough.
A general thing: I actually like how walkers are a mere annoyance to the survivors now. None of them even really gave two shits about the massive horde.
A less positive general thing: the choice don't feel important at all. The only one I even remember off the top of my head is the "go with Eleanor" or "stay until morning" choice, and that proved to be as pointless as the "go now" or "go in a few days" choice in 204.
The ending of Episode 1 was okay, but it is way too noticable that they just made a cut there and that it would have worked just as well if Episode 1 had continued until the end of Episode 2. I can't help but feel like the people who say Telltale cut an entire episode to cut corners are right.
Overall rating for Episode 1: 6/10 mostly because of the insulting flashbacks, or it would have been a 7/10. An okay introduction, but underwhelming to say the least.
Episode 2
I don't understand Javier's and Kate's relationship. Like, what does she even want? On the one hand she seems to genuinely want to run off with Javier, but if you tell David off, she's like "I'm married you dick, and that's for life!" insert Travolta gif
The burial scene was sad and well done. Mariana didn't deserve to die like that, she seemed really nice (I'm totally not secretly wishing that Gabriel got shot instead). The first really good scene this Season. Also, what a cunt you have to be to aim for the little girl. I hope the bastard rots in hell.
Clementine revealing that she was with the New Frontier was about as surprising as there being walkers this Season. The same goes for the "revelation" later on that she was actually a member at some point and not just a prisoner. Dun dun duuuuun but not really.
I appreciate Telltale not brushing off Kate's wound as a mere flesh wound (cough shoulders cough) and actually making it a big plot point.
Gabriel being an insufferable Carl wannabe is unsurprising, but disappointing.
The confrontation at the gates was a great moment, and I loved that you were able to open fire and weren't forced to comply with the guys (like the other members forcing you out). The following tear gas attack was intense and cinematic. A great action scene, I dare even say one of the best ones in the series.
Conrad not being like "It's okay, bro" if you opened fire, and seemingly ready to kill your ass was also appreciated.
Clementine and Gabriel...not sure. On the one hand, I think Clementine deserves someone to care for; and yes, romantically too if that's what she wants. She's old enough and way more mature than usual teenagers anyway. On the other hand, Gabriel is a little dickhead. But to be fair, he isn't towards Clementine. I'll keep my judgement for later.
The following hub is nice, but I hate how Clementine said to me that people always change and never to trust them. That's like the opposite of what Lee taught her and what I played her as in Season 2.
The wreck clearing scene is another great action scene. Also, Javier is such an absolute failure. I was actually laughing at how many bullets he wasted in that scene. Then again, every survivor always pulling off quickscope headshots also makes no sense. Then again, Javier did just that only hours ago if you opened fire on New Frontier, yet misses a bunch of walkers not five meters away. Not to mention that he pulls off perfect headshots again when they climb the roof. And also when they clear the gate in Episode 1. I think you get it.
Jesus, are you fucking kidding me!? His introduction was pretty funny. Because my Javier is a dick, he shot at the puppet (I knew it wouldn't kill or even hurt Jesus anyway because he's canon, but still...gotta be as unlikeable as possible). I decided to tie him up because Javier is a fucking asshole. Then I got a glitch that I actually thought was part of the game: Jesus was untied and the zip tie was just hanging from his wrist as he lead the way. I thought he had freed himself like he does sometimes in the comics, but he was still tied up in the next scene.
This flashback was a lot better (though that isn't hard). It made me actually care about Clem and AJ more, and Clem humming to AJ is the cutest shit ever. Also, I liked that Ava character more than I expected to based on the screenshot. Perhaps continuing off of that, I really like that New Frontier is presented as an antagonistic group, but not total villains. Even the Prescott attack was the initiative of one asshole more than anything, the Max guy (name revealed in the credits/choices) actually seems like a decent person as well. I'm having Monroe flashbacks, though. Don't turn them into full out villains again, please.
The train scene was yet another great action scene. Telltale really outdid themselves this Episode on that front...ier ayyyy.
Conrad going full psycho and holding Gabriel hostage was out of character. Since Javier is a dick, he shot him no hesitation. It wasn't even to help Clementine, just couldn't pass up the chance to be a triggerhappy asshole.
The revelation that David was the leader of New Frontier was a surprise, but I'm not sure yet wether it's a good one. Seems just as far fetched as it being Lilly or someone similar to be honest. We'll see in later episodes, though.
Overall rating for Episode 2: 8/10 Still not perfect, but both the writing and the action are much better than in Episode 1.
After the initial shock of seeing the Episode 1 flashbacks first, I am now more confident that the game will lead to an overall good experience. However, I'm still skeptical about the overall direction the story is taking. Still, my hype is back somewhat, though not as strong as before. Disappointing premiere, but
Comments
I don't really think it was that out of character. It felt more like a desperation move. Javier wasn't going through with his plan, so what better way to convince him than holding a gun to his nephew's head? Conrad was still sad and angry, all he wanted was to get revenge against the New Frontier. He was so desperate for it, he was willing to do just about anything to ensure it, including sinking to his enemy's level in order to get it; the New Frontier took his girlfriend-- someone not even involved in their conflict-- hostage in order to get the people of Prescott to cooperate. Conrad takes Gabe-- someone not involved in their conflict-- hostage in order to get Javier to go through with his plan. I just don't think he counted on Javi actually shooting him.
Or at least, that's the way I was interpreting things. I also shot him, but I actually feel bad about having to do it. I still think it was the right call to make, but I just wish Conrad didn't have to flip out like that. He seemed like a good dude up until that point, and I was actually starting to like him.
Also, I'm glad you mentioned Max. I'm actually taking a liking to that guy. He's still an asshole, no doubt about it, but he has some depth to him that I have a feeling people are going to overlook. There's more to him than just some jackass. I like how if you try to appeal to him at the end of episode 2, telling him that Kate's a mom, it actually seems to get through to him-- he seems to show some level of compassion/sympathy, and even speaks up about it ("It's not like I don't have a heart, okay?") And when his asshole friend decided to attack Prescott, he made it pretty clear he wasn't on board with what he was doing. I'm glad that they gave him some dimension as a character. It seems that they've learned that more complex antagonists like Norma are a good thing.
I actually like Javier more than most people right now, I think he's great. I get this sense from the flashbacks and the present day scenes that Javier was a bit of a selfish air head before the apocalypse and was never home when he was needed and only came home when he started making a lot of air headed mistakes in his baseball career.
In the apocalypse, I really get this sense that Javier has an arc on where he's trying to become more selfless and be there for his family and be more responsible.
Now, it's sort of similar to Lee's redemption arc from S1 but I feel it's different enough to where it doesn't feel like a rehash.
I really didn't expect to like Javier this much but here we are.
He's a blank sheet, which can be both a good and a bad thing. Good for obvious reasons: we get to change and influence him more. Bad because it means that he hasn't much character outside our decisions.
I don't think he's a blank sheet, if Javier is a blank sheet then so was Lee.
I understand that Conrad was desperate, but he was presented as a nice and reasonable guy in Episode 1. Sure, the death of his girlfriend messed him up, but taking someone hostage over that seems out of character for me after what he was presented as, especially since he also must have overheard that Clementine left New Frontier. And I agree that Conrad seemed like a great guy, but being a ruthless Javier is just too much fun.
I also kind of like Max. He's mostly just talk and didn't seem okay with the Prescott attack. Also, he says "It's not like I don't have a heart, okay?" even if you're unreasonable and threaten him at the gate to New Richmond. Max seems like the kind of guy that plays along with being an asshole to stay alive, but isn't actually a bad person.
Fair enough, Lee also was a blank sheet to an extent. But underneath that I find him to have more "basic" character than Javier.
I've always found Lee to be a relateable everyman who was developing into something else as the story went on.
I really think Javier will come into his own as the episodes keep going.
Well, it's official now: S2's Wellington ending is "headcanon" for me. At least it gives Kenny a more dignified exit. I also like the snugly feeling that he's still out there somewhere, alive and forever on the road.
Glorious Wellington Ending master race reigns supreme!
It's funny, before ANF released I was certain Wellington was going to be terrible - Clementine would probably lose a finger as punishment and/or get exiled or something. Everything turned out better than expected.
With how things panned out, I honestly feel like I am 100% justified in getting the Wellington ending
I was in support of it since day 1, and it's one of the only endings that doesn't feel like a let-down. Actually, for me, it's the only one that didn't rub me the wrong way. For me, what happens if you went alone is just boring. It just feels so mundane and uneventful, even with the 'story' of how Clementine loses her finger. The Wellington ending managed to pump me up a little bit, and I liked the little segment of having to choose what to take with you. And the other thing that makes me feel good about the ending is when you pay attention to the passage of time between the different endings: the Wellington ending implies that you've lived in relative safety for a good year or two before it was attacked, which is definitely worth something. At least Clementine and AJ got to enjoy some real peace and quiet.
Well said, I agree with the majority of the review.
Glad to know that I wasn't the only one that felt a little put off with Clementine's character in Season 3...though the line with her kicking down the tree to cause the truck that Javier was in to crash made me laugh.
Really love the episodes. And in my opinion the flashbacks were done well.
Can't say I'm not disappointed with how they handled the flashback. They felt like massive cop-outs in all honesty. As for the main story of the season, I'm happy so far!
It's nice to see a compelling story after what we got last season although I still don't feel like my choices make much of a difference.
I replayed Season 1 multiple times to see what happens if I make different choices, but so far I'm fairly sure I know what the outcome of the opposite choices are this season. (I just watched a video of the other choices, and I was right about the outcome of most of them haha)
Did you play through the Wellington flashback, or did you see it somewhere? I've only gotten to watch the others on YouTube.
Played through it.
You know, for what it's worth, I think it's the New Frontier that attacked Wellington. Not just some random bandits or something. Which would also make the Wellington ending the most directly involved with the S3 story.
I mean, the MO fits: a bunch of angry dudes in cars show up at the gate, ram it down, and start killing everyone inside, just like they did at Prescott. And the guy that was shooting at Edith looked like the other New Frontier people we've seen, in terms of attire and all that.
I thought about that too. I guess it makes sense, though it makes them much more sinister and less understandable.
I'll go with the Wellington ending, since after that Kenny's status is Unknown, not Confirmed Dead.
And I'm sure he is capable enough to take care of himself and won't end up being dead.
But I can't watch him dying on screen, I got too attached, he is the father figure of my clem T-T
I don't dislike Javier, I just feel like it's a bit obvious that he's supposed to be a sort of catalyst between the player and Clementine. This doesn't really work for me, considering how their first meeting was a few days ago with Clementine pointing a shotgun at Javier's back.
For me I made mistakes and ended up killing Kenny and ending up alone, all thanks to me being in quite a panic in that ending, and I am 100% fine with it. As much as I'd like Kenny to have a good send off and Clem and AJ to find a safe place, at least it seemed so for the time, I like the turn my Clem took with the Alone ending and I'm glad to know that I got to be there for when Kenny passed, even if I am the monster who killed him cries in corner.
In the end that is what is canon for me because I don't like to change my decisions but I'm glad that we can all have different experiences and stories and just enjoy the game.
I noticed as well that one of the guys up on the wall and killing civilians had a similar looking model to one I had seen earlier, and I'm pretty sure was a member of TNF. Although considering I seen a guy that looked like Rufus (the truck driver taking Javier to TNF) in Prescott getting gunned down by TNF I am going to assume that it was just a reused model, yet still I believe that the organised attack on Wellington could be the work of TNF.
I can already tell that Max is gonna end up being a character that I really like. It's quite nice to have a character like him in the game. I was fairly afraid we'd get another Carver-type antagonist, but he's relieved me of my worries for the most part.
I also like that he has the same name as me.
Seeing '(?) Max will remember that.' would be the happiest moment of my life, to be honest.
So technically, Wellington would be the best ending because Kenny is unknown instead of dead? I'd like to think he's still out there, surviving, growing out his beard, and content, knowing his purpose has been fulfilled, getting Clem & AJ to Wellington, happy, and killing as many walkers as he can. Shit I may just go back and change my ending. Eh then I have another 2.5 hours to play through to make it my main save lol.
Is it like 103 where it's possible to grab all the items if you're quick enough, or can you only take like 4 things?
Oh, is that that guy's name? I liked him too.
I don't care that Jane died so long as we don't have to see that godawful model again. She didn't look ANYTHING like she did in Season 2. Same for Kenny and Edith but much less so.
That's what I assumed when I saw the flashback.