Why I love The Walking Dead: A New Frontier.
This game has gotten a lot of hate, but I personally love it and felt that it's about time I went into why I love this game. But first let me clarify that most of this is copied from a comment from another discussion when another member asked me to explain what I like about the game.
My main love for ANF is because of the characters, I like almost all of them, even a certain member of the New Frontier. I'll start with Jarvier Garcia. I really like him, he's a breath of fresh air, he's likeable and gave this series something refreshing and new. Most characters in TWDG now are really serious, dark, damaged, depressed, etc... But Javi brings a bit of light to the story. This is mostly based on how I play him, but he seems happy, he still knows how to enjoy life and makes me smile rather than the constant doom & gloom feeling that most of season 2 had. Don't get me wrong I loved season 2, but it was lacking in light hearted moments (excluding episode 2) and you never really got a chance to really get attached to characters like Carlos & Sarita. Anyway back to Javi, he can still be serious when the story needs him to be and I really feel for him. Seeing him deal with Mari's death and dealing with the possibility that Kate may not make it and the struggling relationship he has with Gabe to set him on the right path.
I really like Javi's family as well and his relationship with them. His relationship with Kate is hard to define, if you're not looking for a romance with her it's difficult to say what their connection is, but I really like her. She has that good playful nature that Javi has, but she's also struggling as a guardian to Mari and Gabe and it seems that depression really easily sinks in with her, so I feel for her and hope that she makes it through the story.
Next is Mari, I'm sure that most like her, but I'll go into it anyway. Her relationship with Javi is really cute and I love their dialogue. She's really lovable and while I wouldn't call her playful, Javi's playful nature works really well with her. She's sweet and is still human. By that I mean that the horrors of the outbreak hasn't gotten to her yet. She holds onto the past and believes it's important to stay human and remember. Mari is simply lovable, so when she did die, it hurt. I was in Javi's shoes and felt like something precious was wrongfully taken away from me.
Now Gabe, unlike most people I really like Gabe, he's one of my favorite characters. He feels complex and I love that. Javi's relationship with him is great as well. Gabe just seems lost and Javi tries to be there for him, but doesn't know how. Gabe's at a crossroads and could go either way. He could become a hardened survivor like David (presumably) or more soft hearted and compassionate. That's how I see him anyway. And instead of relying on his uncle's protection, Gabe tries to help and do the right thing.
About the Presscott group, I like most of them, but the only one I'm really attached to is Tripp. He's got quite a bit of humorous dialogue, but that's not all there is to him. He's a genuinely good guy. When you first meet him he comes across as a hardass authority figure, but he's really a big teddy bear. He clearly shows concern for you and your family (you really see this if you bring him to the junkyard.) even Clementine who he appears to be developing a rivalry with.
Another thing I love about ANF is that there's already more downtime than almost the whole of season 2. Little moments where you talk to characters and they grow on you. It doesn't have the hubs like in S1, but that's not what I mean. Firstly there's that conversation with Kate in the van. The two of you just kickback and talk. This helped me get a sense of what Kate is like and she quickly grew on me. Then you have that playful exchange with Mari when she talks about her headphones. Then you can stop and chat with everyone in the junkyard. This one was a bit more tense, but I think it counts. I'm talking about the walk and talk to Presscott that you have with Clementine. It was nice to see Javi and Clem talk. Clem was being evasive while Javi was trying to get a read on her. It was good to see how these two are gonna be like together.
Now let's talk about the main story. It's hard to say where it's going so I'll just talk about what's happened and what I think of TNF. Your first encounter with them is Max's introduction. They really just seem like normal people trying to get by and their conflict with Javi's group is just shit luck. Some of them are certainly bad, like Badger for example, but in the end they just seem like people and I can't wait to see more of them and David. I also like that Clem was previously with them. It's a good twist and it makes her feel relevant to the story. We don't know the whole story about Clem & TNF, but I'm sure there's more to tell.
I'll only briefly talk about the flashbacks as I can understand some of the criticisms regarding them. I really enjoy Javi's, they help me get a good idea about Javi and David's relationship and what Javi was like before the outbreak. I also like Clementine's, short but sweet flashbacks. I love playing as Clementine and it helps bridge the gap between S2 and ANF. About the S2 endings, I can understand some people's frustrations with them, though I disagree. It was sad to see Jane and Kenny go, but I did enjoy the flashbacks with them. Before their end you get a good talk with them that I really enjoyed.
So those are the big reasons why I love this game. If you love this game, what do you love about it? Let's share our thoughts! 
Comments
I'm glad there's some positivity in these forums
I thought it was good but not great like S1 or S2
You might want to sort the formatting out, Agent. All of the lines are short.
Sorry about that. I'll try and sort it.
Oh god the formatting, not reading until it's fixed.
Fixed it, sorry about that.
Most of what you said kind of just comes across as you explaining to me why I'm wrong rather than disagreeing with me. You belittled almost everything I said.
I'll just talk about Kate for now. Her being depressed is just the impression that I got. I'm not saying that she's definitely 100% depressed. I got that impression because she doesn't seem to think very highly of herself and there was that dialogue in the junkyard when she was going on about the herd and how there'll be a last piece of food and a last tank of gas and just generally thinking that the worst is going to happen. Then she wasn't particularly optimistic in episode 2, she talked as if she was definitely going to die.
I think it's great you love ANF but can you just admit the eps are way too short
That's the only criticism I can agree with. While it doesn't bother me as much as it does a lot of others I do wish they were longer.
Let me jump in m8.
Okay. That's 6 characters that weren't dark and depressing according to you. Should I count how many of them were dark and depressing? Especially in the later episodes?
Well lucky for us, we've actually got TWO protagonists. Even if one isn't playable most of the time, 99% of people see it this way. And we don't want to have them both be dark and cynical. Especially with one being a teenager. Oh and Javier's too chill? Well yes, everyone's chill at the start of a TT TWD game. They'll progressively get darker as the season comes out.
Read Agent's post. He talks about them. I'll add a few: The poker game with Conrad and Francine, banter with Eleanor, All of Mari's dialogue, Motherfucking Jesus, the relationship with Javier and Clementine, ...) Also, cross out all the moments that happen in episodes 3 and on. Not really fair.
If you want to be literal, be correct. We'll be halfway through S3 when we're halfway through Episode 3. Also what's your point here? Are you sure you phrased it correctly? So far I see this: "You think these characters are likable yet you didn't like the ones in season 2? You're a hypocrite!" Doesn't that seem off to you?
Uh I don't think they lack chemistry. Kate is in love with Javier (understandable after 4 years of not seeing your husband, so cross out the adultery part) and Javier likes Kate but he's not sure if he should because of Mariana and Gabe. I believe this choice will ultimately be decided by the players in episode 3. And cringey lines aren't all that's integral to their relationship, to be specific I believe that spending years in the company of a man you already had feelings for before, raising two small children together without actually "being together" and constantly thinking this may be your last day on Earth and you didn't get any tail in what, 3/4 years (unknowable at the moment) beats one line of "cringey dialogue" and some marijuana.
Telltale were actually starting something with all the characters. That's what you can't understand. Just because you don't like them, doesn't mean other won't. Why did Mariana die? Because she was the most innocent and cutest of them all. The reaction wouldn't be near as tragic if Gabe took her spot. Also we needed some motivation to get back at the New Frontier.
No, they didn't assume that everybody could get attached to players really quickly. They just assumed that players would get attached to Mariana the quickest and easiest. And they were right. Sure, someone may not really care. But the overwhelming majority will, so it's a fair sacrifice.
Huh, rude and sarcastic replies you say? I see someone else in that description. But I don't think you're bland as wood. Then again, everyone has different tastes. No seriously, let's ignore the fact that Tripp goes out of his way, risks his and his people's lives, just for a random stranger and then, when said stranger indirectly causes the downfall of Prescott, he defends him and lets him lead Tripp's people.
No, he's a good guy. If you can't see that this far in the apocalypse then uh... I pity your Javier. How do you know already that he's failed potential when he could literally develop as the best side character of the series? Isn't that just assumptions and head cannons? Ah, projection. It really lets you know a lot about a person.
All action? There were like 5 sections with QTEs. No determinant scenes? You're just straight up lying now. Just because you couldn't find the right thing to click on to get an extra line of dialogue, doesn't mean other people didn't. And you might think that oh, you know allll there is to know about storytelling but you should really just leave it to the professionals. Write your own fanfics about the "grim world of an apocalypse" if it makes you feel better. You should start by discovering the difference between facts and your opinions.
Who the fuck is Mark? Also, if you think this is what's going to happen, nevermind the stuff I said about you writing a fan fiction.
Cool. Get over it.
We'l learn how she became a badass through later episodes ya dunk. And we kinda do know why she joined the NF - She wanted a safe place for AJ to grow up, she was fucking exhausted on her own. We still aren't halfway through the season no matter how many times you repeat it, and caps lock doesn't automatically validate your statements.
Well, Jane was always a dumb reckless moron. Who's Edith again? Well, at least the canon ending seemed OK to you. Nah, the flashbacks were thrash, I agree on that. But other people maybe don't. Why do you care so damn much about what he thinks anyway? Like, grow up a bit.
Do you not agree that telling people the first episode was so long it was split into two, when that is patently false and, if true, would not replace the original second episode, is kind of dodgy business practise? Or are you just talking about criticisms of the game itself rather than the way it was advertised?
Well I believe you know that saying " one man's trash is another man's treasure". Could essentially apply to this situation.
I was talking about the game itself. And yes I can understand people being annoyed about the exaggerated "Too big" advertisement.
I admire the positivity in this quite toxic community, and I frankly agree with you, I love this Season as well, so I'm going to discuss with you a bit!
I actually really like Javier, I don't think anyone complains a lot about him besides those that prefered to play as Clementine, which is perfectly reasonable to me. I do like Javier's personality, but I also like his mood changes, he's happy and joking once he reunites his family, but then once Mariana died, you see his serious side come out once again. Episode 2 actually is mostly more of a grieving episode. It brings a lot of life to Javie when he still jokes, but he can be serious when he needs to be.
I'm gonna disagree a little bit. While I see Season 2 as the most serious Season, I also know that it had a lot of light hearted moments. Alvin giving Clementine a juice box and Alvin's dialogue during that scene is a good example of it. While the cabin crew were mostly meh, I don't think we can be super connected to Season 3's crew so far either. I mean, all are likable, but characters like Kate and Gabe are not well liked by fans. There are also many unrealistic plot holes that need to be answered, Tripp's trust for Javier is a big example of this. There are a lot of likable characters as well... Tripp, Javier, Clementine, David, Mariana, even Conrad before he went crazy.
Personally, I do not like her all that much. I don't really agree with her flirting with her husband's brother. I also dislike her immaturity she holds as well, the whole weed thing struck me that she was very immature. However, I will give her the benefit that she is the "mean" step-mom, so that shows she can be mature when it comes to surviving. Overall, I don't think she will make it through the Season. If they want to make a Brother VS. Brother conflict, Kate's death will most likely drive it.
I agree that Mariana was a lovable character, and I'm sure most were hoping she wasn't going to die. I do see her death as a wasted opportunity. It is evident that Gabe is the "meh" one that many dislike, well imagine him dying in her place. People would feel bad for how they felt about him. Also it would keep Mariana alive... Imagine after her and Clementine becoming really close friends again, imagine Mariana dying in front of Clementine and it cuts to Clementine's face where you see her smile turn to sadness turn to tears, and then it pans to Javier's face where you see his expression already changed to tears. It would of been a very impacting death that could of heavily affected both Clementine and Javier tightening their bond.
While I don't mind Gabe, I don't like him as much as Mariana. His plot is so average, that I lack much feelings for him. I thought Mari was so adorable and sweet, while I thought Gabe was annoying for being so angsty during a zombie apocalypse. At this point, I don't mind Gabe, but I dislike his character arch compared to what Mari's could of been. I do hope she becomes a lot like David, and it throws us into confusion when he chooses to side with his dad if Javier and David begin to fight.
I really like Tripp, he's in my triangle of people I love in this Season. He is one of the funniest in TWDG series, but he also cares for anyone. If you leave Clementine behind and go witn family instead, Tripp worries about Clementine. However, I hate how he just hands leadership to Javier, it's unrealistic. The only way I could see him doing this is if he went through a similar experience. I do hope he survives, but he will most likely die... sadly.
In a way, yes... But action happens a little bit 'too' much. We need a lot more time between each problem. I know it's not the stories fault, because there is enough story their to survive without the extra down time, but we need more. The lack of this down time is exactly why we don't know why Tripp just gave Javier leadership.
This is a good example of a good exchange. It was longer, funny, and we got to know more about these two. However, the short car drive was way to short, Max confronting you was really short, should of had more dialogue with both Lonnie and Max. The hubs also lack a few things... branching dialogue. We should be able to ask questions with everyone. The airstrip did this right for the most part, they had down time where you could have conversations with both Tripp and Conrad with choices, but at the gas station, there is no branching dialogue with anyone, just short interactions. This will help answer some plot holes.
The main story is good, just like every other Season (Episode 4/5 of Season 2 lost traction with the Russian group). As always, the plot holes are there with certain characters such as Tripp, and the episodes are a little bit too short, but there isn't much to complain about with the story. I like TNF, I'm sure they will turn out evil, or at least a faction. People like Max is a good example of good inside someone, he doesn't back up Badger and just tries to survive most of the time. Overall, I have no problems with him. Clementine being apart of TNF is good development as well, fairly good twist and builds up Clementine's relevance in the story.
I have nothing bad to say about his flashbacks, his first flashback was really well made, one of the best intro's in gaming in my opinion.
I'm gonna say this. The flashbacks need to be longer ESPECIALLY if they plan to kill of main characters like that. Kenny and Jane did not deserve 5 minutes of time. If they wanted to end their story correctly, they should of had a 30 minute flashback with care and attention put into each. I didn't mind Kenny's dialogue, he was funny and still kind-hearted, but it felt kind of cheap to kill him off in about 5 minutes. I will give Telltale this, the different scars are all welcoming for Clementine, though Kenny's scar and flashback were the best made over the rest. (I dislike Jane, but I felt they got shit on for the flashback more so than the Kenny fans did).
I may sound critical, but I really like this game. I am going to give my hopes for the rest of the episodes.
100-120 minute episodes
Longer flashbacks for Clementine, not enough to take up half, but at least 15-20 minutes worth
More downtime. Without this, we lose character development and I would rather learn more about Tripp, Eleanor, and even Conrad before they kill them off (Conrad for good).
Overall, I like this Season, there are just some things that need to be fixed.
Heard you were talking shit about my boy Tripp
You better explain yourself
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Glad to see someone who also liked the new season a lot. I loved pretty much every character - I'm already really connected to Javi, Kate is really cool, Gabe is pissy but has his moments, and Mariana was quite sweet and grew on me despite her short appearance. The story is very interesting, too. The only thing that hindered the experience was that we didn't get enough time to connect with the other characters like Conrad and Tripp and Prescott wasn't very fleshed out, not to mention that it made my eyes roll when the New Frontier wrecked that place - oh, look, another community destroyed. You'd expect them to be better prepared if they survived for so long. But if they had inserted more exploration and character development with hub moments, it would've solved the length issue and made the game pretty much perfect for me (if you don't count the shitty flashbacks, but I'd be able to look past them).
Season was originally 4 episodes long they just split one into 2 for more money so we are half way everything he said was right this season sucks.
Can I borrow your tinfoil hat?
I don't think Tripp is a cooy of Kenny. I don't really think Tripp is a bad character either, I just think Telltale needs to flesh him out more.
Tripp is one of my favorite characters, but man do they need to touch this plot hole of why he just gave up leadership to Javier in less than a day.