Just curious: why is S2 regarded as better than ANF?

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  • Sigh...Season 2 really is a disappointment. There was so much experimentation, but it ended up causing the season to fall flat on its face.

    DabigRG posted: »

    To be fair, Ben's was changed before his first appearance was completed and available, while Nick had been around for multiple episodes. How

  • Pretty much. You can definitely read between the lines of what was set up in the earlier episodes vs. what ended up happening in Season 2.5 to get an idea of what they wanted to do with/without staff commentary and while that's better than nothing, it's still a lot of disappointment that could've been avoided for the most part.

    Sigh...Season 2 really is a disappointment. There was so much experimentation, but it ended up causing the season to fall flat on its face.

  • TWDazehnuu said:
    It at least tried to stick to the Telltale formula which made S1 good, despite not doing so as well, instead of ditching it altogether as an attempt to become a wanna-be TV show.

    That seems a little revisionist. Season 2 was what started some of the complaints people had about Telltale's current direction, with the removal of extensive hubs/puzzles and the focus on shorter episodes/streamlined gameplay.

  • What plot points weren't consistent and resolved in Season 2?

    DabigRG posted: »

    The story is consistent. All the plot points that are brought up, get resolved in one way or another. Uh, yeah, no, not really.

  • Personally I find that A New Frontier is the better season, but this question is entirely subjective.

  • The murder of George (the guy Carver brings up while talking to Alvin in 203) and the shootout Clem saw the bodies from in Episode 201 were never really elaborated on that much.

    What plot points weren't consistent and resolved in Season 2?

  • There are no random AK-47s appearing out of nowhere just at the right time in Season 2.

    Mawrak posted: »

    Season 2 has a lot of problems on it's own, but when compared to ANF, it is superior in many different ways: * You play as Clem, a char

  • Because season 2 had Lee and Kenny in it.

  • Actually, I'm pretty sure it is very briefly summarized in a determinant line: if Kenny got Alvin killed at the Lodge, remind Bonnie that Carver killed him. Add in some of the things Rebecca, Alvin, and Carver hint at regarding him and you can put a very vague idea together of they're situation even if it isn't particularly detailed.

    Still, wish we could've gotten that from Rebecca or Carver themselves.

    The murder of George (the guy Carver brings up while talking to Alvin in 203) and the shootout Clem saw the bodies from in Episode 201 were never really elaborated on that much.

  • Luke's AK was the one Jane gave to Bonnie after she betrayed Troy. And Buricko/Vitali's situation was due to the names/models getting swapped around at some point.

    There are no random AK-47s appearing out of nowhere just at the right time in Season 2.

  • edited September 2017

    ANF had Kenny in it too and he just ensured people would be pissy. Again!

    Because season 2 had Lee and Kenny in it.

  • edited September 2017

    Season 2 had a more logical confrontation with the main bad guys until you discover Arvo. Second season had Kenny a more reasonable and the most likeable version of Clementine at least to me and a rewind feature designed to prevent playthroughs of the entire season or episode just to get to a particular point in the story from altered choices for starters.

    A New Frontier has mostly awful flashbacks for big season 2 choices and characters..everyone's pissed at you for eating their pudding and taking their gas without asking that you had no idea was possibly theirs. And the no reason hot headed and jealous brother whom had a hot wife and kids while your still single and got canned from your great career with nothing else yet he's jealous of you because you can play baseball.

    Unlike Carver who had motives and reasons Joan was more so evil just because.. like some Looney toon villain. I doubt Carver would go back on his word and still execute Ava or Tripp. That choice was a Tripp. Pun intended.

  • edited September 2017

    Unlike Carver who had motives and reasons Joan was more so evil just because.. like some Looney toon villain.

    It was the other way around at first. Then the rewrites happened and Joan got Titan fueled blood transfusion from him between episodes(which is pretty much under an hour or two, btw).

    Now both of them are egotistical psychos. The only difference is that Joan didn't coerce her friend's spouse so she can knock them up.

    I doubt Carver would go back on his word and still execute Ava or Tripp.

    "I came to see how the new girls are working out."
    * a few seconds later *
    "You had a task and you didn't get it done."(Which doesn't make any sense, but whatever.)
    "Don't worry Bill, we'll get it done."
    "Time's up, Reggie!"

    Ladariel posted: »

    Season 2 had a more logical confrontation with the main bad guys until you discover Arvo. Second season had Kenny a more reasonable and the

  • Because of...

    Continuation!!

  • edited September 2017

    Carver's rationale behind Reggie was that he was a weak disabled and incompetent member even still they both can just exile folks from the group not kill them unless they're a immediate threat. Joan didn't really have much reason to kill Ava or Tripp other than to torment Javier and she attempted to murder David when she could of just exiled them all. These villains need so much more substance in these games. One last chance for them to nail it somehow but it seems unlikely. You mentioned something about a wicked Clem counterpart in the last game or reverse Lee, which could be interesting.. well on paper atleast..

    DabigRG posted: »

    Unlike Carver who had motives and reasons Joan was more so evil just because.. like some Looney toon villain. It was the other way a

  • edited September 2017

    Carver's rationale behind Reggie was that he was a weak disabled and incompetent member

    And not white. And as we all know, anyone who is disadvantaged in any way must be abused and killed off unless they're white(and whatever Jane is).

    Fuck Season 2.5, maaan! Especially the Scruffy Carver Tennessee Ranger in a shit colored coat and the Edgy Self Insert "Feminist" Lesbian known as Peggy Jane.

    even still they both can just exile folks from the group not kill them unless they're a immediate threat. Joan didn't really have much reason to kill Ava or Tripp and attempt to murder David when she could of just exiled them all.

    Very fuckin true.

    TtW!Joan at least wanted to teach Javier a lesson about betrayal(?) by making him gamble again. Which was a great twist and a neat concept for a villain for him; the problem is that it's Joan doing it.

    You mentioned something about a wicked Clem counterpart in the last game or reverse Lee, which could be interesting.. well on paper atleast..

    Fuck yeah, Huckleberry!
    Reverse Lee was someone else and honestly I feel like that's been done enough, with or without the Stranger.

    Ladariel posted: »

    Carver's rationale behind Reggie was that he was a weak disabled and incompetent member even still they both can just exile folks from the g

  • edited September 2017

    I'd say primarily to feeling like an actual continuation of the series, apart from that it was honestly terrible story and character wise but at least it was pretty.

  • Yeah, we're pissy because of his shit death.

    DabigRG posted: »

    ANF had Kenny in it too and he just ensured people would be pissy. Again!

  • Meh.

    Yeah, we're pissy because of his shit death.

  • edited September 2017

    I'd settle for a reverse Clem more than a reverse Lee because it's in some ways like a what if scenario about if Clementine dropped all her morals and values then embraced the darker path sort of basically what Carver was talking about. Just like Sarah was a bit like a what if Clem didn't get any training for survival and was shielded from most all the horrors of their world until too late. But my issue with that is New Frontier Clementine was nearly close to being like a anti-Clem compared to how Clem use to be. She changed drastically from the previous seasons that this concept has been explored already a little.

    DabigRG posted: »

    Carver's rationale behind Reggie was that he was a weak disabled and incompetent member And not white. And as we all know, anyone wh

  • My point was more that the Russians kind of felt like a Deus Ex Machina in some regards, to be kind of honest.

    DabigRG posted: »

    Luke's AK was the one Jane gave to Bonnie after she betrayed Troy. And Buricko/Vitali's situation was due to the names/models getting swapped around at some point.

  • Well, Diabolus Ex Machina, but I suppose. Personally, I always felt like they were wasted characters.

    My point was more that the Russians kind of felt like a Deus Ex Machina in some regards, to be kind of honest.

  • It was a shit death...good thing it didn't happen in my playthrough though.

    Yeah, we're pissy because of his shit death.

  • Hell, you can play Lee as a scumbag but he'll still ultimately earn the group's loyalty and die having freed Clementine and taught her how to survive.

    But there is an option to play as a scumbag. And it works. My Lee was evil as fuck, and it felt good. Plus, all the surviving characters (except Ben I think) can get mad at Lee and refuse to help at the end of Episode 4. It depends on how you treated them.

    When exactly was this?

    Episode 5, if you choose to go save Richmond, there are just two guns lying in the corner, and Javi is like "Oh look. we will need these". They aren't there if you go after Gabe, or Javi doesn't notice them. They are just there as a plot point.

    DabigRG posted: »

    The story is consistent. All the plot points that are brought up, get resolved in one way or another. Uh, yeah, no, not really.

  • They didn't come out of nowehere. There was an established character Arvo with established connection to his sister (and possibly more people). Arvo knew about Clem's group and told the Russians, who set up an ambush.

    My point was more that the Russians kind of felt like a Deus Ex Machina in some regards, to be kind of honest.

  • edited September 2017

    because season 2 had 6 characters that i found interesting overrall and thought were good: Kenny,Luke,Bonnie ,Jane ((before the final choice i loved the person and character currently i hate her as a person but still love her character)) and also Carver ((Pretty decent villain too bad he died so early.)) while in ANF there were only 2 characters that i cared about: Gabe and David ((I used to like Kate at the start but she just got worse and worse during and after Above the Law.))
    EDIT: Also Sarah for some reason i completely forgot about her lol.

  • Because Season 2 actually felt like a continuation from the previous season. It at least tried to stick to the Telltale formula which made S1 good, despite not doing so as well, instead of ditching it altogether as an attempt to become a wanna-be TV show. And most importantly, it maintained that gritty atmosphere which makes you feel so immersed; it's hard to explain. ANF just felt so corny.

    And on a personal level, Kenny.

    This! THIS! Sums it up perfectly though i would have been more harsh about S3

  • And Christa's disappearance or with how she lost her baby.

    The murder of George (the guy Carver brings up while talking to Alvin in 203) and the shootout Clem saw the bodies from in Episode 201 were never really elaborated on that much.

  • Absolutely correct!

    I actually find it worse... marginally. The pacing was abysmal and not one single piece of information was learned throughout Season 2, n

  • The only thing that Season 2 had that continued on from season 1 was Clementine and then the return of Kenny, and even then, both characters were altered differently to how they were in season 1. Christa and Omid were killed of right at the start (Yes, i know we didn't see Christa die, but i highly doubt she will return). It also got rid of hubs and puzzles which made the new characters hard to form connections with like season 1 because there wasn't enough scenes to create those relationships. Season 2 was mainly about Clementine and Kenny, where as Season 1, we played as Lee and guided Clementine, but we also had major storylines towards the other characters and besides Carley's death to shock the fans, all of the characters who got killed had a meaning behind it, unlike season 2 with you trying your hardest to help Sarah, only to have her die regardless and in stupid ways or trying to help Nick build himself up again, only to have him as a background character after episode 2 and then die off screen. And then Arvo shooting Clementine and Arvo, Mike and Bonnie running off and we never hear of them again. Season 2 was a mess and it had good moments, but it was season 2 that started the downhill of quality in the walking dead series and the short episodes as well. They wrote themselves into a wall by having so many different endings, that they had no choice, but to bring a new story into the series. I personally believe that they could've kept going, but with the amount of different endings, they didn't have the motivation or drive to put a lot of work into a season 3 that was based of the endings of season 2. Still, i enjoyed ANF, it will never top Season 1, but it is a lot better than people claim it isn't. ANF got mostly negative reviews because Clementine wasn't the player character, if she wasn't in season 2 , i would put money down that most fans would've hated it a lot more then ANF.

  • It also got rid of hubs and puzzles which made the new characters hard to form connections with like season 1 because there wasn't enough scenes to create those relationships.

    It didn't get rid of them, just use them fairly sparsely and really halfass most of the ones we did get.

    "Say Sarah, how do you feel about Nick exercising poor gun control by shooting that guy on the bridge? And where would you stand regarding your dad wanting to kick his hickey ass to the curb?"
    * Useless button clicks on Sarah's face *
    "Wisdom for the ages."

    The only thing that Season 2 had that continued on from season 1 was Clementine and then the return of Kenny, and even then, both characters

  • And the season 2 characters took a bit hit because of it. Obviously Clementine and Kennys roles overshadowed them, but they lack of development from getting rid of things that help that part of the game didn't help.

    Sarah will remember that

    DabigRG posted: »

    It also got rid of hubs and puzzles which made the new characters hard to form connections with like season 1 because there wasn't enough sc

  • edited September 2017

    Yep. Also

    Shoutout to @marcost3

    And the season 2 characters took a bit hit because of it. Obviously Clementine and Kennys roles overshadowed them, but they lack of development from getting rid of things that help that part of the game didn't help. Sarah will remember that

  • Eeeh...debatable.

    Not really. I think it's generally agreed Joan was just a flat-out terrible character who did next to nothing, and Telltale tried to push the "morally ambiguous" angle with David even while he kept pulling some of the most reprehensible shit seen on the series so far. Carver was a refreshingly honest asshole in comparison.

    DabigRG posted: »

    Better villains. Eeeh...debatable. I agree with everything else, though.

  • Clearly, you've never been mad at a family man then. That's very realistic and it's in character.

    No, it's not. At least not in the way the writers chose to portray it. Gabe might have had conflicted emotions about his father, but none of that came across in the actual episode. His constant switching between hating and loving David had no transition, no organic process. As a result, most viewers got the impression Gabe was simply a flaky idiot instead of a son who loved his dad despite all of his flaws.

    DabigRG posted: »

    The story is consistent. All the plot points that are brought up, get resolved in one way or another. Uh, yeah, no, not really.

  • edited September 2017

    Well, let's go down the list then:

    Michelle is definitely a Starter Villain and pretty unique/offbeat one to boot. So much so that her barely 10 minutes of screentime somehow makes her a more impactful and personal antagonist than the other two and honestly makes me wish they'd done more with her.

    Call it indirect Hype Backlash or not, but Carver is honestly one of my most hated characters for the wrong reasons. He was apparently set up as this morally ambiguous bad guy who the Cabin Group has this complicated personal history with, which not only goes undelivered upon but completely flies out the window the moment you see him in person and probably even before that. He honestly just came off an egotistical psychopath and an insufferable smug tyrant who just uses Darwinism as an excuse to control, hurt, and dick with people, occasionally both at once.

    I don't really count Troy since he's really just a dickish minion who doesn't really do more than what Carver expects of him and then barely even that.

    And while Arvo grew on me over time, he's almost firmly in Designated Villain territory and doesn't really do much anything antagonistic until his final scene, most of which was more forced than it should've been, somewhat unnecessary, and shirks what actually could've been done with his character.

    Max is a bizarre case of a character being given the room to be more than what he could've been and then getting cut out when there was more that could've been done with him. He had a motivation and personal code that humanized him, but still had a hand in some things that not only made him still a bit of an antagonist but it also caused his to risk putting a strain on his relationships. His character was thus the subject of an interesting choice that put him in a position to grow as a character, but he simply disappeared from the story before anything more could be done with his character.

    Badger was almost universally despised for better or worse, which is both his purpose for existing and a result of how blatantly weak a character and/or plot device he is.

    I personally really like Joan initially, given she actually had an understandable motivation that made her truly morally grey . But then her character underwent a drastic shift in personality and she was suddenly reduced to just an avarious politician rather than being a comfortable middle ground from start to finish. The fact that she's just left hanging without so much as a transition didn't help.

    And since you decided to include him, David sucked in part because he's basically another clone of Kenny who's attempt to replicate the ending of Season 2.5 ultimately serves to underline why Kenny was the superior character. And the morally ambiguous angle fails mainly due to the fact that they overcompensated in trying to make him seem like this great guy despite the fact that most of his influence of the center of the story is primarily negative. I mean despite the initial effort to make her a complex antagonist, it's relatively clear that Joan was mainly introduced(or rather reassigned, according to the AMA) to be the villain so David didn't have to be, with Thicker than Water suddenly making her a straw fraud for presumably no other reason than to ensure he looks good compared her and then he's more or less made the Final Boss in From the Gallows with little to no transition.

    Eeeh...debatable. Not really. I think it's generally agreed Joan was just a flat-out terrible character who did next to nothing, and

  • Granted. I'm pretty sure he never outright hated him, mind you, but I suppose I can agree that it definitely could've been handled better than it was. He at least has the benefit of being a bit of a tsundere from the beginning to make it more consistent, at least.

    Clearly, you've never been mad at a family man then. That's very realistic and it's in character. No, it's not. At least not in the

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