What really ruined ANF for me.
I hate to jump on the bandwagon and do an anti-ANF thread, especially when I've been so opposed to them in the past, but there is one part of ANF that really bothers me, and I'd like to hear your opinions on it.
Sure, the episodes were short, and we hardly ever got to play as Clem, but the thing that bothers me the most is the Tripp/Ava thing.
I thought it was so cool with the reversal in Episode 4. I really wasn't expecting it. What made the choice really interesting for me was that Tripp was basically Javi's second in command and Ava was David's. I knew that after I chose Ava to die but Tripp took her place that I was destined to be hated by both Ava and Eleanor forever. But I knew that David would of been mad at me if Ava had died.
I though this choice would really affect group politics, that I would have to face the consequence of my desicion for the rest of the seadon. This choice was the highlight of ANF for me.
But it was all ruined by episode five.
For starters, Ava just decided to forgive me. What? That isn't really what I wanted here. I actually like Ava more than Tripp (I only saved him because I felt like I had screwed over Presscott enough already), and it was disheartening for her to abandon her brash nature and basically pretend like nothing had ever happened. I was trying to get her killed! I wouldn't forgive someone for that.
And then, Ava died. Saving me, of course. In the most humiliating way possible. I get that Telltale was on a deadline (which was apparent from the Tripp cameos I got in Episode 5) but all they had to do was have Ava/Tripp return to Richmond. They could of been seperated from the group after the helicopter and decide to return to Richmond on their own. They could of just appeared in the background when Javi cuts Clem's hair and I would of been fine.
It pained me to see how Telltale disregarded choices like this. They did the same thing with Joan/Clint. I was expecting a final confrontation where they each fight for vengeance for the other. Instead, I let my brother beat me up and had to decide whether I let Kate die or come with her to save a town I didn't really care about.
I felt that Telltale was just searching for someone to die, and that's the most painful thing I remember about ANF.
Comments
What was easily one of the most difficult choices presented in ANF and the writers could have done so much with in the final episode, is completely wasted and forgotten, and it eventually leads to both characters being killed off in the most hilarious ways possible (moreso for Ava, but let's not forget Tripp's).
You're thinking, "Shit, the person that I wanted to live is dead and the one I basically told Joan to kill is now super pissed at me for my decision. Not to mention that Eleanor/David is probably equally pissed, this isn't good at all." Then Episode 5 comes around and it's all swept under the rug. Those feelings of guilt and dread you had at the thought of having to deal with it in Episode 5, fuck all that stuff, the writers are just going to have them uncharacteristically forgive you so that they can be killed off 5 minutes later and illicit an emotional response from you. That's probably what the writers were thinking when planning on what to do. "No one's going to care if a character they sentenced to death and is rightfully pissed at them ends up dead, we need to manipulate them into caring about Tripp/Ava just before they die." Meanwhile, that one guy suggesting they actually try to do something to make our choices feel important to the story gets thrown out the window.
It was already disapointing enough they died the next episode, but even more so because of the way it happened. I never really liked Ava to much but she was a badass, and yet she dies in the least badass way I can imagine. Tripp, who manages to get past the car, dies minutes later by falling if the damn bridge.
In a past AMA, a telltale staff member, can’t remember which one, was asked if Tripp can survive, and they only clarified that he is 100% dead if he was executed, but it was never clarified if he died by falling off of the bridge into the river, and this WAS in the episode 5 AMA, not the episode 4 one, so even though he is crossed off at the end and that his picture is on the wall, I am still hoping that he survives the fall, Ava too, even though it says she is dead at the end it would make the perfect fakeout and surprise if they run into Clementine next season. They just need to execute it just right, and I will give them major kudos if they can do it.
Alllssoooo it would eradicate all the saltiness about the dumb deaths in episode 5, so here’s hoping telltale will actually do it
I think both of them are dead, Ava especially. Not only was a walker on top of her, but her and that walker fell dozens of stories onto the street where hundreds of other walkers were. Even if she survived the fall, she would have had a broken limb then be devoured.
With Tripp, several walkers were on him when he fell and he hit a metal rod when falling off the highway (or bridge idk). It’s a guarantee at least one of them bit him.
When trip falls, 3 walkers have him but none of them bit him as far as we can see, one falls of the bridge nowhere near him, the other gets shoved slightly aside and the last one is on top of him, chances are Tripp held off until they hit the river until they were both separated, possibly meaning that he survived.
As for Ava I thought the place where she fell was also over the river, but maybe not
Many people had thought that Episode 5 was a disappointment overall due to dropping the Joan/Clint subplot, the disappearance of Max, and the Tripp/Ava dilemma in favour for the love-triangle direction that many despised.
It didn't help that it had seemed that Telltale was learning their lesson with how they had handled determinant characters in the past with Conrad, only for their old habits to come back with killing off Tripp and Ava in the next episode.
It is possible he survived if Telltale wanted to do it. Though, seeing as he had three walkers on him and probably broke his back from hitting that pole, the chances aren’t in his favour.
But at least there are still chances ;3 besides, if they bring him back it’ll be something that the walking dead has never done before: bring back a character who is involved in a choice involving another character who can come back, where the other person cannot
Yeah, while there were definitely some storytelling choices, plot point executions, and even some characters that I didn't particular care for, that there is an example of what I feel is what truly "ruined" A New Frontier: The Inconsistent And Even Outright Hurky-Jerk Direction.
Season 2 (particularly it's second half) clearly share those issues to varying extents as well, but if I can give it some credit, it generally made the effort to segue between it's arcs, even if some were overall handled better and with considerably more tact than others.(The Sarah Situation) A New Frontier just started straight up fuckin dropping certain plot elements, continuity details, and even major characters from it's comparatively minimalist cast between episodes.
This of course led to what I think it's safe to say was a finale that many of us knew was gonna be a disappointing mess before it was even due to come out, with this topic's given situation being one of the most immediate and substantial shortcuts. I had a pretty decent idea/vision of what they were likely planning/able to do with Tripp(if you picked him), Ava, and especially Eleanor--even before that leak with the intended carry over choices--and the repercussions this would logically have on the group, but they more or less did the opposite level of little with them in the released version.
Everything they said in AMAs will be forgotten, trust me. We asked if they didn't forget the players who chose to keep Kenny's hat (The ones who chose the Wellington ending) and there is no clue about it in EP 5, they said we will get to learn more about Clem's backstory in terms of her parents in EP5 and we didn't and they said we will learn which Baseball team is Clem's hat coming from and we didn't.
To be fair, aside from Kenny's hat, that sounds like stuff that most likely got moved to The Final Season at the 9th hour.
I personally hope we get the 2nd one in particular.
Man if Ava survived a 7 floors fall with a "muerto" on her back then she is fucking Spiderman.
I hope she’s spooder-man
If you look it up, her hat is the same as the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Not entirely the same, since the D on the Diamondbacks hat is a snake. In fact, when I asked Melissa Hutchison (Clem's VA) about what team the hat was for, she said that she was told that it was inspired by a Japanese baseball team. The one that comes closest is a team called the Chunichi Dragons.
Telltale was so close to having an entirely determinant cast of characters! But they chose the easy way out with Tripp and Ava.
I feel bad for how much Telltale is made fun of, but they really aren't doing anything to improve their image.
Except for Clem, Javi, and Eleanor, I guess, but Clem is understandable. I kind of wish Javi and Eleanor had possible death scenes. It would of been cool. Maybe instead of Gabe being determinant, Javi could of taken his place somehow, sacraficing himself.
Gabe's character arc really doesn't pay off in the ending that he dies.
Tripp land on some cars in that river lol
According to dying light cars are the number 1 fall breaker? Both zombie games. Cars break big ass falls without damaging bones confirmed
Eh, disagree. While I know Eleanor might get some replies that I won't really agree with, Javier really would just be petty. Arguably more so than Gabe, even.
Or an April Fools joke.
Yeah, seriously. That's one of the more lcrucial reasons why that ending doesn't resonate well with me.
They would've been far better suited with a Gabe Leaves ending.
Wasn't there a river under where Ava and Tripp fell? If there was, there's an actual, if possibly contrived, chance that either of them survived.
If they landed in the correct way and managaged to not drown while fighting thw zombies and Telltale itself, then yes, they might of survived.
I actually looked it up and when I saw the Diamondbacks hat, there's 2 of them, the d on it was similar to the d on Clem's hat.
Again, while the style is somewhat similar, the D on the Diamondbacks hat is formed by a snake, while Clem’s is just a plain D. You also have the fact that the Diamondbacks colors (red and black) do not match that of Clem’s hat (white and blue). When you look at the Dragons from Japan, it’s much closer in terms of color and design.
I just looked up the Dragons and the Diamondbacks hat and I see what you meant, I didn't even notice the snake on it.
Apparently, with the Chunichi Dragons;
The 1999 hat's Logo
= Clem's hat design.
+ Trucker Cap Design
And I bet the 59Fifty model inspired Glenn's hat in Ep.1
Looking back, ANF has been a bumpy ride and not in a good way. You can really see that there has been a lot of development issues in this game. There are stuff that had been changed or stuff that has been retconned or forced to rushed in certain parts that just makes it very weird to play through.
I find it really hard to believe that Javier managed to become the leader of a community and a group that you are supposed to be fighting against over the course of two-three days at most or the rushed development (or lack thereoff) with the supporting cast who seems to supposely trust Javier after having been together for barely a week.
ANF could've benefited from a solid 1 year+ more of development with a set team and precise story and vision for the series.
Javier becoming a leader in general was something that got some criticism in Part 2.
Yeah, Javi becoming the leader of New Richmond was so forced and out of character that I had to immediately decline the role. He would constantly be dealing with Fern situations; people blaming him (rightfully so) for the death of their loved ones and seeking revenge. Hell, when Jesus asks you to step up you can even see a couple guys in the background who had pulled guns on all of them just the episode before.
I have said it before...ANF was mishandled and misguided from the start. If you are going to introduce a new playable character, you need to establish his past...not just plop him in a game and treat him and his family as if we know everything we need to know.
This game should have been a season of just him and Kate and the kids...giving us incite to how they survived for 4 years before meeting Clem. I blame @DabigRG for this entire fiasco.
Tru dat.
That's a pretty confident accusal right there! I'm quite intrigued as to why you blame him so.
I blame DabigRG for Satan himself.
At first, I was confused at this comment because my stupid self didn't realize that you were talking about Javi post-apocalypse. I was about to scold you because we got about seventeen hours worth of unnecessary flashbacks on everybody's favorite baseball-playing zombie killer.
Just kidding about DabigRG.
.#DabigRG2K18
.#DabigRGang4Life
.#DabOnThe(#)DabigRG(H)aters
Everything with “Season 3” (shudders) was wrong. The list of things wrong that i could write would be as long as the Sahara desert. I still can’t believe professional writers actually thought anything they did was acceptable
This is so true.
Strongly agreed.
They weren’t professional that was the problem.
It would have made way more sense if the whole season started in Richmond. Have Javi and the rest of the cast start out in Richmond. Looking on the season as a whole, I really feel Episode 1 and 2 weren't really necessary.
@0:21