Telltale Games is supposedly going to announce five multi-platform projects this upcoming February the 17th. They even sent out invites and everything! 1UP thinks The Walking Dead, a popular series of comic books about anorexics zombies that was recently adapted into a TV series could be one of them, as one invitation says, "one [game is] based on a just-launched property from the TV and comic book world whose popularity is changing life as some know it."
Are these announcements episodes or new games? Has 1UP misunderstood something, or has Telltale actually gone bonkers? Are they even games at all? Wait with bated breath until February the 17th. Unless you can't hold your breath that long. Then don't.
UPDATE BY TINGLER: Alan Johnson on the Telltale Forums has confirmed that it's not "just five new episodes". Eek.
Source: Eurogamer
Logic
. Larger worlds, deeper plots, more detail, less linearity, etc.
Something I've come to realise lately is that I'm usually more in love with Telltale's potential than Telltale's final output. I adore those games completely, but, it seems to me, that I always think that there's potential for so much more to be offered than what's finally presented: that the designers always get the good ideas towards the end, when it's too late.
I disagree that "larger" is needed, but "deeper" is. Rich, interesting plots and characters are what we need here. The thing is, look at Morgan LeFlay. She was the most interesting and beloved character in TMI because she had an arc - yes, an occasionally-contradictory one that switched her personality according to the needs of the plot, but it was still an arc, and one that showed her change and which people responded to. And I can't help but feel that if they sat down and wrote out backstories and Facebook profiles and hell even little side scripts for these characters, it'd make them so much easier to respond to. I don't want Morgan to be the standard. I want her to be the drop before the rainstorm.
I'm not saying make it Gone With the Wind, but it'd be nice to able to describe characters as more than just, "Paranoid next-door swindler," "Map-obsessed pirate oddball" (it's too bad they never followed-up on him wanting the Narwhal), "Duder pirate," etc. The one that came closest was Nelson Tethers: "Quirky, determined, occasionally sarcastic FBI Agent," though I'd like to see a bit more story to him. I suspect I picked up most of it from his Facebook profile. It's nice to indicate at it in the game. Yiddish Policemen's Union's best moment was a character revelation (in relation to the main guy's past and his sister), and since both Puzzle Agent and Policemen's draw from the same well, it'd be nice to have some similar, character-defining revelations/moments like that in future entries.
I just want rich and deeper stories. Not necessarily deep as in the use of symbolism or any literary tropes, but deep as in having real meat - real *weight*. As of right now, Telltale seems pretty happy releasing not bad-to-good, occasionally touching great, games. But I'm still hopeful for mostly-great.
My expectations:
1. Walking Dead
2. Puzzle Agent
3. Something Something at the Inventory (possibly a single episode again)
4. More Monkey/Strong Bad
5. A pilot for an original Telltale IP?
I'm still hoping for Indiana Jones though.
Huz
I'm guessing a low-brow version of their recent casino-based game aimed at the Australian market, Pokie Night at the Inventory.
choobs
Telltale just posted that Puzzle Agent is on sale for $4.99 now.... SWEET JESUS let one of the games be a season of Nelson Tethers!!!!!
I think that's the safest bet, choobs! Even people who don't usually like Telltale have raved about Puzzle Agent. If LucasArts had their s**t together I'd say another Monkey Island season, otherwise another Strong Bad perhaps?
The Tingler
It could mean merely five episodes of a season, which is entirely possible.
The Walking Dead is certainly the only one I can think of that fits that description.
http://www.telltalegames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22361
Alan Johnson
It's not just 'five new episodes'.
The Walking Dead is certainly the only one I can think of that fits that description.
Quality > Quantity. IMHO.
In the meanwhile my Poker Night savegames are still deleting themself....
pleasepleaseplease debug all that stuff before the release!