Why the Episodes

[GibBlackRaven]

Ok maybe am paranoid and maybe most of you will gang up on me and beat me up for whining so much... but i feel this must be said and i havent seen anyone else mention it in these forums.

I am a huge fan of MI and it has always been my favorite game series of all time despite all the new fancy games that come out, but I am genuinly concerned that adventure games as a whole are falling down the same route as other genres... and am talking about games like Football Manager, Unreal Tournament, Half-Life and recently Sam & Max... there is apsolutly no need to create a whole string of episodes or installments where one is just a rehashed coply of the previous one with some extra features... as opposed to having one great sequel to a game and of cause they charge full retail price for each installment... what will happen to Full Throttle? Broken sword? I fear they will all gonna get the same treatment given the chance...

I've alsways loved Lucasarts for their great games but recently am swayed to support new Frenchy guys Quantic Dream... I believe they are evolving adventure games the way it should... pushing themselves to make the next game they make really great and better than the last one... their track record i think demonstrate this... i fear that Episodes will just reduce the quality, play time, and ultimatly the enjoyment of each game espessially if the issue of each episode is on a monthly basis where there isn't enough time for the developers in my opinion to improve upon the the next installment. I want to play games not entire series to get the plot of a story... i don't want a to get a "To be continued" sign at the end of the episode even after i've spent £30-£35 on a purchace... sorry for the £ am british you see :oP...

I realise most of you would want to beat me up for things i've said... but please if you hit me... not the face...

[LittleBuddy]

Uh, each episode is not a full price release... They are, when grouped together, but then they will also offer an amount of playtime equal or bigger than many retail releases.

[SRTie4k]

I can agree to an extent, the only thing I would recommend is to wait until the whole season is released to play it. I found Sam & Max after they had finished the 2nd season, so I played the entire 2 seasons from start to finish and it made the experience so much more exciting and involving.

[Jake]

\i don't want a to get a "To be continued" sign at the end of the episode even after i've spent £30-£35 on a purchace... sorry for the £ am british you see :oP...

To clarify here: When you pay the $34.95 for Tales of Monkey Island, you're buying all five episodes. They come out once a month, but you're getting the whole thing, plus the disc release at the end, for that price. So you can preorder now and play them as they come out, or you can pretend that right now we've announced that in five months we'll be putting out a new Monkey Island game and just play the DVD when that ships without ever touching the downloadable episodes. That said, I think you'd find it hard to resist playing the installments as they arrived. :)

[MusicallyInspired]

Yeah, it's not $34.95 for each episode.

[salmonmax]

I think the episodic approach works particularly well for the Monkey Island series, actually. After all, the previous MI games were all split into chapters. Just think of each episode as an individual chapter.

Also, from what I've read, it sounds like the episodes are going to have a minimum of reused environments, which will help give it a feel more similar to the originals.

Personally, I like the idea of having five months worth of Monkey Island goodness. I'd probably play through a full game in a couple of weeks. The anticipation of new episodes coming each month is kind of appealing.

[HoppyDragon]

I think the episodic approach works particularly well for the Monkey Island series, actually. After all, the previous MI games were all split into chapters. Just think of each episode as an individual chapter.

Also, from what I've read, it sounds like the episodes are going to have a minimum of reused environments, which will help give it a feel more similar to the originals.

Personally, I like the idea of having five months worth of Monkey Island goodness. I'd probably play through a full game in a couple of weeks. The anticipation of new episodes coming each month is kind of appealing.

You said almost exactly what I was about to post. :P

I'm going to go over this game with a fine-toothed comb. There will not be a single line of dialogue left unheard.

[Irishmile]

I can say I would rather one well put together game instead of episodes too..... but I also feel lucky we are getting anything MI.

[turingmachine604]

Yeah, we should feel lucky we're just getting a Monkey Island game.

I personally don't like the episodic approach as it inherently puts limitations on the scope of the gameworld and puzzle design (Jake, one of the designers, over at the private forum even said "There will probably be fewer locations than previous Monkey Island games (but probably a few more than the average Telltale game)").

However, you have to understand the episodic format is kinda a necessity. The Adventure genre is not as popular as it was 10 years ago, and it's considered a high risk for developers. I suggest if we ever want to see a non episodic MI, everyone buy both "Tales" and especially "SoMI: Special Edition" as no doubt LucasArts will be looking at the sales of those two items when considering the future of the franchise.

[taumel]

Why episodes?

Actually i'm quite surprised that there haven't been more complains about this from new users since TOMI has been announced.

When i'm going back the memory lane then i remember myself beeing not a fan of this and wanting full game releases instead of episodes. I still do like full size games but i also think there is room for both concepts and they both have their pros and cons for the gamer as well as for the developer.

In my opinion episodes are a disadvantage if you're playing too fast through them and waiting too long for the next one or if you prefer playing a bigger more complex story instead of smaller less dependent games although this also would be possible but hasn't been done so far.

Now the reasons why i like the episodic format are that i simply got used to them. Secondly TTG over the years has improved on what to offer in an episode as well. Todays episodes feel more complete, self contained and leave you more satisfied than they did in the beginning.

I just always wished that it should be more complex and slighty harder and i'm missing inventory combinations. Guess what! Both is said to happen in TOMI, so if this is well done, i'm really a happy camper here as well.

I trust TTG that they are able to cut the open world into reasonable episodes. Maybe you're even able to remain the open spirit of MI in a way that previous data is accessible by later episodes as well.

Anyway todays episodes are nicely done, they just need to be slightly harder/a bit more complex. It would be great if one day there would show up a serie with one big complex story too.

[SRTie4k]

^ Already pre-ordered, and I will definitely be buying SoMI:SE since I never got a hard copy of the game :)

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

^ Already pre-ordered, and I will definitely be buying SoMI:SE since I never got a hard copy of the game :)

Ouch, that must hurt :p

[threepcross]

I definitely think that the episode format is well suited due to the way MI has always consisted of acts. it's almost genius. *however* I do not like not being able to fire up the full game (once I've gotten all episodes). if it came a patch that allowed me to start the full game after all episodes were released, it would be the ultimate solution to my qualms with the episode format.

[Guybrush_Threepwood]

Yeah, we could request this little patch, good idea. Hey TTG, could you please put an option in the main menu of the final dvd version which says "PLAY COMPLETE GAME"? Obviously, keeping the "play the n-episode" option! :p

[tredlow]

there is apsolutly no need to create a whole string of episodes or installments where one is just a rehashed coply of the previous one with some extra features... as opposed to having one great sequel to a game

The full game is the whole series, and not just one episode. This means that 'Episode 2' is not the sequel to 'Episode 1'. Now, 'Season 2' is a sequel to 'Season 1' So if you want 'one great sequel to a game', you'll have to wait for the next season AKA the next batch of episodes. This means that Telltale have plenty of time to improve on the next game, which is the next series. Episodes are not small games, they are small pieces of a big one.

i fear that Episodes will just reduce the quality, play time, and ultimatly the enjoyment of each game espessially if the issue of each episode is on a monthly basis where there isn't enough time for the developers in my opinion to improve upon the the next installment.

You know, they don't start working on an episode right after they release the previous one. They develop the whole series at the same time, like a normal video game or TV show (except South Park), then release them one episode per month. Now, during these months of releasing the series, they start working on a new series, improved from the last, which will be released after the current series ends. I think it's called 'Buffering', I dunno.

The episodic nature of the games might hide this fact, but I'm pretty sure that Telltale works the same way your average videogame company does.

But if you really have a problem with playing episodically, just start a petition about putting the 'Play All' button on the CD release, then avoid the individual episodes.

[GibBlackRaven]

Whats this about a play all button pettition? I was unaware this was an option.

[Mysterysheep]

Yeah, we could request this little patch, good idea. Hey TTG, could you please put an option in the main menu of the final dvd version which says "PLAY COMPLETE GAME"? Obviously, keeping the "play the n-episode" option! :p

I asked about this for the Sam & Max Season 2 DVD as well and was told that they can't do that.

[presidentmax]

Why episodes?

Actually i'm quite surprised that there haven't been more complains about this from new users since TOMI has been announced.



probably because they are too busy bitching about graphics.

[Irishmile]

I would prefer a full game released in stores... but I know I will like these too... so I am not worried..... Episodes are better than getting a half-a**ed fan game in another language.

[onlyamonkey]

Well, I'm like starved bum on the pavement just being promised something to eat by a stranger going into a shop. I'm kinda hoping he'll bring out a juicy meatball baguette with potato salad, but I'll be thankful for every breadcrumb I get. And I'm not going to complain untill I've eaten whatever he's getting me.

If TTgames pisses me off with ToMI, I'll just not buy a season 2 if there is one, realize that this was the end of the MI adventures, drop it, and move on.

But for now, I for sure pre-ordered to make sure I give maximum support to the one company catering to my gaming needs. Who knows what could happen if this spread on the internet to be a giant success? Maybe MI5. Maybe more.

Criticism is pointless and not fruitful in this stage, we all should just encourage TT and try to spread the word. TT consists of employees like all other companies and like all other people they react to optimism with creativity. So I dislike the whole "picky comic book store guy" deal because that serves no other purpose than destroying and disencouraging.

[Irishmile]

Not entirely true... a little criticism is good so they can improve on things that do not work.

[Rather Dashing]

http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,1024/

If you’ve played some of Telltale’s other episodic adventures, whether Sam & Max Seasons 1 and 2, Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People, or Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Adventures, you may think you know what to expect from Tales of Monkey Island, but there are a few major differences that make this a very exciting project. One is that the episodes are not standalone “tales”, as the title might seem to imply, but actually “chapters” in a greater story. “Epic” was definitely the word of the day throughout our conversation. The team’s goal is to create an adventure so compelling, you won’t be able to wait until the whole thing is released before you play. Each chapter will have some sort of resolution of whatever sub-quest Guybrush is attempting to complete, but will also have a cliffhanger they’re hoping will keep fans excitedly speculating about until the next month’s release.

[Agent P29]

I can agree to an extent, the only thing I would recommend is to wait until the whole season is released to play it. I found Sam & Max after they had finished the 2nd season, so I played the entire 2 seasons from start to finish and it made the experience so much more exciting and involving.

I agree with you. It was like one big game!

[onemanandhisdroid]

I think episodic content offers an interesting format, particularly with heavily (or shall I see entirelly?) narrative driven games like the ones Telltale are doing.

Beat me, I've never read any of Purcell's comics, but based on LucasArt's Hit The Road game, this license was tailor-fit for a serial format from the get-go. I mean, the game was like going from one whacked off episode to the next, and in the end, somehow the Bigfoots win. Dunno what kind of juice LA were back on in the day, but it definitely wasn't Coke. :D

I'm confident that they found the right format for Monkey Island as well. As each episode is meant to be a part of a bigger story, there'd be still be no doubt a fitting conclusion to the tasks just finished at hand. But I have a feeling they'll also tease you with cliffhangers that make "Who shot J.R.?" look like "Planescape:Torment" at least once. ;)

I can also see some crazy time-travelling episodic sh*t being done with a similar format involving certain characters from another 1993 LA adventure game in a not so distant future. Or was it past? Whatever.

One thing I've been wondering for myself though is whether Telltale are going to approach every project of theirs like this for all eternity. Relatively small portions of a series or a game once a month. Or whether they'll one day be in the position to decide based on the project at hand.

Regardless, I see no point in complaining about the format. It's not like you're forced to go along with it! Well, at least not the release schedule. And if Telltale are reading: You realize you missed the opportunity of a lifetime? Stan was just waiting in line to sell this game to us!

[HoratioTMarley]

Well one of the strengths of the previous MI games are the large non-linear parts. Like in MI2 you go hunting after 4 map pieces and it is up to you which one you start with. I think the episodic concept will not allow for that. At least not to that extent.

The chapters in previous games were of much different length so i don't think it is possible to just convert chapters to episodes.

However with so many people on the development team who have worked on MI before, I am convinced that these problems have been solved adequetely.

That is why I have preordered :)

[turingmachine604]

I'm going to give "Tales" the benefit of the doubt and try the game before I pass final judgment.

People keep on talking about the narrative and how the previous MI had chapters. The narrative and overall story-telling ability is not what's going to be affected, though. What episodic content does, no matter what, is decrease the size of the game world which creates more linear and easier puzzles. Since each episode doesn't have access to the data of other episodes you end up being limited in where you can travel. Sure other MI games had this in part, like say in MI 2 when you got stranded on Dinky Island, but for most of the game you could freely travel between all the islands and puzzles required obtaining items, interacting, etc throughout the whole game world.

[Bagge]

I'm going to give "Tales" the benefit of the doubt and try the game before I pass final judgment.

People keep on talking about the narrative and how the previous MI had chapters. The narrative and overall story-telling ability is not what's going to be affected, though. What episodic content does, no matter what, is decrease the size of the game world which creates more linear and easier puzzles. Since each episode doesn't have access to the data of other episodes you end up being limited in where you can travel. Sure other MI games had this in part, like say in MI 2 when you got stranded on Dinky Island, but for most of the game you could freely travel between all the islands and puzzles required obtaining items, interacting, etc throughout the whole game world.

Yes, and that is one of MI2's greatest stregths. However, none of the other MI games lets you travel back and forth between (the main) islands at will.

[Spooky666]

Hi there. I'm a big Adventurefan from Germany. My first one was Maniac Mansion on the Commodore, later on I loved the whole Monkey Island Series. I also liked your Sam and Max Games. But i have a big wish for the Upcoming "Tales of Monkey Island" - Series.

When i bought the complete First Sam and Max - Season on DVD-Rom, i was kinda sad, that i had not the feeling about playing one big Game. It just felt like playing episodes. After playing a few hours on each episode, there were this closing credits, you return back to the desktop, and have to start the next one. That was kinda annoying.


I totally missed the flow of a full version game.

So i think it would be great, if the completed "Tales of Monkey Island" - version on DVD would be arranged in the way, like the first 4 Monkey Island Games. So you would have 5 Chapters, but you could play the whole game in one, without returning to the desktop, after each Chapter, and you would have the closing credits only at the end of the whole game.

That would be awsome.

Anyway, thank you so much, for continuing the Number 1 - Adventure Series.

[Spooky666]

Yes, and that is one of MI2's greatest stregths.

Absolutely.

[chrisweb]

I dont like episodes at all, i most of the time whatch tv series i really like after i recorded the whole season or bougth it on dvd, i dont like those "to be continued" ... i will buy mi5 when all episodes are available, i dont want to play a great episode and then have to wait a whole month until i can play the next one

[ultima_keyblader]

Well it is something to look forward to and if the cliffhangers are really good it can be exciting especially when you finally fire up the next episode to see what happens.

[Uhyve]

I'm British aswell, the price for all 5 episodes worked out as being £21... so SHHHH, we're getting a good deal here, don't blow it!

[BlueToxic]

So i think it would be great, if the completed "Tales of Monkey Island" - version on DVD would be arranged in the way, like the first 4 Monkey Island Games. So you would have 5 Chapters, but you could play the whole game in one, without returning to the desktop, after each Chapter, and you would have the closing credits only at the end of the whole game.

That would be awsome.


Exactly what I was thinking. I really hope they do this and I wouldn't mind waiting an extra month or so for the DVD if they add this.

[Everlast]

Hi there. I'm a big Adventurefan from Germany. My first one was Maniac Mansion on the Commodore, later on I loved the whole Monkey Island Series. I also liked your Sam and Max Games. But i have a big wish for the Upcoming "Tales of Monkey Island" - Series.

When i bought the complete First Sam and Max - Season on DVD-Rom, i was kinda sad, that i had not the feeling about playing one big Game. It just felt like playing episodes. After playing a few hours on each episode, there were this closing credits, you return back to the desktop, and have to start the next one. That was kinda annoying.


I totally missed the flow of a full version game.

So i think it would be great, if the completed "Tales of Monkey Island" - version on DVD would be arranged in the way, like the first 4 Monkey Island Games. So you would have 5 Chapters, but you could play the whole game in one, without returning to the desktop, after each Chapter, and you would have the closing credits only at the end of the whole game.

That would be awsome.

Anyway, thank you so much, for continuing the Number 1 - Adventure Series.

I completely agree with this statement. I also feel like irishsmile gratefull for reviving the franchise of MI as it was on of the pioneers and leading franchise of adventure games. I kinda would like to ask that they release the dvd as one whole complete game, composed of 5 chapters. If we finish the chapter I, we remain in the game for chapter II. I totally agree that making the game in an episodic formar reduces the quality. Therefor in the DVD when the game is put completely there it will retain the essence of a continued storyline.

Sam and Max as exposed by the guy i quoted, was hurt deeply by it. I hope they avoid doing that with the dvd release. I would love for it to not send me back at my desktop for the next chapter.

Thanks TTG for entertaining your growing fanbase.

[Masta23]

I get the feeling that there will be painful cliffhangers after each episode.. one of the drawbacks of playing each episode as it comes out.. that being said it would certainly lead to a lot of speculation and be something to look forward to.
I know we haven't even seen the first episode yet but I hope that the TOMI continues into a 2nd season at least.

[PariahKing]

I think episodic and full games are actually two different mediums that have as much as movies and TV as common - a lot, but not everything. You can't cram together five episodes of House or the Simpsons and call it a movie. The DVD isn't meant to be a full game and the episodes aren't made to just be a long game that releases over a period of time.

It's a different animal. You wouldn't watch TV with the expectations of a movie but you can still love and appreciate both.

[SeanSeanston]

The only thing bad I've seen about the episodic format is that our beloved Earl Boen won't be voicing LeChuck :(

Then again I haven't played Sam & Max Season 1/2 or any episodic games yet so I dunno.

[Frogacuda]

Ok maybe am paranoid and maybe most of you will gang up on me and beat me up for whining so much... but i feel this must be said and i havent seen anyone else mention it in these forums.

I am a huge fan of MI and it has always been my favorite game series of all time despite all the new fancy games that come out, but I am genuinly concerned that adventure games as a whole are falling down the same route as other genres... and am talking about games like Football Manager, Unreal Tournament, Half-Life and recently Sam & Max... there is apsolutly no need to create a whole string of episodes or installments where one is just a rehashed coply of the previous one with some extra features... as opposed to having one great sequel to a game and of cause they charge full retail price for each installment... what will happen to Full Throttle? Broken sword? I fear they will all gonna get the same treatment given the chance...

I've alsways loved Lucasarts for their great games but recently am swayed to support new Frenchy guys Quantic Dream... I believe they are evolving adventure games the way it should... pushing themselves to make the next game they make really great and better than the last one... their track record i think demonstrate this... i fear that Episodes will just reduce the quality, play time, and ultimatly the enjoyment of each game espessially if the issue of each episode is on a monthly basis where there isn't enough time for the developers in my opinion to improve upon the the next installment. I want to play games not entire series to get the plot of a story... i don't want a to get a "To be continued" sign at the end of the episode even after i've spent £30-£35 on a purchace... sorry for the £ am british you see :oP...

I realise most of you would want to beat me up for things i've said... but please if you hit me... not the face...

Well I have good news for you, then. This game is not being released in episodes. It's a single, epic story in 5 chapters, and the chapter breaks are more like they were in Curse and Escape, rather than Telltale's previous games.

If you're just complaining about the wait between chapters, then I suggest you just buy it when they're all done. A lot of people wait for the box sets to watch TV shows.

I can't really say anything til the game's out, but I will say this: If the first chapter is any indication, this is a real Monkey Island 5 and all that that implies. It's not the mini-adventures of Guybrush.

[EMAN528]

I can agree to an extent, the only thing I would recommend is to wait until the whole season is released to play it. I found Sam & Max after they had finished the 2nd season, so I played the entire 2 seasons from start to finish and it made the experience so much more exciting and involving.

I actually played Sam and Max Season 1 over the course of a week when I discovered it on Gametap, then played Season 2 as each episode came out and I must say that I enjoyed playing each episode as it was released rather than in one shot. It truly feels much fuller that way. When I played one episode after another after another, I really didn’t appreciate the pacing of the story arc as much. When it's spread out over 5-6 months, the season finale seems much more epic because you truly have been waiting months for it. Then again, I like my games shorter and like shorter gaming sessions, so I can see how this may seen diffrently from person to person.

The full game is the whole series, and not just one episode. This means that 'Episode 2' is not the sequel to 'Episode 1'. Now, 'Season 2' is a sequel to 'Season 1' So if you want 'one great sequel to a game', you'll have to wait for the next season AKA the next batch of episodes. This means that Telltale have plenty of time to improve on the next game, which is the next series. Episodes are not small games, they are small pieces of a big one.


I really disagree with the statement that each episode is just a fragment of one large game. Each episode is completely self contained and has it's own beginning, middle, and end. Each episode is shorter than a full length game, but not a fragment of a larger game and should not be looked at as such. It really is like the difference between a television series and a movie. You would normally not claim that each episode of Lost is a tiny piece of a movie that is the season, it is an episode of a larger story arc. And, as such, you normally would not sit down and watch the entire season of Lost in one shot because it's not really meant to be watched that way and is paced differently than watching a movie. I think it's the same with an episodic series vs a full length release. Also, I think each individual episode deserves the respect of being regarded as its own game because some, such as Chariots of the Dogs, are true masterpieces.

[viz]

I'm British aswell, the price for all 5 episodes worked out as being £21... so SHHHH, we're getting a good deal here, don't blow it!

Plus £6.20 for shipping the DVD... :)

[Frogacuda]

I really disagree with the statement that each episode is just a fragment of one large game. Each episode is completely self contained and has it's own beginning, middle, and end.
This is true for Sam and Max. It is not true for Tales of Monkey Island. The Chapters feel more like the chapters in Curse of Monkey Island.

[SurplusGamer]

Think of it as not much different to how CMI worked, for example. CMI had seperate, distinct chapters taking place in completely new locations, with new goals and sub goals, linked together by the story of the Curse. This should be similar - we don't know what the linking story is yet, but we're told there is one.

It's just that in the case of Tales there will be 5 chapters of more or less equal length, while in CMI it went short (ship)-long (plunder)-short (insult fighting)-long (blood island) -short (carnival)

[Toothless Gibbon]

Think of it as not much different to how CMI worked, for example. CMI had seperate, distinct chapters taking place in completely new locations, with new goals and sub goals, linked together by the story of the Curse. This should be similar - we don't know what the linking story is yet, but we're told there is one.

I assumed the Pox was basis of the main story.

[Spooky666]

I think episodic and full games are actually two different mediums that have as much as movies and TV as common - a lot, but not everything. You can't cram together five episodes of House or the Simpsons and call it a movie.

Totally disagree. TT said, that TOMI will have a big Storyline, and that there will be a big difference, when you compare it to Sam and Max. So it seems to me, that there is one big game, which eventually could be splitted into parts. (Hope not)

Downloadable episodes maybe episodes. But if i get my fullversion, I want to play one big game, if there is one big Storyline. Otherwise i'm thinking of not to buy it, because Sam and Max disappointed me in that way, although it entertained me. But i can't imagine, that works with MI, too.

There are still a lot of Fans who believe, that the fullversion of the game will be one big game, some are shocked and surprised that the fullversion maybe splitted into Parts, cause they did not play, the sam and max games, yet. I also was very surprised, when i played the sam and max season, and after a few hours i saw some credits. But it was called "Sam and Max - Season One".

Tales of Monkey Island don't has any "season" in the title. So i hope it won't be splitted anyway. Maybe some TellTale-People could give us an answer.

[guitarsareboring]

I don't mind about the episodic format providing each one is long enough to last most of the month at say an hour or so a day - I may however end up spending every waking hour playing it!

[Bagge]

I don't mind about the episodic format providing each one is long enough to last most of the month at say an hour or so a day - I may however end up spending every waking hour playing it!

One hour a day would make one single episode 30 hours long, which is longer than most full releases these days. I expect the length of a single episode of TMI to be in the 2-8 hours region.

[SurplusGamer]

I assumed the Pox was basis of the main story.

Eh, not so sure. It probably has something to do with the main story, but I wouldn't be surprised if that was just a small piece of the puzzle.

[floweroftheforest]

I can say I would rather one well put together game instead of episodes too..... but I also feel lucky we are getting anything MI.
Same here.
I'm incredibly excited at the thought of anything new regarding mi and am salivating at the thought.

[Marty]

Im happy with episodes. Just as long as they keep recycling locations down to a minimum.

[GamerFaith]

To be honest, it's hard playing one episode knowing that I have to wait for another episode to play more but I would rather play through episodes than have no new Monkey Island game at all.

[giant_frying_pan]

but I am genuinly concerned that adventure games as a whole are falling down the same route as other genres... and am talking about games like Football Manager, Unreal Tournament, Half-Life and recently Sam & Max...

You listed four great games. What's the problem?!

but recently am swayed to support new Frenchy guys Quantic Dream... I believe they are evolving adventure games the way it should... pushing themselves to make the next game they make really great and better than the last one... their track record i think demonstrate this...
The problem with Quantic Dream is that they take around one million years to develop a game, as interesting as they are. That can't be standard practice for a viable adventure game; something that isn't as easy to hype as the next big FPS or similar.

As for track record...they've released two games in ten years! (soon to be three in eleven). That said, I am looking forward to Heavy Rain.

I want to play games not entire series to get the plot of a story... i don't want a to get a "To be continued" sign at the end of the episode even after i've spent £30-£35 on a purchace
Okay. Wait until December and then play them all straight through :p

[EMAN528]

Totally disagree. TT said, that TOMI will have a big Storyline, and that there will be a big difference, when you compare it to Sam and Max.


But Sam and Max had a "big" storyline as well which each episode built on. I don't understand why many are expecting the episode structure to be so radically different.

[Toothless Gibbon]

But Sam and Max had a "big" storyline as well which each episode built on. I don't understand why many are expecting the episode structure to be so radically different.

Probably because Telltale have specifically said that Tales episodes are much more chapters of a big story that S&M are.

[Rather Dashing]

Probably because Telltale have specifically said that Tales episodes are much more chapters of a big story that S&M are.
They're still going to be episodes, though. I think it's more like a TV series with a strong, cohesive overall plot rather than being very episodic in nature. You still don't get a movie at the end by ramming it all together into one big package, but you get a strong and epic story over the course of a season.

[Sir Tobbii]

Ehhm, havn't MI always been in episodes? With the chapters and stuff?

[Frogacuda]

Im happy with episodes. Just as long as they keep recycling locations down to a minimum.

They said each chapter will be a new island, so it appears this is the case.

[guitarsareboring]

One hour a day would make one single episode 30 hours long, which is longer than most full releases these days. I expect the length of a single episode of TMI to be in the 2-8 hours region.

Haha yeah, I'm not sure I was thinking logically last night. I'll just make sure I get every line of dialogue out of it!

[Marty]

They said each chapter will be a new island, so it appears this is the case.

that's one of the things that made me most excited. But I will believe it when I see it.

[Toothless Gibbon]

They're still going to be episodes, though. I think it's more like a TV series with a strong, cohesive overall plot rather than being very episodic in nature. You still don't get a movie at the end by ramming it all together into one big package, but you get a strong and epic story over the course of a season.

Yeah thats what I meant. The fact TTG have stressed it has a much more cohesive overall plot that S&M is what I was trying to get across to Spooky666.

(But they are called Chapters now too...)

[jp-30]

And each ToMI episode will end on a cliffhanger, and start from there on the next episode (Unlike Sam & Max or Wallace & Gromit).

[Novotnus]

Cristopher Ushko's M:I 2 was an episodic game and it was great. Check it out if you haven't yet: http://chickwarsaga.altervista.org/mi2.rar

[chrisweb]

they dont do episodes because they want to be able to create a different kind of story, they could make one big game and add 5 chapters, this would be exactly the same ...

they do episodes because there is a commercial thought behind it, if they do episodes and the first one sells very bad, they can stop the production, people who have bought the game still have a start and an end of the story ... but im sure monkey island will sell more copies then all telltalegames together, so there was no need to do episodes, they knew from day one on that they would make 5 episodes so they could have made one big game which i would prefer.

know i must wait one month after each episode until i can play the next chapter, which really sucks. people who are not such big fans of it will get the game as a whole on dvd, they will be able to play it as a whole, real fans will have to wait 5 months until the can enjoy the end of the game :(

[puerca]

After initially being skeptical, I have grown to love the episodic format for, I imagine, much the same reasons as the Telltale staff loves making them, i.e. shorter turnaround time, quick storylines, and greater variety of stories to tell.

Secondly, I do not have the luxury of time that I once did and it is nice that I can usually finish a Telltale episode in one evening. Plus when I am done I can come to the forum and speculate on what's next....

[Dilorenzo]

I've got to say that I would agree with the op, if TTG didn't have such a strong track record with episodic gaming releases, as opposed to... well, pretty much every other gaming company out there that's tried the same thing. Half Life Episodes failed pretty spectacularly as an episodic series, Sin Episodes didn't make it past the first release (although a lot of that was due to quality issues, in my opinion).

But TTG, since they started releasing Sam and Max, has delivered their episodes on time and of a high quality, so I'm more than happy to have them continue with the structure they're comfortable with.

(Not that I have any say in the matter, of course :p)

[NickTTG]

they dont do episodes because they want to be able to create a different kind of story, they could make one big game and add 5 chapters, this would be exactly the same ...

they do episodes because there is a commercial thought behind it, if they do episodes and the first one sells very bad, they can stop the production, people who have bought the game still have a start and an end of the story ... but im sure monkey island will sell more copies then all telltalegames together, so there was no need to do episodes, they knew from day one on that they would make 5 episodes so they could have made one big game which i would prefer.

know i must wait one month after each episode until i can play the next chapter, which really sucks. people who are not such big fans of it will get the game as a whole on dvd, they will be able to play it as a whole, real fans will have to wait 5 months until the can enjoy the end of the game :(

The reason Telltale is releasing MI episodically is because from Telltale's inception, it set out to be the leading developer in episodic entertainment. Our games are meant to work like interactive TV shows. And check this out, it's totally up to you whether you play the episodes as they come out and join in the speculation of what comes next. Or you could play the full season when it all comes out as package deal. It's up to you! I personally don't see why people have a problem. It's like watching a season of your favorite show when its on TV or buying the box set when it hits retail. You're gonna have to wait longer to enjoy it if you wait for the season to be over, but you get the added bonus of having access to the whole season.

So really I don't know how people can complain. Unless of course people are just upset that others are playing the new Monkey Island before them :cool:

[salmonmax]

So really I don't know how people can complain.

Have you ever seen more complaining about a game prior to its being released? (I'm not completely innocent on this point.)

It will be interesting to see whether or not the amount of complaining increases or decreases after tomorrow.

[Rather Dashing]

So really I don't know how people can complain. Unless of course people are just upset that others are playing the new Monkey Island before them :cool:
That shouldn't be the case, if they don't want to play it. If they were "jealous", surely they'd join in the fun?

I'd say there is a legitimate stigma against episodic entertainment. I don't think I've seen anyone else do it well. Look at Half-Life 2 Episodes, look at even the Penny Arcade Adventures that have great content but far too much time in-between.

I think the episodic concept is new, and it's something that kind of needs to be proven. I think that's the general consensus at Telltale, with the Season Pass and the DVD specifically being an economic means to make consumers more comfortable with digital distribution and the episodic format.

[chrisweb]

So really I don't know how people can complain. Unless of course people are just upset that others are playing the new Monkey Island before them :cool:

yes thats it, i dont want to have to wait between episodes, but even worse would be having to wait 5 month until i can play all 5 together, im a csi fan and i watch the series on tv because the next day when i go to work every one talks about the last series, thats the only why i can avoid spoilers, but i also buy the series later on dvd or download them because i want to get the story, when i have to wait between episodes i always have problems to remeber what happened before, its the same with monkey island, i will play the episodes because i have no choice, but i really dont like having to wait a month between each of them.

as i said before i dont think a game is better only because its splitt up into several parts, there is no advantage for the game, you can also make a big game which chapters or with multiple storys, the only advantage producing episodes is a commercial one, because its less risky for the development firm which produces the series, but as i said, if you do a monkey island game there is almost no risk cause fans will buy it no matter what ... i just hope telltale will make another mi and i hope that one wont have episodes, or at least i hope they gonna release all the episodes at once.

[Kevin]

Telltale was started from day 1 to create episodic games. We really like the format, and see all kinds of opportunity to do great things with it. Episodic is just different than long form. I can't imagine a good "Seinfeld" movie or a good "Lost" movie. I really think TOMI is our best use of the medium yet, and we're still just getting going! Give it a shot and I promise you'll enjoy it!

[dumpling321]

um monkey island has ALWAYS been episodic... its just that the 3-4 episodes per game were bundled together on one CD... in about 5 months well have a full monkey island game just like the others in the series and the only difference is that well have had the oppertunity to play the episodes as they completed them instead of waiting 5 months for the full games release to play the full game

[giant_frying_pan]

People want to have their cake and eat it too. They want seventy-eight episodes of the game lasting 1000 hours each, translated into 216 different languages with a free boxed copy, free swag, free soundtrack, personal concierge service to help install the game and open the game shortcut and a helper monkey, possibly with three heads (or more). And they want all of this *yesterday*.

Me? I'm just happy there's new Monkey Island.

[ImproperDancing]

Seeing as you get a whole season (five to six episodes at a total run time of fifteen to twenty-five hours on average) for thirty-five bucks, I don't see what the problem is. All this does is allow Telltale to deliver us content on a regular basis rather than simply giving us one product every two years.

I personally really loved the Sam & Max seasons (in the middle of Season Two right now and I think it already far surpasses the first season in quality and humor) and the episodes are not a bad way to deliver us our adventure game cravings.

[Frogacuda]

The reason Telltale is releasing MI episodically is because from Telltale's inception, it set out to be the leading developer in episodic entertainment. Our games are meant to work like interactive TV shows. And check this out, it's totally up to you whether you play the episodes as they come out and join in the speculation of what comes next. Or you could play the full season when it all comes out as package deal. It's up to you! I personally don't see why people have a problem. It's like watching a season of your favorite show when its on TV or buying the box set when it hits retail. You're gonna have to wait longer to enjoy it if you wait for the season to be over, but you get the added bonus of having access to the whole season.

There are two main reasons people meet episodic games with skepticism:

1) Although Telltale has consistently delivered complete episodic series (well... aside from Bone) they're the only company that's done it right, and there are a lot of other companies out there mucking things up for you and making people hate episodes. To most gamers episodes mean broken promises and shattered dreams. Insecticide, Sin Episodes, Half Life, Penny Arcade Adventures... All these episodic series that leave on cliff hangers and never deliver give the format a bad name.

2) You're talking about an existing series/franchise with existing expectations and people are going to resist changes no matter what in that regard.

You're right though, Tales of Monkey Island is an authentic-feeling Monkey Island game that happens to be released in 5 parts initially, and I think people should give it a go and stop worrying so much.

I also really liked the fun of getting a new Sam and Max every month. In that case I didn't think of them as one big game, but I still liked having something to look forward to each month, and I felt sad when the season was over.

[NatsFan]

I for one absolutely love Telltale's episodic style. I've always played LucasArts-style adventure games for their stories, and I think it's great that Telltale offers well paced stories that aren't artificially lengthened by frustratingly asinine puzzles. Despite what a lot of reviewers say, I think that TT games mostly have terrifically designed puzzles. They're complex enough that they leave you with a sense of satisfaction without losing so much hair along the way. There's also practically no filler, almost every puzzle moves the story along in a thoroughly entertaining manner. To be honest, these are the kind of puzzles that I've always wanted in a game. They make the design in old Sierra titles and even some LucasArts ones look absolutely shoddy.

So, thank you Telltale for moving forward in a genre that's even more stuck in the past than JRPGs.

[doomsoth]

lol Someone needs to do there research and read before posting.

[giant_frying_pan]

To most gamers episodes mean broken promises and shattered dreams. Insecticide, Sin Episodes, Half Life, Penny Arcade Adventures... All these episodic series that leave on cliff hangers and never deliver give the format a bad name.
I think that's harsh on Half-Life because no promises were broken with that as far as I can recall. Valve said that the episodes would allow them to deliver more Half-Life games, more quickly and that's exactly what they've done so far. The gap between Episode One and Episode Two was *much* shorter than the gap between Half-Life 1 and Half-Life 2!

Overall, as far as the Half-Life episodes are concerned, break-neck release speed is a much lesser concern than the overall quality of the games, which have been outstanding. They rightly take as long as they need for them. Episode is really just a name and it isn't used in as much of a high-concept fashion as Telltale do.

I'll take your point about cliffhangers though! :p

[Frogacuda]

I think that's harsh on Half-Life because no promises were broken with that as far as I can recall.
Releasing games whenever you feel like it is fine for a large game (or a movie) but if you never knew when an episodic show was going to be on, you'd never watch it.

Half Life Episode Three was originally scheduled to come out in Summer of 2007. It's two years late and we haven't even seen a trailer and it's not coming until 2010.

So basically by the time the episodes are done coming out, they will have taken 6 years to release a sequel to a game that only took them 5 years, despite recycling the engine and 90% of the graphics. If you can't see something messed up there, you might want to look again. Episode Three will look ancient by the time it comes out. Even Episode Two did.

The problem is that while companies like Telltale are tightly managed and organized and feel a commitment to their customers, Valve runs their studio like some kind of goofy hippie commune where people show up and work on whatever they feel like and no one ever goes into crunch cycle. I'm sure it's a wonderful place to work, but it's not how big boys do things and THAT is why they take so long to produce anything, NOT because they spend more time "polishing and tweaking" than anyone else.

[Threepwood4Life]

All I can say about this is in the words of Griswold Goodsoup from CMI

"Maybe their just trying something different"

[guitarsareboring]

I'm not sure if this has been said already but the obvious reason for it being episodic is so people can pay less for a 'taster' of the game (ie episode 1) which isn't as much of a commitment as spending the full 30 or so dollars on an entire game. A gamer who is unfamiliar with the 'franchise' may then be willing to take a chance on something they wouldn't normally risk and if they like it, buy the entire game.

Also it benefits people who maybe can't afford $35 but CAN afford $7 per month or whatever it costs for each single episode.