Does this game suck?

[supmandude85]

I'm thinking of buying it, but is the game play as bad as Back to the Future or Jurassic Park?

[RAnthonyMahan]

I haven't played it myself, but from what I've heard its gameplay is extremely limited. (And might I add, giving it an iOS release and slapping on "COMING SOON TO PC" kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth.)

I'm getting more and more scared about Telltale's future all the time. Prior to BttF I was praising them as the saviors of adventure gaming, but now it seems like they're changing for the worse. Hell, it's sort of gotten to the point where I actually miss BttF. It may have been a bad adventure game, but at least it was an adventure game.

I'm sorry for rambling, but I guess I miss the Telltale that brought us Sam and Max and Tales. BttF and JP have left me sort of jaded. I'm not bothering with L&O (though to be fair that's largely because I'm not interested in the license), and unless they get some good reviews I won't bother with The Walking Dead and Fables either. I will get the new King's Quest game, but that'll be Telltale's last chance for me. King's Quest is one of the classic IPs of the adventure genre, and if Telltale gives it the same lack of effort they did for Back to the Future and Jurassic Park...I'm just done.

[supmandude85]

That's too bad, why would anybody ever make a detective adventure game without puzzles? That boggles the mind. Telltale, if you're reading this nobody likes the game play of your new games. They only buy them, because they have big names attached to them. Go back to your old ways, please.

[Vainamoinen]

Okay, any post beginning with "I haven't played it myself, but..." is obviously not a good read. Sorry.

[coolsome]

Originally Posted by supmandude85

That's too bad, why would anybody ever make a detective adventure game without puzzles? That boggles the mind.

It doesn't boggle my mind what so ever. How many real detective's solve puzzles to work out cases.

[supmandude85]

Originally Posted by coolsome

It doesn't boggle my mind what so ever. How many real detective's solve puzzles to work out cases.

Was that a joke? I'm not talking about puzzles like in Puzzle Agent, just things you have to solve in the game to figure out the case. You know, like an adventure game.

[caeska]

The game is too linear for my taste, I mean you just press buttons and the game literally plays itself. Don't game designers nowadays realize that challenges are what gives a game substance and replayability? Oh and the graphics are incredibly bad, which destroys any hope of immersion into the game.

[coolsome]

Originally Posted by supmandude85

Was that a joke? I'm not talking about puzzles like in Puzzle Agent, just things you have to solve in the game to figure out the case. You know, like an adventure game.

I am not joking! Its not an adventure game. Puzzles are good and fun but it has to fit the series. You wouldn't play Cars and expect puzzles. I think it would work where you find evidence and find out if people are lying. Then do the court stuff.

[supmandude85]

Originally Posted by coolsome

I am not joking! Its not an adventure game. Puzzles are good and fun but it has to fit the series. You wouldn't play Cars and expect puzzles. I think it would work where you find evidence and find out if people are lying. Then do the court stuff.

Okay, I see what you mean. I should have said "a detective adventure game without any required thought whatsoever."

Originally Posted by daro2096

Bit dissapointed with these games so far.

No real interaction in the game.

It is just a story. The only playing involved is asking the right questions and using the right objection point.

Not worth the £1.99 I paid for it. I expected better from Telltale.

You don't even find anything for yourself. You just click on the questions and objections at the right times and judging by the difficulty of Telltale's latest games I can only assume is like Blue's Clues or something. In fact, Telltale should just make a game out of that.

[RAnthonyMahan]

Originally Posted by supmandude85

Okay, I see what you mean. I should have said "a detective adventure game without any required thought whatsoever."


You don't even find anything for yourself. You just click on the questions and objections at the right times and judging by the difficulty of Telltale's latest games I can only assume is like Blue's Clues or something. In fact, Telltale should just make a game out of that.

Hey! The Blue's Clues point-and-click adventure was a classic.

[coolsome]

Originally Posted by supmandude85

Okay, I see what you mean. I should have said "a detective adventure game without any required thought whatsoever."

So unless its puzzles there's no thought? I haven't played L&O but detective games should play where you interview ppl find evidence guess who's lying that sort of thing. Maybe chase criminals and look for evidence. And the Law part where you say the right things and back it up like on the TV. It doesn't need puzzles cos its not an adventure game but that don't mean it has to be brainless and easy.

[supmandude85]

Originally Posted by coolsome

So unless its puzzles there's no thought? I haven't played L&O but detective games should play where you interview ppl find evidence guess who's lying that sort of thing. Maybe chase criminals and look for evidence. And the Law part where you say the right things and back it up like on the TV. It doesn't need puzzles cos its not an adventure game but that don't mean it has to be brainless and easy.

I'm not saying it needs puzzles to have thought, but with something like L.A. Noire there are more actions to get you invested in solving the case. Like doubting and saying they're lying. It's not just click a topic and hope you win by the luck of the draw. Now I still haven't played it, but this is what I'm assuming it's like based on what others have said and my lack of faith in Telltale as of late.

Originally Posted by RAnthonyMahan

Hey! The Blue's Clues point-and-click adventure was a classic.

I actually played that when I was a kid. From what I remember it was harder than Back to the Future and I have no doubt it was harder than Jurassic Park.

[waitingforgo]

If you're viewing it as an adventure game, it's bound to disappoint. That's not the point of the game . . . it's not an adventure game.

Yes, Telltale has made a name for themselves on adventure games, but that's not what this is. It's like being a fan of Dungeons & Dragons and being disappointed with Magic the Gathering because it's a lousy roleplaying game (since they're made by the same company, it must play the same, right?).

IMO, the correct way to view this game is one of two ways:

1. A really good version of EA's story games (Surviving High School and Cause of Death).
2. A hybrid of hidden-object-style gameplay and interactive storytelling.
3. An interactive graphic novel/story.

The latter is particularly noteworthy. A new issue of (say) Batman will cost you $2.99 via Comixology. You'll read through it in 20 minutes (if that), and forget about it. Each episode of this game is $2.99 on the iPad, it comes with a full-voice cast, animation, etc. (which you wouldn't get with a novel/comic). Its interactivity ensures you're able to play it for at least an hour. It tells an interesting story, and if you like the Law & Order universe, it fits well with that mindset. (If you view it from the mindset of hidden-object-game pricing -- which tend to range from $2.99 to $9.99 apiece -- it also compares favorably.)

For the curious, I offer some more thoughts on Telltale's blog.

[coolsome]

Originally Posted by supmandude85

I'm not saying it needs puzzles to have thought, but with something like L.A. Noire there are more actions to get you invested in solving the case. Like doubting and saying they're lying. It's not just click a topic and hope you win by the luck of the draw. Now I still haven't played it, but this is what I'm assuming it's like based on what others have said and my lack of faith in Telltale as of late.

If it is like what you think then Il agree but the trailer said it isnt luck based and you have to back up what you say with evidence.

[RAnthonyMahan]

Originally Posted by Vainamoinen

Okay, any post beginning with "I haven't played it myself, but..." is obviously not a good read. Sorry.

You're making premature judgments! How do you know it's not good if you haven't read it?

[supmandude85]

Originally Posted by waitingforgo

If you're viewing it as an adventure game, it's bound to disappoint. That's not the point of the game . . . it's not an adventure game.

Yes, Telltale has made a name for themselves on adventure games, but that's not what this is. It's like being a fan of Dungeons & Dragons and being disappointed with Magic the Gathering because it's a lousy roleplaying game (since they're made by the same company, it must play the same, right?).

I see where you're coming from with that, but Magic the Gathering didn't market itself as a roleplaying game. Law and Order, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park all have been marketed as adventure games. All Telltale is doing is alienating their old fans with their new "games." Plus, Telltale's basically stopped making adventure games altogether which is the something people complain about Lucasarts doing. The only difference is Telltale is now making them in name only. If they wanna make movies, they can make movies, but I wish they'd label them as that. It just pisses me off, because I used to love Telltale, but they stopped wanting to make games and moved on to these movies that you watch and occasionally press a button.

Originally Posted by coolsome

If it is like what you think then Il agree but the trailer said it isnt luck based and you have to back up what you say with evidence.

I don't know, but I'm not going to be the guinea pig with this.

[RAnthonyMahan]

Originally Posted by supmandude85

I see where you're coming from with that, but Magic the Gathering didn't market itself as a roleplaying game. Law and Order, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park all have been marketed as adventure games. All Telltale is doing is alienating their old fans with their new "games." Plus, Telltale's basically stopped making adventure games altogether which is the something people complain about Lucasarts doing. The only difference is Telltale is now making them in name only. If they wanna make movies, they can make movies, but I wish they'd label them as that. It just pisses me off, because I used to love Telltale, but they stopped wanting to make games and moved on to these movies that you watch and occasionally press a button.

I've got to agree here. I wouldn't mind Telltale's more recent stuff half as much if they'd just be honest about what they are. I remember a while ago Dan Connors suggested a classification system for their games.

"Adventure" (Sam and Max, ToMI, Strong Bad, Wallace and Gromit...)
"Easy Adventure" (Back to the Future)
"Interactive Movie" (Jurassic Park, Law and Order)

If each game was given a classification like that and have it made clear on their Telltale Store/Steam page, that'd be a huge help. At least then someone knows what they're getting into.

[waitingforgo]

I can see that.

I admit I'm coming at it from a POV that's fairly . . . permissive? I like most forms of interactive storytelling, from full-scale adventure games to CYOA games to Fighting Fantasy-style paragraph RPGs to full-scale RPGs. So whenever Telltale releases something that's a bit different from the norm, my brain goes, "Huh, that's different. Is it still a fun interactive story?" If so, I'm good!

However, if I didn't actually care for stories as much as the adventure-game gameplay, I could definitely see how their recent offerings might be disappointing (although hopefully they're coming out ahead by getting folks who aren't die-hard adventure gamers).

And, for the record, I find most adventure-game tropes to be dreadfully unfun. (I agree 100% with the assessments from the Old Man Murray article, which centers around the quest for a fake mustache in a Gabriel Knight' game.) I enjoy playing the first Hector game in spite of the dumber puzzle bits, not because of them.

[RAnthonyMahan]

I'll give you that. I love the adventure games of old to death, but the insane leaps of logic some puzzles required could be annoying.

Still, adventure games don't have to be like that. Telltale's older stuff was challenging while still having solutions that the player would be able to deduce. (The closest they've done to a true bullshit puzzle is the snail gong in Episode 202 of Sam and Max, and even then there's information that hints at the solution beforehand.)

[Dangerzone]

For the longest time they made games based on the CSI: Vegas license, and I always used to bash how bad the characters looked and various other shortcomings the games suffered from...

Then another developer got their hands the CSI: NY license and totally failed on a cosmic horror level that I cannot even begin to describe here.

Now, I am thankful for telltales additions to the franchise, and I have since stopped complaining about their graphics because (at least until last years JP release) they still know how to make a fun game to play.

Although objectively, I still think they should just stop doing games using human characters based on real actors and licenses... Bottom line, it can't be done with the short production schedules that telltale works on or with their existing technology... I wish they would just give up on it, or seriously overhaul their engine cause they have been using the same one since 2005 (where it was already several years behind industry standards) and it is beginning to show its age even more than the source engine