Telltale Games

JJoyce · 01/20/2012, 08:54 pm

Ok...

Not the most active forum around, but after just finishing the fourth episode which I guess became available tonight, I just had to drop by to give my take on it.

My initial impression is this is by far the best of what's available so far. In a way, it's a shame since the first couple episodes are alright and well-written, but somewhat flat, too.

This "episode" or case or whatever want to call it raises the bar in all aspects. Not only is the writing on par with what you'd expect from a L&O episode, but I'd go so far as to put it up against some of the better "morality" episodes in that the way the case wraps up really does give you pause for thought in its moral ambiguity.

So...congrats to the writers.

Doesn't stop there either. This definitely has had the most interaction of any case to date beyond selecting dialogue and answering quiz questions. Seemed it may have been slightly longer in length as well, but that could just be a false impression from the additional search scenes.

Also seems the trial gameplay's been improved somewhat over the last couple cases. Objection points seem to be better placed for the most part and it just feels like the mechanics are a little smoother.

One thing I did notice that surprised me; cases before this have always had either brief explanations of three or four objections at trial or a "reminder" to refresh memory.

In this case, I don't recall seeing the help window, which I didn't really miss at all. Surprised me though since Telltale introduced an objection of immaterial/irrelevant testimony which did play a role a time or two in trial, so...Some may be a bit thrown by it.

Otherwise, the short of it is Ep. 4 is utterly fantastic and I'm hoping the remaining three are at least maintain the same standards if they don't manage to exceed them.

Nightlight · 01/23/2012, 05:45 pm

Look forward to playing it. I think others are waiting for the non 'iDevice' release...

JJoyce · 01/23/2012, 08:24 pm

I wouldn't doubt it.

The tragedy of it is I fully expect there to be wailing and gnashing of teeth when it's released for PC.

After Back to the Future and Jurassic Park, people are going to see this as just another example that Telltale's screwing them over by catering to non-gamers with casual junk and dumbed-down gameplay.

To be honest, I'm finding the writing and trial mechanics are really what's carrying the series so far. And don't get me wrong, they're both very good.

But otherwise....The investigation mechanics are limited to hidden object scenes (1 or 2 in the early episodes), picking conversation topics and a "is X lying? Why or why not?" style quiz.

The voice ACTING is quite good, but as I'd mentioned elsewhere, the voice actors are very badly cast for the most part, though the voice actors for Benson & Briscoe are passable at times.

Makes me nostalgic for the Legacy Law & Order games where they had actual cast reprising their roles.

I'm just hoping Telltale keeps the prices of the series on par with or maybe slightly lower than the price on the iOS devices. Because if they try to go with regular pricing or even "Hector" pricing, unless they vastly redesign the PC versions which I don't think they'd do, it's not going to sell well at all.

eblocksonian · 01/25/2012, 05:32 pm

I just got the game-I always brought down the hammer. No plea deals for anyone.

*RyanKaufman* · 01/26/2012, 08:36 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by eblocksonian

I just got the game-I always brought down the hammer. No plea deals for anyone.

Hang 'em high!!

eblocksonian · 01/26/2012, 10:54 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanKaufman

Hang 'em high!!

Besides, the one time I tried a plea deal... here's what I happened. I was at +100 on my side, I was going to WIN.

I offered Manslaughter 1. They said they were going take their chances in court. I brought the hammer down, and it became Murder 1.

*RyanKaufman* · 01/26/2012, 05:08 pm

That's what he deserved... trying to sell his BOOK in court, cmon man!

eblocksonian · 01/26/2012, 05:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanKaufman

That's what he deserved... trying to sell his BOOK in court, cmon man!

It was episode 1, man. His lawyer screwed up big time.

Interestingly, I played the second time, and offered Murder 2. She accepted it.

tarasis · 02/12/2012, 12:39 am

I just finished ep 4 last night. Despite having the jury 70% on my side I failed to get Manslaughter and gross negligence and so he got off Scott free apart from a damaged rep! (pleased to hear there are other endings). First ep I've only got 2 stars in (2.5,3,2.5 for 1-3)

I am surprised the evidence that Aaron's mum had received a payment for a $1000 from the holdings company wasn't brought up in court as it would have helped back up the case workers claims. Also the evidence that she was knocking on the wrong door.

Btw who was the Dr modelled after, looked like a very familiar face. (someone who'd regularly turn up in bit parts in shows in the 70's / 80's)

Was good to have the ep not handholding as much. ESP in the court scenes where I was surprised it hadn't popped up the usual reminders.

Elky82 · 02/12/2012, 08:07 am

Has the PC/Mac version of this episode been released yet?

deadman67797 · 02/12/2012, 10:03 am

@Elky, no, not to my knowledge. I would expect Telltale to announce a release of Episode 4 for PC last minute, as usual.

nomecopies · 02/12/2012, 10:35 am

What is this PC thing some people talk about?

eblocksonian · 02/12/2012, 10:44 am

Since Episode FIVE is already out, why hasn't this Episode up already? Are they going to wait until 6 or even 7 to put up the rest of the episodes?

prusswan · 02/18/2012, 04:43 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by eblocksonian

It was episode 1, man. His lawyer screwed up big time.

Interestingly, I played the second time, and offered Murder 2. She accepted it.

that seems to confirm my observation that the plea offer is not always successful even with a high jury approval

this case is odd because I already knew which are the telling evidence the first time they were found. The doctor would not have made a good criminal, and should be lucky that he was "merely" very negligent

I do hope there will be less delays for the future releases on PC though

eblocksonian · 02/18/2012, 10:57 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by prusswan

that seems to confirm my observation that the plea offer is not always successful even with a high jury approval

this case is odd because I already knew which are the telling evidence the first time they were found. The doctor would not have made a good criminal, and should be lucky that he was "merely" very negligent

I do hope there will be less delays for the future releases on PC though

My only pet peeve is there is almost no reason for you to give a plea bargain. Chances are, if you did your homework, you can take it ALL the way, and there's little incentive not to, other than what you "feel" they deserve. The only time is Episode 3, where Paddy Jackson's own decision to do a deal leads to a confirmation of what you believe, for both Paddy Jackson and David Gupta. It's the only episode where you get a chance of a different testimony if you give someone a plea bargain.

anonymousmagic · 02/19/2012, 07:24 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarasis

I just finished ep 4 last night. Despite having the jury 70% on my side I failed to get Manslaughter and gross negligence and so he got off Scott free apart from a damaged rep! (pleased to hear there are other endings). First ep I've only got 2 stars in (2.5,3,2.5 for 1-3)

For me it was the first ep where I got the full 3 stars and I couldn't make a manslaughter charge stick either. What bothers me is that Aaron's bag was taken by the lady and his own things by the bum. How did he or his mom get their hands on the statue (minus the base with the clock)?

eblocksonian · 02/19/2012, 09:26 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by anonymousmagic

For me it was the first ep where I got the full 3 stars and I couldn't make a manslaughter charge stick either. What bothers me is that Aaron's bag was taken by the lady and his own things by the bum. How did he or his mom get their hands on the statue (minus the base with the clock)?

How did THAT happen? I managed to get gross negligence for sure, but the fate of the second charge, I'm not too clear what happened. Let me replay.

Edit: They did make him guilty of gross negligence, but as for the charge of manslaughter, it seems it was intentionally left vague.

01/20/2012, 08:54 pm	#1
JJoyce Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 83	Episode 4 - First Thoughts Ok... Not the most active forum around, but after just finishing the fourth episode which I guess became available tonight, I just had to drop by to give my take on it. My initial impression is this is by far the best of what's available so far. In a way, it's a shame since the first couple episodes are alright and well-written, but somewhat flat, too. This "episode" or case or whatever want to call it raises the bar in all aspects. Not only is the writing on par with what you'd expect from a L&O episode, but I'd go so far as to put it up against some of the better "morality" episodes in that the way the case wraps up really does give you pause for thought in its moral ambiguity. So...congrats to the writers. Doesn't stop there either. This definitely has had the most interaction of any case to date beyond selecting dialogue and answering quiz questions. Seemed it may have been slightly longer in length as well, but that could just be a false impression from the additional search scenes. Also seems the trial gameplay's been improved somewhat over the last couple cases. Objection points seem to be better placed for the most part and it just feels like the mechanics are a little smoother. One thing I did notice that surprised me; cases before this have always had either brief explanations of three or four objections at trial or a "reminder" to refresh memory. In this case, I don't recall seeing the help window, which I didn't really miss at all. Surprised me though since Telltale introduced an objection of immaterial/irrelevant testimony which did play a role a time or two in trial, so...Some may be a bit thrown by it. Otherwise, the short of it is Ep. 4 is utterly fantastic and I'm hoping the remaining three are at least maintain the same standards if they don't manage to exceed them.

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01/23/2012, 05:45 pm	#2
Nightlight Banned Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 66	Look forward to playing it. I think others are waiting for the non 'iDevice' release...

01/23/2012, 08:24 pm	#3
JJoyce Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 83	I wouldn't doubt it. The tragedy of it is I fully expect there to be wailing and gnashing of teeth when it's released for PC. After Back to the Future and Jurassic Park, people are going to see this as just another example that Telltale's screwing them over by catering to non-gamers with casual junk and dumbed-down gameplay. To be honest, I'm finding the writing and trial mechanics are really what's carrying the series so far. And don't get me wrong, they're both very good. But otherwise....The investigation mechanics are limited to hidden object scenes (1 or 2 in the early episodes), picking conversation topics and a "is X lying? Why or why not?" style quiz. The voice ACTING is quite good, but as I'd mentioned elsewhere, the voice actors are very badly cast for the most part, though the voice actors for Benson & Briscoe are passable at times. Makes me nostalgic for the Legacy Law & Order games where they had actual cast reprising their roles. I'm just hoping Telltale keeps the prices of the series on par with or maybe slightly lower than the price on the iOS devices. Because if they try to go with regular pricing or even "Hector" pricing, unless they vastly redesign the PC versions which I don't think they'd do, it's not going to sell well at all.

01/25/2012, 05:32 pm	#4
eblocksonian Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 206	I just got the game-I always brought down the hammer. No plea deals for anyone.

01/26/2012, 05:08 pm	#7
RyanKaufman Telltale Team Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 18	That's what he deserved... trying to sell his BOOK in court, cmon man!

02/12/2012, 12:39 am	#9
tarasis Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Buchholz, Germany Posts: 249	I just finished ep 4 last night. Despite having the jury 70% on my side I failed to get Manslaughter and gross negligence and so he got off Scott free apart from a damaged rep! (pleased to hear there are other endings). First ep I've only got 2 stars in (2.5,3,2.5 for 1-3) I am surprised the evidence that Aaron's mum had received a payment for a $1000 from the holdings company wasn't brought up in court as it would have helped back up the case workers claims. Also the evidence that she was knocking on the wrong door. Btw who was the Dr modelled after, looked like a very familiar face. (someone who'd regularly turn up in bit parts in shows in the 70's / 80's) Was good to have the ep not handholding as much. ESP in the court scenes where I was surprised it hadn't popped up the usual reminders.

02/12/2012, 08:07 am	#10
Elky82 Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 2	Has the PC/Mac version of this episode been released yet?

02/12/2012, 10:03 am	#11
deadman67797 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 21	@Elky, no, not to my knowledge. I would expect Telltale to announce a release of Episode 4 for PC last minute, as usual.

02/12/2012, 10:35 am	#12
nomecopies Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cádiz, Spain Posts: 307	What is this PC thing some people talk about?

02/12/2012, 10:44 am	#13
eblocksonian Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 206	Since Episode FIVE is already out, why hasn't this Episode up already? Are they going to wait until 6 or even 7 to put up the rest of the episodes?