Anyone else feel like Clementine is a personal responsibility?, like the Shit or Manure scene, i felt like i had to say manure because i didn't want to swear/curse infront of her. There are other scenes which i wont go into detail about where she saw me do some bad stuff when i didn't know she was watching until she screamed in shock of the "things" she had just seen. It made me feel awfully guilty, i've never really experienced this in any other game i've played to date.

@Twiggy199: It feels like an escort mission that has been perfected. I care about the NPC and take care of them. I also don't have to fucking escort them which makes it 500 times better.

I haven't played episode 2 (ps3 version)  and it's hard to speak on it in great detail without really knowing how the other episodes play out but i really hate all this "fluff" regarding Clem and the whole illusion of trying to keep her in this bubble as if absolutely terrible things aren't happening around her. 
 
 I'm not suggesting you yell at her that her parents are probably dead and give her a gun and tell her to deal with it these walkers like everyone else but, If i were in a particularly shitty situation as this, i feel like the responsible thing to do would be to properly deliver the grim reality of the situation rather than trying to sugar coat stuff and preserve peoples innocence. The world has gone to shit and the kid has seen some horrible stuff and will probably see lots more. No point in trying to preserve her innocence.  Maybe i'm just a heartless SOB.
 
That's kind of my worry for the game as a whole. Again, it's hard to speak on not knowing how the other episodes play out, but for a game about choice, it doesn't seem to be any hard swings in actually shaping your character. It's pretty much impossible to finish episode 1 and not have Lee come off as a genuinely nice guy whether i want him to be or not. Any "bad/angry" decisions i made never came off as being an asshole. It just came off as a nice guy randomly being a prick. He just seems to be a nice guy caught up in some bad situations.

Anyone that didn't give food to Clementine in episode 2 is a god damn monster.

Also in episode 2

I actually burst out laughing when Clem looked at me all cheerful and said 'It smells like shit right Lee?'

That right there was perfection.

Anyone that didn't give food to Clementine in episode 2 is a god damn monster.

Also in episode 2

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

I felt pretty bad ass and in the right for killing one of the brothers and as soon as she saw me I entirely regretted my decision. I feel like as bad as shit gets in that world, Clementine is the only reason for Lee to have any morals at all, and he needs to protect what ever innocence is left in that girl.

Yeah... I probably would have made some different decisions if Clem wasn't there. The one at the end of Episode 2 for sure I would have gone the other way. I pretty much just make every decision based on What Would Clem Do? (WWCD)

The spoiler warning warning above is the "bad stuff" i was talking about, i felt like a boss, saw clem, felt like a monster.

@icytower38 said:

@papercut

Anyone that didn't give food to Clementine in episode 2 is a god damn monster.

Also in episode 2

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

I felt pretty bad ass and in the right for killing one of the brothers and as soon as she saw me I entirely regretted my decision. I feel like as bad as shit gets in that world, Clementine is the only reason for Lee to have any morals at all, and he needs to protect what ever innocence is left in that girl.

DId the exact same thing, and felt the same way on playthrough #1. It bothered me so much that on playthrough #2, played before the achievements showed so had to do a second to actually get them, that I made sure not to do it again.

I did the same thing. I felt great and then Clem was there to make me replay the scene.

When Lee asks Clem if she liked the salt lick and she replies "I don't know..." I laughed out loud. That's EXACTLY what a kid would say in that situation.

I'm really surprising myself with how much emotional attachment I have towards Clem. When I went out to check out the bandit camp, the camera zoomed in Clem looking sad as I left (I guess because I didn't talk to her at all after she arrived at the farm) and even that small thing made me feel awful.

SPOILERS::::

I really didnt want to kill Danny, I thought " he can rot in this bear trap" and then he started talking shit saying " you wont do it you dont have the guts " so i ended up killing him, like everyone else I didnt know Clem was watching, but its the end of the world, they cut up our friend and tried to feed them to us, they locked us in meat lockers, I guess I make the arguement to myself to make me feel better about killing him, I tried to save the teacher but he just dies in the end, I didnt shoot the crazy lady, I tried to make peace with everyone, but in the end I didnt want Clem to think I was a pussy and let people push myself and the group around, I spared the other brothers life. The next scene right after I took the food, we needed it to survive I dont know why people wouldnt, if their was an option I would only of taken half, but Clem has to understand this isnt the world it was before, you need to fight to survive, and if someone is stupid enough to leave a car unattended with food and supplies than I dont think they would make it in the long run. Loving this game I cant wait for the other episodes.

@hbkdx12 said:

I haven't played episode 2 (ps3 version) and it's hard to speak on it in great detail without really knowing how the other episodes play out but i really hate all this "fluff" regarding Clem and the whole illusion of trying to keep her in this bubble as if absolutely terrible things aren't happening around her. I'm not suggesting you yell at her that her parents are probably dead and give her a gun and tell her to deal with it these walkers like everyone else but, If i were in a particularly shitty situation as this, i feel like the responsible thing to do would be to properly deliver the grim reality of the situation rather than trying to sugar coat stuff and preserve peoples innocence. The world has gone to shit and the kid has seen some horrible stuff and will probably see lots more. No point in trying to preserve her innocence. Maybe i'm just a heartless SOB. That's kind of my worry for the game as a whole. Again, it's hard to speak on not knowing how the other episodes play out, but for a game about choice, it doesn't seem to be any hard swings in actually shaping your character. It's pretty much impossible to finish episode 1 and not have Lee come off as a genuinely nice guy whether i want him to be or not. Any "bad/angry" decisions i made never came off as being an asshole. It just came off as a nice guy randomly being a prick. He just seems to be a nice guy caught up in some bad situations.

Most people are reasonable, sensible human beings. I felt I had plenty of leeway to tell the girl whatever I wanted to, there were many many times that I eluded to her parents death and she has taken that as it is. There's not been any sort of big realisation but why should there be, she was separated from them fora while before all this and any sort of scene of open crying from her is going to be slow, if it even happens. It's not like she's super happy about the situation anyways, the kid is pretty sad.

Also, how is not telling her that her parents are dead fluff or senseless? She's super young, and they are her parents... what good would it do to tell her that? Who cares, you do what you have to in order to get people to continue forward.. not curl up in a ball and die.

The game is just getting started there are 5 episodes with a particularly harsh 4th episode curtsey of one Gary Whitta, even in episode 2 there are some more directly harsh tones to what you're doing or not doing and a farly explicit choice you're going to have to make soon with regards to choosing sides and doing various things with/for people in your group.

...Just be careful of the salt lick.

@bearklaw19: I didn't kill Danny. He wanted to be killed, and deserves a worse fate then that and any sort of taunting just sealed my thoughts on the matter. You really killed him based on him calling you a pussy?

@Milkman: Always talk to everyone, Clem wished me luck when I left I think at that point. DON'T MAKE CLEM SAD YOU MONSTER!

Also, how is not telling her that her parents are dead fluff or senseless? She's super young, and they are her parents... what good would it do to tell her that? Who cares, you do what you have to in order to get people to continue forward.. not curl up in a ball and die.

I've always based my actions and decisions in the game on what is most likely to keep us alive, but giving Clem priority (ie, making sure she's fed first).

I killed the first brother in this one cos I didn't want him somehow getting out of the barn whilst we were dealing with the other two, and killing someone. I then explained to her that I felt it had to be done as he was bad and would have hurt her. I also remember telling her that I killed the guy (the reason you were going to prison).

A lot of people seem to be playing this as a game (ie, were going to be alive next episode whether we take the food from the car or not, so don't take it and be morally superior, etc). Seems pointless to me.

@MegaMetaTurtle said:

A lot of people seem to be playing this as a game (ie, were going to be alive next episode whether we take the food from the car or not, so don't take it and be morally superior, etc). Seems pointless to me.

I might not really understand what your saying here. But sounds like your missing the point of the "game".

@MegaMetaTurtle said:

A lot of people seem to be playing this as a game (ie, were going to be alive next episode whether we take the food from the car or not, so don't take it and be morally superior, etc). Seems pointless to me.

I might not really understand what your saying here. But sounds like your missing the point of the "game".

anybody else doing a troll playthrough? i use two save slots, play as i would if it were really happening, my 'pure' playthrough then straight after i head in again for more, this time being as much of a dick as possible to everyone. i try not to save clem if i have a choice, she got no food from me in ep.1 or 2 (she did get some markleg though), i was intending to not give her hat back but the game did it for me and i try to make as poor decisions as i can. if there is no clearly offensive or stupid response to things i'm asked, i choose the ... i have to say it is a fun way to play the game but strangely difficult due to the amount of guilt i feel being an asshole to clem in particular, she looks so sad!

@MegaMetaTurtle said:

@pornstorestiffi

@MegaMetaTurtle said:

A lot of people seem to be playing this as a game (ie, were going to be alive next episode whether we take the food from the car or not, so don't take it and be morally superior, etc). Seems pointless to me.

I might not really understand what your saying here. But sounds like your missing the point of the "game".

Sorry, on my phone, so couldn't edit and clarify after re-reading it :/ I meant, there's a lot of people saying, 'oh, there's three episodes left, therefore I probably won't die if I don't take the food', making decisions based on factors outside the situation. Knowing you're not going to die if you dont take the food kinda means you don't have to make a decision; If you decide not to take it, you don't die and Clem thinks you're good. In real life, you'd have more to worry about (ie, starvation) than how good a little girl thinks you are.

I understand what you are saying. However I am renegade alot with Mass effect, not fully however I dont realy feel bad for it.

However with Walking dead. I am having to watch myself, I was realy tempted to stab the brother in the face...except I reasoned he would be a zombie and cause problems....then after deciding figured he would have stabbed him in the head. When I stabbed the hey and turned to see Clem I said "whoa....thankfully I didn't stab him in the face!" and with everyone watching me punch the other brother and then him begging to die. I didn't since the whole group was watching me.

Oh PS I shot the crazy lady in forest after my second talk with her. Now no one knows. MU HA HA A!!!

Back to the main point. When I chose the food at the end. I in the real world would skim a little off the top to feed us all for a one meal and leave the rest. Game dosnt have that choice. I chose not to eat one of four rations before, as to not seem selfish. Gave it to the weak and children, seemed to turn out ok.

And when we came across the food and I had already gave Kenny shit for ruining lives. This could easily be another one ruined. So I was hesitant...then Clem out right comes out and says "We shouldn't" I go "well shit....I have to side with Clem...fuck."

So while I know its a game. I am sitting there going...fuck...I haven't eaten ANYTHING! for this entire episode...fuck how is that going to go for the next episode. I didnt even chow down back at the farm. Half these people are fed with something even if they arnt happy with it. I am pretty sure I am going to have to eat come the next episode. However I am interested in the choices that happen and if they can convince me...or scoff some food behind Clems back and somehow feed her too.......

Ps and Spoilers on the walk to the farm in ep2. I started musing about them being cannibals to my friend who had completed it. Gave me a look as I absolutely condemned the farm with what turned out to be true. Same thing happened in Fallout 3....I have a sixth sense for this stuff.....I also was jokeing about Doug making a laser cos he is tech dude... My friend said "you've seen this haven't you?" I said nope nothing. Ten mins later Doug waps out a fucking Laser pointer! I like Walking dead.

@MegaMetaTurtle said:

@Akyho I'm not against people making decisions based on Clems feelings, it's things like not taking the food because they know the games not going to let them stave whichever they pick :/

I thought your point was more, "choosing Clems feelings, or the moral high ground with food on the back of nothing to worry about. Its a game.". I know some people will feel that and "coast by". I was just wanting to reassure you that there is at-least one person in the position that is honestly worried about the next meal for the fictional characters in a video-game.

With the Fallout 3 family. I talked to them and then came to the locked-shed at the back and couldn't get in.. My gut was so strong I actually said to myself as if talking to them "I am sure I know whats going on. I condemn you all." Then open fire killing all the adults. Raided the fathers pockets got the key and was proven right. However I could have honestly felt bad If it turned out wrong.

Which Walking dead is certainly doing such a job with me.

@MegaMetaTurtle said:

@Akyho I'm not against people making decisions based on Clems feelings, it's things like not taking the food because they know the games not going to let them stave whichever they pick :/

I thought your point was more, "choosing Clems feelings, or the moral high ground with food on the back of nothing to worry about. Its a game.". I know some people will feel that and "coast by". I was just wanting to reassure you that there is at-least one person in the position that is honestly worried about the next meal for the fictional characters in a video-game.

With the Fallout 3 family. I talked to them and then came to the locked-shed at the back and couldn't get in.. My gut was so strong I actually said to myself as if talking to them "I am sure I know whats going on. I condemn you all." Then open fire killing all the adults. Raided the fathers pockets got the key and was proven right. However I could have honestly felt bad If it turned out wrong.

Which Walking dead is certainly doing such a job with me.

@MegaMetaTurtle said:

I'm pretty sure we're at least on the same wavelength. That is kinda what I mean; not that you shouldn't care whether or not they get food, but figuring out that they will do anyway as there's more chapters left, and then making a choice based on that.

Oh I am not thinking game wise about having the choice to eat in the next episode. I am thinking "Well there is 5? people going to be chowing down. while me and Clem stupidly starve in front of all that food....unless something happens. I might just break and eat some of it." Unless we are all scared off within 2 seconds of being around the car. This situation is going to come I am sure.

@Akyho said:

@MegaMetaTurtle said:

I'm pretty sure we're at least on the same wavelength. That is kinda what I mean; not that you shouldn't care whether or not they get food, but figuring out that they will do anyway as there's more chapters left, and then making a choice based on that.

Oh I am not thinking game wise about having the choice to eat in the next episode. I am thinking "Well there is 5? people going to be chowing down. while me and Clem stupidly starve in front of all that food....unless something happens. I might just break and eat some of it." Unless we are all scared off within 2 seconds of being around the car. This situation is going to come I am sure.

I did my first playthrough blind so I had no idea what the consequences would be of my actions as the episode went along. I did not take the food because I assumed that the rest of the group would have taken it themselves and I would win morality points with Clem. It could have easily ended up with the rest of the group agreeing with me and leaving the supplies alone, which could have had serious effects in the next episode. I later learned that taking the supplies has Clem wear the red jacket in the preview, which could be bad if the original owner recognizes that we are the ones who jacked their shit.

The food distribution went with Clem, Duck, attempt with Carly, Mark, and Lilly on my first run. I learned with Carly that the attempt to feed her gives you points with her even though she doesn't take the food. She will notice if you don't try to feed her. I fed Lilly hoping to make us cool, but she later tells me that I'm cold for not feeding her dad. Mark dies so there is no benefit from him eating. Feeding Duck makes Kenny happy. Knowing what I know now I feel the best way to keep everyone happy is feeding Clem, Duck, attempt with Carly, Larry, and the last bit for Ben because I need him on my side.

I don't think people are making these decisions because the game chapters will save them. I'm just trying to keep as many people on my side for the eventual reveal of my past. My actions will show me as a compassionate leader and not the "murderer" that my past makes me out to be. This episode makes me confident that Carly is all the way my girl. She knows I got her back and she wants me to take over the group. When I told the brothers that I was in charge the camera showed her nodding in approval. Lilly knows that I fed her father and tried to save him. Kenny is a traitor so fuck him, but his family knows I was the one to save them.

I've done enough to show the group that I'll keep them safe and alive. I never stopped them from taking the supplies from the car. I just told them me and Clem weren't going to be a part of it.

@MysteriousFawx said:

I actually burst out laughing when Clem looked at me all cheerful and said 'It smells like shit right Lee?'

That right there was perfection.

Haha, yeah she said the same with me. I'm assuming that's because I actually said ''shit'' in front of her when we were sleeping in the barn? I really hope so because that makes for pretty great callback. That something as small and insignificant (relatively speaking) like that can pop up later on is really impressive and proves how everything you choose to say can have surprising consequences.

I'm also playing without any of those narrative notifications because having the game potentially tell me which choices mattered to whom would definitely ruin the immersion.

Clementine is one special character. They have done a fantastic job making the player care for a NPC like I never have before. I actually feel bad when she is disappointed in me and usually try to build any connection I can with her over the other characters. She was the first person I gave food too, and then too duck because she told me too. And I specifically warned her not to eat the food because she deserves better than the situation she is currently in. Bravo TellTale, Bravo.

@Nightriff said:

Clementine is one special character. They have done a fantastic job making the player care for a NPC like I never have before. I actually feel bad when she is disappointed in me and usually try to build any connection I can with her over the other characters. She was the first person I gave food too, and then too duck because she told me too. And I specifically warned her not to eat the food because she deserves better than the situation she is currently in. Bravo TellTale, Bravo.

Absolutely agree. She's undoubtedly one of the most 'human' characters I've come across in a game. That said, she's a small child who's family is dead, so it's easy to be sympathetic. But even still, the camera shots they use to punctuate her facial expressions, along with the consistently solid writing and voice-acting, definitely go a long way to make her feel like a character you want to protect.

And if she should die (which I'm almost certain will be a possibility) during my playthrough, I can already envision the waterfall of tears...

@Yummylee: God I hope she doesn't die...I doubt tears from me as the only game to accomplish that was Journey but i definitely would be sad. She probably will be in the running for character of the year and from all the games I've played so far, rightfully so.

Hey, everyone in this thread, fuck off, Clementine is MY girl to protect

@Yummylee said:

@MysteriousFawx said:

I actually burst out laughing when Clem looked at me all cheerful and said 'It smells like shit right Lee?'

That right there was perfection.

Haha, yeah she said the same with me. I'm assuming that's because I actually said ''shit'' in front of her when we were sleeping in the barn? I really hope so because that makes for pretty great callback. That something as small and insignificant (relatively speaking) like that can pop up later on is really impressive and proves how everything you choose to say can have surprising consequences.

I'm also playing without any of those narrative notifications because having the game potentially tell me which choices mattered to whom would definitely ruin the immersion.

i think you assume right; baby girl's never sweared in front of me, and vice versa.

The Walking Dead is the perfection of tough choices in video games. At the beginning of Episode 2 there's a guy that stepped into a bear trap, you can try to free him, but it won't work, so you'll have to cut his leg off. The great thing is, you don't always have the option to do the "easy" choice. And clementine is just the sweetest kid, you really end up caring for the characters, even Mark...unfortunately. And episode 2 really was amazing, but I just had a feeling about Andrew and Danny from the moment i saw them, so it didn't come as a surprise.

@papercut said:

Anyone that didn't give food to Clementine in episode 2 is a god damn monster.

Also in episode 2

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

I felt pretty bad ass and in the right for killing one of the brothers and as soon as she saw me I entirely regretted my decision. I feel like as bad as shit gets in that world, Clementine is the only reason for Lee to have any morals at all, and he needs to protect what ever innocence is left in that girl.

I didn't, i gave the food to the able bodied people who are able to hunt and fight. And i disagree with the spoiler, I probably would have done that if it wasn't for Clementine, but there's still plenty of reasons to keep on having morals.

@TheDudeOfGaming: I split it between the two. I gave the apple to Clementine, some cheese n crackers to Ducky and some to Mark, and the jerky to Larry... because he's a jeeeeeerk...

@Yummylee said:

@TheDudeOfGaming: I split it between the two. I gave the apple to Clementine, some cheese n crackers to Ducky and some to Mark, and the jerky to Larry... because he's a jeeeeeerk...

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

Kind of a bad omen as both adults I happened to give it to where the ones who died, though >_>

I did the same except I don't remember what I actually gave to each person.

Kind of ridiculous that half an apple is suppose to give enough energy to someone for a whole day/maybe even longer

Clementine is one of my favorite characters in recent memory. I never care about video game characters, yet I can't deny that I care about Clementine. Telltale really nailed it by striking the balance between trying too hard and not trying enough.

I'm gonna be honest and say that the ending and finding out that

made me want to fucking die. My stomach actually sank. What a fantastic ending. Well played, Telltale. Well played.

@MariachiMacabre said:

I'm gonna be honest and say that the ending and finding out that

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

That crazed woman was Clementine's mother

made me want to fucking die. My stomach actually sank. What a fantastic ending. Well played, Telltale. Well played.

I don't think she is. I think she was just crazy and because she had lost her daughter, she projected her daughter onto Clem. There's no way her mother made it all the way from Savannah in 3 months with this crap going on.

@brownsfantb said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

I'm gonna be honest and say that the ending and finding out that

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

That crazed woman was Clementine's mother

made me want to fucking die. My stomach actually sank. What a fantastic ending. Well played, Telltale. Well played.

I don't think she is. I think she was just crazy and because she had lost her daughter, she projected her daughter onto Clem. There's no way her mother made it all the way from Savannah in 3 months with this crap going on.

I almost guarantee she was. She had a very similar hairstyle and stole her hat. And the ending video solidifies my belief. She may have been crazy but I don't think they were implying she was projecting. I think they were implying that it was most certainly her mother.

@MariachiMacabre said:

@brownsfantb said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

I'm gonna be honest and say that the ending and finding out that

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

That crazed woman was Clementine's mother

made me want to fucking die. My stomach actually sank. What a fantastic ending. Well played, Telltale. Well played.

I don't think she is. I think she was just crazy and because she had lost her daughter, she projected her daughter onto Clem. There's no way her mother made it all the way from Savannah in 3 months with this crap going on.

I almost guarantee she was. She had a very similar hairstyle and stole her hat. And the ending video solidifies my belief. She may have been crazy but I don't think they were implying she was projecting. I think they were implying that it was most certainly her mother.

But, when she's talking to you in the woods she says something about the bandits taking her daughter. Then in the video, she says that Clem will be fine as long as the bandits are busy with the dairy farm. She also never says Clem's name in the video and, like I said, she was all the way in Savannah 3 months prior. That's a pretty far distance away from Macon and I highly doubt she would've made it back with the whole zombie apocalypse thing happening.

@brownsfantb said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

@brownsfantb said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

I'm gonna be honest and say that the ending and finding out that

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

That crazed woman was Clementine's mother

made me want to fucking die. My stomach actually sank. What a fantastic ending. Well played, Telltale. Well played.

I don't think she is. I think she was just crazy and because she had lost her daughter, she projected her daughter onto Clem. There's no way her mother made it all the way from Savannah in 3 months with this crap going on.

I almost guarantee she was. She had a very similar hairstyle and stole her hat. And the ending video solidifies my belief. She may have been crazy but I don't think they were implying she was projecting. I think they were implying that it was most certainly her mother.

But, when she's talking to you in the woods she says something about the bandits taking her daughter. Then in the video, she says that Clem will be fine as long as the bandits are busy with the dairy farm. She also never says Clem's name in the video and, like I said, she was all the way in Savannah 3 months prior. That's a pretty far distance away from Macon and I highly doubt she would've made it back with the whole zombie apocalypse thing happening.

We'll have to wait until August and see but my money is on that being her mother. I bet you 1,000 Brad Bucks, you son of a bitch!

@MariachiMacabre said:

@brownsfantb said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

@brownsfantb said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

I'm gonna be honest and say that the ending and finding out that

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

That crazed woman was Clementine's mother

made me want to fucking die. My stomach actually sank. What a fantastic ending. Well played, Telltale. Well played.

I don't think she is. I think she was just crazy and because she had lost her daughter, she projected her daughter onto Clem. There's no way her mother made it all the way from Savannah in 3 months with this crap going on.

I almost guarantee she was. She had a very similar hairstyle and stole her hat. And the ending video solidifies my belief. She may have been crazy but I don't think they were implying she was projecting. I think they were implying that it was most certainly her mother.

But, when she's talking to you in the woods she says something about the bandits taking her daughter. Then in the video, she says that Clem will be fine as long as the bandits are busy with the dairy farm. She also never says Clem's name in the video and, like I said, she was all the way in Savannah 3 months prior. That's a pretty far distance away from Macon and I highly doubt she would've made it back with the whole zombie apocalypse thing happening.

We'll have to wait until August and see but my money is on that being her mother. I bet you 1,000 Brad Bucks, you son of a bitch!

We'll see, but I was just reading some comments on another forum and apparently there's a picture in the tent where you find Clem's hat of another little girl. Probably the real daughter.

I haven't played the game, but I look forward to picking it up if I see it on sale sometime. Having followed the buzz, it seems like the game does a lot of really cool things, but, from the outside looking in, Clementine seems like a cheap character. She seems like a character who is a lot like Nanako from Persona 4 in that her emotional depth is equivalent to that of a puppy.

This sort of trope where the player is forced to role-play a "Big Bro" is fascinating in how easily it elicits a basic emotional response, but the response itself just seems too simple and too easily manipulated. Of course we're sad when Nanako isn't there to welcome us home. Of course we don't want to commit an act of violence in front of Clementine. These emotional situations don't really challenge the player. They manifest natural human responses, rather than difficult or unexpected ones.

You could argue that The Last of Us and Beyond:Two Souls will probably play off this trope as well, where an implicit bond is formed because the player has agency and the young girl sidekick only has a voice. Please do not misconstrue any of this as a comment about sexism, I'm merely trying to recognize a prevalent trope in games. Gender is irrelevant although in these examples they're all male/female relationships (and in particular ones with young girls). It's in no way sexist, but it is revealing of narrative laziness. 'Man protecting young girl' is about as complicated as 'prince saving princess' (ignore the gender politics, the basic conceit is what's important: protect innocent thing / save someone in trouble). Sure those stories function to encourage empathy, but they're a dime a dozen.

Again, I haven't played the game yet, so perhaps the Player/Clementine relationship is a little more complicated than it appears. I recognize that it's easy (and somewhat unfair) for me to criticize something I haven't experienced myself.

Nevertheless, it's cool to see a developer experimenting with developing emotional bonds between the player and NPCs. Most games don't come close to even attempting what Walking Dead seems to be doing.

I've been of the mind set that i'm going to make some hard choices and that Clem should know the truth as politely as possible.
 
That being said i'm also aware of the extremely binary choices all the time and it's beginning to bug me.

@brownsfantb said:

We'll see, but I was just reading some comments on another forum and apparently there's a picture in the tent where you find Clem's hat of another little girl. Probably the real daughter.

This. That crazy woman is not Clem's mother, and at no point was it even implied that she was.