skyline7284

So I just finished Episode 1, so I figured it would be good to start a thread for discussion. I actually really enjoyed the episode, more than almost the entirety of Season 2. I find Telltale is really good at making small stories, involving crazy people, and making crazy people seem evil, even if they're simply looking out for their own interests. The dialouge is sharp, the combat moves relatively well, even if it's pretty effortless, the choices aren't always easy to make or obvious. I found the characters to be an interesting and diverse mix, especially when you compare it to Season 2's cast, most of whom I found to be either generic, or not fully realized.

In the end I really enjoyed the first episode and what it sets up for the next two.

A few random things I noticed:

• The normal telltale technical issues are there, from frame-rate drops, to lock ups, to audio sync issues. I'm playing on the Xbox One.
• There are a full 1000 gamerscore, all of which are story based. (Episode 1 has 330/1000)
• The presentation style is greatly improved, I especially liked the cinematic intro, and the combat animations look significantly improved.
• The game becomes letter-boxed for each combat sequence, and goes fullscreen when it is over.
• There was one combat sequence which featured a three button prompt QTE, which I've never seen in a telltale game.

So I finished Firewatch on PC using an Xbox One gamepad yesterday, while I love the visuals, the story, the music, and overall presentation the actual core gameplay fell short to me. Did anyone else find the actual controls for the Walkie Talkie to be cumbersome? Having to use a combination of both triggers felt silly compared to the simple "press a corresponding button" method, ala Telltale's games, or even a dialogue wheel. I also found the decision to include a map with a compass, along with a dedicated compass button odd, as I almost never used the actual compass button, relying largely on the map to get from point A to B. I'm largely nitpicking, but regardless I still found the control decisions odd.

If i remember correctly they mention that it falls in a valley, which is unseen from the lookout towers, hence why Delilah didn't know about it. I found the Wapiti section is where the game started to lose me a bit, where it started wrapping up a bit too quickly.

It's a real shame to have to open with that sequence, because it makes it impossible for the rest of the game to live up to. The game is fantastic, but that opening brought me feelings unlike anything I've played outside of that part in the walking dead season 1 episode 3 (which shares the same writer).

Interesting how many different outcomes are in this thread, which makes me wonder how Season 2 is going to unfold. It certainly seems less strict than the end of Walking Dead Season 1 where everyone had a largely similar ending.

In my playthrough:

- Asher is barely alive, but found by Royland (my sentinel) and Talia. I'm assuming if you pick duncan or royland, the other will be the traitor?

- Ryon and Beska are both safe

- Garett is staying in the north to protect the grove that they spent the entire season to reach

- Mia lost her head, kinda wonder if I stayed closer to Margery if this could have been avoided?

One final note: Is there a possibility that Elaena could be pregnant with Rodrick's heir? In my playthrough they sleep together prior to Rodrick getting murdered.

I'm surprised how little coverage Firewatch has gotten so far, as it is shaping up nicely. The game looks fantastic (It's based off of a Painting), the voice acting is tremendous, the gameplay seems polished and well thought out, and it's written by the main guy who wrote Season 1 of Telltale's Walking Dead. I thought the first half of Walking Dead Season 1 was exceptional, it created a deep and fascinating tale full of bizarre characters and heart breaking choices. Firewatch seems to be focusing on two characters and their relationship, and the player has some leverage with how that relationship goes through dialogue choices and gameplay choices. Is anyone else excited for Firewatch?

So I'm not sure if I should have just made this into a blog post, or not. My goal is to predict Giantbomb's GOTY picks in every category. I'm going to use all of the 2014 categories for example, and i'm not going to predict the more open ended categories (eg. "Best Trend" or "Please Stop"). I'm not going to predict the actual winners, but what will end in the top 10 (for the overall winner), or the top 3 (for every other award). So here we go!

Game of the Year (In the Top 10)

Absolute Locks

• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Mario Maker
• MGS V
• The Witcher 3

Very Likely

• Fallout 4
• Undertale
• Batman Arkham Knight
• Destiny (Does it count?)
• Axiom Verge
• Guitar Hero Live
• Bloodborne
• Just Cause 3

Long Shots

• Contradiction: Spot the Liar
• Until Dawn
• Halo 5
• Cradle
• Galak-Z
• Her Story
• Splatoon
• Mortal Kombat
• Assassins Creed Syndicate
• Dying Light

Best Surprise (3 Nominees)

Absolute Lock

• Rise of the Tomb Raider

Very Likely

• Undertale
• Destiny: Taken King
• Splatoon
• Rocket League
• Until Dawn

Long Shots

• Contradiction: Spot the Liar
• Life is Strange
• Cities: Skylines

Hottest Mess (3 Nominees)

Absolute Lock (and likely winner)

• Batman Arkham Knight (PC Version)

Other Possible Nominees

• Rory McIlroy PGA Tour
• Mortal Kombat X (PC Version)
• Fallout 4

Worst Game (3 Nominees)

Absolute Locks

• Afro Samurai 2
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5

Other Possible Nominees

• Mario Tennis Ultra Smash
• Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival
• Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer
• The Order 1886
• Kirby & The Rainbow Curse
• Need for Speed
• WWE 2K16

Most Disappointing Game (3 Nominees)

Very Likely

• Rock Band 4
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5
• The Order 1886

Long Shots

• Fallout 4
• Star Wars Battlefront
• Call of Duty Black Ops 3
• Battlefield Hardline
• Need for Speed
• Mortal Kombat X
• Evolve

Best Looking Game (3 Nominees)

Absolute Lock

• Star Wars Battlefront

Other Possible Nominees

• Yoshi's Woolly World
• Axiom Verge
• The Witcher 3
• Bloodborne
• Transformers: Devastation
• Galak-Z
• Assassins Creed Syndicate
• Rise of the Tomb Raider

So those are the games that I think will make GB's nominees at this point. The only major wildcards I see are Rainbow Six Siege and Just Cause 3.

It looks like Geoff Keighley has left gametrailers (his twitter bio only says the game awards and links to a different website). My guess is the show ended when he left.

It is also important to note that the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions of the Disney Infinity Base (What you put the characters on) are only compatible with their respective consoles. The PS4/PS3/WiiU bases will all work across those consoles as well as PC.

Yeah it's a weird thing not to move forward. It seems like the rationale is that all of the playsets are on the disc, and that you only use the game piece to unlock the content. It's just weird to not carry them over when theoretically the game is running off of the same engine (as all characters and power discs still work). I would love to pickup the Guardians of the Galaxy set, but I don't feel like finding a lone disc for 2.0 (Since I have the portal for 3.0 which I believe is backwards compatible with 2.0) and starting an entirely new save in Disney Infinity 2.0. It's lame.