Shuffling and moaning like a very dead Walker, the Arcadian Rhythms crew bumble through their experiences with Tell Tale Games’ award-winning adventure game The Walking Dead. Potter, Shaun and AJ talk at length about a game (in five parts) they consider to be one of their highlights of 2012.
Please note, listeners, that there are substantial spoilers throughout. If you have not yet played The Walking Dead and do not want your experience sullied, avoid this discussion. Until you’ve played through it. Then you can come back.
Timeline
03:00 – An argument about what constitutes gameplay
04:20 – Shaun remembers to issue a spoiler warning
06:20 – ‘Point and Click’ or ‘Quick Time Event’?
10:00 – We eventually begin talking about the game itself and AJ immediately starts moaning about puzzles
17:10 – “We are not going to talk about Alpha Protocol.” (We then talk about Alpha Protocol)
17:55 – AJ says ‘actually’ for the umpteenth time
22:50 – Discussion is had about Walking Dead sex tapes and the validity of a timer designed to catch trouser-zipping
25:00 – Shaun doesn’t notice the correlation between death and zombie outbreaks
27:00 – Radha Mitchell’s career from Neighbours onwards
31:07 – After some more Ron Swansoning we get back to Walking Dead talk
35:30 – Potter denies infanticide through negligence (but is a savescummer)
38:30 – Spoilers for the comic book
41:20 – AJ says some things that are going to reward him with a punch in the arm
46:00 – Carly and Doug; Doug or Carly?
52:00 – Lying and backstabbing
55:00 – The gang fail to name the teenager from the game (his name is Ben)
57:00 – Shaun argues that there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ characters in the game
1:00:40 – “Omid and the other non-character”
1:02:30 – The AR guys pull out a routine akin to the old guys from the Muppet show
1:11:10 – Potter has no favourites
1:17:20 – Shuffling and other background noise does not detract from Shaun’s final statement
1:22:00 – “What’s Acetol?”
Games mentioned
Horace goes Skiing
The Walking Dead Ep. 1-5
Far Cry 3
Dark Souls
Alpha Protocol
Witcher 2
Brink
Credits: Thanks once again to Ben Alleguen (Soundcloud) for the use of one of his tunes in our intro and transition segments.
Comments
6 responses to “AR Podcast #8: The Casting Dead”
I find it hilarious that we didn't really discuss the very ending of the series.
Well, in our defence we were probably quite drunk. And we did talk about… the guy!
Finished this last night, so listening to the podcast.
1) Radha Mitchell is awesome.
2) Potter's right, they aren't quicktime events in the truest sense. It's not about a cheap way of pretending to be a game. It's about making the player make a strategic decision quickly. It's a whole different purpose.
3) Fucking hell Ben. Seriously?
4) There is no excuse for how poorly optimised this game is on the 360. Also, bugs, bugs, bugs.
The one thing I didn't like is the pretendyness of the decisioning. Yes, they are both words. I don't really mind if they don't want to or can't let me affect the plot points. That's fine. But don't pretend I can if I can't. You know how in shit FPS games you often feel a bit of an inferiority complex when the game plays itself? When all your soldier mates do everything and you just get buffeted around behind them, get denied all the best cover because they take them first, and glumly follow behind them opening doors for them and generally feeling surplus to requirements?
I felt that way everytime The Walking Dead said "Okay, do you want Choice A or Choice B?", and I said "Choice A please!" and it replied: "Choice B it is! Oh…wait, really? Choice A? Oh okay whatever. You do your stupid thing which breaks the story, and then we'll do Choice B immediately afterwards to fix your fuck up." I kind of want to leave it to it if I'm not allowed to have my say.
What are you talking about? There are straight up moments when you have to press specific buttons in fights and then spam them for a bit. Those are QTEs.
I see what you mean about the Walking Dead in terms of inevitability. Although that is exactly how I feel about every game with choices except for Alpha Protocol and Witcher 2. In the case of Walking Dead though, it felt like it was a commentary on fate. The characters are doomed to these outcomes but it is down to the player to decide how the protagonists react to it. It would be irritating to me normally but when it make thematic sense then I am fine with it (like the way the characters are kind of independent from our influences – it is established that this guy is a dick by nature so talking to him for a few days isn't going to make him have a change of heart)
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