Telltale Games

[Fierce Deity]

I thought there should be a topic to acknowledge Telltale Games and their successful venture to return old school Adventure games to the video game industry. I have become an admirer of their work. Sam and Max is a genius series, and I love Telltale Game's reiteration of the two lovable, freelance cops. I also like Tales of Monkey Island. It really has the charm that made the original titles so intriguing. I have played Telltale Games on my PC and am liking the control scheme that they work with. I wonder though . . .

Has anyone played any of the Telltale Games on a console yet? I noticed that the interface they use for the PC is console-friendly. I'm just curious as to how well the controls and interface work on the consoles.

I hear that Telltale Games is working on a new Adventure game that will revolve around the Back to the Future franchise. Very interesting . . .

http://www.telltalegames.com/community/blogs/id-660

[Sslaxx]

Going to be installing Tales to give it a go (brought it recently), to see what the fuss is all about...

[Lambonius]

In my opinion the interface DOESN'T translate as well to consoles--mainly because dragging a cursor across the screen with a controller is always going to be infinitely more tedious than moving it around with a mouse.  In Sam & Max Season 1 in particular, the console version doesn't include any direct control option (i.e. moving Sam with the control stick) so EVERYTHING is done by dragging around that damn cursor.  It gets frustrating very quickly.  Playing this one on a computer is MUCH better.

Ironically, the newer click-drag-move interface from Tales and S&M season 3 is ALSO a piece of s***.  It basically feels like they designed the games with a controller in mind, and makes moving around with the mouse a huge pain, and basically makes keyboard movement REQUIRED.  Why they haven't scrapped this clunky system yet is beyond me, as it greatly hampers the playability of these otherwise great games.

[drunkenmonkey]

Play Sam and Max Season 3 on the PS3. It has neat control system designed for consoles.

What would you have Telltale do to improve the current control system.

[Lambonius]

Play Sam and Max Season 3 on the PS3. It has neat control system designed for consoles.

What would you have Telltale do to improve the current control system.

Well for PCs/Macs, there really was no reason not to have a purely point-and-click based movement system.  It was a needless change that doesn't work as well as the old system did.

The main problem, as I see it, is that because of that control system change, both PCs and Consoles now have the same number of interface annoyances.  It's like they decided, "hmm...we can't figure out how to make playing on a console better, so we'll make playing on a PC worse to even things out."  If I play the games on my 360, I'm stuck with having to slowly track the cursor across the screen with the control stick.  If I play it on the PC, I'm stuck using the keyboard controls if I want to keep my sanity.  So basically, I'm darned if I do, darned if I don't.  

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Telltale.  I just downloaded S&M season 3 on my Mac and it's fantastic.  And Tales may be the best "modern" adventure game I've played in a long time.

I'm just voicing my only major gripe with the Telltale design scheme as it stand currently.  

My other gripe is that you can't skip cutscenes and dialog.  I always instinctively go to press the period key (like in the old Lucasarts games) and am annoyed when it doesn't do anything.  It's yet another thing that people have brought up repeatedly with every Telltale game from the past few years, and yet another thing that they have completely neglected to implement.  It's such a simple thing that would save players headaches--I just don't understand why they WOULDN'T put it in.

[Fierce Deity]

Play Sam and Max Season 3 on the PS3. It has neat control system designed for consoles.

I was thinking about picking up the third season of S&M (just realized how wrong that looks ), but the control scheme for the PC was looking very console-esque. So I might pick it up for the PS3, especially because they have a special offer where you buy the full season now and get Braid for free. 

I was looking at Tales of Monkey Island, and the way the controls worked on the PS3 demo suggested that the console-themed controls were still a fresh idea. I tried to move around, and Guybrush wasn't very responsive (running into walls and such). Is the PC/keyboard controls all that bad, or are they tolerable in comparison to the PS3 controls?

[Lambonius]

The PC keyboard controls work fine--but you don't have quite the level of nuance you would with a 360 degree analog stick.  So there will be a few times where you hit one key expecting to go in a certain direction, but Guybrush moves off in a different one.  It only happens with areas where the camera is set to show a dramatic angle though.  They're definitely more than tolerable--I just like the idea of being able to do everything with one input device.

It's worth pointing out that having slightly less than desirable movement controls but being able to use the mouse to move the cursor around the screen is a trade-off that is DEFINITELY worth it.  

[Bad Asp]

As long as we're discussing Telltale Games, I just thought I'd discuss an issue that really should be talked about more often... the voices of Sam and Max in their games.

I know that Telltale has brought us an authentic Guybrush Threepwood, and an authentic Strong Bad (and, coming soon, and authentic Doc Brown), but don't you think it's time to bring back authentic Sam and authentic Max?  You know, Bill Farmer and Nick Jameson?

I don't think either of those two actors have been given a fair chance ever since 2006.  By either Telltale or LucasArts.  I don't even think they've been in any recent project by LucasArts, and that includes the Special Editions of Secret of Monkey Island and Monkey Island 2.

Telltale knows that Sam and Max fans have been asking for those two voices.  Allowing Bill and Nick to reprise their roles would greatly expand their audience and send lots of potential earnings their way.  Why Telltale still has yet to do that confounds me.

Just sayin' is all.

[Fierce Deity]

I don't know. I've grown fond of the new voices. Max's voice really brings out the inner dementia of a psychotic bunny. I haven't heard the original voices of Sam and Max, but if the former voice actors were to reprise their roles, I think I would begin to miss the new Sam and Max. I can sympathize for the older fans, but I can't relate.

[Bad Asp]

I think you should.  SOMEONE has to support the older fans, because I don't know if LucasArts is ever going to do that, even though they're giving Monkey Island another chance.

By the way, I'm currently at work on getting a children's book I illustrated published.  If my book sells enough copies, I might earn enough to possibly bail out Bill and Nick and attempt to fund a redub of at least one (possibly all three) seasons.  Of course, I could also buy the programming code to Freelance Police (which was the last project those two worked on, and we all know how it was tragically cancelled).

Just throwin' it out there.

[Fierce Deity]

I can respect that. I just think Telltale has already established the Sam and Max franchise for a new generation. To go back and redub the voices with Bill and Nick would be an investment that they might not see as financially sound. The old fans will be missing out on nostalgia, but it's still giving Telltale the opportunity to define themselves as developers. It's the reason why I am psyched for the Back to the Future. Although it's already a franchise that has been tapped into, their game will leave them with a lot of creative control. At least more so than LucasArts' Monkey Island and Sam & Max.

[KatieHal]

Do we know that the original voice actors were turned down for the jobs? It's nothing I've really ever looked into (I've never played any S&M games, new or old), but it's possible they were approached about it or offered the jobs and turned them down.

[Lambonius]

Well, ironically, I think that Telltale went more in the direction of the old Saturday morning cartoon than the Hit the Road adventure game when it came to their portrayal of Sam and Max in their games.  It's not just the voices that are different (and inferior, I agree), it's also the whole narrative structure of the Telltale games.  Hit the Road was a great game because it perfectly funneled the off-beat humor of the comics into a tightly woven and excellently paced narrative.  Telltale's Sam & Max seasons (which have been getting progressively better with each season) suffer a lot from the episodic structure of the games because of the lack of a really focused central narrative.  Like I said though, each season has been better than the last in this regard.  I also don't think they quite nailed the humor of the old Hit the Road game, which in my opinion was a lot smarter overall than any of the Telltale offerings.  I feel like the Telltale humor is just a bit dumbed down from where it was in Hit the Road or even Steve Purcell's older comics.  I don't like the wackier portrayal of Max--I much prefer his portrayal in Hit the Road, where he seems a little more street-wise and down to earth and less cartoonish (oddly.)  Sam feels about the same, honestly, but his voice in the Telltale versions is so wooden and emotionless--he plays the straight-man alright, but lacks that Joe Friday, Humphrey Bogart-esque noir swagger that his Hit the Road voice had.  Anyway, I could go on and on analyzing them, but just suffice it to say that I agree that the Telltale games are inferior--though I do enjoy them quite a bit (just not as much as Hit the Road.)

[Enchantermon]

Do we know that the original voice actors were turned down for the jobs? It's nothing I've really ever looked into (I've never played any S&M games, new or old), but it's possible they were approached about it or offered the jobs and turned them down.

I had a conversation about this with another member here a while back and he mentioned that they had not been contacted by Telltale about returning to play their old roles.
Unfortunately, I can't find that conversation anymore.

[Cez]

Telltale's interface is a very tricky thing to talk about.

Here's the real reason why it exists: Close ups while in gameplay: getting rid of the very staging feeling of adventure games overall.

Now, if you have a close up where you get rid of the floor while in gameplay, you immediately negate a point and click interface unless you make it like in Sierra games, where you had to "Exit" close ups. But I don't really think that's what the Telltale designers were after.

They were simply after the ability to change the camera on you to make the game more cinematic. The stagy feeling of point and click just got in the way of that, so they first try to mandate the use of keyboard, and then they came up with a way to use the mouse to control the characters. Neither is perfect, but, in all honestly, I have experienced the games without the camera work and more stagy feel and the current way, and I can tell you, this is much better (as much as I hate the walking as well).

[Lambonius]

Telltale's interface is a very tricky thing to talk about.

Here's the real reason why it exists: Close ups while in gameplay: getting rid of the very staging feeling of adventure games overall.

Now, if you have a close up where you get rid of the floor while in gameplay, you immediately negate a point and click interface unless you make it like in Sierra games, where you had to "Exit" close ups. But I don't really think that's what the Telltale designers were after.

They were simply after the ability to change the camera on you to make the game more cinematic. The stagy feeling of point and click just got in the way of that, so they first try to mandate the use of keyboard, and then they came up with a way to use the mouse to control the characters. Neither is perfect, but, in all honestly, I have experienced the games without the camera work and more stagy feel and the current way, and I can tell you, this is much better (as much as I hate the walking as well).

That makes a lot of sense.    I hadn't thought of the trickiness of having to deal with cinematic closeups where the floor is not visible.  On the other hand, I can't immediately think of any moments in any of the Telltale games where the player is in control while the floor is not visible.  Can you think of an example?

[Bad Asp]

I can respect that. I just think Telltale has already established the Sam and Max franchise for a new generation. To go back and redub the voices with Bill and Nick would be an investment that they might not see as financially sound. The old fans will be missing out on nostalgia, but it's still giving Telltale the opportunity to define themselves as developers. It's the reason why I am psyched for the Back to the Future. Although it's already a franchise that has been tapped into, their game will leave them with a lot of creative control. At least more so than LucasArts' Monkey Island and Sam & Max.

I know about that.  That's why I suggested paying for those voices myself, so Telltale doesn't have to do it, and the old fans can get the nostalgia they've been missing.  That way, everybody wins!

[MusicallyInspired]

Well for PCs/Macs, there really was no reason not to have a purely point-and-click based movement system.  It was a needless change that doesn't work as well as the old system did.

Actually, I disagree with this. People don't want to click and click and click to move across a scrolling screen anymore. And neither do I.

[Lambonius]

Well for PCs/Macs, there really was no reason not to have a purely point-and-click based movement system.  It was a needless change that doesn't work as well as the old system did.

Actually, I disagree with this. People don't want to click and click and click to move across a scrolling screen anymore. And neither do I.

Yeah, I suppose its just a matter of personal preference.  I've never really had much trouble with the keyboard/mouse combo controls on my computer--it's VASTLY superior to playing with a controller on a console, anyway.

[Enchantermon]

I haven't played Season 3 yet (just finished 2, actually), but does this new interface require holding the mouse button down and dragging, or do you click and release and then drag?