Displaying items by tag: Choices Matter

Life is Strange: Before the Storm plays like a cutscene with a point-and-click element that is a joy; no button combinations or consulting a grainy minimap: Daedalus himself designed the levels. The title deals with weighty issues wrapped in stunning visuals and peppered with a comprehensive soundtrack by real artists. This addition to the franchise is a must-play.

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – Episode 5 is a gripping, emotional ending to this chapter in the series, but it's also one that doesn't quite hit the mark as well as the prior seasons of this successful franchise have. When it comes to the grand finale, players simply deserved a bigger, more satisfying resolution to Javier's story and the outcome facing him and his loved ones. And, while I did enjoy Clem's ending – again, I'll keep it vague – Clem's presence alone isn't enough to carry this piece of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier to the heights that prior episodes in this saga could reach.

Late Shift is interactive storytelling at its finest, a Full-Motion Video (FMV) title where Choices Matter. This gripping "crime thriller" puts players in the hot seat, allowing them to make decisions that drastically affect the course of events that take place in the London night. With seven different conclusions and choices that are genuinely difficult, Late Shift delivers on what it promises: An "interactive, cinematic experience."

Minecraft: Story Mode - Season Two continues Jesse's saga in a five-part, narrative-driven, episodic game series developed by Telltale in collaboration with Mojang and members of the Minecraft community. Though players' choices from the first season will carry over into season two, this new season will be accessible to both returning fans and newcomers alike. This second season will also include Telltale's multiplayer 'Crowd Play' feature, which allows friends and family to engage with the adventure together by helping to decide the direction of the story from any mobile device with an online connection.

While there are some problems with making the player feel truly relevant in influencing the plotline, there are occasions where this does happen, and then you feel taken along for a fascinating ride. Together with the superb voice acting and quality soundtrack, this episode leaves you thirsting for more.

A New Frontier Episode 3 leaves you eager for more, delivering compelling, engrossing new details in the unfolding story, with great potential for the next two installments. Without a doubt, the finale of this season of The Walking Dead will be utterly gut-wrenching and satisfying, and players with love for this franchise – or even just Telltale Games on their own, as storytellers – shouldn't hesitate to take the plunge with The Walking Dead: A New Frontier.

Open Sorcery present fresh ideas and a great premise. The gameplay is fleshed out, and each character adds to the enjoyment of the story. There are even thought-provoking concepts and themes in the game, however, the amount of time and effort it takes to get through the title on following playthroughs and, the effort required to save your progress, diminishes its otherwise high replayability.

We Are Chicago raises real issues that still plague parts of America, and encourages young people to stay away from gang violence, and this goal is praiseworthy – but between the flat graphics, the uninspired characters, and the nausea-inducing camera movement, We Are Chicago isn't an enjoyable gaming experience.

A title that appears to have been a labor of love, but also and unfortunately, that fails to be anything more than that. For fans of visual novels and dating simulations Angels with Scaly Wings might serve to impress you, but if these aren’t a draw, then pass. The art, animation, and music leave something to be desired, while the gameplay and story line are only interesting because of the odd concept that serves as a common denominator: dating dragons.

Unhappy Ever After is the result of a wicked mind’s imagination, and it’s a charming and enchanted, yet morbidly terrifying world that will suck you in, deep. The visual design is done so well that it paints a vivid picture of a battle between the imaginative world we inhabit within our mind and our daily struggles with societal issues of modern days. At $6 on Steam, it’s a steal.

Telltale Games is back again with yet another chapter in the ongoing The Walking Dead saga, which combines elements of the original graphic novels along with aspects of the hit TV show. The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is another shining example of Telltale’s ability to weave compelling storytelling with an interactive, visual novel type of experience.  One intriguing aspect of A New Frontier is the options players have to either start fresh with a new save or to import previous saves from the other two seasons; importing alters some of the events of Season 3, especially when it comes to the behaviors of returning cast members!

Because Telltale's Game Of Thrones title was released in 2014, it’s not necessarily on a lot of our radars anymore. Sure, Telltale’s signature episodic release style kept the game running for a little while, but two years is a lot of time in the gaming world, and the 2014 title already feels dated. Throw in the fact that HBO’s Game Of Thrones show has been moving on in the meantime, with people now buzzing about season seven rumors, and the first season of this game feels even more like a relic.

I would highly recommend beholder because the art and music style perfectly captures the story. The struggle between the decisions is one that causes real struggle and emotional turmoil. This may not be a game you come back to over and over, but you’re going to sink your time into a few play throughs to try and make the ‘right’ decisions, whatever they may be.

With an efficient combat system, robust and far-reaching interactions with NPC’s, Tyranny is a game not to be missed. The myriad of choices you have and the different ways that the game can be experienced lend a high level of replayability. The well-defined yet flexible character creation system allows you to experiment on the fly an remain effective. Best of all is how developed the cultures of Terratus are and how visible the differences between them are.

I want to recommend Maraiyum: Rise of the Setting Sun; I do. I was utterly charmed by the writing and the storytelling, but it is too repetitive, too frustrating, and too obtuse for me to tell you, go ahead and buy it.

Corinne Cross’s Dead & Breakfast is an enchanting, entertaining, and relaxing quest to maintain a B&B for ghosts. It combines a compelling storyline and a fun heroine, with quirky townspeople, and tasks that never seem like a chore.

Realm of Shadows is a great marriage between Telltale Games and the Batman Universe. Each scene makes you feel like you’re playing in a comic book, art direction is strong, music adds the appropriate touch, and voice acting is especially good. I'm excited to don the suits for further exploration, but I also hope Telltale shakes up the formula and works out the bugs in the next episode.

In the end, Michonne Episode 1 feels too short, too shallow, and too eager to put pressure on the player. I think it would have benefited from a bit of extra downtime to let me get a feel for things, and get close to the characters. After all, i don't play something that's supposed to be all about a story, only to have it skip over most of the depth in favor of qtes and timed conversations.

If King's Quest sounds familiar to you, it's probably because you played it on your dad's computer at some point in the 80's. Or there's small chance that you're dad, and you've kept up with PC games as you march into your golden years.