Meta: TellTale Games, A Videogame Based On A TV Show, Based On Books

[Insomnia]

The game is more based off of the TV series than the books, from what I can tell, and it even has voices from the cast, so I figure this is a better place to put it than in the game section, since if people are interested in the show and see about the game they might want to try it. And Telltale does awesome games, so if you get a chance, you should!

 

That being said:

 

The new game takes place during / between Seasons 3 - 5. If you are not caught up, and spoilerphobic, do not play this game until you have caught up to Season 3, Episode 10, as that's pretty much where the action starts. The first chapter concludes some time between Season 4, Episode 4. 

 

The rest isn't too spoilery. I mean it's a little spoilery, but there aren't really major plot points, except where the story begins. I'll be honest and even if you've lived under a rock, and managed to avoid spoilers all this time, just waiting for the time to binge-watch Game of Thrones, if you were interested in this game, you've probably already been spoiled by the trailer explaining the game. Also I'm sorry you were in a coma and couldn't internet for a while, but thankful for your miraculous recovery in time to see a trailer about the game.

 

Anyway, I thought I would just toss a heads up here in case people wanted to check out the game, because they like the show, but might be a bit behind for some reason. The gameplay won't be hurt by not knowing what's going on in the series at that point in the game, and honestly, the story could stand on it's own but, as with anything, if you know what's going on, it makes much more sense.

 

It's new and a pretty good game and worth checking out if you like the show.

[Meredith Quill]

Can you provide a link please?

[Insomnia]

Telltale (makers of the game)

 

You can also buy it on Steam and various other digital game retailers.

 

Teaser Trailer (slightly spoilerish depending on if you are caught up or not.)

[Pete Martell]

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The stories for the three main characters aren't exactly groundbreaking, but I still cared. The episode did a good job of letting us see the horrible damage done to the North after the Red Wedding (something ignored by the show). They also get a lot of mileage out of Margaery and Ramsay; one Margaery scene genuinely shocked me, and Ramsay is unpredictable and utterly terrifying compared to his show counterpart, who generally is given a softer touch than what we got here. The voice acting is by and large great, from the show cast, and those cast for the game. Of the show cast, Iwon Rheon does a fantastic job in particular. 

[Meredith Quill]

I'm awaiting Episode 2, anyone know when that is going to be released?

[Insomnia]

The start of to mid February-ish?

 

I believe the schedule is to be every 5 to 8 weeks.

[Izzyboy]

The voice acting is by and large great, from the show cast, and those cast for the game. Of the show cast, Iwon Rheon does a fantastic job in particular.

 

 

Iwon Rheon did a really good job, I was definitely impressed.  Overall it was a fun game, I'm looking forward to the upcoming episodes.  I did like the perspective of what it would be like in a minor house where you are basically a chip to be played by the main houses we see on the show.

[Maximum Taco]

The start of to mid February-ish?

 

I believe the schedule is to be every 5 to 8 weeks.

 

That's about right for a telltale game. I believe the average is usually about 7 weeks between episodes.

[Maximum Taco]

What choices did you guys make?

 

Specifically...

 

Did you steal anything from Margaery? I took the key. I can't resist keys. Games have always taught me they are good things to have. I hope that doesn't come back to bite Mira.

[Insomnia]

I did all the choices. Load up a game to a new save, go back to whichever part, make a new choice.

 

(But I actually didn't do that,on any playthrough now that I think about it. I should, at least once!) 

[Maximum Taco]

I did all the choices. Load up a game to a new save, go back to whichever part, make a new choice.

 

(But I actually didn't do that,on any playthrough now that I think about it. I should, at least once!) 

 

I try not to replay Telltale games until I've finished the entire story. I find it easier to keep straight what I did before. I always kind of just want to playthrough the first time using my instincts.

[Brn2bwild]

I watched a playthrough of the first episode because I don't have a computer advanced enough (yet) to play it.  One question: is this House Forrester more advanced and/or noble than the House Forrester mentioned in the books?  I got the impression that the "clans" had power, but were otherwise pretty crude, like the mountain clans in the south.  Ironrath looks more like I would imagine the seat of a Glover, Karstark, or Umber to look.

[Insomnia]

I try not to replay Telltale games until I've finished the entire story. I find it easier to keep straight what I did before. I always kind of just want to playthrough the first time using my instincts.

 

It depends really on when I'm playing it; if I have to wait months between games, I'm likely going to replay it again anyway to freshen it in my memory. If I can play all in one playthrough, I will usually pick a path and stick to it. The current setup of Pick a save, copy it and move it and then go back makes it easy (and last longer).

 

I watched a playthrough of the first episode because I don't have a computer advanced enough (yet) to play it.  One question: is this House Forrester more advanced and/or noble than the House Forrester mentioned in the books?  I got the impression that the "clans" had power, but were otherwise pretty crude, like the mountain clans in the south.  Ironrath looks more like I would imagine the seat of a Glover, Karstark, or Umber to look.

 

I think by this point the books and the show are they same story, but told by slightly different people, so they can't really be equated to the things in the books. They may be more advance and or noble then the books, but whatever is in the books isn't likely to come about in the series (probably at all, so it's easy to stick them into a game.) There is so much that has been left out of the books, that it would be easy for a game family to replace a book family. And TV viewers would never know.

 

The way I see books and movie or TV shows is: You get a couple of people who see something happen, then they go off and tell other people about it. Eye witnesses are not always accurate, and people like to embellish stories, and they might cut out bits people find boring.  There is always a narrator even if we, the audience can't hear them. Silent narrator or no, if we read it or watch it, we're being told a story.

 

That's why we have little differences like Tyrion's nose; people remember things slightly different ways. (The Knick showed they could have done it, although the show is stupid expensive as it is, it is a change.) It doesn't really alter the story all that much, and people only hearing one version of the story wouldn't know any different.

 

Either that or parallel worlds. Did you wake up today and decide to push a kid out of a window after he caught you having incestuous sex with your sister? No? Bam! new world.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Insomnia

[Brn2bwild]

By the way, the part where Gared returns home and 

his father said "Your sister hid," were we supposed to see her dead? Gared looks off into the distance after his father says it, but I didn't see what he was looking at.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Brn2bwild

[Meredith Quill]

By the way, the part where Gared returns home and 

his father said "Your sister hid," were we supposed to see her dead? Gared looks off into the distance after his father says it, but I didn't see what he was looking at.

 

 

You see her bottom half lying face down under (I think it's) a cart? On the right of the screen.

[Maximum Taco]

I watched a playthrough of the first episode because I don't have a computer advanced enough (yet) to play it.  One question: is this House Forrester more advanced and/or noble than the House Forrester mentioned in the books?  I got the impression that the "clans" had power, but were otherwise pretty crude, like the mountain clans in the south.  Ironrath looks more like I would imagine the seat of a Glover, Karstark, or Umber to look.

 

In the game (and I guess by extension the TV series) House Forrester is obviously a Lordly House in their own right, probably sworn directly to the Starks of Winterfell. You can judge this by the fact that the head of the House inherits has the title of Lord of Ironrath. And also that it's possible for their daughter to serve in the retinue of Margaery Tyrell, who was at worst the daughter of a High House and at best the future Queen, a non noble House probably could not hope to get their daughter into Highgarden as Margaery's handmaiden. 

 

In the books

it seems like they are much more lowly. They're sworn to House Glover, where the head of the house isn't even a Lord, but Master of Deepwood Motte. It's unlikely that a Lordly house would be sworn to a Masterly house (whose vassals would probably be smallfolk and clansmen) so we can say that the book Forresters are probably not nobles.

 

So in short, chalk it up to another difference between the books and show.

Edited February 7, 2015 by SilverStormm
Tagged non show only info

[Brn2bwild]

Also interesting are the differences between Margaery in the game and Margaery of the show (and the books).  

Margaery in the game seems vulnerable and at the mercy of the Lannisters.  In the show and the books, it's the other way around, with Cersei believing the Tyrells have the advantage and are angling for more power.

 It makes Margaery a little more interesting, as in the show she just seems like an opportunist. 

Edited February 7, 2015 by SilverStormm
Tagged book info

[Maximum Taco]

Episode 2 has a release date!

 

Feb 3rd (for PC, MAC, PS3 and PS4)

Feb 4th (for XB360 and XBONE)

Feb 5th (for iOS and Android)

 

And there's a new trailer, posted below in the spoiler tag.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fy6h3b4iJ0

 

Asher! Gared and Jon Snow! Mira and Tyrion! I am super psyched.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Maximum Taco

[Brn2bwild]

No talk about the new release?  I thought it was really interesting, especially the situation with Mira (who was that guy

who attacked her

?)  The end scene with the Forresters was as good as any movie, and 

holy shit, Rodrick lives

!

[Insomnia]

I've decided to wait for the rest to come out because, as with other Telltale games I will eventually play each part over eleventy billion times by the time things are over. And that'll just make me crave the show more. I know because it already has and the other games didn't.

[Maximum Taco]

Ugh I feel like I keep making all of the wrong choices in this game. 

 

House Forrester is friggin screwed with me making the decisions.

[Insomnia]

Well, they are Stark Bannermen so...

[Brn2bwild]

As an aside, I'm surprised the Iron-born haven't tried invading Ironwrath, seeing as it's on the west side of Westeros, like the Iron Islands and, you know... that iron connection.  I realize that Ironwood exists only in the game, but that would have been the cool set-up for a story as well.  

Edited February 6, 2015 by Brn2bwild

[Maximum Taco]

As an aside, I'm surprised the Iron-born haven't tried invading Ironwrath, seeing as it's on the west side of Westeros, like the Iron Islands and, you know... that iron connection.  I realize that Ironwood exists only in the game, but that would have been the cool set-up for a story as well.  

 

The ironborn aren't really in the show in season 4 all that much. Also Ironrath doesn't seem to be near the shore at all, instead being located deep in the Wolfswood. It's already established that the ironborn don't really like venturing too far from the sea.

 

I think they wanted to keep it a little grounded to the season 4 happenings, just to give everything a bit of context. And to let everyone get a little excited when they see show characters voiced by their own actors.

 

Ironwood actually exists in the books as well. It's just not mentioned as being a crucial resource like in the game

The crypts beneath Winterfell are remarked to have doors made of ironwood, the Night's Watch deserter is beheaded by Eddard Stark on an ironwood stump, and Tyrion uses an ironwood shield in the Battle of the Green Fork. Ironwoods are remarked to be found in the godswood at Winterfell, the Wolfswood and the Haunted Forest beyond the Wall. Ironwood is said to be a hard black wood in the books.

Edited February 6, 2015 by Maximum Taco

[Danny Franks]

I've just played the first Chapter of this game, and I'm pretty impressed. It's not quite a classic point-n-click, but it's as close as you're likely to get in modern gaming. I like the story so far, and some of the characters are quite memorable. Nice that they've got a few actors from the show doing voicework for their videogame selves as well.

 

But I'm not sure that the 'let your choices influence the story' blurb quite pans out. It seems like the choices you make are rather superficial, and have little impact on the outcome of each bit of the tale. The scene with Ramsay at the end of the chapter, for example. The outcome was inevitable (because Ramsay is comically eeevil), so why bother thinking much about your options?

 

I may be wrong, and all the little choices may end up having a massive impact in the long run, but right now it doesn't feel like it. Anyway, despite that I really enjoyed the story that is being told, so far.

 

And regarding the only one where I felt like I was making moral choices, Mira, I found myself being loyal to Margaery. Almost to a fault. I guess Natalie Dormer has that effect on me.

[Holmbo]

I think you're right abut the choices not having any significant effect. It mostly changes dialogue it seems. I could see why they couldn't write and animate dozens of different stories depending on what choices people make but i hope there'll be some point in the very end where at least one choice made early on has an effect in the story.

[Meredith Quill]

Anyone know when Episode 3 will be released?

[Maximum Taco]

I think you're right abut the choices not having any significant effect. It mostly changes dialogue it seems. I could see why they couldn't write and animate dozens of different stories depending on what choices people make but i hope there'll be some point in the very end where at least one choice made early on has an effect in the story.

 

It's a shame to be sure. I love telltales games (so far I've played the Walking Dead and Fables iterations) and a frequent complaint is that many of the choices don't have a lot of impact in where the story ends up going.

 

In the most recent Walking Dead game though there were three very different endings. Hopefully they will continue building on that for this game and the last couple chapters will be heavily impacted by choices made at the beginning.

[Danny Franks]

Done the second chapter now, and again it feels like I'm on rails, rather than making my own choices. There were a couple of sections in this one that felt more like I could have gone a different way, but I'm not sure how much it would affect the overall story. I managed to 

convince Rodrik's betrothed to marry him, and I killed the Lannister guardsman who tried to kill Mira. I also kept the knife, which seems like an unwise move now. I can just picture Cersei smugly holding it after Mira's room has been searched.

 

Still enjoying that story though. However, with this being very much about House Forrester, the stuff on the Wall seems a little disconnected.

[Maximum Taco]

Done the second chapter now, and again it feels like I'm on rails, rather than making my own choices. There were a couple of sections in this one that felt more like I could have gone a different way, but I'm not sure how much it would affect the overall story. I managed to 

convince Rodrik's betrothed to marry him, and I killed the Lannister guardsman who tried to kill Mira. I also kept the knife, which seems like an unwise move now. I can just picture Cersei smugly holding it after Mira's room has been searched.

 

Still enjoying that story though. However, with this being very much about House Forrester, the stuff on the Wall seems a little disconnected.

 

Those choices are the ones I have the most hope for in impacting the storyline. 

 

I find I'm drawn the most to Mira's story. I can't wait to get back to King's Landing throughout the episode, I'm always upset when they take me to the Wall or Essos. Ironrath is alright I guess, but none of the choices I make there feel like choices, no matter what I do the evil guys are gonna do whatever they were gonna do anyway.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Maximum Taco

[Pete Martell]

I just finished chapter 2, after it took an eternity to download and I was wary of it crashing so I stayed away for a while.

 

I really enjoyed it. Overall the first one had more shocks and emotional moments but this one still got my jaw dropping a few times, especially

when Mira was attacked. I thought it might be a trap, but I wasn't expecting the hot asshole to try to kill her. It was invigorating to be able to fight for your life, and yes, to stab the guy (I know you didn't have to, but come on

I also felt oddly proud of myself that

I managed to get Rodrick to convince Elena to marry him. When Gwyn showed up I was afraid there would be a triangle, but thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

I will say these chapters both had terrific openers. The chapter 2 one really threw me into the game, after over a month since I'd played the first one. I was afraid I had lost my interest, but

playing that battle with Asher got me right back into the spirit. That was an awesome fight sequence, the most fluid of any Telltale games I've played so far. And I really, really liked Baksra (?). I hope he ends up with her at the end.

There was another early chapter 2 scene that gave me chills -

Rodrick near-death, being pecked at, seeing his dead father. That's something that captures the feel of the book in a way the show rarely does.

 

In comparison, the Wall is low-key, and Gared is a little too perfect, but one of my favorite parts of the Wall was seeing the relationships between the Crows in their attempts to train, and I feel like the show got away from this after the first season. It's great to see it again. And I appreciated hearing Jon talk so much about Robb.

 

My only real complaint is

I feel like the Forrester mother is too similar to Caitlin,

and although Sara interests me, I wish they'd done something different with her look or with the person who does her voice.

It does seem like Sara is the real minefield for Mira, not Margaery - I wonder if she will be revealed to be working against Mira.

[Danny Franks]

I find I'm drawn the most to Mira's story. I can't wait to get back to King's Landing throughout the episode, I'm always upset when they take me to the Wall or Essos. Ironrath is alright I guess, but none of the choices I make there feel like choices, no matter what I do the evil guys are gonna do whatever they were gonna do anyway.

 

I think I'm drawn to Mira's story the most too. There's something very appealing about her, with the way she seems genuinely nice, but also shrewd and wise to some of the games in Kings Landing (depending on your choices, to some extent). And I always love Natalie Dormer's portrayal of Margaery. It's one of the times when the experience is so much richer if you know the books and the show, because even without being shown, you know how deadly a mistake it can be to drop the wrong word in front of Cersei, or to whisper a secret to the wrong person. I definitely don't trust Sara, and have tried not to confide in her at all.

 

I was actually enjoying Ethan's storyline, in chapter 1. I didn't care for the character, but the conceit of a young, untested boy being thrust into the lord's seat, and having to command the loyalty of men decades his senior, while also navigating tricky political grounds, seemed really intriguing. Something that neither the books or the show have really given us. The closest was Robb, but he was a few years older than Ethan 

Sadly, the absurd villainy of Ramsay Snow put an end to that little story. I honestly just roll my eyes at that guy. After a quick googling, I've concluded that he's what's known as a Villain Sue.

 

In comparison, the Wall is low-key, and Gared is a little too perfect, but one of my favorite parts of the Wall was seeing the relationships between the Crows in their attempts to train, and I feel like the show got away from this after the first season. It's great to see it again. And I appreciated hearing Jon talk so much about Robb.

 

 

I guess, with Gared, you can make him more of an asshole by picking the snotty responses. Whether that has any material impact, I don't know. That's one thing I've always liked about RPG games that let you choose the tone of your words and actions: You get to figure out what sort of person you really are, especially if you can't even be a dick to a collection of polygons that make up an NPC in a game. The best ones actually give you a different story, depending on whether you're nice or nasty.

[Insomnia]

....

Edited March 29, 2015 by Insomnia

[Maximum Taco]

They tweeted!

 

Episode three will be out before April, no concrete dates yet though.

 

https://twitter.com/telltalegames/status/579041258028437504

[Pete Martell]

I guess, with Gared, you can make him more of an asshole by picking the snotty responses. Whether that has any material impact, I don't know. That's one thing I've always liked about RPG games that let you choose the tone of your words and actions: You get to figure out what sort of person you really are, especially if you can't even be a dick to a collection of polygons that make up an NPC in a game. The best ones actually give you a different story, depending on whether you're nice or nasty.

 

Definitely. The thing with me is in games like this I feel guilty when I'm mean, unless the person is an asshole and deserves abuse. In other cases,

like Rodrick trying to talk to a fragile Talia after he wakes up

if I had to be rude I'd probably cry. 

 

Of course one of the interesting things about the game is that sometimes you have to be an ass, to be seen as strong, especially with Mira or with the main family.

 

Were the reviews for this better than the reviews for the first episode? I enjoyed it a lot more. The only review I read was the IGN one, which, like the first review, seemed oddly negative and abrupt, like the reviewer was burdened playing it.

[Maximum Taco]

Definitely. The thing with me is in games like this I feel guilty when I'm mean, unless the person is an asshole and deserves abuse. In other cases,

like Rodrick trying to talk to a fragile Talia after he wakes up

if I had to be rude I'd probably cry. 

 

Of course one of the interesting things about the game is that sometimes you have to be an ass, to be seen as strong, especially with Mira or with the main family.

 

Were the reviews for this better than the reviews for the first episode? I enjoyed it a lot more. The only review I read was the IGN one, which, like the first review, seemed oddly negative and abrupt, like the reviewer was burdened playing it.

 

The second episode was rated slightly lower than the first.

 

It received a lot of praise for character development, but lost a lot of marks because reviewers felt it lacked in story development

(e.g. We still don't know what the north grove is. We didn't get any closer to resolving Mira's dealings with Tyrion, in the first episode he offered a deal, in this episode he said he'd consider it. If you took the key from Margaery we still don't know what it goes to. We don't have any idea who the coal boy is working for, if he's working for anybody. We couldn't make too much progress against the Whitehills etc.)

 

Also the second episode suffered from somewhat poorer reviews on iOS because there were some glitches when it was first released.

Edited March 22, 2015 by Maximum Taco

[jsbt]

I kissed the ring! I did it for the kid - little whatshisface - uh, Ryon. And sure enough,

he showed up at the funeral as promised to talk to me, as opposed to that Whitehill chick other people got. I don't care for her. If you wanted the situation to change you'd have made it happen, lady.

Otherwise I was tough when I needed to be. You have to be hard and honest sometimes in Telltale RPGs, I learned that from those cannibal farm fucks in The Walking Dead.

 

I am deeply hyped for Episode 3, particularly if it comes on Tuesday and not the next. But I hope the glitching is fixed - the fight in Essos was nearly unplayable due to lag issues, something that's never happened to me with Telltale games on PS3 before.

Edited March 23, 2015 by jsbt

[Pete Martell]

I had some glitches but the fight was generally not one of them - maybe it's because I was on PC, or because I waited a while to play it. 

 

My glitches mostly seemed to take place in King's Landing.

[Insomnia]

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow! (On the PC anyway) Trailer included in the link.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Insomnia

[Maximum Taco]

Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow! (On the PC anyway) Trailer included in the link.

 

Thursday for me on my phone.

 

But that's fine, I won't have time to play until the weekend, cause I will want to blaze through it without having to stop.

[Insomnia]

Since I've never been above self-promotion, I'll be streaming this tomorrow night around 9:30ish EST, for those who can't wait.

[Danny Franks]

Halfway through chapter 3, and honestly I think I'm sick of this game now.

The Forresters don't get any wins, no matter what 'choices' you make, so why am I bothering? I just played through the scene with Griff, and it was completely on rails. I made every choice to say I wasn't going to allow him to do what he wanted, and he did it anyway.

 

I've switched it off. Might go back to it if someone can tell me that I can actually make a blind bit of difference to this parade of misery.

Edited March 25, 2015 by SilverStormm
Tagged gameplay info for those who haven't yet played Episode 3

[Insomnia]

It's only Episode 3. I'm hoping things will pick up before the end.

 

But yeah, I really don't know who is more miserable; the Starks or the Forresters at this point. Right now the saying shouldn't be "Nice guys finish last" but "Nice guys finish so far back they loop around to the front, except they still don't win."

 

It's just been an endless parade of misery. I've decided to be bad with Mira, and damn the consequences!

[Maximum Taco]

Halfway through chapter 3, and honestly I think I'm sick of this game now.

The Forresters don't get any wins, no matter what 'choices' you make, so why am I bothering? I just played through the scene with Griff, and it was completely on rails. I made every choice to say I wasn't going to allow him to do what he wanted, and he did it anyway.

 

I've switched it off. Might go back to it if someone can tell me that I can actually make a blind bit of difference to this parade of misery.

 

You should've known that as soon as Ramsay showed up in the first episode.

 

[Brn2bwild]

I've been watching playthroughs rather than playing.  One had an awesome payoff.  

Toward the end, if Rodrick keeps getting up after Gryff punches him, Gryff eventually caves in. It's a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

[Danny Franks]

Yeah well, I have no time for Ramsay's ridiculously over the top, absurdly evil villainy. He always reads (and plays in the show) as a parody of the sort of characters GRRM and other 'gritty' fantasy authors like to create. I just cannot take the character seriously at all, and the things he does just make me roll my eyes.

[Brn2bwild]

Is it me, or was there a continuity error with the description of Gared's father's death?  Gared's father was still alive when Gared saw him, and thought his sister was still alive, but the way Britt described it, he made sure that Gared's father heard her screaming as she died.

[Insomnia]

No, when he glances over there, he knows she is dead. Gared says a few times "He killed my family." not that he killed his father.

 

Plus Britt is an asshole so even if it wasn't true, he'd probably brag about it.

[Brn2bwild]

But he said "Her screams were the last thing he heard," or something like that.  It's possible he didn't know Gared saw him first; I don't recall how the sequence of events went.

[Insomnia]

Right, as far as he knows that's what happened; he doesn't know that Gared and his father talked after he left. Britt assumed (as did Gared) that the father was dead. 

 

...And Britt is a dick.

 

Gared gets there, sees his father, they fight, whomever leaves leaves, Gared's father tell Gared about his sister and dies. Having a heart to heart with enemies still standing around.

 

So it's continually correct so far as Britt knows.