Mar 1, 2013
Telltale On New IPs, Beating JJ Abrams To The Punch
The Walking Dead - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Nathan Grayson)

Telltale’s pretty much synonymous with The Walking Dead these days, but it has plans. Big plans. Maybe it’ll build a rocketship to Mars. Or perhaps it’ll make the world’s tallest ice cream sandwich. Also to Mars. Or I guess it could be making some more videogames, but that’s kinda reaching a bit. Regardless, I asked Telltale CEO Dan Connors what lies beyond his studio’s tear-blurred vision of the apocalypse, and he laid out quite the roadmap. Click past the break for updates on Fables, King’s Quest (sorta), potential plans for an entirely original multimedia universe, and a discussion of why JJ Abrams and Valve are hardly the only ones building bridges between entertainment’s many scattered islands.>

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Feb 28, 2013
Telltale On Walking Dead Season 2 And Beyond
The Walking Dead - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Nathan Grayson)

You probably haven’t heard, but Telltale’s The Walking Dead is kind of a big deal. It maybe won some awards or something and also made its players weep so much that their ducts now cough out specks of sand and the occasional cactus. There is, in other words, something to be said for using games to spin crushingly compelling yarns, and Telltale knows it has something very special on its hands. Season one, however, was just the beginning. The only envelope’s had its shoulder bumped. Now it’s time to give it a good, hard push. I sat down with Telltale CEO Dan Connors to discuss how he plans to go about doing that, what he’s taking away from reactions to the first season, and how his company plans to squash some of Walking Dead’s more glaring flaws – for instance, those awful game-wrecking save bugs. >

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Feb 28, 2013
Telltale Promises That Season 2 Of The Walking Dead Will Be Less Buggy
The Walking Dead

Telltale Promises That Season 2 Of The Walking Dead Will Be Less Buggy


Telltale's Walking Dead adventure games tell a really great story. They also tell an awfully glitchy story.


Save-game-erasing glitches almost ruined my experience with the game a few months ago, and I'm not the only one. Lots of people have asked for their money back.


So here's a bit of good news. In an interview published over at Rock Paper Shotgun today, Telltale boss Dan Connors promises improvement for season two (which is coming eventually):


...We've pretty aggressively patched every platform to try to get as many save file issues fixed as we can. I think what's up there right now is completely patched, so that you shouldn't get any save file issues with what's live now. We've taken all the feedback that people have given us.


Honestly, we're just working on solving the problems and getting the updates up as quickly as we can. But it's not like we can give an easy, pat answer that says, "This is the issue. This is what you do to fix it." Which is what everybody wants. Instead, we're telling people what we're doing, which is we're trying to understand the problem. We're trying to figure out where it's coming from. We're putting patches out to address it. We'll let you know as soon as we have the patch. I think "We'll let you know as soon as it's patched" doesn't help the person who just lost their saved game.


...


I think in season two, we're going to be a lot more diligent about making sure that part of the system can handle everything that's going to happen. Now we know how people are going to do this and how they're going to use this and how it's going to appear to people. I think we'll have some good systems in place to make sure that it's great in the next season.


For the full interview, go check out RPS.


Feb 25, 2013
More Walking Dead possibly releasing before second season
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead


Telltale previously said the upcoming second season of The Walking Dead's continued tale can go in any direction, but eager fans might not have to wait until then for more of that sweet zombie-laden drama. Speaking to IGN, writer and former PC Gamer Editor-in-Chief Gary Whitta reveals the studio is considering working on some interstitial content between seasons to shorten the wait.

"I can tell you what you already know, which is season two is coming," Whitta says. "There’s not much to say because it really is very early, and it’s a way off. But, knowing that it’s a way off, and knowing that people are hungry for more Walking Dead, there may very well be more Walking Dead from Telltale before season two. We may have a little something extra for you between season one and two."

Whitta didn't elaborate on the scope of the possible pre-season content, though Telltale's primary challenge probably lies with incorporating what players enjoyed best from the initial five episodes as a potential prologue for season two. Earlier this month, Telltale CEO Dan Connor didn't rule out crossover appearances of characters from the AMC TV show in future episodes.
Feb 12, 2013
I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of Days
The Walking Dead

I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of DaysTelltale's Mark Darin, just for kicks, has taken 2012 adventure series The Walking Dead (which he helped write) and thrown it back a few decades, imagining it as a Commodore 64 title.


He's pretty much nailed it. From the resolution to the colour palette. I'm now a little bummed out I can't actually play this. Maybe I'll just print the amazing cover art off and pretend.


Walking Dead game for the Commodore 64! [DeviantArt]


I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of Days I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of Days I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of Days I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of Days I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of Days I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of Days I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of Days I Would Play The C64 Version Of The Walking Dead Until The End Of Days
Feb 12, 2013
The Walking Dead and Far Cry 3 score big at BAFTA Video Game Award nominations
The Walking Dead
Far Cry 3 Vaas thumb


BAFTA have released the nomination shortlist for the upcoming 2013 round of their Video Game awards. PS3 exclusive Journey tops the nomination leaderboard - it's up for eight categories. But Telltale's The Walking Dead and Ubisoft's Far Cry 3 aren't far behind, receiving nods in seven and six categories respectively. There's also strong indie recognition. Dear Esther is nominated for five awards, Thomas Was Alone for three, and both Proteus and Super Hexagon both receive a mention.

The ceremony takes place on March 5th, and will streamed live on Twitch.tv. Tune in to find out if we live in a world where CoDBlOps2 can be given an award for "Game Innovation".

Full list below:

Action
Borderlands 2
Development Team
Gearbox/2K Games
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Development Team
Treyarch/Activision
Far Cry 3
Dan Hay, Patrick Plourde, Patrik Methe
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
Halo 4
Development Team
343 Industries/Microsoft Studios
Hitman: Absolution
Development Team
Io – Interactive/Square-Enix
Mass Effect 3
Development Team
BioWare/EA

Artistic Achievement
Borderlands 2
Development Team
Gearbox/2K Games
Dear Esther
Robert Briscoe
Thechineseroom/thechineseroom
Far Cry 3
Jean Alexis Doyan, Genseki Tanaka, Vincent Jean
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
Halo 4
Development Team
343 Industries/Microsoft Studios
Journey
Development Team
That Game Company/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
The Room
Mark Hamilton, Rob Dodd, Barry Meade
Fireproof Games/Fireproof Games

Audio Achievement
Assassin's Creed III
Mathieu Jeanson
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
Beat Sneak Bandit
Simon Flesser, Magnus "Gordon" Gardebäck,
Simogo/Simogo
Dear Esther
Jessica Curry
Thechineseroom/thechineseroom
Far Cry 3
Dan Hay, Tony Gronick, Brian Tyler
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
Halo 4
Development Team
343 Industries/Microsoft Studios
Journey
Development Team
That Game Company/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

Best Game
Dishonoured
Development Team
Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Far Cry 3
Dan Hay, Patrick Plourde, Patrik Methè
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
FIFA 13
David Rutter, Nick Channon, Aaron McHardy
EA Canada/EA
Journey
Development Team
That Game Company/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Mass Effect 3
Casey Hudson
BioWare/EA
The Walking Dead
Development Team
Telltale Games/Telltale

British Game
Dear Esther
Daniel Pinchbeck, Robert Briscoe, Jessica Curry
Thechineseroom/thechineseroom
Forza Horizon
Development Team
Playground Games/Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Studios
LEGO: The Lord of the Rings
Development Team
TT Games/Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
Need for Speed Most Wanted
Development Team
Criterion Games/EA
The Room
Mark Hamilton, Rob Dodd, Barry Meade
Fireproof Games/Fireproof Games
Super Hexagon
Terry Cavanagh, Niamh Houston, Jenn Frank
Terry Cavanagh/Terry Cavanagh

Debut Game
Deadlight
Raul Rubio, Luz Sancho, Oscar Cuesta
Tequila Works/Microsoft Studios
Dear Esther
DanielPinchbeck, Robert Briscoe, Jessica Curry
Thechineseroom/thechineseroom
Forza Horizon
Development Team
Playground Games/Turn 10 Studios/Microsoft Studios
Proteus
Ed Key, David Kanaga
Twisted Tree Games/Twisted Tree Games
The Room
Mark Hamilton, Rob Dodd, Barry Meade
Fireproof Games/Fireproof Games
The Unfinished Swan
Ian Dallas, Nathan Gary
Giant Sparrow/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

Game Design
Borderlands 2
Development Team
Gearbox/2K Games
Dishonored
Development Team
Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Far Cry 3
Patrick Methè, Jamie Keen
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
Journey
Development Team
That Game Company/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
The Walking Dead
Development Team
Telltale Games/Telltale
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Development Team
Firaxis/2K Games

Family
Clay Jam
Chris Roem Iain Gilfeather, Michael Movel
Fat Pebble/Zynga
Just Dance 4
Alkis Argyriadis, Matthew Tomkinson, Veronique Halbrey
Ubisoft Paris/Ubisoft
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Jon Burton, Jonathan Smith, John Hodskinson
TT Games/Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
LEGO the Lord of the Rings
Development Team
TT Games/Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment
Minecraft: XBOX 360 Edition
Development Team
Mojang/4J Studios/Microsoft Studios Xbox LIVE Arcade
Skylanders Giants
Paul Reiche, Fred Ford, Scott Krager
Toys For Bob/Activision

Game Innovation
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Development Team
Treyarch/Activision
Fez
Development Team
Polytron Corporation/Microsoft Studios Xbox LIVE Arcade
Journey
Development Team
That Game Company/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Kinect Sesame Street TV
Development Team
Soho Productions/Microsoft Studios
The Unfinished Swan
Ian Dallas, Nathan Gary
Development Team
Giant Sparrow/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Wonderbook: Books of Spells
Development Team
London Studio/ Sony Computer Entertainment Europe

Mobile & Handheld
Incoboto
Dene Carter
Fluttermind/Fluttermind
LittleBigPlanet (Vita)
Tom O'Connor, Mattias Nygren, Lee Hutchinson
Tarsier Studios/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
New Star Soccer
Simon Read
New Star Games/New Star Games
The Room
Mark Hamilton, Rob Dodd, Barry Meade
Fireproof Games/Fireproof Games
Super Monsters Ate My Condo
Development Team
Adult Swim Games/Adult Swim Games
The Walking Dead
Development Team
Telltale Games/Telltale

Online - Browser
Amateur Surgeon Hospital
Development Team
Mediatonic/Adult Swim Games
Dick and Dom's HOOPLA!
Adam Clay
Team Cooper/CBBC
Merlin: The Game
Development Team
Bossa Studios/Bossa Studios
Runescape
Development Team
Jagex/Jagex
The Settlers Online
Christopher Schmitz, Guido Schmidt, Rainer Reber
Blue Byte Software/Ubisoft
SongPop
Olivier Michon, Thibaut Crenn, Daouna Jeong
FreshPlanet/FreshPlanet

Online - Multiplayer
Assassin's Creed III
Damien Kieken, Mathieu Granjon, Yann Le Guyader
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
Borderlands 2
DevelopmentTeam
Gearbox/2K Games
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Development Team
Treyarch/Activision
Halo 4
Development Team
343 Industries/Microsoft Studios
Journey
Development Team
That Game Company/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Need For Speed Most Wanted
Development Team
Criterion Games/EA

Original Music
Assassin's Creed III
Lorne Balfe
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
Diablo III
Development Team
Blizzard Entertainment/ Blizzard Entertainment
Journey
Austin Wintory
That Game Company/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Thomas Was Alone
David Housden
Mike Bithell/Mike Bithell
The Unfinished Swan
Joel Corlitz, Ian Dallas, Peter Scaturro
Giant Sparrow/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
The Walking Dead
Development Team
Telltale Games/Telltale

Performer
Adrian Hough (Haytham) - Assassin's Creed III
Danny Wallace (The Narrator) - Thomas Was Alone
Dave Fennoy (Lee Everett) - The Walking Dead
Melissa Hutchinson (Clementine) - The Walking Dead
Nigel Carrington (The Narrator) - Dear Esther
Nolan North (Nathan Drake) - Uncharted: Golden Abyss

Sports/Fitness
FIFA 13
David Rutter, Nick Channon, Aaron McHardy
EA Canada/EA
F1 2012
Development Team
Codemasters Birmingham/Codemasters Racing
Forza Horizon
Development Team
Playground Games/Turn10 Studios/Microsoft Studios
New Star Soccer
Simon Read
New Star Games/New Star Games
Nike+ Kinect Training
Development Team
Sumo Digital Ltd/Microsoft Studios
Trials Evolution
Development Team
Antti llvessup, Kim Lahti
RedLynx/Microsoft Studios

Story
Dishonoured
Development Team
Arkane Studios/Bethesda Softworks
Far Cry 3
Jeffrey Yohalem, Lucien Soulban, Jeffrey Yohalem
Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
Journey
Development Team
That Game Company/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Mass Effect 3
Mac Walters
BioWare/EA
Thomas was Alone
Mike Bithell
Mike Bithell/Mike Bithell
The Walking Dead
Development Team
Telltale Games/Telltale

Strategy
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die
Development Team
From Software/Namco Bandai Games
Diablo III
Development Team
Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment
Football Manager 2013
Development Team
Sports Interactive/SEGA
Great Big War Game
David Moss, Steve Venezia, Paul Johnson
Rubicon Development/Rubican Development
Total War Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai
Development Team
The Creative Assembly/SEGA
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Development Team
Firaxis/2K Games

BAFTA Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to Be Digital
Pixel Story
Martin Cosens, Thomas McParland, Ashley Hayes, Benhamin Rushton, Luke Harrison
(Loan Wolf Games)
Project Thanatos
Hugh Laird, Andrew Coles, Thomas Laird, Alexandra Shapland, Thomas Kemp
(Raptor Games)
Starcrossed
Kimi Sulopuisto, Vili Viitaniemi, Minttu Meriläinen, Petri Liuska, Andrew MacLean
(Kind of a Big Deal)

Given that they've been recognising games for a few years now, shouldn't BAFTA update their acronym to reflect the fact? BAFTGA, maybe? BAGFTA? Perhaps not.
Feb 11, 2013
Last Night's The Walking Dead: Not Bad, Not Great
The Walking Dead

Last Night's The Walking Dead: Not Bad, Not GreatLast night, AMC's The Walking Dead came back on the air for the second half of its third season. I thought the first half of Season 3 was pretty strong, all things considered, and even liked some of the ways they moved away from the source material. I haven't always been the biggest fan of this adaptation, but they've certainly got my adaptation for the time being.


For tonight's off-topic/open thread, I thought I'd see what you all thought of the mid-season premiere. For my part: it wasn't the roaring return I was hoping for, but it wasn't terrible, either. I didn't buy a few of the performances, notably the crowd at Woodbury, who all seemed like over-excited extras. I'm also not sure about what they're doing with Andrea, who is maybe my favorite character from the books, and I thought her speech to the Woodbury residents felt forced. That said, some pretty good violence in parts, and I think Steven Yeun continues to do good work as Glenn. And I actually really liked how they handled Rick's break with reality toward the end. Considering what's likely coming for our heroes, it should be a hell of a ramp-up to the finale. (Though I do hope our heroes (and the showrunners) finally figure out what to do with Michonne.)


So, what'd you think? And if you could, please don't drop any comic-book spoilers for anything that hasn't happened on the show yet. Be cool to your fellow readers and if you absolutely must share a spoiler, drop a warning.


Talk Walking Dead here or over in the Talk Amongst Yourselves forum. And hey, get a load of our buds over at Jalopnik, who got their shiny redesign ahead of the rest of us.


Feb 10, 2013
Blonde Twins Playing Walking Dead Music On Harps While Standing Outside An Empty House
The Walking Dead

At first, I was all, "Why do they keep moving their heads like that? It looks stupid". Then I realised, they're so into this they're looking for walkers. Can't play more than a few strums without checking their surrounds for trouble.


That's how you stay alive, people. Stay alive and find the time to play a hard duet.


This isn't the first time we've seen Camille and Kennerly on the harps. It is, however, the first time we've seen them... wearing jeans?


The WALKING DEAD Theme (Electric Harp Duet) [YouTube]


Feb 8, 2013
Telltale: “Anything is possible” for Walking Dead second season
The Walking Dead
the walking dead season 2
Lee asks another citizen if he's the lead character of The Walking Dead's second season.

Though a followup saga to the first season of The Walking Dead is as sure as a zombie-shaped surprise behind a blood-smeared door, Telltale has yet to determine the exact direction the series' second season will take. Speaking to Polygon, CEO Dan Connor says that the first season's heavy conclusion means "anything is possible" for a return to The Land Where Zombies Roam.

"We're talking through different scenarios, though I don't think we've talked through one where we just start with a new set of characters," Connor says. "For us, it's just really important to make sure we are delivering on what people have played and liked in season one."

Connor believes The Walking Dead's second season will be shaped by the series' staple of hooking an audience through intricate narrative and character relationships, saying, "A huge goal for us is what happens between episodes. How do you carry the experience through? How do you use this ability we have to keep people engaged and talking."

Future Walking Dead episodes could tie more closely with characters from the AMC TV show: "There's nothing saying our characters couldn't cross over with their characters at some point in the timeline," Connor suggests. "It's a very interesting concept for us."

Overlapping with the TV show is the least interesting of these possibilities to me because it runs the risk of feeling referential—a cameo by Glenn in the first episode demonstrated that Telltale's game doesn't need to rely on existing characters to get us to care. But whatever approach they take, I'm confident Telltale's writing team will find a way to turn me into an emotionless husk once more.
Feb 7, 2013
Zombies Look Really Ugly In The Trailer For The Walking Dead's Shooter
The Walking Dead

This is the first official trailer for The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, aka that Walking Dead shooter that has absolutely nothing to do with the Walking Dead games that everyone loves. Survival Instinct is out March 19 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. March 26 for Wii U.


What do you think? Any interest?


...