Raising the Dead - How Telltale's Walking Dead Revived Adventure Games - Extra Credits

[@jumpkicking]

Telltale games are like old "choose your own adventure" books, without the actual diffeculty, they are so easy to play anyone can progress and it keeps you on your toes. tell tale games are merely interactive movies and damn good ones at that, the quick time events usually looked down upon as lazy actually make these interactive movies engaging and never lets you look away without being punished.. and laughed at.

[@jezzzieful]

"Ironic. He could revive others from death, but not himself" RIP Telltales

[@paradoxacres1063]

I *LOVE* how EC is able to talk about this wonderful game without actually _spoiling_ anything. This video is awesome!

[@matthewbrown4866]

Paradox Acres I was very surprised that nothing was spoiled. Very impressive. They said nothing about plot, and yet they would have sold me on the game if I didn't already own it.

[@paradoxacres1063]

Matthew Brown I know. I feel the same way. The EC people are *awesome*.

[@LordBloodySoul]

Paradox Acres Yeah, I love the Walking Dead and it is a masterpiece of Adventure Horror :3

[@paradoxacres1063]

LordBloodySoul I absolutely agree. I'd even go so far as to say that TWD:Season Two was _almost_ as good as Season One. I honestly don't "get" why people don't love Season Two. It's not as great as the first but I love it just as much.

[@LordBloodySoul]

Paradox Acres It's natural. People expect something grant and if it does not live up to that, they discard it fast. I also like the second one. it was not as dramatic anymore, but oh well, it still not as bad as the net wants it to be. Curse thy be, Greed and Lie! I shall tear your hollow creations asunder! >:C

[@Singular8ty]

My favorite adventure game series is still Myst. Myst and especially Riven really mastered the puzzles. The puzzles weren't obtrusive or concocted (usually), they WERE the story. The puzzles taught you something about the world and created the story from them. That is adventure gaming gold.

[@joneggnoj6299]

I have to say the genre is dead, because telltale just got it walking.

[@MisticulX]

Furretfan Jacobson thumbs down for such a horrible pun

[@joneggnoj6299]

MisticulX I guess some people can't see that it's supposed to be horrible, but at least A for effort am I right?

[@MisticulX]

Furretfan Jacobson iv heard better

[@joneggnoj6299]

MisticulX you heard better effort? e.e

[@MisticulX]

Furretfan Jacobson my friend got cut and i said (you probably fell on a Blade of grass)

[@spectreid4164]

living in germany, I don't think that the adventure game genre was ever dead, because even before the walking dead there seemed to be a new adventure game in the shelve of my local gamestop at least every month (or at least it felt like that)

[@Luckinji]

Well, another company understanding the AG genre is Daedalic Entertainment. Look them up. Especially Edna's Breakout and their The Dark Eye license games are fantastic at both narrative and classic adventure gameplay. In fact, E B's appeal(First: the premise is a breaking out of an Insane Asylum in a wacky-crazy as opposed to horror-crazy way) is that it excels at the opportunities of the inventory juggling: A lot of items trigger a lot of versitile reactions from the characters of Edna and Harvey that are not part of a puzzle, without just being "No." or "That wouldn't work", but instead having a lot of most humorous crazy talk (and meta humor regarding the quirks of the genre). The sequel Harvey's New Eyes then was streamlined for broader appeal, but it kept the humor intact while turning it on its head in a seemingly arbitrary way, but it results in the main character Lily getting fleshed out immensly without speaking a single word herself. And yes, there is dialogue mechanics. As I said, it's absolutely bonkers and sadly not many have heard of or tried them.

[@Manahyde]

That's nice and all, but not really relevant to the video (aside from the genre not being dead, but he said he doubted that himself). I like Deadalic games, but this video is about how The Walking Dead steered away from regular adventure game mechanics, while Deadalic still follows these mechanics pretty much by the book. "Look all over the screen for things to add to your inventory, use your inventory items with each other or your surroundings, exhaust all dialogue, rinse and repeat" In all of the two Dark Eye games there was exactly ONE choice to be made that affected the story, and that came at the end of the second one... kind of a cheap shoo-in when you think about it. I'm playing the second Deponia title right now and am already getting tired of the same mechanics over and over and over again, it's kinda sad when you're just sticking with a game for the narrative while the actual gameplay becomes a chore. Deadalic adds here and there a little gimick that tries to break out of the box the games mechanics take place in (like turning off the sound for a riddle) but these are just that, a little gimick on a long long road of dry "traditional" gameplay. Deadalic is great for the humor (Edna's Breakout, Deponia), amazing for the art (Especially on the Dark Eye games) and fantastic for the stories and atmosphere the narrative takes place in, but they didn't do anything deserving to be brought up on a video about breaking with classic gaming mechanics.

[@Manahyde]

And doing meta jokes on it doesn't require you to "understand the genre" Monkey Island did it over 20 years ago, it's just making fun of mechanics and commonly used tropes, today (and especially in this genre) this is nothing to write home about.

[@Luckinji]

looks an awful lot like one of my post-midnight ramblings, you shouldn't take it so seriously. xD

[@anja8595]

Harvey's new eyes was the most engaging game I have played in a while. I stayed up all night to play it. I think it's because I really missed European humour. xD I recommend their Harvey's New Eyes and Deponia but don't really recommend the Whispered Earth unless you got in a bundle. You can't beat it unless you cheat. Most of the puzzles are 100% not intuitive and out of character.

[@caramida9]

I guess a The Walking Dead received a great boost from popular youtubers playing it... and you know you should make an episode on that... gamers on youtube

[@gustavowadaslopes2479]

It's not exactly treated as a design choice. It exists and affects games revenue and popularity, just well as marketing, but it still doesn't influence design.

[@augoosto11]

I love these videos, they are clever, concise, and informative. This may be my favorite youtube series now, including more longform shows. Thank you for making these!

[@ceka50]

Every heard of the longest journey? I absolutely love it for its story, but it has such infuriating puzzles

[@vertenyi]

I like the Longest Journey and Dreamfall... except Dreamfall Chapters was... well.. a huge disappointment

[@bswift1991]

I thought Chapters was better than the original Dreamfall. The Longest Journey is one of my top two adventure games of all time (along with Grim Fandango) but man those puzzles were sucky some times.

[@Wiimeiser]

That key puzzle... Believe it or not, that ONLY exists so you don't get stuck in Arcadia without the bobby pin to activate the stopwatch to return to Stark. No, seriously.

[@MrRjwagner]

A good adventure game doesn't need to rely on story pieces dictated by past games, TWD did this prefectly. You didn't buy the game for the action, sure there was tons of fighting to keep the story moving and all, but people bought it for the characters and story. That's what people really want, a good and compelling story with great characters. One of the best examples I have is The Longest Journey from 1999, despite being a point and click game and the character, April Ryan never really being in danger of dying due to the technical limitations at the time, it was hailed for it's story and style, not to mention having one of the best female heros to date. Despite the fact that I actually have not yet beaten TLJ yet myself. Sooo I think if people want to make a compelling adventure game, maybe they shouldn't rely heavily on tired tropes like tall hairy men with guns shooting down hundreds of nameless enemies in the process.

[@christinecdsmith]

The first adventure game I played was on a TRS-80 II. Yes, a pre-Color Computer TRS-80. It was.... '78, I think, my dad was in the hospital, and we spent what seems like hours trying to figure out how to get a horse out of a stable. It was all text, and if you didn't use the exact synonym the coders wanted you to use for an action, you couldn't do it. I love Telltale Games from bringing me back to what made me love those old text based adventures in a modern, engaging, not at all frustrating interface. Thanks for this.

[@meggylee8078]

Isn't it funny that the game that raised a genre from the dead is called the walking dead

[@c4dtuterials]

yep

[@ilania95]

And five years later, Telltale bankrupted due to milking their new game format until they were kicking a dead horse. I would love Extra Credits to ponder what is the state of the genre at this point.

[@AaronCorr]

Whoho Monkey Island theme in the outro...played part 3 every weekend when I was a child again and again

[@maaderllin]

This game was the best thing ever hahaha

[@lyn_shallash]

Hey can you maybe highlight a view things that the small studio daedalic is doing right from an artistic and story telling perspective? And yes it is like a small german point and click adventure game studio, but i realy love there games .

[@maddog5236]

3:12 Hahaha, nice one. I love it.

[@LoneCloudHopper]

Very well done. You're explaining a game I've never played and I understand exactly what you mean. Whoever writes these does a great job with articulation.

[@dillinsutherland2301]

I should say that it is sad telltale had to shut down I was expecting another at least 3 more times but they closed down and luckily said that all characters can be used again in another game. Wait that gives me a idea💡. I do wonder if people actually read this

[@MichelFialloPerez]

3:53 when he was talking about "confined by mechanics and losing relevance"...was anyone else thinking "yeah, triple-A war simulator FPSes, take warning"?

[@xith1349]

The Outro music for this one was genius.... I almost didn't recognize it but it's some cover of one of the best songs from Curse of Monkey Island, which is also one of my favorite adventure games ever.

[@sinisterhunter]

Years late, but I just got done playing it. The game will make you care, and care *selfishly* about the people you choose to attach yourself to.

[@joeyschmoe2089]

I really appreciate the variety in your "stand-ins". That's some good shit.

[@HemenShah30]

I love my weekly dose of the core of gaming with you guys. I also love all of the references you guys give us. *cough* the adipose *cough* Thank you and hope you have a nice week(end)

[@1212thedoctor]

You know, you're right. I never really thought about it that way.

[@Drjebus]

Incredible music choice at the end credits ^-^

[@srausi]

"a staple of the genre" dat office space reference. i had to pause and bask at how awesome that was

[@TNSFail3r]

I love all the references in this video!

[@mikeharris535]

It had an amazing story great characters and emotional moments

[@AlexanderShackles]

In such a colorful world, it's amazing to me how often people choose to look at things in black and white. Perspective is one of the few things that allows humans to do the impossible. Even for situations you think you know, strive to find another way of looking at it, even if you don't personally agree with that particular viewpoint. Glad to have been of service.

[@pp-nx1ck]

Myst, riven, and exile were my jam back in the day

[@DRAnimations]

damn I just love the art style of Extra credits, it's so... fun

[@hazardousenvironmentspart0540]

3:03 MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000!

[@TheNightshade43]

My favourite Adventure game was Discworld 2. You had to click everything but the sheer wackiness of the story made it more than worth it! (One part you required mouse blood so you had to use vampire dentures to bite a mouse...and the mouse turned into a vampire)

[@yehbe]

Also great writing and decisions that actually impact on how the story progresses.

[@jasonperry5784]

fantastic and eye opening as always, good job! ;D

[@iamjoeysteel]

This game is the prime example on the "illusion of choice" and some people who play it multiple times still don't see the trickery. However they do it perfectly and U love it.

[@DT-hb3zu]

About the 100th episode I've seen in the past two days (I've been sick, an these vids are amazing) but KZbin's algorithms showed me a walking dead commercial before this one. Haha!!

[@oniricPrj]

Dreamfall chapters and TLJ in general also tell a great story :)

[@KILLAKREED3MIL]

what james wrote and daniel said are true i was ready to write this game off until episodes 1 & 2 came out free for PS plus after the first 2 chapters i was hooked the industry needs more games like this bring back this once forgotten genre

[@Tairneanach]

You'll find metal versions of practically any well-known game theme on KZbin.

[@StormyStories]

looking back on the walking dead, and what it did for gaming as a whole, 2 years later, it really was for video games what the Avengers was for movies. It redefined what it meant to be an adventure game, and it became the standard of comparison for not just adventure games, but for emotionally engaging and thought provoking games as a whole. It also changed audience expectations so drastically that whole other Genres were allowed to emerge. For example, who would have given half of the "Walking simulations" on steam a chance before the walking dead? I'm not sure that I can honestly say that it changed the landscape of gaming quite as much as say, minecraft or day z did, but it certainly came pretty close^_^

[@AlexanderShackles]

Very true. Whether or not people view it as such, we are all merely stumbling through life with what we've been given. And it's up to everyone to treat that as the grand adventure that it is or feel that the hands of fate direct our actions. Life isn't linear; the choices we make, no matter how large or small, have the power to influence great matters in the course of time, affecting not only our histories, but those that come long after. The destination never changes, but the journey is unique.

[@Carlitonsp1]

It's not a Movie, it's a TV show called Mystery Science Theater, where Movie's would play with a cast of regular characters doing commentary. They later founded RiffTrax

[@CRIPPLINGSODIUMADDICT]

This game made Adventure games my favourite genre

[@Nararnius]

"Pegasus hormones auto injector" I laughed more than I should have x'D

[@TheTrueFeleas]

it is a good game heh. when I played episode one it totally reminded me of Choose Your Own Adventure novels I read as a kid, and thanks to that nostalgia, I got hooked and played all the episodes. Can't wait for Season 2 to start!

[@flatron751]

And you even have a skull for a profile picture. You just made my day better :D

[@Jon4270]

Have you ever played the Quest for Glory series? It's a hybrid between Sierra style Adventure game with Action RPG elements, and it actually works really well. The hybrid feels more realistic than either genre feels on its own.

[@rattenkollektiv]

I love the german adventure game scene. I live in the last defence castle of adventure games. The attack has startet.

[@liger04]

Yep, they discussed one of their various topics relating to The Walking Dead.

[@BurningSunBloodyMoon]

I think the major companies in the game industry think the genre's dead, but there are still a number of adventure games being made by indie studios and sometimes major studios like Double Fine. I'm hoping that the genre will undergo a revival in coming years as it becomes clear that adventure games can still be popular, provided they're made well and play to their strengths. :)

[@ultimateninjaboi]

I like the phrase "apotheosis of game."

[@little_isalina]

WHY HAVEN'T I PLAYED THIS YET!

[@simplesimonsaid87]

thank-god this channel exists. finally people i relate to....

[@TheJboy88]

Walking Dead is not only the only video game based on zombies that I actually like, but I would not feel apprehensive in naming it perhaps one of the best video games i've ever played.

[@talongreenlee7704]

I like how they brought a dead genre back to life with a zombie game.

[@lucaspierre2860]

2:38 its the adipose!

[@SpektralJo]

Adventure games arent dead, look at Deponia and the book of unwritten tales

[@SirRJay]

SpektralJo | Uh, this was 3 years ago. 2 years when you posted it.

[@SpektralJo]

Droop Hoop Videos and? adventure games werend dead back then, nor are they today

[@danthemanVIII]

SpektralJo a better word would be that adventure games are majorly neglected by the larger audience and still is somewhat and few actually realise the enjoyment of playing an adventure game

[@garrettlee9511]

I love every Tell Tales game I've played

[@FeamT]

Watching through all of the Extra Credits episode that I've missed out on, it would be really nice if you could title / number such "series" you make that span several episodes to let people know where they should start. Like "Extra Credits: Raising the Dead (TWD1/3) "Extra Credits: 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' (TWD2/3)" etc. Just kind of helpful.

[@MsEeveeMaster]

but in life your choices do make a difference in the lives of the people around you. yes everyone ends up dead in the end but your choices ultimately change the environment. what pokesports was saying was that your choices dont matter because they dont change the environment in the end

[@biolizardguy]

I wouldn't say Survival Instinct was crap, but was really just missed potential. It had a good sense of tension that was pretty organic and the 'survival' part was pretty cool, it was just so trimmed down and unpolished that those two good things were completely undermined. If it were longer and more randomly generated, I'm pretty sure people would have liked it more.

[@WhiplashSL]

Boggerman was the first game I played, and it was the greatest game I ever played, even if I couldn't beat it.

[@AlexanderShackles]

I'm not saying that the choices don't affect the environment around you, including the lives of others you may affect. I'm saying that, in the end, the outcome doesn't really matter. The choices themselves? The experiences and events in our lives that distinguish one human being from another? The memories that we hold from these actions? These are what makes life worth living. It shouldn't matter if they affect the environment around you; if they affect you, that's enough for most.

[@keegan112099]

I remember one of the first games I had ever played was an adventure game I think it was scooby doo but the walking dead is easily one of the best games I have ever played

[@LinSquiggly]

despite this a game can tell a very good story and keep the player confined and make the game feel open, dishonoured is a good example, while seemingly open world it is actually very directing and keep to explain the world and story while giving a feeling of exploration due to its well designed singular levels,

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

When they talk about the adventure game genre they are talking about old school point and click adventure games. Myst, Grim Fandango, Monkey Island, Day of the tentacle, and Full Throttle. Metroid is an action adventure genre example. I think. Really Metroid is in its own genre along with Castlevania. The good Walking Dead game is a point and click adventure game made for a gamepad instead of a mouse.

[@shadowspark]

Good question. I'm sure it was too complicated to go into for this episode. I think it's anything that relies on storytelling and story-related decisions rather than other things, like shooting aliens. Mass Effect is a hybrid imo. It had lots of decision-making and storytelling, but also a lot of blasting aliens. As for inventory, it's not bad, but the guy here was saying Walking Dead was brave for getting rid of something everyone thought was practically required in adventures.

[@nerdsomnia]

Hey EC, the title's "-" can be changed to a ":". Also, EC is placed last in some episodes, like the ninja one. "Like a Ninja - What Makes a Good Stealth Game - Extra Credits". Ya know, small thing, but uniformity and all that.:) Keep up the freaking amazing work, you guys are the best!

[@feebleking21]

From what I know of the adventure genre the walking dead is nothing like those games, so I think the walking dead is a part of the story telling genre.

[@sethn5217]

shy guy Every genre can have a focus on story telling

[@feebleking21]

Seth ノートン but if story telling is the only component of your game, then it is its own genre which i call interactive story telling

[@sethn5217]

shy guy hmm, I'm not sure. I see your point, but I'm unsure

[@ultimateninjaboi]

I'd argue that that's what an adventure game was. a story telling medium. the inventory puzzling was just a way to justify it being a "game." so, I'd say this more evolved the genre than revived it. but I still consider it an adventure game

[@feebleking21]

ultimateninjaboi so if a jrpg took all of the rpg out of it and only had the kick ass story it would be an evolution of the genre, yeah that works i mean i only play jrpgs for the story anyways.

[@donacdum296]

i find it weird that usually games dont suit me like i download a free game play it like for half a hour and then im like "im bored" and delete the game right after that i go looking for another game and then i find The walking dead im like "the series is great so the game is probably too" i buy the game and when im at the end of the game (spoiler alert) im like "NO LEE NO DONT YOU DARE DIE ON ME" but at the same time im thinking "lee plz dont die we had so much good times" and i literally started crying. som my conclusion i get super emonational at the end of story driven games that tie you with the character only do find out that at the end he/she dies leaving you emonationally hurt

[@BillyKamp]

Gotta love the DW reference.

[@toymachine4253]

Five years later...

[@1212thedoctor]

...Huh. After seeing this and some other arguments, I think I've changed my mind.

[@SicMindsInc]

holy crap i saw david the gnome at 2:53. i miss that little guy.

[@FELONIOUSBOLUSS]

Talk about how MMSs took the place of FPS. Examples of FPS are Half-Life 1 and Bioshock Infinite,examples of MMS(Modern Military Shooter) are Call of Duty and Battlefield 3

[@KyokuNaru]

OMG! I need this "pega-speed" thing O_O

[@unconsidered1]

Another thing The Walking Dead did was make QT events engaging and meaningful. It wasn't another "mash the X button to win", it actually pulled you to think carefully or quickly on to what action you would take.

[@CornishCreamtea07]

1:25 Usually when he asks a question like that I get it wrong. Got the whole thing right this time

[@stopfidgetting]

If you want to see how to resurrect the genre of adventure games, be Tim Schaffer.

[@Wooper64]

Ok, I've had enough... I need one of those cute video games in a plushie form. A green box with limbs and a face on it. That's all I need...

[@NYRAPPERFULL]

Adventure is my favorite genre right after rock. I'm really sad that people think it's dead. I never even knew it was dead until I had watched this video :(

[@ConkerTheCat]

Yeah, a video game C: plushie would be awesome :3

[@AlexanderShackles]

A good metaphor for life, isn't it? The outcome isn't that important; we all die at the end of it. But what we do in that time? The choices we make? That's what makes it either a good or bad life.

[@Kelly_Jane]

I feel the exact same way about interactive fiction. I really wanted to get into the genre but it seems to me now a days they're all about the puzzle, about finding the right word combination to type, or gimmicky mechanics. What I want out of an interactive fiction is an interactive novel, not a word based puzzle.... So i decided to start writing one.

[@surplusking2425]

Now we all know telltale games are UTTERLY FAILED, this video is absolutely obsolete.

[@gregdalek]

It's not like choices don't matter, but the outcome is just pretty much the same. While you play choices matter to you, and what you'll choose reflects on what kind of person you are. If you finish the game and play it again then you may see the outcomes are similar, but it doesn't matter while playing it for the first time. Decision making is the important part, not the outcome.

[@ItsDanielPika]

I like how at 2:52 to represent the 90's, the image creator used a super Sentai image for power rangers, not even a season in the 90's (seriously, that bugged the shit out of me when I saw it,)

[@MedicalChew]

Combat flight simulators!!! I'm still waiting for its revival since the long gone days of Star Wars: X-wing and Tie Fighter and Wing Commander!

[@zachall6414]

Do levelling up and skill trees and why it's so popular in so many games

[@MarinPetricevic]

GOD, I hope Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey turns out good. TLJ and Grim Fandango are not just my top adventure games, but games in general.

[@nethervvoid]

I agree only if the world is open, like Myst. I never felt like I was on rails. IMO a game can't just tell a story, else I'll just watch a movie for that. I have to have freedom to explore the world.

[@denxos]

Yeah. The decisions don't matter because they change the story but rather because they allow you to shape Lee as a character.

[@mark1A100]

i actually played the games before the shows. they dont really tie in at all and i enjoyed them. i still have not watched much of the show but i feel fully satisfied with the games and story.

[@shadowstorm1989]

I can't be the only one to see the irony in using a game about zombies to talk about the resurrection of a genre.

[@ahack13]

Can't wait for season 2

[@LordMarvel]

Walking Dead is such an awesome game... one of very few games about which i can say to any friend of mine "Play it you fool" :) I had free weekend when I got it and i just swallowed it whole, now I am playing it again xD

[@oo7squid]

Woah regular episodes sorta? WOAH

[@memnarch129]

Yeap. Most Publishers, such as EA or Activision, tend to lean toward guaranteed returns versus risking it and doing something different. Hence why most FPSs coming out are MMSs/CoD clones. Though this says less about Video Games and more about Economies as a whole. Where back before wwII businesses where willing to take risks now businesses tend to take the easy route and not try anything new. Hence the Stagnation in some industries/areas.