NeoGAF

I still feel no remorse from helping kill Larry.

Just finished now, and man that was incredible. Such awesome atmosphere throughout. I kinda hope Telltale do more "adult" stuff like this, it seems leagues ahead of the rest of their output.

And I felt no remorse in killing both brothers. I can't stand how passive Rick is in the Walking Dead show, so I'm just gonna turn Lee into a proactive killer. It's his nature, right? And Clementine has to be okay with that, because no one else is going to care for her. Mwahahaha.

Looking forward to Episode 3. Though, I do hope the Sophie's choice moments are limited. They're beginning to lose their impact, it happens so much.

"A zombie is breaking into the outhouse! Move cursor left to flee, move cursor right for toilet paper! You and 15% of players chose to wipe first."

Originally Posted by megalowho

Liked the few brief moments of comic relief in episode 2, game shouldn't be a laugh riot but what's been in there has been handled well.

Lee: Did you lick the salt lick?
Clem: ...I don't know

There was on where Kenny said something along the lines like "Come on Lee! Cant you pick this lock, You're Urban...." LOL

Really surprised that anyone would chose to not loot that car. I could see not taking the stuff if the owner or someone else was nearby, but in a post-apoloyptic world where you don't know where your next meal is coming from and food is right there I don't see how could you not take the food. Besides, if a car is left with the keys in the ignition and the door ajar then something really bad probably happened to the owner.

Funny moment for me: After discovering legless Mark he confirms what was obvious shortly after arriving at the dairy farm by saying "Don't eat dinner." I laughed out loud.

Originally Posted by LifEndz

Really surprised that anyone would chose to not loot that car. I could see not taking the stuff if the owner or someone else was nearby, but in a post-apoloyptic world where you don't know where your next meal is coming from and food is right there I don't see how could you not take the food. Besides, if a car is left with the keys in the ignition and the door ajar then something really bad probably happened to the owner.

Funny moment for me: After discovering legless Mark he confirms what was obvious shortly after arriving at the dairy farm by saying "Don't eat dinner." I laughed out loud.

Exactly. Its like people would prefer to have a young girl starve to death than attempt to feed her. Watch a young girl starve or be called a thief? Hmmm...choices. Call me a thief every damn day of the week.

Originally Posted by Trin3785

There was on where Kenny said something along the lines like "Come on Lee! Cant you pick this lock, You're Urban...." LOL

Lee's disdain about it is pretty funny. Kenny's face after the comment is priceless as well

I loved this episode, but damn it felt bad losing Mark. I thought he was a great side-kick character and would have liked to see him make it through to the end.

Regardless, I *loved* what they did with the story becoming increasingly dark as the 'day' went on, and eventually becoming rather gruesome and nasty when it was night time. Absolutely brilliant usage of lighting tbqh.

I think those that don't loot the car for all the food probably would do so in real life given the situation. I think given that it's a game and they know even if they don't loot the car the game will continue then thats whats leading to such a high % not doing so. Yeah yeah "I did it because I'm not the same as those bandits!!" - you have no food left and a group to feed, you loot the car obviously. It would be great if those that didn't loot the car in the next episode really feel the consequences, perhaps even a death because of it but I'm inclined to believe that it might swing the other way since I felt like I was being baited into looting the car so that later on the owners would come and kill someone.

Originally Posted by Pancho

I still feel no remorse from helping kill Larry.

Larry was a douche but I sympathized with Lilly. Her dad was all she had left.

Also, quick question - does the food rationing at the beginning really change anything? The game seems to imply that it factors into your allegiance with Lilly or Kenny but the choice with Larry seems to have far more influence on your relationship with those characters.

Originally Posted by BiggNife

Larry was a douche but I sympathized with Lilly. Her dad was all she had left.

Same here. Also, people who killed off the reporter chick in Episode 1 now have eliminated every person in the group who knows about Lee's past. Brings about an interesting dynamic for future episodes for people who chose to let the reporter live in episode 1. It's also why I found Larry's rather unceremonious death to be incredibly shocking because I felt there was no way they were going to eliminate that dynamic so soon.

I wish someone in the group was hyper-glycemic or diabetic in general and they needed to balance their sugar, and by not looting the car the person in the group dies. How could you "not" loot the car. This was not TVs or Bluray players, this was food, food to feed a young child!

Originally Posted by BiggNife

Larry was a douche but I sympathized with Lilly. Her dad was all she had left.

Also, quick question - does the food rationing at the beginning really change anything? The game seems to imply that it factors into your allegiance with Lilly or Kenny but the choice with Larry seems to have far more influence on your relationship with those characters.

Hard to say. I gave it to the kids (Ben, Clem, and Duck) and Carly. The game implied that everyone would be upset, but nothing became of it. It probably pushes you just a little closer to either Lily or Kenny.

I read earlier that if you select the nicest possible response to Larry every time, he actually starts to come around to you. I thought I had done that (I was trying to be as placating as possible, even after he cold-cocked me and left me for dead in the store) and he gave me nothing but shit. Anyone else had a run where Larry starts to actually soften before the end?

I definitely saw that twist coming. Poor Mark :( still it was amazing though. Shit just kept getting real!

Originally Posted by RiderKairuu

I definitely saw that twist coming. Poor Mark :( still it was amazing though. Shit just kept getting real!

Mark :( if I woulda known he was gonna be eaten, I wouldn't have fed him the cheese and crackers!

Originally Posted by Trin3785

Mark :( if I woulda known he was gonna be eaten, I wouldn't have fed him the cheese and crackers!

Yeah, I wasted some jerky on him... AND I gave Larry half an apple. Half my food wasted on dead people. Mark at least thanked me for it later at the farm.

Gave the crackers to Clem and Duck. Seemed I pleased both Kenny and Lilly that way, being civil to Lilly's dad and Kenny said I was "taking care of the kids like a real man" or something like that.

Wonder if who you chose to feed will even matter. It seemed to mainly be a Kenny vs Lilly issue, but after the whole 'Larry's skull crushed with a salt-lick' thing it would seem kinda petty for anyone to bring up "you didn't hand out the rations the way I would have!"

The thing about the car for me was that I would have taken it if I had the option to wait a day and check.

I fed him the jerky! I didn't think he'd become it, later.

Regarding looting the car, I believed that it was a fairly obvious trap and expected immediate repercussions for digging into their stuff. The game decided to take my decision into a "we don't rob possibly dead individuals" rather than my actual intentions, but I'm sticking to one play though and the game is as welcome to misunderstand my intentions as the group might misunderstand in reality. It wasn't about letting Clem starve for moral reasons, it was about avoiding getting her shot by someone in the bushes.

I've convinced myself that episode 3 will open with someone trying to kill us for taking that food. In the previews I saw Lee fighting bandits so I know it isn't over yet with them.

Clem being pouty over taking that stuff doesn't stop her from wearing the hoodie in the "Next On" previews I saw.

I think this may be the first adventure game where I've strategically not picked certain dialog options, either because I want the upper hand or the reaction it might set off. At the start of the episode in the woods I told Mark that Larry was a dick, and then after giving Larry food and the axe by the fence he brought it up out of nowhere to make me look bad.

Anyway after that I decided to be more tactful and guarded. Didn't want to bring up Lilly's father to her while he was standing right there at the gazebo, not until later on when he was flirting with Brenda. And when all those options started popping up like 'Why aren't you cooking?' and 'Where are your other guests?' I didn't even bother. Figured Lee had an idea what was up and there was no point in raising suspicion just yet.

Very cool aspect of the choice and dialog systems working together, it almost doesn't matter if the payoffs are there or not because the effect still works. Not sure of any other game that pulls this off quite as well.

Just finished episode 2 and thought it was much better than 1 which I already liked. The decisions weren't really as balanced as the ones in Episode 1 but I just liked the tone and atmosphere a lot more.

Killed both brothers although I killed the first one because he was an ass and the second one more out of pity since he wanted me to finish the job after I walked away the first time. When he said that I should finish the job I really wanted to so I was happy they gave me another shot.

I really think that most people not taking the supplies and food from the car are doing it just to improve their relationship with Clementine which is not a realistic decision but hey, it's a game.

I'm really interested in seeing if the game will diverge enough for me to replay it. They probably won't take it this far but I'd love having the option of going with either Kenny to the coast or going along with Lily. Telltale would have to make a lot more content for it to work but maybe if they do it for just one episode and make the storylines in the game converge afterwards it might work. That would give it some serious replayability value.

Jesus christ, Episode 2 was even better than the first one. Going upstairs and having Lee make a creaking sound on the stairs gave me the jitters. And I can't believe how much of a 180 I did with Kenny. Thought the guy was super rad in Episode 1 and then BOOM, total idiot/asshole. The choices here are getting kind of tough now. I was trying to keep everyone happy but I'm starting to side with Lily.

Really enjoyed this episode too, but I do question the linearity of the story and if my actions will heavily effect the story later. Right now, I have no desire to playthrough the episodes again with really only a couple big choices changing the playthrough in minor ways. Hopefully as the chapters progress, there are some wider branching pieces of the story that change with your decisions. But I'm guessing they're going stay on path for the most part.

This episode was soooo good! As of right now, if all the episodes continue to be just as good as the first two, this will be my game of the year easily this year. I know it has a lot of technical hiccups(on PS3 at least) but the tension in this game is insane and unlike any game I have ever played.

Right now I would say it has potential to be the best survival horror ever in my opinion. It's different from the Silent Hill's and Fatal Frame's but nothing can compare to sneaking up those stairs. One of the top moments in my gaming history.

is there a way to save Larry? Or does he always die?

Also, I focused on only one side of that guy's face when I was beating the shit out of him. When he stood up to rant at me, I laughed my ass off when I saw how bruised and swollen and red the left side of his face was, while the other side was unmarred. Nice touch.

Originally Posted by Bastion

Right now I would say it has potential to be the best survival horror ever in my opinion.

I think it would need more drastic outcomes to your changes. I.E. If your choice between Kenny/Lilly literally split the campaign where choosing Kenny would have you leave in the RV and Lilly would take you somewhere else.

The game creates an interesting tension but it's definitely not as thick as something like Amnesia, at least not for me.

Originally Posted by Jubs

is there a way to save Larry? Or does he always die?

If you choose Lilly's side you attempt to revive him and while you're doing it Kenny kills him the exact same way.

Originally Posted by Kalnos

I think it would need more drastic outcomes to your changes. I.E. If your choice between Kenny/Lilly literally split the campaign where choosing Kenny would have you leave in the RV and Lilly would take you somewhere else.

The game creates an interesting tension but it's definitely not as thick as something like Amnesia, at least not me

I need to play Amnesia. I have it on OnLive.

I don't think Lily will be in the game much longer. If she stays to epsiode 5 I will be shocked. For those that read the comics and look at the achievement lists for Episode 3 on The Walking Dead wiki, one in particular will be interesting. Most are cryptic, but there is one pertaining to Lily that is a dead giveaway for the comic readers.

Originally Posted by pa22word

Same here. Also, people who killed off the reporter chick in Episode 1 now have eliminated every person in the group who knows about Lee's past. Brings about an interesting dynamic for future episodes for people who chose to let the reporter live in episode 1. It's also why I found Larry's rather unceremonious death to be incredibly shocking because I felt there was no way they were going to eliminate that dynamic so soon.

It's possible Larry told Lilly in the months the game skips over, I guess.

Originally Posted by Conflict NZ

I really hope this isn't the case, Lily is probably my favourite character after Lee and Clem. The group is already getting quite small.

In the preview I saw a group fighting walkers and a quick shot of some grey-haired dude (who I think will be a badass). I have a feeling we'll be trading Kenny's family (and Ben) and Lily for a new group. I think only Clem, Carly, and Doug are going to move forward with Lee.

Originally Posted by Sadist

Lee's disdain about it is pretty funny. Kenny's face after the comment is priceless as well

:lol Yup. And the line Kenny says "hey, I'm from Florida..." drove it home.

I actually saved Doug in Ep,1, because the reporter had the gun, so I figured she'd be okay, but when all I heard was click-click-click...well, RIP reporter. So, if you didn't save Doug, do you get to see the camcorder video at the end of Ep.2? Or, does someone else repair it?

Hats off to TellTale for starting Ep.2 off right. the scene with Lee chopping that dude's leg off in the beginning was horrifying, and tension filled. The episode had such a great flow to it, and was glued to my seat the whole playthrough.

The cannibalism light bulb went off when you come back from the camp, and Brenda won't let you see Mark, and she's just going on about dinner. Couldn't help but feel like Charlton Heston shouting "ITS PEOPLE", "YOUR EATING PEOPLE" when busting into the dining room.

Originally Posted by Hambone

:lol Yup. And the line Kenny says "hey, I'm from Florida..." drove it home.

I actually saved Doug in Ep,1, because the reporter had the gun, so I figured she'd be okay, but when all I heard was click-click-click...well, RIP reporter. So, if you didn't save Doug, do you get to see the camcorder video at the end of Ep.2? Or, does someone else repair it?

Carly gives you some batteries and it works.

Originally Posted by Kalnos

I think it would need more drastic outcomes to your changes. I.E. If your choice between Kenny/Lilly literally split the campaign where choosing Kenny would have you leave in the RV and Lilly would take you somewhere else.

I'm not so sure the narrative would benefit from a divergence like that, at least not for longer than a scene or two. The way the game is tightly paced but personalized is one of it's strengths IMO, too much ambition could hurt it.

Originally Posted by Trigger

Carly gives you some batteries and it works.

and there's a nice exchange reminding her about the badly inserted radio batteries in the first ep

Originally Posted by megalowho

I'm not so sure the narrative would benefit from a divergence like that, at least not for longer than a scene or two. The way the game is tightly paced but personalized is one of it's strengths IMO, too much ambition could hurt it.

That's true, I guess I just want more diversity based on my choices, even if it occurs in the same area. It doesn't really offer enough for me to want to replay it, instead I just youtube the alternate outcomes.

Originally Posted by megalowho

I'm not so sure the narrative would benefit from a divergence like that, at least not for longer than a scene or two. The way the game is tightly paced but personalized is one of it's strengths IMO, too much ambition could hurt it.

It would also take forever for episode 3 to come along. lol, we'd be waiting until December if they did that.

This game just got 100% better now that Larry is dead. Good riddence.

Originally Posted by Trigger

In the preview I saw a group fighting walkers and a quick shot of some grey-haired dude (who I think will be a badass). I have a feeling we'll be trading Kenny's family (and Ben) and Lily for a new group. I think only Clem, Carly, and Doug are going to move forward with Lee.

I hope not, I really like this group and their dynamic. I think swapping groups this early would really turn me off the story. Also it would feel like a cheap trick to avoid the problems that come with a series based on choice.

It's inevitable. I don't think they realized how popular the series would be when they made these episodes. I think we'd see more variation in a hypothetical "season 2" scenario. It feels like they're playing catch-up as is.

Episode 2 > Episode 1. I don't think a game has ever really put me on the edge of my seat before. Seeing Kenny kill Larry was a bit of surprise to me and caught me off guard when his head just exploded. I didn't really know the whole family was behind it. I thought the mother was alright until when she said that Mark was a-okay upstairs. I also really love Clem as a character; possibly my favorite character of this year.

I'm sure this has been mentioned a lot, but the more I think about it the less I like the timeskip and hope this isn't gonna happen again in the story.

I don't understand why anyone would think a random 3 month gap in the story is a good idea for an episodic story driven adventure. That opening minute or so where you're confused if you skipped over something explaining who the fuck this guy is or waiting for them to flashback to the thing they talk about.

At the very least there should have been some photos on screen of like the airforce base, them finding Mark, whatever the hell they did to save him, bringing the food back, whatever else as they were talking about it. That way it's still relatively cheap to do (don't have to model an airforce base full of zombies), but it still makes it feel significant.

And it should have been talked about a lot more than it was. I have no idea why the hell they went to an airforce base in the first place, since there was nothing mentioned about it to me beyond "that's where Mark was and he had food".

Originally Posted by Trigger

Hard to say. I gave it to the kids (Ben, Clem, and Duck) and Carly. The game implied that everyone would be upset, but nothing became of it. It probably pushes you just a little closer to either Lily or Kenny.

Yeah, I was worried that giving Ben some would make people mad. But the guy had his two closest friends for the past three months die in front of him. He deserved that food.

Originally Posted by HadesGigas

I'm sure this has been mentioned a lot, but the more I think about it the less I like the timeskip and hope this isn't gonna happen again in the story.

I don't understand why anyone would think a random 3 month gap in the story is a good idea for an episodic story driven adventure. That opening minute or so where you're confused if you skipped over something explaining who the fuck this guy is or waiting for them to flashback to the thing they talk about.

At the very least there should have been some photos on screen of like the airforce base, them finding Mark, whatever the hell they did to save him, bringing the food back, whatever else as they were talking about it. That way it's still relatively cheap to do (don't have to model an airforce base full of zombies), but it still makes it feel significant.

And it should have been talked about a lot more than it was. I have no idea why the hell they went to an airforce base in the first place, since there was nothing mentioned about it to me beyond "that's where Mark was and he had food".

I'm ok with it but do agree that I would have liked to see some flashes to what happened in the 3 month gap. I also agree that I really don't want to see any more big gaps between the games like that.

Originally Posted by HadesGigas

And it should have been talked about a lot more than it was. I have no idea why the hell they went to an airforce base in the first place, since there was nothing mentioned about it to me beyond "that's where Mark was and he had food".

I agree with the bulk of this post, but why waste the effort on all that if Mark was just a red shirt? The gap helps move the story along to it's next major plot point: starvation.

Am I the only one that sees bad things for the future of Kenny's family (and tag-along Ben) if they try for the coast? I went to Savannah the other day and pondered how long a road it is from metro Atlanta (where I live) to the coast. It can't be easier on little food, low gas, and bandits to get to Savannah.

When is episode 3 slated to come out?