Here's The Thing:
Live and relive the mind-blowing coming-of-age story of all-rounder Clementine and series icon Michonne (MCN) in this 5-in-1 collection. From tumultuous beginnings in Season 1 (S1) to more troubled upbringings than the ordinary prepubescent teen in Season 2 (S2). Then the hardening of selves and dwindling humanity in A New Frontier (ANF). Before finally, the awakening of maternal instincts and romantic love in The Final Season (TFS).



Gameplay mainly consists of a formulaic yet unpredictable mix of hard-hitting QTE action segments, free but confined exploration for bonding with fellow survivors, as well as, advancing objectives centered around survival and dialogue-heavy portions resulting in think-fast decisions which shape the fates of those around you. But enough about that, I’m more interested in tracking the evolution of the entries, something this edition allows you to do, for the most part, what with them being in one place whenever you start it up.

For instance, more QTE prompts subtly get unlocked with each subsequent season, be it holding the left-click, tapping on a key consecutively or in the case of TFS where a whole non-linear combat was introduced. It’s almost effortless to grow tired of the games as being “samey” in structure like their impossibly predetermined choices where someone has to die… When the differences, which I will go on to point out- are more minute and underlying, visible only through clumping together the 5 glorious seasons.

My singular playthrough clocked in at 52.5 hours; equivalent to approximately 10-12 hours per season with the sole exception of MCN taking half of that since it has only 3 episodes. So, it goes without saying that more attempts could double, if not triple that duration without even breaking a sweat. That reminds me, I haven’t been loitering or lounging around the definitive menu as much as I should have to truly enjoy the nifty interview footage with the developers and voice cast~


Before you argue “I could just buy them individually and for much cheaper too”, this edition comes with graphical step-ups, which technically isn’t a first for the PC counterparts. That said, although all textures seem to have undergone up-resolution, it’s really only the lighting that was prominently improved (one might argue otherwise, as will I later on) through the overall inclusion of the Graphic Black filter originally meant for TFS.

Each season manages to look and feel tonally if not stylistically unique from one another. S1 showed the first crack of the impending apocalypse while maintaining colorful innocence transitioning between urban and rural settings. S2, more or less, stayed put in the countryside to hunker down and brace for the cruel winters. ANF took place predominantly in cities devoid of hope, ruinous at every corner with flashbacks aplenty to keep them going forward. TFS planted a renewed fighting chance while nestled between restless nightmares and hazy dreams to challenge all you’ve learnt and stood for. MCN dealt with one’s decaying sanity and blurry vision after so much senseless killing.

The seasons further distinguish themselves while collectively possessing that unwavering quality of melancholia and touching drama in their scores. It’s at this juncture that I remind you the definitive edition is packed with snazzy and gnarly concept art that detail what could have been. There’s even a model viewer for you to pose characters and thereby reenact iconic scenes and lines in perhaps differing contexts but with a stuffy nose or defeated confidence. Last but not least, a music player feature in the form of a gramophone to take you back to bittersweet recollections or throbbing betrayals.
https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2805269450

If TWD was a cake, the gameplay simply makes up the icing and the story would be the eggs, flour and what have you! Besides, it just wouldn’t be a Telltale game without an extraordinary narrative, one that, unlike the AMC series, knew exactly when to stop. Delivering on all fronts of being relatable, gut-wrenching and evoking powerful emotions since S1.

Before you can second guess its direction as “been there done that”, it whips out another storytelling device to keep things fresh or as fresh as they can get in a zombie-ridden world. Each season tackles and explores a new fear, or it could be the same one, but layers that you didn’t realize existed get uncovered!


https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2805270412

Numerous hints point to the collection as choppily put together. Discounting obvious rotten issues like dialogue boxes being left microscopic in ANF or the not-exhaustive list of bugs down below (because word limit) which reek of massive oversights! There were also optimization issues by way of insufferable load times for ANF and MCN. Ironically, opening recaps were affected in that scenes took forever to the point of becoming cliffhangers.

One added jarring instance is that “quit” sends you back to the desktop or so it claims. When it actually only works as intended for one of the seasons and as for the rest, they’ll whisk you to the collection menu. And the audacity in the indecisiveness of the shift key that is whether to brisk walk during mid-travel or at all times! Cute honest mistakes or guilty by-products from smashing the titles together!?


Generally, I have considerable skepticism as to the “definitive” label plastered on the cover. A collection hypothetically brings the entries together but how can that be when they each have their tiny complications that amount to splitting headaches, leaving players divided and picking favorites? The “Graphic Black” mode is a prime candidate for attack, even though I know it can be toggled off with the snap of your fingers.

Since that “enhancement” will be on by default, chances are people won’t be aware that they aren’t FORCED to look at the washed-out colors, the subsuming darkness or the overly clean and silky-smooth baby skin. Did it not occur to the devs that turning them off in the other seasons would be doing them an insane favor? Little things like that, where reaching a tad further with the elbow grease would have avoided a whole world of misunderstanding!


x S2; locked into eavesdrop interaction.
x MCN; shadows and fog graphical glitches.
x ANF; stuck in the graphics settings menu and had to force quit.
x Character models with twitchy movements while exploring.
x Though characters are clearly performing their actions, sound effects sometimes get muted.


~ Typos from original iterations remain.
~ Incomplete music player; some vocal tracks discernibly MIA.
~ No quick season-select!
~ Five separate applications would help debugging & QA.


https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2805549002

Last Words?
Though it supplies enough BTS and extra goodies, this 5-in-1 set isn’t greater than the sum of its parts in polish as well as consistency. It only managed due to heart-rending stories as its lifeline.

RANKING
1) S1
2) TFS
3) ANF | MCN
4) S2

Also, cheers to

Summit Reviews,

which I recently joined, for providing feedback on my review. Do follow them for first-rate reviews and consider putting out your own~

[code]Curator page here-->[url=https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/37670120/] DaRevieweD #180 [/url]<-- [i]New review every Weekend[/i][/code] [h1]”TELLTALE SIGNS OF GREED-NESS!!"[/h1] [u]Here's The Thing:[/u] Live and relive the mind-blowing coming-of-age story of all-rounder Clementine and series icon Michonne (MCN) in this 5-in-1 collection. From tumultuous beginnings in Season 1 (S1) to more troubled upbringings than the ordinary prepubescent teen in Season 2 (S2). Then the hardening of selves and dwindling humanity in A New Frontier (ANF). Before finally, the awakening of maternal instincts and romantic love in The Final Season (TFS). [h1][u][+]PROS;[/u][/h1] [h1]:) GETS BETTER WITH AJ~[/h1] Gameplay mainly consists of a formulaic yet unpredictable mix of hard-hitting QTE action segments, free but confined exploration for bonding with fellow survivors, as well as, advancing objectives centered around survival and dialogue-heavy portions resulting in think-fast decisions which shape the fates of those around you. But enough about that, I’m more interested in tracking the evolution of the entries, something this edition allows you to do, for the most part, what with them being in one place whenever you start it up. For instance, more QTE prompts subtly get unlocked with each subsequent season, be it holding the left-click, tapping on a key consecutively or in the case of TFS where a whole non-linear combat was introduced. It’s almost effortless to grow tired of the games as being “samey” in structure like their impossibly predetermined choices where someone has to die… When the differences, which I will go on to point out- are more minute and underlying, visible only through clumping together the 5 glorious seasons. My singular playthrough clocked in at 52.5 hours; equivalent to approximately 10-12 hours per season with the sole exception of MCN taking half of that since it has only 3 episodes. So, it goes without saying that more attempts could double, if not triple that duration without even breaking a sweat. That reminds me, I haven’t been loitering or lounging around the definitive menu as much as I should have to truly enjoy the nifty interview footage with the developers and voice cast~ [h1]:) MUCH AS IT PAINTS ME TO SAY![/h1] Before you argue “I could just buy them individually and for much cheaper too”, this edition comes with graphical step-ups, which technically isn’t a first for the PC counterparts. That said, although all textures seem to have undergone up-resolution, it’s really only the lighting that was prominently improved (one might argue otherwise, as will I later on) through the overall inclusion of the Graphic Black filter originally meant for TFS. Each season manages to look and feel tonally if not stylistically unique from one another. S1 showed the first crack of the impending apocalypse while maintaining colorful innocence transitioning between urban and rural settings. S2, more or less, stayed put in the countryside to hunker down and brace for the cruel winters. ANF took place predominantly in cities devoid of hope, ruinous at every corner with flashbacks aplenty to keep them going forward. TFS planted a renewed fighting chance while nestled between restless nightmares and hazy dreams to challenge all you’ve learnt and stood for. MCN dealt with one’s decaying sanity and blurry vision after so much senseless killing. The seasons further distinguish themselves while collectively possessing that unwavering quality of melancholia and touching drama in their scores. It’s at this juncture that I remind you the definitive edition is packed with snazzy and gnarly concept art that detail what could have been. There’s even a model viewer for you to pose characters and thereby reenact iconic scenes and lines in perhaps differing contexts but with a stuffy nose or defeated confidence. Last but not least, a music player feature in the form of a gramophone to take you back to bittersweet recollections or throbbing betrayals. https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2805269450 [h1]:) EVERY BEGINNING COMES AND ENDS…[/h1] If TWD was a cake, the gameplay simply makes up the icing and the story would be the eggs, flour and what have you! Besides, it just wouldn’t be a Telltale game without an extraordinary narrative, one that, unlike the AMC series, knew exactly when to stop. Delivering on all fronts of being relatable, gut-wrenching and evoking powerful emotions since S1. Before you can second guess its direction as “been there done that”, it whips out another storytelling device to keep things fresh or as fresh as they can get in a zombie-ridden world. Each season tackles and explores a new fear, or it could be the same one, but layers that you didn’t realize existed get uncovered! [h1][u][-]CONS;[/u][/h1] https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2805270412 [h1]:( WAS IT THE ON-LEE WAY?[/h1] Numerous hints point to the collection as choppily put together. Discounting obvious rotten issues like dialogue boxes being left microscopic in ANF or the not-exhaustive list of bugs down below (because word limit) which reek of massive oversights! There were also optimization issues by way of insufferable load times for ANF and MCN. Ironically, opening recaps were affected in that scenes took forever to the point of becoming cliffhangers. One added jarring instance is that “quit” sends you back to the desktop or so it claims. When it actually only works as intended for one of the seasons and as for the rest, they’ll whisk you to the collection menu. And the audacity in the indecisiveness of the shift key that is whether to brisk walk during mid-travel or at all times! Cute honest mistakes or guilty by-products from smashing the titles together!? [h1]:( NOT TO BE SO GRAPHIC BUT…[/h1] Generally, I have considerable skepticism as to the “definitive” label plastered on the cover. A collection hypothetically brings the entries together but how can that be when they each have their tiny complications that amount to splitting headaches, leaving players divided and picking favorites? The “Graphic Black” mode is a prime candidate for attack, even though I know it can be toggled off with the snap of your fingers. Since that “enhancement” will be on by default, chances are people won’t be aware that they aren’t FORCED to look at the washed-out colors, the subsuming darkness or the overly clean and silky-smooth baby skin. Did it not occur to the devs that turning them off in the other seasons would be doing them an insane favor? Little things like that, where reaching a tad further with the elbow grease would have avoided a whole world of misunderstanding! [h1]BUGS:[/h1] x S2; locked into eavesdrop interaction. x MCN; shadows and fog graphical glitches. x ANF; stuck in the graphics settings menu and had to force quit. x Character models with twitchy movements while exploring. x Though characters are clearly performing their actions, sound effects sometimes get muted. [h1]NITPICKS:[/h1] ~ Typos from original iterations remain. ~ Incomplete music player; some vocal tracks discernibly MIA. ~ No quick season-select! ~ Five separate applications would help debugging & QA. [h1]"-BUT IT’S STEAL A FINE DECISION~"[/h1] https://gtm.you1.cn/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2805549002 [u]Last Words?[/u] Though it supplies enough BTS and extra goodies, this 5-in-1 set isn’t greater than the sum of its parts in polish as well as consistency. It only managed due to heart-rending stories as its lifeline. [b]RANKING[/b] 1) S1 2) TFS 3) ANF | MCN 4) S2 [h1]7.8 / 10[/h1] [code]You know what I'll say [b]Unplugged.[/b] So, I’ll tell it walking~[/code] [quote]Also, cheers to [code][url=https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/41449676/]Summit Reviews,[/url][/code] which I recently joined, for providing feedback on my review. Do follow them for first-rate reviews and consider putting out your own~[/quote]