[Richard]

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

I agree with you completely! It's just you've got an aggressive writing style that sometimes feels more "rargh" than it actually is... which is actually pretty refreshing as it whacks me about the head a few times and makes me think straight.

Yep. And it's deliberately confrontational most of the time because it tends to generate better debates than when everyone's treading on eggshells ;-) Trust me, I do deeply love playing games and I can go on for hours and hours about fantastic bits and pieces in all kinds of titles - usually turning up on the other side when folks are being far too negative. I can talk your absolute ear off about 'em then.

It's the same old story... reviewer plays demo, demo becomes boring, reviewer loses interest, demo turns into game, reviewer gets game back again to review, game is better than expected but loses the score because it's just not enough. How many times have we heard that story?

Maybe, although if anything, a game being staggeringly better than its demo indicated would put me into a much better mood when writing about it.

I'm not thinking of Bone with my reviewer's hat on though - purely as a guy being asked for $20 to see more, and one interested in the episodic model/digital downloads concept. The actual game's quality doesn't interest me as much as its position as Telltale's first big push into that market, and what that means for the S&M sequel I am deeply interested in. I basically agree with you. For what it is, the game itself actually seems okay. It's clear that I'm not the intended audience for this first one anyway ;-)

More pressing however, is that it's a continuation of adventure games' Achilles Heel for years: going for an increasingly tight niche, failing to sell themselves on the shelves (digital or otherwise), and hoping that the fans will swing by and make it all work. That's the part that needs to be fixed - to sell the experience, not simply An Adventure Game, with digital downloads and the like perfectly positioned to capitalise on the cliffhanger potential.

I'd be interested in seeing what you think if they pulled off an episode that captures the flavour of S&M, but falls in the same way Bone does. I'd hazard a guess and say you'd still buy it, probably

You're probably right, and I can think of other licenses that would have the same effect, up to, and possibly including System Shock Kart Racing.

(Although by and large, if it was an interactive version of something I'd already read, rather than a new experience with those characters and their world, I'd probably only pick up the first one to see what the team had done with it. It would have to be spectacular to keep me coming back episode after episode - just as I only tend to sample anime I've read in manga form, and vice versa.)

[apignarb]

Originally Posted by Richard

3-4 hours isn't necessarily a problem if they're 4 stunningly good hours, but that breakdown of your game so far is basically 'And here's another good bit from the comic!' rather than 'And here's another good bit!' It really doesn't mean much. Rat Creature? I can probably guess what that is, but it has no meaning beyond those words.

The comic starts with no buildup aswell, as does the game. I think part of the charm is figuring out where they hell they are, and who the hell they are.

[Tramboi]

Originally Posted by apignarb

The comic starts with no buildup aswell, as does the game. I think part of the charm is figuring out where they hell they are, and who the hell they are.

It's really too bad the demo had this effect on many people

There's so much good stuff in Bone's world (and I'm not just speaking of quiches )

[Aurebesh]

Originally Posted by jannar85

Well. You only need to unlock it once. Then you can download the game again (from http://www.findmyorder.com), unlocked this time. I did this on my laptop, since my Pentium II ran it a bit slowly. Just remember to download it through www.findmyorder.com!)

Again, you should post your problems at their forum instead of here.
It took them just about a day to fix the issue I had. Patched, and now it's working great. ...and remember guys, that Telltale started out as nothing. They're not LucasArts. This is the best way for both us and them. We get to play the game a lot sooner. They'll get some money to start developing other titles, among Sam & Max 2. And they've mentioned that there will be a discount if you buy them all (Bone).

I think it was worth the money, anyway. And to those who will be turned off by the demo, I can promise you it's so much more in the full version. (And if you can't afford it (or you're a cheap bastard ) - then use your dad's visa It's only $20!

Again; if you'll use their forums for your problems, they can be solved a lot quicker.

For those who are complaining on the graphics and so on... Remember, they're not LucasArts with a lot of money in their back. Maybe it will get better in time (maybe the pricetag too). Have patience, kids. But it sure has a great story and humor! I thought that was the most important to the adventure gamers

The voices was hand-picked by Jeff Smith. It's how he imagined them to be.

I must say that I enjoyed it quite much. Still not finished.
They'll probably offer some artwork for cds and so on soon.

I totally agree with you, cy007.
Welcome to the forums!

You have to DOWNLOAD it again? I think that means it's pointless to put the game files on CD, because it'll be unusable! That's not good. If I buy a game, I want to feel I own it. What I had in mind is burning what I downloaded, and writing the key or reg number or whatever on the CD...
Well, I guess I'll have to pirate it then!

[nordic_guy]

I liked the demo!

The animation was cute, not exactly groundbreaking, but it fits the style well. The backgrounds could have been a little sharper, though.

The dialogue and voice acting was great, as well. And the interface was great, one of the best I've seen in adventure games in a long time.

I'm thinking about purchasing, just waiting to see a review or two about the full game.

[Ninth]

I'll let the interesting part of the arguing to Richard, but:

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

and is worth the money as it basically animates the book and adds interactive content.

Why not "just" make a cartoon, then? I don't really see what's to gain with the interactive content (if it's similar to the one in the demo).

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

Jane Jensen's last title was hyped to the heavens across all the AG forums and it was basically frickin' minesweeper with a second-rate plot.

Not in AG, in any case.

[squarejawhero]

Originally Posted by Ninth

I'll let the interesting part of the arguing to Richard, but:

We actually agree with eachother... no arguing here! Bone is a game for fans and works to its intended design, but nothing more.

Why not "just" make a cartoon, then? I don't really see what's to gain with the interactive content (if it's similar to the one in the demo).

It's cheaper to make the game. Plus, the game itself isn't too bad. It's simple, but it's entertaining.

Not in AG, in any case.

Thanks be for that. It was sh*t beyond words.

[Ninth]

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

We actually agree with eachother... no arguing here! Bone is a game for fans and works to its intended design, but nothing more.

I may not be a Bone "fan", but I really loved the first two issues, and the demo didn't appeal to me at all. So I'm not sure it works that well to its intended design... if I'm not alone in that, that it.

[apignarb]

Originally Posted by Aurebesh

You have to DOWNLOAD it again? I think that means it's pointless to put the game files on CD, because it'll be unusable! That's not good. If I buy a game, I want to feel I own it. What I had in mind is burning what I downloaded, and writing the key or reg number or whatever on the CD...
Well, I guess I'll have to pirate it then!

I don't think that's the case, I never downloaded a second version. You unlock the demoversion.

[Aurebesh]

Originally Posted by apignarb

I don't think that's the case, I never downloaded a second version. You unlock the demoversion.

You didn't understand me properly. I meant downloading the game again when I replace computers, or even on the same computer once I've deleted it, since a burned copy on a CD will not work - you need to reactivate it.

Originally Posted by squarejawhero

Bone makes his way down the mountain and meets/nearly steps on an insect shaped like a leaf named Ted.

You mean one of these:


I think they are one of the most beautiful animals that ever existed.

[apignarb]

Originally Posted by Aurebesh

You didn't understand me properly. I meant downloading the game again when I replace computers, or even on the same computer once I've deleted it, since a burned copy on a CD will not work - you need to reactivate it.

Heh. I understood you. You don't have to reDOWNLOAD, just reACTIVATE. The burned copy will be the demo-version. You just need to type in your orderid and password on the new computer, and it will activate it over the internet. On the allready activated COMPUTER I don't believe even that will be neceassary, the registration info is probably stored in the registry or whatnot.

[Aurebesh]

In that case, I think buying the game and then finiding a crack for it so my copy will be independent from the internet is the smartest thing to do.

[AudioSoldier]

Hey guys, I'm Edward Love from www.insidegameronline.com

Just wanted to let you all know that the guys at Telltalte have granted me a free activation code and I'll have a review of the full game up shortly. Admittedly, I haven't actually had the chance to sample anything more than the trial version of Bone but you can expect an in-depth review by the 20th, at the very latest. *Touches wood.*

Oh, and I've been a member of this here forum for a while; as my registered date will attest, although this is indeed my first post. I'm a rabid adventure gamer and am feverishly anticipating that little game called something like... Fahrenheit, or is it Indigo Prophecy?

[Legolas813]

^ I knew I recognized your name. Hey, this is Banjo4321 from the Classic Adventure Gamers Union. Looking forward to your review.

[AudioSoldier]

Yo man, Banjo rings a bell. I've seen you around on GameSpot before. Oh wait, now I remember the union you're referring to. I used to post on there a lot.

[fov]

Originally Posted by Aurebesh

In that case, I think buying the game and then finiding a crack for it so my copy will be independent from the internet is the smartest thing to do.

It would also be illegal (and advocating it is on the forums on the verge of crossing the line on our "no piracy" rule, so please let's not go there).

I think you have some skewed ideas about their distribution scheme. Why don't you post your concerns on Telltale's forums to find out if your assessment of the situation is actually how it works? They're nice guys... they don't bite.

Edward, welcome to the AG forum. I look forward to reading your review.

[jaap]

Some of my thoughts after finishing this game:

Spoiler:

So I bought the game, and finished it in less than 2 hours. That's too short in my opinion.
Since I know the comic 'Out of boneville' pretty well, I was disappointed that there wasn't really additional material.

The rat-chase is really realy stupid. It's almost identical to the locust chase, but this time it's like controlling Fone Bone through a sattelite on Mars (very slow and awkward).
The barn puzzle could have been better, first of all, the solutions were too simple, but also improbable (as if one little stone would split that log at once).

The only realtively neat puzzle was in my opinion the hide and seek game with Phone bone and the possums. That took me a little while to figure out.

The rat creatures and Ted really sound weird to me, but that's because I imagined another voice when I read the book.
I really missed the encounter form Phone bone with smiley Bone inside the tavern, that could have been nice to include.
The lack of snow was no problem at all.

final grade: B-
I like the adventure genre too much to give low marks, but this game was defenitively too easy (but that's allready indicated on telltale's website), but also way too short.

However, I will defenitively buy the next episode, but I hope they incorporate more clever puzzles, and less identical action sequences.

Jaap

[Maquisard]

I'd be interested to keep track of how much money they're making with this. D'you think they'll make the information public?

[AudioSoldier]

Richar-...Richard Cobbet? Holy Cra-, you're a damn celebrity in my eyes along with the rest of the PC Gamer gang. Much to my delight, I've had the oppertunity of sharing words with the fantastic, the infamous, the delightful: Kieron Gillen.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by AudioSoldier

Richar-...Richard Cobbet? Holy Cra-, you're a damn celebrity in my eyes along with the rest of the PC Gamer gang.

(bows) ;-)