[MladenL]

I've quite enjoyed most of the Telltale games, but since they now appear to have developed a (successful) formula and style for their games, I just thought I'd bring up some thoughts on Telltale and see if anybody else felt a similar way.
I'd like to see Telltale do 2 things, hopefully sometime in the near future:

1: An original property.
So far ALL of their games have been adaptations of existing properties.

This is the truly challenging one, both in terms of business and design/development, but I think for Telltale to really mark themselves they HAVE to create a memorable original concept and characters.

I wonder if they're ready yet... Although they're great at adapting existing characters, very few of the new supporting characters which they create are very memorable, with the exception of Abe Lincoln's Head and a few others.

But still, they've built for themselves a repuation for fun adventure games which respect their roots, the next logical step is a good original game from them. I think its do-able. Risky business move (sequels & adaptations are always safer), but I think they have it in them to make something excellent and original.

2: A non-comical semi-realistic adventure game.
I'm thinking along the lines of Gabriel Knight or Blade Runner here, or even leaning towards Grim Fandango. The Adventure game genre runs the risk of cornering itself in light fluffy all-ages adventures, when it can potentially tell some dark and unique stories.
The telltale engine is versatile enough to support a very cinematic experience, I think they could create something truly amazing if they get the right team on it and continue to improve their visual style.

Any thoughts?

[Collector]

Originally Posted by MladenL

2: A non-comical semi-realistic adventure game.
I'm thinking along the lines of Gabriel Knight or Blade Runner here, or even leaning towards Grim Fandango. The Adventure game genre runs the risk of cornering itself in light fluffy all-ages adventures, when it can potentially tell some dark and unique stories.

I'll go along with that. I am bored to death with cartoony games that are just one long running gag. Comic relief is one thing, but steady diet of slapstick quickly wears thin.

[Antaios]

I'll second that. Sam & Max, Wallace & Gromit and Tales of Monkey Island are fine and I really enjoyed those games, but a more serious game would be refreshing. Possibly with a new and original property, which would be interesting too.

[Little Writer]

I might add a "complete" game, non-episodic.

[Krazy]

I agree that an original property would be great to see.

I'd be kind of wary of them doing a 180 and doing a non-comical 'realistic' adventure game. I honestly don't think adventure games lend themselves to being completely realistic. A direct result of the gameplay mechanics inherent in an adventure game are incredibly difficult to take seriously. I've got to agree with what Ron Gilbert once said that humour is a pivotal part of an adventure game to balance out the ridiculousness of it all.

Beneath a Steel Sky and Grim Fandango are about the level I think a 'serious' adventure game can successfully stretch. An interesting science fiction story with lots of dark undertones but still a good measure of satire and humour. I guess what you're really after is more involved plot lines with mature themes, which I think Tales of Monkey Island really touched on, as opposed to Sam & Max, there was a story arc that felt like it really mattered and I don't think it was all light and fluffy.

It could also be that I've been bored to tears by a lot of the adventure game offerings by other contemporary companies with ugly uncanny valley worthy realistic humans (including Telltale's CSI series, unfortunately) and trite 'seriousness'. But Telltale's offerings thus far have been kind a bright beacon of hope with their sense of humour and appealing, cartoony art styles. Tales of Monkey Island was probably the first Telltale game to really establish it's own unique art style that wasn't as bound by the constraints of the license they chose and I would love to see them develop an original IP with something visually creative.

[Henke]

A semi-realistic adventuregame series would be great. An original one isn't something that I prioritize though. Bone/"Wallace and Gromit" hadn't been made into adventuregames before and that is refreshing enough for me. But it doesn't really matter as long as the games are good.

[Antaios]

It wouldn't have to be Gabriel-Knight-over-the-top serious of course (because yeah, I agree with Krazy). I was thinking more along the lines of Fate of Atlantis or Full Throttle serious, using humour as comic relief in a more serious story instead of the more screwball-y Tomi or S&M.

[Lee in Limbo]

I think Telltale have pretty much found their niche with episodic cartoon games. I don't see them straying too far from that for the time being. If it ain't broke...

However, I would like to see them try to develop an original IP. Not meaning them or the original creators involved any insult, but frankly, I haven't fallen in love with any of the IPs they've developed so far. They're all quite well done, but none of them are quite my cup of tea (I'm reserving judgment for Tales of Monkey Island, as I've decided not to play it until I've completed at least one original MI game first).

[fifkus]

I don't think it would be a good idea for TellTale to do some serious gam. I think their engine doesn't suit serious games well. I don't care so much for original property either, as long as the games will be good.

And I don't agree that supporting characters aren't memorable - I LOVED Morgan in Tales, even more than Elaine :-)

[indyjones2131]

Indiana Jones. Telltale stated they wanted to branch out a bit and this would be a good step toward that. Doesn't take itself TOO seriously...

Plus, God knows Indy deserves a good product after KOTCS, Army of the Dead and Staff of Kings.

[J.H]

I would love to see them do something with either Full Throttle or maybe even The Dig in some way?

[Antaios]

Originally Posted by fifkus

I don't think it would be a good idea for TellTale to do some serious gam. I think their engine doesn't suit serious games well. I don't care so much for original property either, as long as the games will be good.

Hmz, good point there actually.

[Little Writer]

I always have trouble distinguishing between a graphics engine and the graphics design. What I always think, is that the way a game looks is mostly dependent on the concept artists' imagination. Everything you see has to be "drawn" first, conceived, created. I see how a graphics engine can put some limitations on that process, but still, when you see what's possible in the video game world regarding character design, I always wonder why so many companies decide on "less graphically astounding" concepts. But the same is true for CG-animated movies. Some decide on cartoony, others on more serious looking characters.

[seanparkerfilms]

Oh, I would hardly call Gabriel Knight over-the-top serious. Wait a minute, what does that even mean? Ridiculously... realistic? All right, enough of me being a smartass. I agree that such a series would be a marked departure for Telltale, and although I would be willing to give them a chance (because I dearly want to see that tale continued), they haven't yet made anything that fully proves they're capable of pulling off a more serious, darker and more mature storyline (okay, maybe the CSI games, which I haven't played, but don't really have any interest in either). I'm certain that time will tell, and Telltale will likely supplement its comic offerings by branching out into other genres (of storytelling, not gaming).

But as I said, there's way more serious stuff out there in the AG world than Gabriel Knight. The second one was played fairly straight for the most part, with sporadic (and sometimes a tad goofy) comic relief, but I remember the first and third as having a more noticeably present sense of humor. Not comedies, no -- but certainly funny. The series may happen to have stretches of dark spots, emotional drama, and horror, but there's a fair amount on the opposite end of that spectrum that rounds things out pleasantly.

[Maquisard]

I still have some doubts about Telltale's ability to create a game that hits all the right notes without using a popular IP to hook the player. Indeed, I've played through only the Telltale games that are based on things I really love, such as Bone, S&M, and MI. Sure I find both W&G and Strongbad entertaining in their original film/webtoon contexts, but their worlds never engaged me as fully.

Thusly, even though I'd been awarded a free copy of W&M ep. 3, I tried and dropped it rather quickly. I daresay the graphics quality was detrimental to my interest, whereas it never bothered me when characters I love were rendered, ecstatic to interact with them in any shape way or form. I respect Telltale for making adventures accessible to a wider audience, and as evidenced by progress in ToMI, hopefully as they keep trailing 5 years behind current standards we'll reach a point of quality that's not jarring to some, but stull renderable on most machines. Although I suspect the sparse graphics (though never lacking in style) are more of a download size compromise.

When I used to have Steam installed I remember HL2 was maybe 3 gigs, and CSS was 500 mb if HL2 was on your machine already, due to shared basic constructs. If HL2 wasn't installed, the CSS download was 2 gigs. With seasons like S&M, it would make sense to have a large initial download, and smaller future downloads because of shared locations and characters.