Game 83 - Railroad Tycoon 3 - Week 161 - Jan 23

ailroad Tycoon 3 is not a game I ever thought I'd even try. But after playing Stronghold I still felt the city-building itch. I've had my eye on Banished for a while but somehow that still evades my library. So I delved into my games and I pulled out Tropico 4, Anno 2070 (expect to see those soon) and this. To my surprise, I did and I enjoyed it by a surprising degree. First things first however. The tutorial isn’t very good. At the start there is so much info around investing in other companies, riding the stock market, issuing bonds, etc that it feels like you can play the entire game without building a rail road empire. It felt like I would be running an actual business with managing shareholders dividends, inflation, pay rises, stock crashes (which can be manipulated during recessions) and actual book keeping. And so I thought "this is not my type of Tycoon - I'll stick to Roller Coasters where I can build them and watch people pay to throw up".

I think you could use this simulator to teach business students!

But actually, once you get your head around it its pretty fun. Learning to issue bonds, sell shares, balance and buy back debt and improve your credit rating to get better interest rates, etc etc, the game opens up a lot. All this business mumbo jumbo instead becomes a supporting part of your railway empire that you can ignore for the most part - instead becoming an optional function of min maxing. The kicker however is once you learn the flow of goods. Clicking on any station will show what goods it has and what's the most profitable. Seeing that New York has a lot of Iron and Providence wants it at 5x the rate of anywhere had me setting up an express line between the stations with a train that performs better with cargo over passengers... or doing the same with express passengers from Boston to New York and reaping the rewards, to then invest further into your railroad expansion. It's those nuances that make the game very enjoyable. If you have an overabundance of resources in one town, you can even create business in another town. For example one town might have a lot of alcohol, so create taverns in a town with high population and watch consumption boom!

Boston had plenty of passengers wanting to go West to Buffalo!

Combine the goods management with other competing monopolies that you can invest in, crash their stock, merge with, do hostile takeovers, superseded or share their tracks or just overall compete with through sheer rail way experience there is a definitive element of tycoon building strategy. Then throw in ‘railway crafting’ which is really its own art form as you have to manage the cheapest way to build a track across various elements of topography – bridges and tunnels are expensive, hills cost fuel, etc. Balance this with the speed of a straight track over time and the consistent revenue this will bring. Now you have many layers of logistics strategy to explore. At the end of that’s exactly what it is, logistics, and considering that’s my job the feels too close to home. I think I was one and done with this one – I finished the first campaign, enjoyed it, now it’s time to move on… Or so I thought. There’s just something about this game that comes me coming back. The country harmonic(a) soundtrack, starring at a map as you balance all the logistical contingencies to set out your railroad empire. ]

Althought clearly outdated. It is a charming game..

Game 82 - The Walking Dead: The Final Season - Week 160 - Jan 23

he Walking Dead: The Final Season is a game I’m going to approach a little different in my journaling. I’m going to start at the end, as I write on this will make more sense. For me to truly describe in words how I feel about this game I first need to restate games as an artform. With civilisation and culture evolving so has art and what is considered high art to many – paintings, music, etc – to many in the modern era is now outdated. That in no way means I don’t respect it, but in wandering the halls of The National Gallery of London's fame I was never brought to tears. Never have I listened to a song and shed a tear. Maybe a long time ago when all people had were instruments and stories to be told around the campfire a lot more people wept at classic high art. Maybe some people still do.

I define high art as something that can evoke strong emotion. Particularly when you’re in a stable rational state of mind and neurosis is low as this is a more accurate indicator of emotional impact. For me personally it’s experiencing movies, series, and of course games that illicit the strongest response – to the point that I have wept. TV Series & movies do this but often seemingly out of nowhere, an indication of the impact being due to my current state of mind, not the art itself. I can’t recall this ever happening with a game. I believe games are strongest of all because of the defining element it has over other art forms: interaction and immersion. Emotions are felt because they’re not mine – the experience is projecting on to me rather than the opposite being true. I’ve written about this before – games as an artform being a doorway through the fourth wall that allows you to participate in these worlds. But only if you let it and can move past the “games art toys or waste of time” state of dismissiveness. 

In these past articles one of the main examples I’ve provided was The Walking Dead: The Game (or 'Season One'... this series is diminished by its titles). The game came out a year before the similarly themed The Last of Us. Both had deep emotional stories centered around surrogate fathers guiding their daughter through a post-apocalyptic world. The Last of Us was better in gameplay, cinematics, narrative, direction, and almost every other facet. TWD on the other hand was a clunky, rough around the edges storybook game and gameplay was the extent of QTEs and dialogue choices. Yet it was TWD that got the tears jerking not TLOU… so how? The illusion of choice combined with the chemistry and performances of Lee and Clementine immersed me in this world and characters so much I felt they were real. Real enough that when Lee died, like many others, I sobbed. The interaction served the simple function of immersing you in this visual novel, it's world and most importantly characters. While its counter-part has great gameplay and narrative, they're distinctly seperate. The interaction doesn't serve the story as much. It's an action game and a cinematic narrative not a seemless combination of the two. The Final Season of The Walking Dead hits those same beats. It’s a rough ride and contrived at times pulling you out of it – but by the end you feel everything come together in a way that makes you forget those technicalities. Because you feel it. You feel those final moments with Clem and AJ after she’s bit as she feels them herself. Did she teach AJ enough? “Tell me the lessons AJ I need to know”. As Clem turns pale and her eyes begin to dim it pulls on the same heart strings that the first did without feeling like a safe cop out of an ending. “I’m sorry kiddo – this is just how it goes sometimes” from Clem just felt... so Lee. Especially when you compare it to Lee’s final words “Don’t be afraid”. But also Clem's “You remember what I taught you if I turn… run away” compare to Lee's similar choice (as opposed to asking the respective child to shoot them when they turn). In that final moment for Clem, switching to AJ was the perfect move – now AJ is holding the axe, Clem was powerless and we her saviour. But that final twist when AJ denies her and brings that axe down I just felt sick. It was so sudden and out of nowhere. It all built to this moment. Then the flash forward and slow building up as it’s revealed that she survived – with one leg a little shorter. I didn't care that that the game denied my choice one final time (true to the spirirt of the game, as I'll get into later). The finale is the exemplary send off, true to the first game it made me forget all my prior rational criticisms, become truly lost in that ending cry like a baby. If that is not high art than what else is?

Just... chills...

The rest of what I discuss about the game below is valid, albeit when compared to the impact and grandeur of the above it becomes irrelevant. I decided to write this so it wouldn’t be overshadowed by a thousand words of critique before we got to the best part of the game. But none the less here it is….

Immediately upon start the game I’m reminded of why I fell off the Telltale series. The game starts with you selecting the choices you made in prior games. To my surprise it gave you a total of 7-8 questions – half of which actually mattered. It reminded me of the illusion of choice that was present in Telltale game and how little impact your choices had. How there was always a backup character ready to step in and fill the void of any dead character. Diminishing consequence in a game series trying to carve an identify by being all about consequence. I think this was a big part of why Telltale failed. It’s outdated approach to non-linear narrative and game design fell behind games like The Witcher or other storybook games like Life is Strange. Combine this with the studio having no original IP and taking on too many properties at once and they were destined to fail. I know why A New Frontier was the final frontier for Telltale – and I haven’t gone back to play Game of Thrones or Batman (despite hearing the latter is phenomenal). The formula was shallow, the smoke and mirrors wore off and I was tired of the “novelty” of it all. That being said, starting The Final Season gave me a nice season of nostalgia. As I was also reminded of another reason these games were originally so beloved before their formula was beaten to death. For starters the characters and their chemistry is spot on. Clementine and AJ immediately riffing in the car. Violet and Clem bonding over being the underdog darkhorses, and Clem backing her up. Louis and Clem’s first kiss and her first boyfriends eventual demise. Characters trying to make the best of a dark diminishing world that brings out the worst and best in people and makes you reveal your true self. A setting I’m well familiar with as it lends itself to some of the greatest narratives. The Walking Dead game series is no exception. It’s characters Lee, Kenny, Jane, AJ, Clem – they all make this sombre world real and when you’re in it – you forget that it’s all an illusion. None of that matters as it serves as a vehicle to invest you in the characters and world.

S4 Clem is an absoluate badass

At least that’s how I felt until the end of Episode 1. All that came crashing down when AJ shot Marlon. TWD is known for its shocking moments – in all forms of media. My Clem teaching AJ to survive didn’t teach him to survive like this. And his response of “What? I shot him in the head” as an innocent child felt more contrived than shocking. Am I meant to believe that’s what led to AJ shooting him? When my other options were don’t hesitate and save the last bullet for yourself (clearly it was no the last) it’s obvious all roads lead to the same contrived destination. A quick google search reveals regardless of what you do he’s shot by AJ. So not only do my choices with AJ not matter nor do they with Marlon. They weren’t my choices that led to this and as I result, I didn’t feel responsible for them. I might as well have been watching a movie. I mean come on guys – this is the final season – have some !@#$ing balls and go all out with the choice and consequence. Towards the end this proves to be a recurring lesson in the story centered around AJ in the lead up to the grand villain. What type of survivor will AJ be? One who protects his tribe at all costs or someone who shows mercy? James provides a moral compass for the former while most the others around him (which may or may not include Clem) guides him towards the latter. In the end if you spare Lilly, the naivety gets James killed (of course it does) while the rest are saved by a timely explosion. At least James died doing what he believed – peace and mercy at all costs. But either his logic was poorly written or he himself was blinded by his past actions of murder, guided by an overcorrection to protect all life. Walkers aren’t bad? They're still human and peaceful when alone? Give all your enemies mercy? To me he seems like the naïve adult who sees a beast rearing its claws and wants to protect it, even when its mano a mano, winner takes all. The world needs idealists and pacifists. But sadly passive people – in all social and animal hierarchies are below dominate creatures – that’s reality. Psychopaths excel at getting what they want especially in this world - a regression into medieval and feudal tribalism. So what’s the answer? There needs to be balance. Show mercy when the situation calls for it. When prison is no longer available the next best punishment is the answer (ala banishment). If this results in vendetta or the bearing of claws, a bullet is your only choice. That’s not murder it’s self-defence. 

This all culminates in the final act on the bridge escape from Minerva and Louis vs Tenn “you didn’t trust AJ to make the shot” sequence. At first I thought "wtf is this shit, again!? I meant humans not fucking walkers... just shoot the walkers and save them!". But after a quick google search I realised it was Tenn he was intending to shoot. Oh shit. Maybe they could have made that clearer with a bit of dialogue but that changes everything…. Suddenly in this moment it all came together. All the decisions with AJ felt real. If I hadn’t reinforced his values in showing mercy and hesitation he would have murdered Tenn. At that point I knew I made the right decision. It wasn’t up to us to kill them. Lilly killed James and Tenn got Louis killed. They knew the risks and it wasn’t up to us to save everyone.

The characters on this one deserves their own spotlight as to their credit, at times they're thought provoking. This would easily be the best version of Clementine (second to the second season). A culmination of all her lessons over the years from Lee, or as Clementine from others (Kenny, Jane, Javier) all culminate here as she passed on the torch. How to find food, avoid, kill and escape walkers and most importantly defend your home and survive when the shit hit the fans (i.e. letting go of attachments). It’s too bad when the shit does hit the fan it’s not 3 games of survival skills that save clementine it’s typically Deus Ex Machina. A grenade explodes and draws in Walkers? Saved by a bunch of kids. Escape raiders and a herd of walkers? Saved by a Whisper who draws them there. Final conversation with Lilly before she escapes? Boat waits to finish exploding. About to be shot by the big bad Lilly?  Well you get the idea. Beyond this the characters are spot on with great writing and performances that make the gritty world feel genuine. I’ve spoken enough about Clem. But her relationship with AJ is easily the highlight of the game. Trying to find the balance between survival and mercy is no easy task – especially when you’ve spent lease than two decades in this world. Her experience surviving on the road, instead of sheltered communities frankly makes her more of an adult in this world than many people double or triple her age. She uses her lessons from Lee and many others help guide the delinquents of a school to make a home of themselves instead of going full Lord of the Flies. Here in lies our wonderful cast all beautifully performed. Mitch and Willy are the typically pyromaniac and macho trouble-makers that just want to be a bunch of badasses (a familiar experience from my childhood). Ruby is the gruff but loveable medic, Omar the chef, Asim the intellectual, Tenn the naïve artist, Louis the wise-cracking bard of the group who uplifts morale, Violet the quiet and capable dark horse of the group. Finally Brody the grouchy hot head and Marlon the defacto leader who seems to have too much weight on his shoulders. They're a volatile couple which ends in disaster as they reveal Marlon gave away two girls to Delta to fight in their war so the others could stay. And then there are the 34 ghosts that reside in the school that game before them – whom everyone is trying to not join. They’re all incredibly voice acted and well written each with great layers of nuance that’s too deep to go into detail here. Beyond the school the highlights are easily James and the villains of the story. James is a Whisper and can control herds. Except he believes they’re still (at least partially) the people they were and shouldn’t be killed (that won’t end poorly). An interesting character who makes you think differently about the walkers for a second – until you realise they’re brain dead and he will be very soon too. But none the less his herding is very cool and effective.

Lilly is leading a raiding party to enslave child soldiers in the defence of the Delta. A terrible deed towards a noble cause. The ends justify the means eh? It makes the villain somewhat relatable and believable, grounding them the so way. As unlikely as it is that all these Georgian characters end up in Virgina, it is awesome to see a loose end from the very first season return here. If Lee had killed her instead of banishing her from the group, this wouldn’t be a problem. But maybe Clem would be taught a difference lesson from Lee, that she would have taken her place anyway? Abel is an interesting guy as Lilly’s 2IC he’s a clear rough rider from the world before – making the best of it and doing the best to help his community survive in the same way any other tribe is. Finally there is Minerva – a seemingly nothing character who quickly became my favourite and gave this game a stellar finale. The first time we find her she's chopping wood. She’s with Lilly and Abel but she still cares for Tenn. Clem gets the jump on her and puts a knife to her throat - clearly shaken, it's an intimidating encoutner before the others show up and reveal who she is... she doesn't tell Lilly as she's still conflicted about Tenn and her old friends. But eventually shit hits the fan, she betrays us at the final hour, then when we scape she tries to kill us multiple times and after we all escape the burning wreckage of the slave ship she’s surrounded by walkers meeting her final end- oh what god what the fuck is that whistling. It sounds like a horror movie. Wait Minnie is alive and covered in Walker guts? She survived, axe toated on shoulder and whisliting the herd right towards us? This is easily the best villain scene in the entire series. The game has its moments of horror such as being trapped with Brody in the dark cellar or the dream sequence but this takes the cake. Slowly walking up to the group backed into a corner, drawing a horde before disappearing to take shots at us from within is utterly terrifying. So what’s her motivation? Well her sister was killed for trying to escape and then she was subjected to years of brainwashing. That all came crumbling down around her when they collided with Clem and so did her sanity. Like all the villains it’s believable, (somewhat) relatable and tragic.

A few points of summary before we wrap this up. The objective title is unnecessary. This is not a big brain game. It has basic QTE (even more so than previous games I felt) which easier to hit queues. So I don’t need a title that says “shoot the walkers” or “talk to X”.

The soundtrack nails it. Sombre when it needs to be, increasingly intense as the scene calls for it, or receding into the background as you most around the school. Some clear highlights being The Chimes, End of the Line and Thank You. 

The art is god damn phenomenal. I’m not sure if the game got a major overhaul since the last three but I do not remember the art style looking this good or the lighting being so well done.

I appreciate that even though the majority is the cast they don't hold back on the reality of a brutal death in this world - making it all the more real. Lacerations, dismemerment, stabs, eye gouges and heads split open. It's all there and they're not even old enough to drink it off! It captures an interesting concept of Lord of the Flies meets post-apocalypse. 

Lastly I love the smaller touches. Most notably is that even though they're kids there are very few circumstances where it feels like they overpowered an adult. A common trope in movies is a kid or female out classing a person that weighs 3x their weight in a direct fight. Instead here they need to use wit, traps, guile and when none of that works a bullet or arrow. For Clem she users her classic manovure of kick em in the knee and stab them in the head (as learnt from Jane RIP). But then when you step into AJs shoes momentarily this is yet another torch passed on with one key difference - AJ is half her height. So instead he stabs them in the knee, then goes for the head - using his height (or lack of) to his advantage. 

Having some dynamic variety in the ways zombies fall would have been nice.

If you hadn’t guess it this game is very up an down. A conflicting game – but overall nails the most important parts – the sombre and dark tone of The Walking Dead as expressed through the characters and their respective moments. In a lot of ways it one-ups the prior games, comics and shows. It goes from common themes in post-apocalyptic survival to exploring “are zombies people” and “do children get to be children in this world”. The latter being the central theme. The main cast is a school of a abandoned children trying to survive, the eldest turning themselves into soldiers so the youngest don’t have to (Clem, Marlon, etc). The Delta are trying to enslave them as child soldiers to fight in their war. And ultimately Clem is trying to guide AJ away or towards a path of violence and protecting loved ones at all costs. Which a path to me I did not take as it ultimately makes Clem no better than the Delta and will inevitibely lead them to become them. The brilliance of the game however is it still makes you question those decisions whatever they may be. The game mirrors what the first game was; Clementine teaches AJ in the same way Lee taught her. Although the stakes are much higher with Clem being a child herself, dealing with Lord of the Flies themes and child soldiers is an extra layer of darkness. The game is still unable to shed it’s token sense of choice, trading one character for another without real consequence. However, the choices you do make, even from the seemingly small dialogue with central characters such as AJ hit the hardest as they actually result in different consequences as you guide a child through this new world. In the end they serve to immerse you in the shoes of Clementine and it does that perfectly, redeeming the game as phenomenal. It comes full circle with the relationship build up between Clem and AJ in a way that feels before true to the series and a fresh take on it at the same time by leaving players with hope, instead of doubt. I believe the games succeeded on one thing Kirkman always wanted to do, kill off Rick and let Carl take the lead. It seems that with Clementine, a new comic book taking off she isn’t done leading. I for one can’t wait to see where it ends.

P.S. 3000 words is not what I intended for this. That’s reserved for 1-2 games a year like God of War or Elden Ring. A testament to how strong this game was.