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If you've played any games from Telltale, you'll likely sum up their appeal with one word: humor. The company has carved out a comfy little niche by delivering reliably funny episodic adventure games, positioning its products squarely in the tradition of LucasArts classics like the Monkey Island series and Grim Fandango (heck, they've even made their own Monkey Island games).
Now Telltale wants to get serious. A few weeks ago, they announced Jurassic Park: The Game, and last night they revealed upcoming titles based on the Fables comics and on the wildly popular comic/TV series The Walking Dead.
Which brings up a "serious" question: Will dramatic content affect the way Telltale's games play? If my brief experience with Jurassic Park: The Game is any indication, that answer is yes…but not in a good way.
Walking into the event last night, I wondered how exactly a Jurassic Park adventure game would work. Telltale's typical point-and-click style lends itself well to comedic games; fans get plenty of enjoyment simply clicking around the environments and listening to characters spout witty one-liners. Somehow, I don't think it'd be quite as much fun to hear a scientist in Jurassic Park: The Game matter-of-factly describe the notable features of Isla Sorna.
Telltale didn't think so, either. Their solution? Turn Jurassic Park: The Game into what's essentially a less interactive version of Heavy Rain. When presented with a puzzle, players can pan the camera from side to side to look for context-sensitive objects in the environment. They interact with those objects by mimicking real-life movements — with a quarter turn of the analog stick to open a door, say, or by holding down a button to apply pressure. But at no point can they move the characters themselves.
During action sequences, the game devolves into a series of quick-time events that generally require players to tap or mash buttons as quickly as possible. Failure results in any number of gruesome deaths, but since the game starts you back up right before you died, the only real consequence is sore thumbs.
The underwhelming Jurassic Park: The Game demo has me worried about Telltale's other upcoming dramatic properties. The company needs to be very careful that by taking out the funny from their games, they don't also remove the fun.