Top 10 Greatest Telltale Games
Top 10 Best Telltale Games
The Tragic Story of Telltale Games
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the 10 best Telltale Games. For this video, we’re looking at the best video games released by the original Telltale Games studio between 2004 and the company’s end in 2018. Have any favorites you think should be remembered? Let us know in the comments section!
#10: “Batman: The Telltale Series” (2016)
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There have been so many different takes on Batman and his vast rogues’ gallery it would be easy to write off Telltale’s version as having nothing new to offer – but this couldn’t be further from the truth. With Troy Baker now donning the cape and cowl as Bruce Wayne, the series didn’t just bring in fresh takes on classic villains like the Penguin and Two-Face, but also introduced a new villain all of its own: Lady Arkham. The mysterious puppetmaster is obsessed with dragging the Wayne family name through the mud and revealing the crimes of Bruce’s late father, and she’ll go to any lengths to achieve this goal. A worthy match for the World’s Greatest Detective.
#9: “Minecraft: Story Mode” (2015-16)
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Since its beginning, “Minecraft” has been one of the most popular video games out there; it’s great for both young kids and casual players, but has deep, complex systems as well – something for everyone. The only thing “Minecraft” is missing is a story, and in 2015 Telltale Games decided to rectify this. “Minecraft: Story Mode” ended up being a surprise hit, letting players customize protagonist Jesse’s appearance within the game’s blocky, visual style before sending them off on an admirable adventure to save the world. Fun for all the family, “Story Mode” became one of Telltale’s most popular offerings.
#8: “Back to the Future: The Game” (2010-11)
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Of the two big IPs Telltale won before “The Walking Dead”, “Back to the Future” was by far the most successful – the other was “Jurassic Park”, and the less said about that the better. “Back to the Future” roped in the original cast of the beloved movies, including a cameo in the final episode from Michael J. Fox, for a story that wouldn’t be amiss in a fourth film. Doc is stranded in the 1930s and Marty needs to go rescue him, in the process accidentally tricking the young Emmett Brown into falling for a girl who’s both bad for him and the residents of Hill Valley. With time travel shenanigans and lots of puzzles, it’s a perfect “Back to the Future” video game.
#7: “Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series” (2017)
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One of the biggest and most mainstream IPs Telltale ever got their hands on was certainly “Guardians of the Galaxy”, with the game releasing the same year as the second movie. Though it would have been easy to make a clean-cut adaptation of what the wildly successful MCU was doing with Star-Lord & co, Telltale once again didn’t pick the path most traveled, and put their own spin on the comics. Flipping the MCU on its head, the very first episode saw them face down Thanos himself, before turning their sights on something far deadlier - relationships! Telltale deserves a lot of props for going their own way with such a well-known franchise.
#6: “Batman: The Enemy Within” (2017-18)
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We briefly saw the Joker, going by the name John Doe, in the first season of “Batman”, but by season two he finally became the character we all know and love – and again, it was a fresh take. Now, Joker is largely an ally for Batman depending on whether the player decides to trust him or not, which is a pretty big ask for anyone familiar with the lore. The game’s true villains are quickly revealed to be a sinister “Agency” led by Amanda Waller. You’ll be shaping not only Bruce but those around him, including whether the Joker will become a good guy or a bad guy, or whether Gotham even needs Batman at all.
#5: “Tales of Monkey Island” (2009)
The “Monkey Island” series has had a rough go of it over the years, with the many sequels never quite living up to the quality of the first two. But Telltale still made a formidable attempt with the fifth game in the series that remains one of their strongest releases. Hapless hero Guybrush Threepwood once again goes toe to toe with the undead pirate LeChuck, whose demonic, undead form is quickly turned back into a human. The central conflict is Guybrush’s attempts to determine whether the new, human LeChuck is as trustworthy as he wants you to believe. It was a comforting return to form for “Monkey Island” and was Telltale at its very best.
#4: “Tales from the Borderlands” (2014-15)
Another instance of Telltale putting their own spin on a well-established video game series came when they took on Gearbox’s popular looter shooter franchise. In typical “Borderlands” style, the protagonists are a pair of rogues who eventually end up working together to find a new Vault in the galaxy and steal the treasure within. And of course, they end up coming to blows with the series’ iconic villain Handsome Jack, who has a nefarious scheme as always. If you like the space western feel of “Borderlands” but aren’t too keen on looter shooters, “Tales from the Borderlands” is a masterful take on the established lore.
#3: “Sam & Max Save the World” (2006-17)
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Telltale’s first big hit; after LucasArts eventually lost the rights to develop video games based on the “Sam & Max” comic books, they picked up the slack and made this cult classic. Unlike later Telltale games, each of this game’s episodes were standalone stories, more akin to an actual procedural with a different, iconic case to investigate with each new installment. Every case is just as wacky and enjoyable as “Sam & Max” veterans have come to expect. And in December 2020, a remaster of the game was released, so you can either experience it for the first time or dive right back into the nostalgia.
#2: “The Walking Dead” (2012)
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Telltale struck gold when “The Walking Dead” season one came out in 2012. Adapting the original comic books rather than the TV show, which was still wildly popular at the time, “The Walking Dead” introduced that cel-shaded visual style that would quickly become the norm for Telltale’s subsequent games. It was the story of Lee - a nuanced protagonist on his way to prison just as the zombie outbreak is unleashed upon the world - and Clementine, a young girl whose parents have died early on in the chaos. This outstanding story led to Clem becoming one of the most beloved characters in modern gaming, and certainly in Telltale’s body of work.
#1: “The Wolf Among Us” (2013-14)
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It didn’t sell as well as “The Walking Dead”, but it was Telltale’s critical darling. Tackling the lesser-known “Fables” comics, in “The Wolf Among Us” players take on the role of the Big Bad Wolf, now known as Bigby, the sheriff of Fabletown, where magical characters from the world’s fables and stories all live together. It’s a classic detective story, with Bigby investigating some sinister murders that eventually reveal how deep the corruption in Fabletown runs. Traditional fairytales mixed with grimy, 1980s New York was a recipe for success, with a gripping investigation full of twists you’ll never see coming.
