Tales From The Borderlands: Episode Three - Catch A Ride Reviews
The latest in Telltale Games' episodic series based on 2K's hit RPG shooter is curiously low on laughs and full of frustrating action
A few chuckles and new personalities can't sustain the meandering adventure.
While this episode is certainly worth the effort, chugging through buggy sections with long loading screens puts the grinding brake pads to a lot of series enthusiasm.
'Tales from the Borderlands: Catch a Ride' is one of the stronger episodes in the series in terms of writing and especially characterization. I find myself actually kind of liking these people, which is more than can be said for the often mute Vault Hunters of previous games (with the exception of Claptrap, who is rarely tongue-tied). I wish we could tone down the quick time events a bit, as they turn out to be more frustrating than fun, but Telltale is still doing a good job growing an interesting world with 'Tales from the Borderlands'.
This episode is the most amusing yet, but again, comes with the same problems.
I do find myself less engaged than the last episode had me feeling. I'm hoping for a better shake-up of action and exposition for the remaining two episodes because leaving a huge chunk of the latter to fill the middle feels contrary to the game's origins. It's a weird time to be had.
Tales from the Borderlands continues to be a solid and engaging experience, even if it's not one that you need to rush to experience - in fact, considering the lengthy gaps between episodes, it might be best to wait until the season ends before jumping in.
The games problems annoy but they don't take away from the overall experience. This is a series worth playing. No question.
Tales from the Borderlands: Episode Three - Catch a Ride on PlayStation 4 is easily the best episode to date in a series that is already full of fantastic chapters. Brimming with the trademark stellar storytelling and character development that made Telltale what it is today, Catch a Ride continues to develop the story in original and unpredictable ways, delivering an all round superb experience.
Although not a negative experience, the drop in quality from Episode 1 to 2 can't be ignored.
The vast differences between the choices at the end of Episode Two, the introduction of two major new intriguing players, and the crucial development of some old ones kept Catch a Ride as a strong episode despite it's much more leisurely pacing. It retains much of that humor and charm and the new characters don't disappoint in this field either. While it's obviously a midpoint piece and isn't quite as strong as the first two episodes, Catch a Ride sets the stage to drive Tales From the Borderlands into what is certain to be an explosively violent, yet veraciously hilarious final half.
Tales From the Borderlands' third episode does a nice job keeping us invested, continuing to add new wrinkles to the adventure, and keeping us smiling.
With a slew of new characters, laughs and emotional moments, "Tales from The Borderlands: Episode 3: Catch a Ride" continues to prove that Telltale just has a gift for making us care even more about some of our favorite game franchises.
Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 3 – Catch a Ride starts to get to the meat of the plot, but it still leaves a lot of questions. This is fine – we're only halfway, after all – but it does seem like the story's heading in more directions than it probably should be. Nevertheless, this instalment falls somewhere in between the first and second episodes in terms of quality – and when all is said and done, that's not a negative thing.
Another great episode in what is becoming Telltale's best series. But the sporadic episode release is harming it overall.
Many have called Tales from the Borderlands Telltale's best series ever, and with episodes like Catch a Ride it is tough to argue. The humor is excellent, the voice acting is stellar, and the story continues to engage and intrigue the player with its dual-narrator structure. If you haven't taken the plunge into Rhys and Fiona's epic adventure yet there is no reason to keep waiting, as Tales just keeps getting better as time goes on. Tales from the Borderlands: Episode 4 can't come soon enough.
[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]
Overall, though, Tales of the Borderlands remains a fun and an enjoyable romp. I also like how choices made in earlier games seem to have more consequence than the choices I made in Game of Thrones. If you're looking for a story-driven adventure that features a ton of laughs while still serving up some thoughtful moments, Episode 3 is one ride you'll want to catch.
Compared to previous episodes, Tales from the Borderlands Episode 3: Catch a Ride is a bit slower till the third act but sets up a lot on the game's background story and character development. By the looks of the things Episode 4 will up the ante as the stakes get even higher. If you've been keeping up with the series then the third episode is a must buy.
Tales from the Borderlands – Episode Three: Catch a Ride builds upon the set-up from the previous episodes and delivers a more intense atmosphere and deeper story development. Players who dislike quick-time events may get frustrated at times, but the majority give plenty of reaction time and serve to both hold attention and up the action.