Now that I'm back from traveling half way across the country, it's time to get back to reviewing games by actually reviewing a game and not a cheap demo! So right now everyone is getting back into the zombie feel with The Walking Dead The Game since the new DLC came out not too long ago, and because that's the only game I've been able to play while I was gone, let's take a look.
The Walking Dead, first of all, was originally a comic starring Rick Grimes, a police officer who has to survive the apocalypse, while also dealing with the other survivors who in a world without laws, might be more dangerous than the walking corpses trying to eat his face off. The comic was and still is very popular, so much so that is spawned a TV series which is even more popular, though I've never seen it. Despite the popularity, there never was a Walking Dead game, but in 2012 the first ever Walking Dead game was made. Developed by Telltale Games, the developers behind Tales of Monkey Island, Back to the Future the Game, and Jurassic Park The Game, The Walking Dead The Game was incredibly well received, sold a boatload of copies with sales hitting over a million by the end of the year, and won quite a few game of the year awards too. Did I mention it's a point and click adventure game? The success of this game is amazing, but is it really game of the year material?
Well first let's start with the plot. It should be mentioned right away that this game shares no connection the the comics or the show. There's only two characters from the comics that you see that leave very soon and that's about it. This game is connected to The Walking Dead by the name alone. Though this may disappoint fans of the comic or show, this also means that there's an original plot that anyone can enjoy. Speaking of that, you play as Lee Everett, a man on his way to jail for killing a man for sleeping with his wife. The good news is that the car never makes it to the prison. The bad news is that the car crashed and Lee is now in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. Lee goes to a nearby house to escape the zombies where he meets Clementine, a young girl who's parents were on vacation when the apocalypse started. Therefore its up to Lee to survive this new world while protecting Clementine and keeping the group he finds himself in together. I don't want to say too much about the plot because this is a story that really needs to be experienced firsthand. Even talking about just the second episode could be considered spoilers. What I can say is that this game continues the theme of human interaction that is used in the other Walking Dead media and it leads to many tense moments in this well written plot.
Onto the game play. The game is a point and click adventure game where you have to solve puzzles and find objects. Movement is done with the left analog while you move the reticle with the right stick with the different actions being mapped to the face buttons. This is used to find the aforementioned objects and solve the aforementioned puzzles. That being said, solving puzzles only takes a small part of the game. A majority of the game play is in conversations with the other survivors. The choices you can make are mapped to the face buttons just like the actions in the adventure sections. You will be told to make many choices, and you'll have to have a say in many of the more difficult ones. You can always just stay silent in conversations, but that will influence what other characters think of you. Throughout all of the episodes, your choices will influence characters thoughts about you and small, subtle things will change. The only problem is that despite the many choices you can make, you're ultimately heading towards the same though slightly different conclusion. Making a lot of your choices pointless, because if the plot demands that a character is to die, then their going to die despite what they think of you. For an early example, in the beginning of Episode 1 your forced to save a grown man or a kid. Of course everybody chooses to save the kid because he has more to live for and by doing that the man dies, and his father kicks you out of his farm, but at the same time, the boys family likes you more for saving their son. On the other hand, you can choose to save the man while the boys father comes and saves him. And the man you try to save still dies. Okay, he tells his dad that you tried to save him just before he dies, but you're kicked out of the farm anyway. And things like this happen throughout the whole series, so the only way to make worthwhile choices is to know which characters will die early on and focus on making the long lasting characters like you more. But this still leads you to the same general conclusion, making almost all of the choices entirely pointless.
On the topic of presentation, the game looks good. Though not the gritty realistic graphics that are expected form games nowadays, the comic book cel-shaded style looks nice, especially when you consider what its based on. The graphics will sometimes glitch out where some clipping will happen and some characters vanishing into thin air when you leave. The music is also done very nicely with intense music when action is going on and atmospheric pieces when sad story segments happen, leading to a great soundtrack. Though not something someone would put on their iPod, the pieces definitely set the mood, and get the job done while you're playing.
The game is split into five episodes, each being purchased individually for five dollars each, with each one lasting about two hours, with the exception of the final episode, which only lasts about an hour, leading to a nine hour game costing $25. Is it worth it? Yes. The only major problem with the game design wise it the ultimate pointless-ness of your choices, but that's not something a first time player would know unless someone told you. The plot is just so well done overall, regardless of your choices, and by not linking it to the comics or the show leads to an amazing story that you won't see anywhere else. The Walking Dead The Game is not a game you come to for the game play, but rather for the story, and if you come knowing that, you'll find one of the best experiences 2012 had to offer, with a second season on its way.
Since I suck at segways, let's talk about The Walking Dead 400 Days, the new DLC that came out not too long ago, starring 5 unlucky survivors, each with their own story taking place sometime in a 400 day span. Short and to the point, its 5 short Walking Dead stories that each last about 10-20 minutes leading to a short overall story lasting about an hour and a half for the same price as a normal episode. The short segments star one of the five characters requiring you to do what you've been trained to do throughout Season 1, and that's survive and make tough choices. It should be noted that this time around, your choices throughout the stories actually influence the conclusion of the DLC which could change things happening in Season 2, meaning if you didn't care about shelling out another five dollars just for more Walking Dead, you'll want to just to see how your choices here influence Season 2. Despite staring different characters, nothing really changed here. Subtle references to things that happened in Season 1 make this world a little more connected, and anyone who was uses to how things worked in Season 1 will fell right at home. When I say nothing really changed however that also holds true to the glitches as well, as a few well-timed glitches will break your immersion just like Season 1. Overall though, 400 Days just serves as a quick sample to what Season 2 has to offer. For a bit more of The Walking Dead, this will satisfy. But for most, this will just make you more impatient for Season 2.
The Silent Protagonist thinks it's Zombie Time. DUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDAHDAHDAH! *Groan* DUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDUNDAHDAHDAH! *Groan*
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