The Walking Dead (The Game) – Episode 1 Review

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Oh my, Telltale Games has released their first episode in their new episodic game, The Walking Dead. Much like Back to the Future, Law and Order, and Jurassic Park before it, The Walking Dead is based on the comic book and it is going to go for a total of five episodes. But I digress, let’s get into this review. Expect it to be rather short, as each episode is supposed to be maybe 2 hours of gameplay at most, which is why they make five episodes instead of one large game.

The Story: The Walking Dead (The Game) follows Lee Everett, a man who, when the game starts out, has been arrested for murder. Lee is involved in a car crash with the cop he is riding with and so the story begins. He finds his way into the back yard of a family who has apparently left, but that was only partially true. The daughter, Clementine, was hiding in her treehouse when her babysitter turned into a zombie, long story short, Lee helps her and they go out and try to survive. Along the way you will encounter several characters from the comics, including Hershel and Glen. This five part series is sure to please fans of all sorts, both the comics and the tv show.

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Title: The Walking Dead (The Game) – Episode 1
Genre: Third-person Strategy
Developer: Telltale Games
Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Price: $25 (on Steam)
ESRB: Mature
Release Date: 4/24/12[/toggle_box]

PRAISE:

• Graphics: While not the BEST out there, I do applaud Telltale Games for one thing: making it look like a comic. It is known that I am a fan of cell shading and the way that Telltale did this one was perfect. I played this on the PC, so it was nice and crisp with good color tones that made this game pleasing to the eyes.
• Gameplay: Much like their other games, this is primarily a point and click. You do get to move the character around to an extent, but for the most part, you guide the cursor to highlighted points to investigate and solve little clues. Many of the action scenes play out in front of you almost like a quick time event, but done properly.
• Story: Because you are playing a brand new character, there is a risk involved because it has to feel like the comic it is based off of. I do not know if Telltale talked to Robert Kirkman, but they did a great job with this. Introducing Lee into a world of zombies is rough, plus the fact it takes place right before the start of the comics and ties things together nicely is a sight to behold.

WELL-DESERVED CRITICISMS:

• Length: Now, I did state that it is only about 2 hours of gameplay, give or take an hour if you explore a lot like me. I understand this, but on the scale of awesome that this game is designed around, those two hours pass quickly and leave you wanting more. I do hope that episode two is a little lengthier so that we don’t have to have that feeling of waiting forever for a new episode.
• Camera: Once or twice, I felt the camera was a little wonky, especially for action scenes. Maybe this was because I was using a mouse with high sensitivity, so every little jerk felt like it was over exaggerated. This was a little distracting in one or two scenes, but overall was overlooked.

CONCLUSION:

All in all, I cannot wait for episode two. As a huge Walking Dead fan, this was an extreme joy to play, even if it was short. This time though, I can go through it several times, with different outcomes, just to see how the characters react and how it shapes my story. I would easily recommend this, especially for those of you who fully go for story over gameplay.

[box_light]We believe that the score is the least important part of a review. It’s tough trying to assign a numerical value to an experience. Furthermore, is there really a difference between a 7.5 and an 8? Gamers place too much importance on arbitrary numbers. This is why our scores are hidden by default. Only look at them if you absolutely need a number between 1-10 to see if a game is worth your time. You can read our review guidelines here.[/box_light]

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Gameplay: 8
Story: 10
Graphics: 8
Sound: 7
Replay Value: 7
Overall: 8

Great – Many strive for greatness, and fail. Not this game, it looked greatness in the eye and lived to tell about it. We recommend purchasing it.[/toggle_box]

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