Released at a time where the TV show The Walking Dead was the ne plus ultra, the homonymous PC/XBOX/PlayStation game didn't have an easy task with making itself a name aside of the AMC drama. However, it managed to do just that and currently, people are also looking forward to the game's second season way more than to the show's fourth one, at least I see it that way. Telltale Games' used the apocalyptic world of Robert Kirkman's comic book series as the basis for their story (different characters, though) and created an unexpectedly engaging, dramatic, and relatable survival story that may not always involve great gameplay, but succeeds on so many other layers that really make it an outstanding gaming experience.
Aside from three exceptions in the supporting cast, The Walking Dead has original characters with the convicted murderer Lee Everett being the one through whose perspective we play the game. Contrary to his crime, Lee is actually quite a good-natured man, but, of course, our decisions can change that to some degree. On the day the zombie apocalypse outbreaks, he is sitting in a police car heading for prison and ironically, it's the zombie apocalypse that helps him get away. Lee encounters an eight-year-old girl by the name of Clementine who is all on her own and understandably frightened. From now own, the two go their way together - a way that should be about finding the girl's parents, but as you'll quickly recognize, it is very unlikely that they are still alive. As the plot progresses, Lee starts to be a father figure for her and the duo meets more and more characters while also losing a substantial number of them. Their perilous journey also leads them to farms, drugstores, mansions, and schools while traveling per train or trailer.
As you'll soon find out while playing it, The Walking Dead has its primary focus on a good story, character development, and a lot of interactions and not that much on the usual action and splatter moments. But as I said, it's just not the primary focus and gory violence is present in every single one of the five episodes. What makes the game stand out from the mass is that it is very good in both matters and could even entertain people that are totally uninterested in video games since its style really resembles that of a TV show – we even have "Previously ons" and credits after each episode. I do believe that the choices you make aren't resembled often enough later on, but most of that is compensated by a great story (on the same level as the TV show, I'd say, but much more engaging considering you're the protagonist) and all different kinds of intense action sequences.
The game's design is very gritty, obviously to resemble a comic book look, and with that, the designers did a nice job. It's not outstanding, but at least they didn't go for an ultra-realistic style, with which they would probably have failed. The colors are mostly dark and are spiced up by the occasional crimson blood spurts; the decoration of houses or the like is a bit meager, but that also comes from the greater focus on the story. The voice acting is above average, which doesn't necessarily mean it's good, but I have to say that there was realistic dialogue and a good portrayal of emotions.
I didn't have any problems with the gameplay, yet it was almost too easy and even first-time players will get along with it in a matter of minutes. Again, there is the argument that plot and characters were more important to Telltale Games and I get that, however, some stuff, i.e. slicing through a crowd of zombies in the fifth episode, was definitely too easy.
If you lay more focus on gameplay, design, or sound, then you should really lower your expectations before starting to play The Walking Dead. BUT, you should definitely start to play The Walking Dead since it really gets you hooked and invested in all the characters while never loosing the thrill a zombie apocalypse would bring with it. This game is one of the most realistic approaches to the zombie genre and has a dramatic reach that most movies don't. The sudden zombie attacks always scared the hell out of me and the increasingly eerie ambiance was very well build up. Altogether, I utterly enjoyed playing The Walking Dead and would recommend it to pretty much everyone. Naming it the best game of the year or even the best game ever is, however, just disproportionate.
Aside from three exceptions in the supporting cast, The Walking Dead has original characters with the convicted murderer Lee Everett being the one through whose perspective we play the game. Contrary to his crime, Lee is actually quite a good-natured man, but, of course, our decisions can change that to some degree. On the day the zombie apocalypse outbreaks, he is sitting in a police car heading for prison and ironically, it's the zombie apocalypse that helps him get away. Lee encounters an eight-year-old girl by the name of Clementine who is all on her own and understandably frightened. From now own, the two go their way together - a way that should be about finding the girl's parents, but as you'll quickly recognize, it is very unlikely that they are still alive. As the plot progresses, Lee starts to be a father figure for her and the duo meets more and more characters while also losing a substantial number of them. Their perilous journey also leads them to farms, drugstores, mansions, and schools while traveling per train or trailer.
As you'll soon find out while playing it, The Walking Dead has its primary focus on a good story, character development, and a lot of interactions and not that much on the usual action and splatter moments. But as I said, it's just not the primary focus and gory violence is present in every single one of the five episodes. What makes the game stand out from the mass is that it is very good in both matters and could even entertain people that are totally uninterested in video games since its style really resembles that of a TV show – we even have "Previously ons" and credits after each episode. I do believe that the choices you make aren't resembled often enough later on, but most of that is compensated by a great story (on the same level as the TV show, I'd say, but much more engaging considering you're the protagonist) and all different kinds of intense action sequences.
The game's design is very gritty, obviously to resemble a comic book look, and with that, the designers did a nice job. It's not outstanding, but at least they didn't go for an ultra-realistic style, with which they would probably have failed. The colors are mostly dark and are spiced up by the occasional crimson blood spurts; the decoration of houses or the like is a bit meager, but that also comes from the greater focus on the story. The voice acting is above average, which doesn't necessarily mean it's good, but I have to say that there was realistic dialogue and a good portrayal of emotions.
I didn't have any problems with the gameplay, yet it was almost too easy and even first-time players will get along with it in a matter of minutes. Again, there is the argument that plot and characters were more important to Telltale Games and I get that, however, some stuff, i.e. slicing through a crowd of zombies in the fifth episode, was definitely too easy.
If you lay more focus on gameplay, design, or sound, then you should really lower your expectations before starting to play The Walking Dead. BUT, you should definitely start to play The Walking Dead since it really gets you hooked and invested in all the characters while never loosing the thrill a zombie apocalypse would bring with it. This game is one of the most realistic approaches to the zombie genre and has a dramatic reach that most movies don't. The sudden zombie attacks always scared the hell out of me and the increasingly eerie ambiance was very well build up. Altogether, I utterly enjoyed playing The Walking Dead and would recommend it to pretty much everyone. Naming it the best game of the year or even the best game ever is, however, just disproportionate.