The Walking Dead - Falcon's Blog

The Walking Dead

Greetings, the Walking Dead is a rather dark video game from Tell Tale that is loosely based on the television series and therefore on the original comic books as well. It was released in 2012 between April and November in an episodic format, consisting of five segments and one additional DLC named 400 days. The DLC is an episode that I have yet to play and follows the stories of characters that were not in the original game. Apparently the plot of 400 days incorporates the decisions made by the player in the original videogame. as well as acting as a bridge between the first and second season together, connecting the stories together.

The plot is centred on the protagonist, a history professor at the University of Georgia called Lee Everett, whose personality is shaped by what the player chooses in the timed conversation trees. It begins with Lee being transported in a police car towards prison for a crime that is unkown to the player. The conversation between Lee and the cop driving the vehicle provides some vague evidence as to what crime Everett committed but it isn’t revealed until later on in the game. While talking to the distracted police officer, the crashes the car into a zombie, called Walkers in the game, that had wondered onto the road. Following the accident Lee is confronted by his first Walker, the cop who had died during the crash, and manages to kill him in self-defence.

The Walking Dead

At this point Everett runs to the nearest house for his own safety and finds it almost deserted. Lee discovers that a little girl by the name of Clementine had managed to hide herself in her tree house, protecting herself against the Walkers with a hammer. In my opinion, unlike most fictional children in survival situations Clementine is actually a well written, original and likeable character rather than just a stereotypical plot device that gives the player someone to protect. Once Everett gains Clementine’s trust and kills her zombie baby sitter, he discovers that her family are on a trip to Savannah. The player then promises to protect Clementine and help to find her parents via the use of a walkie-talkie. On their journey they soon find themselves united with memorable characters such as Kenny and his family, his wife named Kajtaa and his son knicknamed Duck. The episodes are full of interesting characters, whose fate is ofetn let to the player as well as the ability to change their attitude depending on what choice are made.

This game is one of the best I have played in a while and is a credit to Telltale games, who are fast becoming my favourite company in the games industry by creating high quality games like this, Sam and Max and the videogame version of Back to the Future. The music was conducted by Jared Emerson Johnson, who has composed music for many other Telltale games, and does a good job creating music that sets the right tone. The atmosphere is also crafted with great writing for all the characters as well as putting the player in difficult positions with unclear ethical implications. The choices are difficult as the results are normally based on either doing what is morally right or following the rational but callous route. The player must take into acount the effect their choices will have on the fragile relationships that could easily be ruined by making ‘wrong’ decisions. It is made more complicated as main characters often have strong and contrasting opinions that are hard to balance. At the end of each episode the game will compare your results to the actions of other players which I thought was a interesting feature. I look forward to playing the DLC and what the next season will bring.

Plot=10/10

Characters=10/10

Graphics=10/10

Overall=10/10

Quote of the day

Listen up, we have been boarded by armed pirates. If they find you, remember, you know this ship, they don't. Stick together and we'll be all right. Good luck.

Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips

Written by Falcon, Sunday 9 March 2014

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Falcon  11 year(s) ago (131 months)

Thanks for the comments. I'm really interested to see how the second season continues on from the first and if any of the choices the player has made have a future effect.

 
Brisingr  11 year(s) ago (131 months)

Easily one of the best games of the year if not thee best. Characters, Story, Art and Music come together in a fantastic and the result is astounding. I personally found 400 days a tad weak but granted they did well fitting in 5 new main characters into such a short space of time. I agree with Joh, going to have to wait until it is all out and then go on a binge haha.

 
Joh  11 year(s) ago (131 months)

The Walking Dead is an excellent game. The game's story telling was very immersive and I thoroughly enjoying playing through all the episodes in a matter of days. Nice review, and a great game! 400 Days is not nearly as good as the original episodes, but it is worth a play if you enjoyed the game. I have yet to get Season Two and will likely wait until all of the episodes are available and the game goes on sale as it would be painful to have to wait between episodes.

 
Aaron  11 year(s) ago (131 months)

Nicely reviewed! I loved The Walking Dead, it was a surprise favourite and my first Tell Tale game. It's far more entertaining than the television show, and managed to tell one of the best stories in a video game. The relationship between Lee and Clementine was definitely one of the defining features. Glad you enjoyed it, too.