Gaming and More

The Walking Dead Game – Season 2 – Episode 1 – All That Remains Review

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Hey everyone!

It’s been a while since I wrote my last game review and that’s mainly because I haven’t been playing anything lately. My attention has been pulled towards other side projects, and real life has kept me quite busy.  Though I’ve managed to get a little free time….and when I have some free time, I tend to go rummaging through old games that I haven’t had a chance to play or catch up on.  I’ve had Season 2 of The Walking Dead installed since it came out, and I’m just now getting around to finishing up the story. To me it’s one of those little gems of the game world that you can’t wait to play. I got a hold of the first Walking Dead game early last year and had a blast playing through the series, but I wasn’t able to follow the story into Season 2, until now, and all I have to say it’s a buckle your seat belt kinda game.  It’s full of roller coaster emotional moments, and packed with action scenes that keep you on the edge of your chair.

the-walking-dead-all-that-remains-4-1024x576We pick back up with Clementine who is the young heroine of this story.  You can really tell the death and destruction that has surrounded her for so long is starting to wear on her.  She no longer has Lee to lean on in those tough desperate times of need as he’s passed away and just a memory now.  This season starts with a brand new feel and that innocent little girl you saw in season 1 is all but lost and put aside.

Just as the first season game play spun our heads, how you play and how you make decisions in this season determines how the story flows. All That Remains really pulls you to the center of how Clementine has learned to survive, fought for the things she held dear, and even learned to grasp the evil that humanity can bring on itself.  She is learning to lean on the dependency of herself instead of others in this season.

It’s still a big enjoyment of the game to have those split second frantic button popups during zombie battles, decision points with the groups, and exploring the environments at your own pace.  But one thing I’ve not enjoyed is the decisions you made in season 1 don’t seem to matter all that much now.  Clementine ends up with an untrusting new group that finds her stranded and alone, but because everyone exists to question Clementine, we’re left not knowing what anybody but Clementine wants.

clementine and peteShe meets a man named Pete, who seems to be the group’s leader and has an instant open heart to Clementine, almost a father-figure role. Clementine becomes quick friends with Luke, a young man she confides in about her old friend Lee that passed away.  Clem also finds another young girl about her age, who for all purposes is completely oblivious to the things happening outside the walls of her home.

This new group brings a new level of fascination, and stress to the game, as they all have a very strained relationship with each other and the conflict will surely blow up.  The main plot of this season has a dark enemy lurking closer to the group and way more dangerous than the zombies could ever be.  The overall story line seems a bit torn and less put together than the first season, and I’m not sure if it’s meant to be that way to keep you guessing, or by the writers being torn. What makes everything tie together is Clementine, as she is the shining star of this game and no matter how unsure you are of the overall story, her story pulls everything together somehow.

This season has some of the most shocking violent moments in The Walking Dead series I’ve seen but everything you experience as being Clementine is more engaging and way more emotional.  Though Clementine has found a new group of survivors she still has this empty spot and you really do feel alone in the game.  Some of the conversations you have with others seem disheartening as you get to watch the little bit of humanity that seems left slip away.  But again, this type of emotional roller coaster is what makes the game so appealing, and emotionally you feel connected to those characters that TellTale has created.

scr.ee tags:

#thewalkingdead #seasontwo #episodeone

Tomb Raider – A New Spin on Lara Croft – Game Review

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download (12)Looking back at the original Tomb Raider which came out 19 years ago… and yes that actually says 19 years ago.  I won’t lie, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Tomb Raider series but they brought in a new era of action and adventure to the gaming world.  Over the past 19 years, we’ve seen Lara any many forms and fashions, from the gun wielding expert, to the great female explorer.  But we’ve never seen a Lara quite like this new one from Crystal Dynamics as we now get to see a young Lara Croft on her very first expedition.  She has been shipwrecked and stranded on a strange remote island, packed full of dangerous moments lurking around the corners and pushed to her limits.  During the game you will get to experience this new side of Lara’s origin that we’ve never seen before.  I believe this was a great way to reboot a series like Tomb Raider that ultimately builds on the already great character we know as Lara Croft.

I’m not a big fan of games with QTE’s “Quick Time Events” but the way they built the story for this game you really don’t notice it.  Everything early on in the game feels very scripted at times, but this is also offset with the beautiful landscapes, and the character development.  Even though the opening of the game is very restrictive, the designers did such a great job on the plot that you just kinda forget about it….but the best part of the game is after you hit the open lanes and the game lets you loose on the island.  This Lara is a very different Lara then we’ve seen in past as I said before, she is vulnerable and what seems weak at times, but she is also very strong and has a will to live which connects you to the character.

The lacking areas of the game were the supporting cast by far.  Personally for me I think this is because we’ve seen multiple games with Lara Croft before, so anyone that is a supporting cast is by default lacking just because.  The plot of Lara being shipwrecked with a crew of friends is what really builds the story in this new game though.  Overall the story that was created is about Lara and not the supporting cast and Crystal Dynamics has done a fantastic job of pulling you into the story and giving you options to be a part of it.  There are a few jaw-dropping moments in this story, which develops quickly from survival-struggle into an epic battle for survival.

download (11)The combat in the game takes some getting used to because it moves so quickly, and Lara is brand new to the expedition lifestyle as this being her first, you see a few weaknesses come about. One minute she’s trying to figure out how to use a weapon it seems, and five minutes down the road she’s wielding a bow, sneaking around, and doing stealth kills like a ninja. Combat has never been the strength of Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider games, but this game nailed it right on the head with an awesome system in my honest opinion. Fighting in this game is just overall fun, and it doesn’t matter what weapon Lara is carrying because your going to get to kill a lot of bad guys in this game.  Throughout the game a lot of learning goes on as well, because Lara is able to discover new weapons, and can gather scrap metals and materials to actually “MacGyver” upgrade her weapons as well. I personally enjoyed snapping arrows at high speed through bad guys skulls then using any of the guns, but to each persons own style right.

Building Lara’s skills and upgrading her weapons became a necessity for me it seemed, personally because I’m a completionist, and I wanted to see how much damage I could do.  By the time you hit the later chapters of the game you have a mercenaries personal arsenal stash to pick from. I never had a ton of hand to hand combat in the game but that is something you can upgrade and learn along the way as well, which I advise you do.  Most of the game though is focused on survival at any cost but seems to be under used in some major parts of the game and story plot.

images (39)One of my favorite parts of the survival instincts Lara has is her climbing abilities as you use it a ton in the game, but more then anything leaping across cliffs and mountain ranges with a climbing axe brings you to the edge of your seat at times. Being able to climb to new destinations around this map makes the game feel very large and actually brings you closer to feeling lost on a big remote island I think.  Lara has been to some pretty amazing places over her 19 years as an explorer but this reboot gives us a stunning, beautiful look into scenery that is hard not to stop and look at.  This game is so rich with colors, detail and beauty, you could honestly call it a work of art at times.

Tomb Raider has definitely taken inspiration from the other great action games of our generation. One of my favorites in the game were Shanty Town where you have to escape a burning building, and in the same area you were sifted down a cliff-side waterfall, so the game has a ton of depth in it’s environment.  This game brings a great mix of emotions into the game play as well, as there are moments of learning and quiet story building, heavy combat sequences, and moments your sitting on the edge of your seat clinching your teeth together.  One of the things I did like about the old Tomb Raider games were the puzzles you had to figure out, and this game is no different as Lara will have plenty of moments figuring out how to find lost treasure, or being stumped on a solution of how a door opens.  A lot of the treasure hunting takes backseat to the storyline of the campaign missions, but it’s great to have that old exploration feel in the game as well with these side missions.

When you have finally completed all the campaign missions, the map opens up for you to explore as you freely choose, and if your a completionist then what better way to go looking for those missing documents, hidden treasure, or relics you missed a long the way.  Once the main campaign is complete there won’t be any lurking threats while your out scavenging so it’s just you and the large remote island of a playground that you get to go admire now.

The Walking Dead – The Game – Episode 5 No Time Left

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Finishing off the final of my Walking Dead the game reviews for season one, I thought it fitting to add the season finale trailer.

The first four episodes of The Walking Dead put the game into perspective of how in depth this game was really going to be.  This episode brings everything to a huge climactic head and you being in the main role of Lee Everett is overwhelming in this episode.  His story is packed full of emotions, suspense and very tense moments, and very terrifying all at the same time.  Unfortunately this is possibly the end of the road for Lee as he has been bitten, and Clementine has also been taken.

The sole purpose in this episode seems to be finding Clementine, no matter the cost! This episode throws you into what seems to be Lee’s final hours of life, and the split second decisions are more frequent as well.  In previous installments, you’ve had to make one or two major decisions, but Episode 5 has us making them left and right – deciding where the group should head, who to tell off, etc… Really there are only a couple choices that change the game drastically and affect the story (one of those decisions are very early on in the game, and it’s one of the most gruesome out of all the episodes), but Telltale has dones such a freaking amazing job at the story telling of the group that even the small decisions seem epic in this one.  We know that this is the end of Lee, and honestly this is such a fitting end to an epic story character.

This episode moves so fast mainly due to the way time plays out for Lee and being bitten by one of the nasties.  Basically you never know when the decision you just made will be your last one to ever make for this character.  This episode also does a good job weaving all the characters together in a emotional dance and when the fast pace of the episode does slow down, we almost get a chance to reflect on everything that’s happened up to this point.  Having a conversation with Kenny about Duck and Kat plays out differently based on who you tried to save in Episode 1.  A lot of the “He or she will remember that” bits from the previous episodes make an appearance once again.  This episode seems to be more personal in manner than any of the others to date and references a lot of your previous actions to build that personal touch.

Gameplay is packed full of action, but there is a ton of conversation building, and character development as well.  Again, the voiceover work is absolutely amazing as always and honestly is what keeps me coming back to this game!  The graphic novel style of the game is still beautiful in it’s own sense and still remains one of my favorite game designs ever!  This episode also holds one of the games largest zombie fights to date and some of the most emotional end game conversations you’ve ever listened to.  This end of the story honestly leaves you speechless, and really holds you on the edge of your seat all the way till the credits roll!

I can’t wait to start playing season 2, and Season 3 is to be announced on release date sometime this year!

 

scr.ee tags:

#thewalkingdead #seasonone #episodefive #finale

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons – Game Review – Episode One

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download (10)Ok so yesterday I picked up a fantastic game that has been in my “Want List” for a while….Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a beautifuly designed game with a rather dark underlying tone that has a fairy tale look to it.  I’ve played about five hours of the game so far which for me is un-heard of.  The game has such a great story, the game play itself is quite unique and took me a bit to get used to.  Throughout the journey I’ve seen so far of these two brothers trying to save their dying father is a fascinating interaction with the world in some very unique ways.  You get to experience themes of death, adventure, teamwork, and a very in-depth story that pulls you in.  The controls for the game are very unique, as you have to use both joysticks to control the players, and it frequently caused me some hand eye coordination issues.

Much of the story and the attraction to this game for me is the Brother’s language they speak in.  It’s an imaginary language that has no subtitles, so it’s all up to us to watch body language and pull the story from the visuals being shown.  All the characters I’ve seen to this point have a stake in the story being told, as does the interaction of items in the world, locations you visit, and landmarks you are asked to find.  You have to pay very close attention and piece together all the bits of this fantastic visual story being told.

Brothers-A-Tale-of-Two-SonsThe game kicks you off in a small village with pleasant townsfolk and honestly I spent a lot of time just looking at the stunning landscapes, and environment I was just immersed in.  One complaint I have of the game so far is the lack of detail you actually get to see on the Brothers themselves.  They have a bit of lack luster compared to the world around them, but still that is minor because to me the game play and unique style makes up for that miss.  Brothers is one of the most unique games I’ve played in the last year with it’s control system, and the non-verbal language system that leaves the interpretation of the story up to you.  I love that the game has options as well, because you can jump right into game play and fight your way to the end of the game, but I’m also noticing that if you don’t pay close attention to details around you, a lot of side stories that seem to help build the story and adventure will be missed.

I’m anxious to continue on in this story, and I hope practice makes perfect with these controls because they are a challenge to get the hang of.  While the movements of the game can pull away from some of the game at times, overall the visually stunning surroundings and interesting world interactions pull you back very quickly.

More to come on this game as I’m excited to see where the journey goes and how the story plays out on this game.

scr.ee tags:

#episodeone

 

The Walking Dead – The Game – Episode 4 Around Every Corner

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Hey Everyone,

WalkingDead101_2012-10-11_14-47-29-79We kick things off this week with a review on Episode 4 of the Walking Dead Game.  Around Every Corner brings a suspense to the game like no other, and sets up some amazing plot points.  This in turn made the anxiousness of finding out what happens in Episode 5 even worse.

Episode 4 picks up up right after the end of Episode 3 as you find yourself and the rest of the survivors in Savannah, ready to make way for the river to escape.  As always this episode is packed full of surprises that keep you guessing as to what will be around the next corner.

I love that all the episodes have kicked off with a foundation goal that always helps drive the story, but also gets more complicated as the chapters come through.  Episode 4 is a bit different in this case as you leave off with a big question mark in Episode 3, it’s a mysterious voice that comes over the walkie talkie you are carrying…Oddly, this voice on the other end of the walkie wasn’t the main focus of Episode 4.

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The Walking Dead has been a ton of fun to play but something is different with Episode 4 as well…. though you are still playing as Lee, and building relationships with the others and taking care of Clementine…..There are more zombies than ever, and the game puts us behind Lee’s gun in a first-person perspective.  The choices that came along with that perspective really set a new tone for the game but again it feels different, like something changed that made it less emotional than the other episodes.

One of the major things that pulled the emotions out of this episode were the new cast members.  The new cast members don’t seem to have as deep of a background and story building plot as the original crew.  This episode still has some very epic challenges and big decisions you have to make, but they lacked that “Spiz-az” of the first few episodes I’ve played so far.    As always, the vocal performances are amazing, and the comic book style artistic flare they use is mind blowing.

f566718d5b4cf0387301308dbc3be17dI may not have felt as connected to the story this time around, but the story overall was still very engaging and game play was still awesome as always.  The true test of this game has been the story line and plot building as it keeps you waiting for that next moment to happen, and holds you just at the right moment.

Overall, Episode 4 has been my least favorite of the bunch so far as it didn’t have that big “WOW” factor to it.  That doesn’t mean it wasn’t an awesome episode, or that the story lacked, no, just the opposite, it’s bigger than ever.  Just like a big plot in a movie, or a massive book you will always find something you don’t like….but the good in this game dominates the bad by a long shot.  I can’t wait to play the big Finale of this chapter of the game and finish up so I can move on to Season 2.

Until next time, I bid you a fine farewell readers!

scr.ee tags:

#thewalkingdead #seasonone #episodefour

The Walking Dead – The Game – Episode 3 The Long Road Ahead

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the-walking-dead-episode-3-long-road-ahead-cfa6bde45c8f98ab66fe-midThe more I play The Walking Dead, the more I feel like being the bad guy at times…. When I started episode one, I felt like I needed to make all the good choices and be that stand-up guy for Clementine.  Starting episode two made you question whether Lee was going to be that good guy, or the protector and survivor he needed to be. Now, after finishing episode three and looking back at my choices, it really makes you question if you did the right thing, or did you make the best survivors judgement call in the split second of time they give you to mash that choice button? Faced with the toughest decisions to date, there was no question over how a choice would make Lee look or how that choice would affect the group.  This episode was so fast paced and when something happened, I personally felt a knee jerk reaction and you make that split second choice.  This is what I love about the game the most is the way it pulls the emotions into things….the situations almost bring the survivor out of you at times.

I’m a huge Walking Dead fan if you haven’t caught on yet… I love the show, the comics, the story, and overall premise of what The Walking Dead is.  The parallel between watching Rick Grimes – The main protagonist of the AMC original TV series evolves as does he evolve with each new comic, I personally get to see an ever evolving Lee Everett in the game.

111780_maxThe Long Road Ahead is the third out of five series in the game that have been released and best way I can describe this episode is “A roller coaster going a hundred miles an hour and no ones watching the controls”  Our small group get’s to see some of the most screwed up, emotional twisted moments to date in game.  This episode brings in a situation with the bandits who have nowhere else to turn now that the dairy farm is out of commission, as well as Kenny and Lilly who are still at odds, and to top everything off…..there’s a thief in the midst your little group now.

By this point, it’s safe to assume you’ve gotten really connected with these characters now and have learned a ton about them and who they really are….and probably even have some favorites that you tend to lean towards more than others. So, when the season-defining choices appear on screen, there’s an emotional roller coaster at times that come for us players and the characters we’ve grown fond of.

frame_0002Since episode one, this game and the characters in it create a very unique emotional relationship that brings the games context to a deeper level.  This episode really brings together Lee and Kenny’s relationship and you begin to see how important trust is in this game.  You also understand how important protection, and grasp the idea of who has your back and who doesn’t.

As always, this episode looks amazing with its comic-style, and the voice acting is above and beyond amazing! These two aspects of the game really bring you into the game and you just get completely lost in the story.   One great portion of this episode that brings such rich satisfaction to the story is the side adventure stories you are challenged with which becomes a huge plot of the story unlike the previous episodes.  This episode in my book has been one of the best to date, but I’m not done with the game yet and so far this has overall been on of the best games I’ve played all year.

scr.ee tags:

#thewalkingdead #seasonone #episodethree

Bloggy Xmas Day 17: Community and The Family That Is

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Here’s a big shout out to Syl over at MMO Gypsy who had this amazing idea for the Bloggy Xmas Holiday Event and has asked the “Blog-O-Sphere” to take a minute and share their stories around “Gaming and Community” which is one of my favorite topics!  Community in gaming is huge for me and that is why I’ve been so excited and anxious to get this post written and out on the site.

For me, Gaming and Community started back in the days of the Nintendo and our favorite little hero Mario…as my friends and I would have huge weekend parties full of junk food, way to much soda, and more hours of yelling, and being boys then I can even count. Now let me set the tone here and let you know that when the “NES” or Nintendo Entertainment System first came out I was only four, and no I wasn’t playing Mario at the age of four but I wasn’t much older before I got my first gaming system….which was mine and not my brothers.  My brother was a different generation as his first gaming system was the original Atari, and yes I did play it, but my big brother was a typical big brother and I only got to play it every once in a while….or if he wasn’t around….I may have snuck into his room and played it on occasion, but don’t tell him that!

Let’s fast forward a few years and breeze by the era of my “SNES, Sega Genesis, and pretty much every other gaming system you can think of” and we’ll land around the time I got my first PC that could handle gaming.  The system my brother had built for me was operated by the an Intel 486 and probably something like half a K of memory or some nonsense like that….but the first PC game I remember playing was a flight simulator….and yes I know what your probably thinking “A FLIGHT SIMULATOR?” are you kidding me?  But this game was not only fun, it’s something my friends and I had massive competitions over to see who could get the best flight times, or even complete some side missions of landing a plane.  Though this flight simulator wasn’t anything that blew your socks off on graphics or intense game play it did create community amongst a group of friends that spawned a passion for gaming, competition, and stronger friendships.

Just as all the gaming systems have changed over the years, the way we interact as gamers has dramatically changed as well!  We have so many social features at our fingertips when playing games, and whether that’s on a console system or a PC we can choose to interact over a chat message screen, or throwing on a headset and chatting with some of your “Guildies, or Kinnies” from a favorite MMO game you play.  For me, MMORPG games are what revolutionized the communities we see today as they draw players in and allow them to customize the way they play the games.  It wasn’t until I started playing LOTRO back around 2008 that I really even understood how huge the gamer communities had become.  What has come from playing games like WoW and LOTRO for years is not only a place that I can meet friends and go team up on some orcs or even 12 man up on an instance, but connect over social media, or even those groupies around the Blog-O-Sphere realm.

Community is so important in games…. as without that core foundation games would be boring for the most part as we would have no one to cheer with, or make fun of when that one guy or gal “Accidentally” pulls that huge mob over to your RAID group and wipes you all… I promise I’ve never done that.. hehe.  More importantly community goes even further than just the games we play, it reflects our character and who we are as people, and I just want to say thank you to all my gaming friends out there that I’ve had the pleasure of sharing exciting gaming moments with, or possibly some witty banter on Twitter, this year…..but most of all to my lovely bunch of LOTRO family that have formed over the past few years.  Yes, you know who you are, and I say thank you for those wonderful Google Hangout sessions we get to have throughout the week.  See, community is more then just zero’s and ones that make up a game or a social network, it’s people and their personalities and that my friends is why I love community and gaming so much…It’s all because of you!

Everyone have a lovely Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

Sincerely,

Iogro Merrybelly

 

scr.ee tags:

#bloggyxmas

 

The Walking Dead – The Game – Episode 2 Starved for Help Review

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walkingdead_episode2_group-600x400The second of my five episode review, Starved for Help picks up three months after the zombie apocalypse erupted.  You are still playing as Lee trying to protect Clementine, and now dealing with a group of survivors and trying to make the best of a dump motel you’ve tried turning into a secured fort.  This is where the game has gotten really interesting because the choices you make help build relationships and can also destroy relationships. Every choice you make caries over into a new episode of the game you play, so all those choices you made in episode one you now have to live with in Starved for Help.

This game doesn’t give you a second chance or to take back your choices to someone, so when your dialogue windows pop up it gives you just a few seconds to choose, and those choices could bring you closer to a friend or even create a new enemy in a later episode.

download (7)This episode is the first time you get to see the choices you made in the previous episodes. Everything from your relationship with Clementine, to the new found friendship with Kenny.  This also means that you have some remembering to do… did you tell any lies in the previous episode, were you truthful, who did you be-friend and who did you make an enemy out of.  All of these choices set Lee and his group up for a very suspenseful and action packed 2nd episode.

download (6)Starved for Help opens with the most gruesome scene to date in the game in my opinion, but besides the blood and guts it is becoming a really big challenge to keep your cool and look out for the group.  You have become a leader in the group and you have to make the tough decisions at times, and you get thrown right into the middle of your group’s nearly out of food, so it’s up to you to decide who gets to eat and who doesn’t.  Will you pick your friends, will you take the high ground and do whats best for the group, what will you do? That draw back you might have going with the emotion thing really comes into picture when a new group of survivors from the St. John’s Dairy Farm show up and invite your group to come over and trade gas for food. The family asks Lee all sorts of questions about the group, but something isn’t quite right with them.  Do you take the chance and go with these strangers who say they have food, or do you chance it and stay at the motel and hope you all can survive.

images (26)Episode 2 is full of cliffhanger moments, sketchy choices you have to make, new chances to redeem yourself, and even be-friend some new people.  It’s suspensful, emotional, full of blood and guts, and it even has some WTF moments in it that really make you turn your head and ask yourself what the heck just happened….but I’m not going to spoil those moments for you as you will just have to check the game our for yourself.

scr.ee tags:

#thewalkingdead #seasonone #episodetwo

 

The Walking Dead – Game Review – Episode 1 A New Day

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images (15)In the first of my five episode reviews of The Walking Dead Season 1, you jump right into the game as the character Lee Everett, a man who was convicted of killing a man, and is currently on his way to prison.  In the midst of being transported to prison, the great zombie apocalypse abruptly outbreaks and you are now in control of this characters fate. Lee has been given a second chance of sorts now that the zombies are out and about, so it’s up to you to keep Lee alive and survive in this amazing horror.

The really cool part about this game is the story all takes place concurrently with the comic book series.  You now taking over and controlling the story of Lee is all happening while Rick the main character of the comic book series, is calmly asleep in his hospital bed. Though the story is happening in conjunction with one another, the game is a completely separate story line.  There will be a few familiar faces along the way of the game but for the most part it’s a whole new group of survivors and a whole lot of plot twisting.  This game has a ton of action and cut scenes that help build the stories main and sub plot lines, but you “Lee” will spend a lot of time making on the cuff decisions and having to live with the outcome.

images (14)The Walking Dead removes any second guessing and makes you choose a decision in a split second. Basically someone will ask you a question and you’ll have a limited time to pick one of four responses. Whatever you decide, you and whatever group you are with have to live with the outcome of that decision.  Also, the group will remember what you say and take note of your decisions.  Remember this is the same story line that everyone plays, but how they answer the questions is what depicts how the game plays out.  I’ve currently got multiple sessions of the game going as I want to play out different choice lines to see the outcome of the game.  You have three save slots available so ultimately you have three chances at the game having a different outcome to the same story.

Into the game we go… as when you play a zombie game you want to crush a few skulls and bash some zombie scum right?  Ok, so with this game the creators made a very unique movement and reaction system.  I’ve been playing the mobile version of the game so the controls on the phone are a bit different then the PC or Console versions.  You navigate Lee with your finger and he follows on-screen.  Sounds easy right…?  Wrong, as you sometimes have split seconds to decide what direction to go, or what zombie you have to kill.  They have even designed the “OMG” button that you have to frantically tap to get out of some sticky situations in the game.  Overall the movement in this game gets an A+ in my book because it’s easy to learn, and easy to follow along with, though it is much harder to target a “Walker” than you would think.

Walking_dead_telltale_game_charactersThe graphics in game are spectacularly done as well… they have that gritty, dark comic book look to them.  There is not a shortage of blood and gore in this zombie montage of craziness either.  Visually this game is beautiful in it’s own twisted sorta way. Plus, with the exception of a strange camera angle or a cut scene jumping the game is amazing.  The game is amazing but it’s not flawless but for the caliber of game quality you get I really don’t have many complaints and what complaints I do have are trivial at best. This by far is one of the best zombie apocalypse games I have ever played.

scr.ee tags:

#thewalkingdead #seasonone

A Glance at The Walking Dead: The Game Season 1

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Happy Halloween Everyone!

I thought it quite fitting and ironic that these last few weeks of gaming have been intense, suspenseful, questionable, and even down right horrifying.  It’s Halloween and nothing else would even be right…right?  Well anyways….Zombies have completely overtaken my gaming experiences of late and it’s all due to the amazing work that Telltale games has put into “The Walking Dead Game” which has it’s flaws but delivers an amazing game experience like none other that I soon won’t forget.  I’m currently playing through season one of the game, and it’s unique player choice system, and award-winning script writing has won this game multiple awards.

images (15)This game was originally released to be five episodes in which you play a character named Lee Everett, a convicted murderer on his way to prison.  Though the convicted murderer has something much bigger than trying to learn the inmates code on his hands, and that is the zombie apocalypse that has broken out.  This gives Lee a whirlwind of decisions that he is now having to make, and guess who is in charge of those decisions and all the steps in between; yep you guessed it, it’s YOU! The decisions that you make in the heat of the moment have rewards, or great consequences that stay with you throughout the entire journey of the game.

This game is an adventure game by nature which is ultimately based off the critically acclaimed comic book and television series.  This isn’t your typical adventure game though, and as you play through the five episodes, the really important moments of the game come when you choose how Lee responds to situations and what he says in conversations with his fellow survivors.

images (14)This is a choice based game and specific dialogue comes up on your screen with timers, and you literally have seconds to choose exactly what Lee will do or say next….In this game when you choose and make your decision, the game adapts the story and moves on in the timeline, so choose wisely and choose quickly.  This exact feature is what makes The Walking Dead so special… everyone playing this game has the same task a head of them, which is to protect a little girl named Clementine that you encountered on your journey and you’ve taken her under your wing for protection.  The cool part about the decision system is everyone goes about the game a different way.  I might choose to befriend someone you hate, and you might choose to leave someone I took. I might blowup in anger, but you may keep a cool level headed mind. Whatever group you have with you will remember the decision you have made and that creates the dynamic of the group and how people react to you.

images (18)Once you are done with an episode of the game, it gives you a recap of your choices and how it compared to the percentage of what other players have chosen in that moment. The game itself has a way of drawing you into the moment, and you are basically the artist making the sketches for how the story plays out.  The main story has a very black and white foundation, and we’ve been hired as gamer’s to finish the drawings with whatever colorful choices we see appropriate at the time. Which is what makes this game such an emotional roller coaster and endearing.  Part of that connection comes from amazing writers in which they’ve added comedy, suspense, horror, and all those emotional moments seem to happen at just the right time.  The other big factor is the great voice acting, and visual style that is a picture perfect image out of the comic books.

Ok, now time for my critiques of the game and what I’ve seen fallen short or even off the wagon at times.  As much as I want to praise the whole game at being a superstar, there are a few things that really stood out to me as being what the heck just happened moments.  For instance, scenes will freeze as the next one loads, game play will slow down as the game tries to process intense action sequences, and at times the voices aren’t synced to the visuals on screen.  Even with these few hiccups in the game design, this is one of the best games I’ve ever played and don’t mind setting through a few flaws for the experience of a game like this one.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking a look at each of the five episodes of season one and can’t wait to play season two, though I’m waiting a bit as I’ve heard season three won’t be out until sometime in 2015.

scr.ee tags:

#thewalkingdead #seasonone