THE WALKING DEAD (EPISODE 1: A NEW DAY) REVIEW
DO: Enjoy the introduction into the fantastic world of Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead. Telltale perfectly translates the bleak, desperate feel of the graphic novel into video game format.
DO NOT: Get bogged down by the QTE/Player choice style of this game. It’s effective for atmosphere at times and the no hassle, easy gameplay makes for enjoyment rather than aggressive frustration.
TRY: This is a game for fans of the graphic novel and television series as well as horror and adventure game fans. It’s no Resident Evil or Silent Hill but it stands out as a great episodic horror adventure title. Great if you’re a fan of old school point and click adventures like Monkey Island or Telltale’s Wallace and Gromit or Sam and Max.
I am a huge fan of zombies and zombie related media: horror movies, television shows, comic books and video games. I even dressed up as a zombie for Halloween a few years ago when The Walking Dead television series premiered.
When it was announced Telltale Games had snagged the rights to make The Walking Dead into a series of episodic video games I was apprehensive. Partly due to the lackluster handling of last year’s Jurassic Park video game and partly because of my rabid fanboy love.
The Walking Dead tells the tale of convict Lee Everett and fellow child survivor Clementine and their struggle to survive in a world very different than they knew. The story is all new to fans who have read the graphic novel’s original story and parallels familiar characters and places to bring a whole new perspective on this undead universe.
After the first few minutes I can easily see Telltale has successfully captured the graphic novels in video game format. It’s all there: the raw emotion of human tragedy, the unsettled suspicion of survivors in a zombie apocalypse and even the glimpses of hope in an uncertain future.
The graphics really caught my attention first. The game isn’t in black and white like the graphic novel but with the color palette it really allows Telltale to breathe life into the environment and let it become a character all it’s own.
The voice acting and story are the strongest points where The Walking Dead really shine. Telltale incorporated a player choice system in game where your decisions really affect future events and how characters interact with Lee.
Some of the story choices are ancillary but many have an impact that is harder to anticipate later on in future episodes. It’ll be interesting to see how multiple playthroughs will differ and if Telltale will offer multiple endings based on those decisions.
Gameplay is simple but effective. It’s almost as if Telltale blended the point and click interface from Wallace and Gromit or Sam and Max and mixed it with the interactive/QTE style from Jurassic Park. It’s the best of both worlds and it works well for player immersion.
The game doesn’t do a very good job of teaching a player how to interact or use the interface but it’s fairly intuitive so it’s a minor gripe to hurdle over initially when playing.
The in-game puzzles are fairly easy as well. I think only once or twice I got stuck trying to find something to finish a task so remember to move your camera aspect to find hidden or smaller items easier.
The length of the first episode is pretty short. I think it was a little over 2-3 hours long but I think it was meant to really introduce players to the game’s characters and set up the story while giving them just enough practice with the interface and puzzle systems to get acquainted for longer episodes in the future.
Overall I highly recommend this game for zombie game fans, old school adventure game fans and gamers who like The Walking Dead. It’s a step above fan service with great detail paid to the story, graphics and gameplay. You get a great taste of what’s to come in future episodes and will want to come back for those for sure.
This review is based on time spent playing the retail release of The Walking Dead Episode 1: A New Day which was purchased by the reviewer over Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360. The game is currently available on Xbox 360 as well as PlayStation 3 and PC.
REVENGE SCREENS ILLUMINATE NEWEST DARK KNIGHT DLC
Harley Quinn’s Revenge is looking like quite the DLC for Batman: Arkham City. With Robin making the leap from Challenge Map to playable in the Main Campaign and an all new continued storyline, fans will have plenty of reasons to revisit Arkham City once again.
Harley Quinn’s Revenge is scheduled to release May 29 on Playstation Network and May 30 on Xbox Live.
Anyone else thinking this will be the best DLC in a long time?
STREET FIGHTER 25TH ANNIVERSARY ART TRIBUTE
Capcom recently sent out a request to artists for illustration submissions for the upcoming Street Fighter 25th Anniversary Tribute Art book. This was similar to what Udon had done for the Mega Man Tribute book a few years back.Hundreds of artists responded and here’s just a small preview of some of the work that was submitted. See captions for the artists while links are provided below.
Artists:
Hanzo Steinbach || Anemic Angel || Es-jeruk || GNOMO || Ivan Camelo
When is the right time for a series to make a come back, after a long time?
One of the most prominent one I can think of right now is Arrested Development.
The cult smash 2003 series, which was a sitcom that was wrong in so many ways, but equally as good.
With the third season bordering on stale, the series ended.
Yet in 2007, actor Jeffrey Tambor released the information they are releasing a movie mid next year.
But is it too late? Has the ship sailed. Is the series done? Would people care for a new movie? Has everyone passed their prime??
This is the question I pose to people; when is it time for a series to be laid to rest? What are other example where shows, games, movies have done this?
I have currently been playing No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. This is the anticipated sequel to the odd, gore and anime filled game No More Heroes. A collaboration between the twisted mind of Suda 51 and Grasshopper Manufacturers.
So here is a wallpaper for all you violence loving gaming guys.
Will have a review up by next week.
