The first time I dove into the world of the Walking Dead was when I bought the PS3 version of The Walking Dead by Telltale Games. Prior to that, I had never watched the show on AMC or have read the comic book. While living in Rexburg, I did have some roommates who were fans of the show.
When the Walking Dead went on sale on PSN, I decided to take advantage of the sale and buy it. I didn't do anything with the game until I started playing BioShock Infinite. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of BioShock Infinite, but for some reason I had a hard time staying focused with the game. I ended up beating Tomb Raider while attempting to finish BioShock Infinite. I also began playing the Walking Dead.
Being completely ignorant in regards to the lore of the Walking Dead, I just thought it was about zombies chowing down on the living and that was it. I had heard on numerous occasions that Telltale Games' The Walking Dead had a phenomenal story, but I didn't believe it until I started playing the game. I love games with amazing stories, and the Walking Dead is so story driven and so engaging that I couldn't stop playing it. From start to finish it had me captivated. That's why I chose to buy it when it was released on the PlayStation Vita.
The Walking Dead: The Game begins with a man named Lee Everett. He is being taken to prison by quite a talkative police officer. The world appears to be normal until the sidetracked police officer hits something on the road, which causes them to crash. Lee is the character in which the player controls throughout the entire game. The style of gameplay allows you to develop Lee's character in the game. You can have him be a nice guy or a complete punk. It is entirely up to you. When I played this game on PS3, I attempted to have Lee be a nice guy. While playing it on the Vita, I did everything I could to make Lee kind of a jerk. It was interesting to see how different some characters were in the game.
Lee doesn't take the entire spotlight though. Shortly after the crash, Lee meets a little girl name Clementine, who he takes under his wing after finding out that her parents are out of town. This game is based on choice, and it is interesting to note that the choices you make in the game really affect Clementine. I thought it was smart of Telltale to make Clementine such a young girl. Even though it is just a game, it was really to say anything that would hurt her feelings while playing on my Vita. I made some choices that she didn't like, but whenever Clementine was involved, I would try to make a choice that wouldn't hurt her as much.
The game takes place in Georgia. Lee and Clementine encounter a number of survivors. The choices you make can determine the kind of relationship you have with the people you meet. At times, you will have to face certain decisions that may impact a person's life. Because of the dire circumstances, you aren't giving enough time to think things through, so you have to be quick if you don't want to end up seeing the "You Are Dead" screen. The Walking Dead does an amazing job of making you care about the people you get to know in this game. Let's just say that this game can make you feel bad. It did that to me anyway.
Very few games have caused me to feel suspenseful during the entire game. I have felt that way during certain parts of a game (such as a particular scene in Final Fantasy VII), but it is rare that an entire game has me wondering what is going to happen next. The Walking Dead, the Last of Us, Tomb Raider, and BioShock Infinite are the only games I can think of that have done that for me. This game will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time with its storytelling and unique gameplay.
The Walking Dead first started as a comic book, and it is easy to recognize that this game is somewhat of a tribute to the ten year running comic book series. I really like the graphical design the developers took. The game looks great for the most part, but I did encounter some hiccups while playing the game. The PlayStation Vita is no exception of these hiccups either. It didn't happen too often, but there would be some instances that I would be able to see outside of a building even though I was completely inside a building. It didn't happen too often, but it definitely was noticeable when it would happen. The game would have a tendency to slow down a little after you would make a decision, and that sometimes took away from the buildup that the game was attempting to make. It's forgivable, but it definitely took away from the emotion the game was trying to develop within its players. These issues shouldn't prevent anyone from buying this game though. It isn't a game breaker by any means.
There are two ways you can play this game. You can use the two analog sticks and other buttons on the PlayStation Vita or you can use the touch controls. I accidentally chose to use the touch controls when I first started playing the game and I quickly found out that I didn't like it very much. The normal controls work just fine on the Vita, if not better in my opinion. Regardless of which control style you choose to use, the learning curve isn't very steep at all. You'll figure out how to play this game in no time at all.
There are five chapters total in this game. I found myself spending about two hours per chapter. That's a lot of value for a game that costed me about $20. Not only do you get the entire game, you will also receive the 400 Days DLC that was released in July. The DLC has you play as five other characters. I imagine the DLC is the connecting point to Season 2. It took me a little over an hour to complete. It was a nice filler and I am interested in seeing what role these characters play, if at all, next season.
If you're a fan of the comic book series or television series, then you're bound to enjoy Telltale Games' The Walking Dead. If you've already played it on one of the other platforms its already available on (Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and iOS), then you might want to not play this game if you're expecting something different. This game is the same game on the other platforms. It is currently $19.99 on the PlayStation Store and comes packed with the 400 Days DLC.
OVERALL SCORE:
8.3/10
