Game of the Year: “The Walking Dead”

BY JESSICA HEITZMAN
SC Staff Writer

“The Walking Dead” has grown from first being a comic book, to a television show and  now to a video game. This comes as no surprise that the franchise has grown tremendously over the past couple of years with a record of 14 million fans.

“The Walking Dead: A TellTale Game Series” has won numerous awards from the Spike Video Game awards.

The most prominent of the awards is the Video Game of the Year award, which “The Walking Dead” did win.

The players get to take control of Lee Everett, previously a murderer destined for jail, but now a hero destined to take care of a little girl named Clementine. Together they must survive a zombie apocalypse.

Graphics

In this day and age, it’s hard to come across a game with low quality graphics.

Most players can’t wait for the next high quality game to come out with stunning graphics that make him feel like he’s actually there in the game itself.

However, “The Walking Dead” takes a twist on traditional cinematic graphics: since “The Walking Dead” is originally a comic book, Robert Kirkman had some say in how the game was to turn out. To keep the traditional comic book look, the makers of the game held true to the franchise’s roots and kept the game pure.

These graphics are not top notch quality, but they are an improvement from Paper Mario with an incredible storyline.

Storyline

Now-a-days video games are about the graphics, how many headshots you can make and how many ways you can off your unsuspecting friend in “Saint’s Row.”

It’s hard to come across a game that has a storyline that leaves you on the edge of your seat.

The Walking Dead does just that. Around every corner there is some kind of drama that leaves the player wanting more.

There are also many points within the game when players are not expecting a major scenario to happen, and they are left taken aback.

There’s action left and right, just like the comic book and the television show. It’s hard to refrain from screaming at the characters and the actions that occur.

Not only does the storyline draw the player in and keep him there, but it also packs the player full of emotion. The story captures the hearts of players, making them become attached to characters in the game which could at some point cause emotional distress.

 Roleplaying

“The Walking Dead” game isn’t an action packed game. It’s a game all about the storyline. It’s about the choices that a player has to make.

These choices are sometimes easy, and yet, other times they are so incredibly difficult to choose that it may take a player several minutes to come to a final conclusion.

With “The Walking Dead” the choices that the player chooses throughout the game can come back to haunt or bless him.

The outcomes are never the same. Which is why the game is demanding that the player pay attention to dialogue and cut scenes.

Quick decisions and being able to think under pressure also makes the dialogue scenes more demanding to watch. Some decisions require players to think fast, only give them a couple seconds to choose an answer.

The mind behind the control is in charge of which character gets to live or die. Their fate is in the player’s hands.

Of course it’s just a game, and it doesn’t sound that hard to make choices, but in actuality it really is.

Between everything that happens in the game, players become so attached to the characters that it’s hard to make game altering decisions.

Overview

“The Walking Dead: A TellTale Game Series” is a game that keeps the player wanting more.     It’s important to note that it’s a point-and-click game, not a freelance shooter.

The game receives a 5 out of 5 rating because of its storyline, the characters and the roleplaying mechanics.

For only $30, the game is worth far more than that.

Don’t forget to watch through the credits for an extended ending of the game.

Email Jessica at:
jmh2643@live.esu.edu