The Walking Dead Review (Xbox 360 Arcade)

STAFF REVIEW of The Walking Dead (Xbox 360 Arcade)

Wednesday, January 9, 2013.
by Adam Dileva

The Walking Dead, originally released in five separate episodes on Xbox Live, is now also available in disc form at your favorite gaming outlet as a compilation of said five episodes. At first I wasn’t sure how well the episodic releases were going to work and affect my interest, as sometimes I just want to power through a game and complete it (not just for review purposes) when I’m able to. After getting through all five episodes (I played the first two as they came out and the last three on this disc version back to back), I can understand the episodic delivery method. Sure, waiting at a cliffhanger at the end of each episode isn’t always fun, but that longing and eagerness to find out what’s going to happen plays so well into the story telling of The Walking Dead.

For those unaware of what The Walking Dead is, years ago Robert Kirkman created a comic book series named The Walking Dead which focuses on an epidemic zombie outbreak. Since then the zombie genre has completely exploded in popularity even resulting in The Walking Dead being adapted to an insanely popular TV show. For those fans already in the know, The Walking Dead game takes place in the same world of Rick’s story (it takes place as he’s still in a coma) and the comics are canon, but this is a completely different story with completely new characters. If you know your Walking Dead characters (comic or TV show), you will run into a few familiar faces which is a great fan service, but keep in mind this is an alternate story focusing on other survivors.

These days it seems almost too easy to create something with zombies in it and it’ll instantly become a hit, but simply adding zombies to a story will only get you so far if that’s all you focus on. If you know your craft well enough you’ll create a story about people, desperation, and sacrifice while playing on every emotion available, which also happens to have zombies in it. This is where Telltale’s The Walking Dead excels and shines beyond anything I expected. Telltale has focused on the characters and the human elements of the situations rather than making something strictly about zombies and trying to survive; sometimes survival is only part of the story, and that’s what The Walking Dead will show you. You’ll be given many difficult decisions to undertake and will completely affect others in your group and even their livelihood. One tough decision after another, you’ll need to do what you can to survive, but you’ll have the hardship of caring for others as well in a world where modern society crumbles and nowhere is seemingly safe for too long.

You are put into the shoes of Lee Everett, hailing from Macon Georgia and a former history professor at the University of Georgia before the outbreak. As the game begins you’re being hauled away from the city in a police car for being a convicted murder, though it’s unclear if you’re really a bad guy or not at first. Aside from the main points of detail, much of Lee’s background is quite vague, though done purposely so that you can fill in those gaps yourself during your travels throughout the five episodes. It’s odd, Lee is a voiced character with his own quirks, personality, and emotions, but at the same time he’s who you choose him to be with all of the decisions you make throughout the game, if that makes sense. If your personality is to be completely shut off to everyone Lee will reflect that. If you decide to be honest and open, that’s a possibility as well. By the time you’re done The Walking Dead you’ll see Lee as almost a reflection of yourself (if you’re honest with yourself and choose the options you probably actually would in those impossible situations). Early on Lee will stumble upon a little eight year old girl named Clementine (who you’ll get to know as Clem) who’s left alone at her home as the outbreak happened. While you’ll play as Lee the whole time, Clem will always be a constant in Lee’s story and even his (and your) decision making when impossible situations arise. I don’t want to delve any further into any of the story as it’s easily the highlight of the game and if I spoiled anything I would not forgive myself, as I’m glad nothing was spoiled for me. I will say though, that the relationship that Lee and Clem form over time is something that you need to experience. It’s not often that a character is not only voice acted so well that it’s believable, but the smallest facial emotions that show only add to the believability of these and the rest of the character’s you’ll meet along the way. If you know The Walking Dead comics or TV show, she’s much like Carl where she starts off as a simple kid but is forced to grow up much too quickly . Do you protect her by sheltering her from the evils in the world that you face or do you protect her by teaching her to protect herself in the harsh world they now live in? Decisions like this will be a constant and if it wasn’t for the flawless deliveries from the voice actors, it would not have been as gripping of a tale that it truly is.

You’ll meet a variety of survivors along your travels, some of which will stick around for the whole journey, where others will not make it as far as you expected. You’ll constantly be making life and death choices and once you get a few episodes in, there are some seriously difficult choices that you’ll have to make and you might even question yourself as I did, wondering if that’s what you actually would do in that situation. The choices you make carry weight and aren’t as simple as ‘good’ or ‘bad’; almost every choice seems to fall into that grey area. Quite often I had a logical reason for choosing what I did, but sometimes it’s not as simple as that and you need to choose the lesser of two evils. From the very beginning you’re completely hooked by the tale that unfolds in front of Lee and it doesn’t let go of your attention until the final credits roll. You’ll experience tragedy, fear, relief, shock, anger, and almost any other emotion you can think of. The Walking Dead is a sad story that will weigh heavy on you even after you’re done playing. Lee and Clem won’t be forgotten for quite some time and I’ll be remembering them for years to come.

I may be painting The Walking Dead as simply a decision making game, and while that’s true and where the game carries its weight, it’s also an adventure game, though not probably what you might expect from Telltale Games. You’ll be able to move Lee around freely and there will be puzzles to solve but the real game mechanics is the ‘choose your own adventure’ style of gameplay. The left stick will control Lee’s movement and the right is a reticule that will show pop ups and interactions on it when hovered over appropriate objects, people, or zombies. In the later episodes there will be times where you’ll have to shoot walkers and having to line up your shots, and while these may feel a little out of place since these sequences are so few, it’s just another tool Telltale uses to catch you off guard and keep your attention.

As you interact with other survivors, dialogue choices will appear on screen, usually with timers so that you can’t sit and lull it over. You’re given just a few seconds to read the responses and make your initial reaction to the circumstance at hand. You make your choice and the game moves on, no second chances are given. Every choice you make will adapt the story as you progress, and it’s completely possible to affect the outcome of others in the following episodes. Regardless of how you decide, your choices are going to add up over Lee’s journey and could add even more tension later on.

It’s odd, but the walkers don’t even always seem like the biggest threat to Lee and his group; sure they play a part in the overall tension and lack of safety, but the true tension comes from interacting with other people. Some people handle bad situations with stride, others don’t. You deal with fellow survivors, bandits, and walkers; how you decide to deal with each situation will sometimes show you something in yourself you may not have expected; I know it did with me. It can become a heavy burden, knowing that no matter what you do and choose, not everyone will survive, regardless of your intentions.

After finishing The Walking Dead it felt like Telltale tapped into almost every emotion possible throughout my story of Lee and Clementine. As I got half way through on my second game, making completely different decisions to see the different outcomes it became apparent that while you’re given many choices, the major core plot points are always going to be forced on you in some way. This isn’t a bad thing considering the level of writing and voice acting, but don’t expect a drastically different outcome for Lee and Clem at the end of it all the second time around. That being said, please play through it at least twice, as I found my second go a much tougher time, as I was TRYING to be a jerk instead of the selfless hero, but still found myself gravitating to my natural instincts. Sure the critics will say it contains the “illusion of choice” since the outcome will essentially be the same, but it’s not always about the end, it’s about the journey, the relationships you build and emotions you experience with the choices you make.

While some may not enjoy the controls or the ‘interactive story’ element, I believe it suited this story and game mechanics perfectly. The writing and acting is done to absolute perfection, the story truthfully moved me and there were even two specific moments where my jaw literally hung open as I whispered “oh my god” to myself. It’s very difficult for a game to get you so invested in its characters and story in such a short amount of time; Telltale has done this to perfection. Even the short lived characters are memorable and I replayed the game a second time just so I could visit with them once more.

I’ll come right out and say it; The Walking Dead made me cry. It’s been a very long time since a video game has been able to do that to me (1997 to be exact, when Aerith died in Final Fantasy VII). The Walking Dead is perfectly paced, keeps you wanting to move forward but doesn’t give you time to fully process and dead with what heavy moral decisions you’ve made at the same time. Lee, Clementine, and Kenny are now some of the most memorable characters I’ve ever interacted with in a video game and they will be remembered for many years from here on.

If I had played and finished all these episodes before the New Year I would have zero hesitation of giving it my Game of the Year choice; it’s that good. I’m very particular with my words, and I don’t normally throw around “must” and “need”, but you must and need to play the Walking Dead. I’ve never given a perfect score, and I’m not sure when I will again, but I’ve never had a game engulf so many of my emotions so deeply before.

Suggestions:
Season 2....please!

Overall: 10.0 / 10
Gameplay: 10.0 / 10
Visuals: 10.0 / 10
Sound: 10.0 / 10

Comments

Xbox Game Search

Community Forum Activity

KeyWe Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 23792 Views

2021: XBA is still here
Post by shrew king
38 Replies, 196639 Views

Watch Dogs: Legion
Post by Nato King
0 Replies, 122352 Views

Xbox Series X or S
Post by Nato King
5 Replies, 139256 Views

Spellbreak Grand Magus Pack (3) and Starter Pack (7) Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 129638 Views

I pay $ 1000! I search the Element 54 Canadian launch Team signaturen Faceplate
Post by Smill
0 Replies, 150951 Views

Xbox one no signal
Post by debrartin
0 Replies, 141306 Views

do you remember?
Post by SnoochyBoochy
3 Replies, 208966 Views

i haz xbox
Post by SnoochyBoochy
0 Replies, 163475 Views

Claiming the first thread of 2020
Post by Kraft
7 Replies, 258616 Views

Important! I pay $ 1000! I search the Sweden launch and the Element 54 Faceplate
Post by Smill
3 Replies, 147160 Views

Squad Up
Post by samslophead
0 Replies, 249803 Views

TERA Skinned Xbox One X Giveaway!
Post by Variation-XBA
0 Replies, 177056 Views

Starfield Release expectations?
Post by DJ tx
4 Replies, 305878 Views

Issue with Xbox live on Xbox home
Post by rcmpayne
0 Replies, 165480 Views

Xbox Addict

STAFF REVIEW of The Walking Dead (Xbox 360 Arcade)

Comments

Xbox Game Search

Site Statistics

Latest News

Turtle Beach Unveils New Gaming Headsets, Keyboards, and Mice

Remnant II Gets Second DLC - The Forgotten Kingdom - April 23rd

Isonzo Climbs Even Greater Heights Today with Limited-Time Ascent Mode

ViewSonic Launches 2K OLED Gaming Monitor

Bulwark: The Falconeer Chronicles Out Now

Taiwanese Coffee Culture Visual Novel Sunny Cafe Now Available

Mother-Daughter Road Trip Adventure Game Open Roads Available Now

Community Forum Activity