The Walking Dead Ep.1: "A Point & Click Comic Book Adventure"

When it comes to video games I rarely ever see one that takes place in the state I live in. My state, Georgia has really scored big recently with both the television, and video game series of "The Walking Dead". In fact some of you may not be aware of this, but one or two of the television episodes were filmed here in Georgia. It's definitely cool that the state I live in is getting the spotlight from such an amazing series. While I have never read one comic book in the series, or even watched the television show I've only heard great things about it. I was glad to find out that 'Telltale Games (The Developer)' decided to go along with the comic book series. I don't think copying the tv series would have been a smart move.

I know I've been promising you this review for a long time, and I apologize for the delay. I was able to do my playthrough of the first episode in one sitting today though, so now I'll be able to finally deliver on that promise. I will tell you now that I will give away no spoilers. I will just give you the basics of the story since I don't want to spoil the game for anyone. It's definitely a game that's best experienced hands-on. I'll also give you insight on the quality of the game as I usually do. Without further adieu ladies & gentlemen lets get this thing rollin'!

From what I understand 'The Walking Dead' video game series an entirely new story/prologue based on the comic books by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The story's protagonist is a convicted man named Lee Everett. Through some unfortunate, and unclear events he finds himself being escorted by police to a prison somewhere in Atlanta, Georgia. Along the way things get complicated, and Lee finds himself in a struggle for survival. Through a chance encounter he meets a young girl named Clementine who he decides to look after. Along the way the odd pair meet various other survivors, and find out the zombie apocalypse is a lot worse than they imagined. In a joint effort Lee, and a group of survivors try to find safety among the walking dead. The face many realistic problems along the way, and even face mortality head on. As Lee you must take control of the situation making decisions as you see fit, be warned though, because every interaction you make with someone greatly effects the outcome of the story.

Gameplay in 'The Walking Dead Ep.1' is both simple, and complex at the same time. The developer did an excellent job in making the controls easy to learn/use. In this way the player can focus more on the story, and it's various elements. As you play you'll find that controlling the main character (Lee Everett) is basically done in two ways. With the (Left Thumbstick) you can actually control his movements in the game. The (Right Thumbstick) controls a cursor that can be dragged over various in-game items, and people of interest allowing Lee to interact with them (X, Y, A, B). What moves the story forward though is basically interactions/conversations that Lee has with the people he meets. When having a conversation Lee is given four choices/replies that can be accessed by pressing the corresponding button (X, Y, A, B). Making choices during the conversations greatly effect how the story evolves. Choosing adverse reactions will usually cause negative responses from people while the more honest, and kind reactions tend to cause more friendly reactions. Ultimately how you choose to handle each situation will determine how your story progresses throughout each episode.

When it comes to graphics 'Telltale' games went with an art style that seemed to pay tribute to the comic book series. The color scheme is a little on the dark side with some pale/dark shades thrown in for good measure. The characters seem to be a little more innocently drawn in 'The Living Dead Ep.1', and the zombies are a little less intimidating in appearance than in games such as the 'Resident Evil' series. Nevertheless you can still see, and sense the emotions/fear each character displays through well crafted facial expressions. With the semi-realistic facial displays of the various characters, and their multiple reactions the player can definitely sense the moments of true panic. As far as the audio goes it's definitely atmospheric. The silent overtone, and subtle in-game sounds make the experience seem more realistic. From time to time you will also hear some eerie music that accents what is going on in the story. I found that the voice-overs were done well even though they sometime miss the mouth movements. Overall it's a quality product throughout.

In closing I can't stress enough how amazing this game really is. The story is very engaging, and the characters within can all be related to on some level. I honestly think the developer (Telltale Games) did everything right. The controls were kept simple, so the player could experience the game as it was meant to be experienced. In that sense it's more of a live action comic book where the gamer controls the outcome. I actually thought about the 'Mass Effect' series when I'd did my playthrough, because the story continues in a very similar manner. If a character dies in 'The Walking Dead' they won't return in the next episodes. Ultimately it's up to you to decide the fates of everyone involved, and forward the story as you see fit. This also means that you can always go back, and make different decisions resulting in different outcomes. It's the kind of replay value I always look for when buying a game. I'm going to go ahead, and say it. If you haven't got this game yet, definitely get it. It's worth every point/penny!