The Walking Dead - A videogame by Monkey Island and Gary "I wrote the script for Akira" Whitta - The Bear and Badger

google

I'm not a Walking Dead fan. I've seen the first six episodes of the TV series and looked at the comic once but that's it.

But on Saturday night (while the lady was out) I remembered that the videogame was a thing and was available for 400 points.

It really is very good.Â

To give it some definition, I would describe theÂ endeavourÂ as a better realised Heavy Rain. Only Heavy Rain was turgid shit that made me depressed, whereas The Walking Dead is a very impressive promotion of design, storytelling and neat littleÂ game-playÂ hooks.

The download is 400 points ($5 to me) and comes complete with the first episode which lasted around two-three hours long. It's a very self contained story with a number of different chapters that can be replayed a few different ways. To highlight an early choice you quickly have to decide whether you look for assistance during the day (to avoid Zombies) or during the night (to avoid Zombies). Choosing one or the other will have a different results play out down the line.

It's good. I urge you to check it out.Â

google

How do I get rid ofÂ theÂ big arrow thing and insert a link to theÂ trailer?

Moot_Geeza

I managed to get my girlfriend to play Heavy Rain, so something similar and potentially better sounds like a good idea.Â I think I'll grab it as she appears to have lost interest in Rayman.

[Deleted User]

google wrote:

It really is very good.

that's all you needed to say.

google

Moot_Geeza wrote:

I managed to get my girlfriend to play Heavy Rain, so something similar and potentially better sounds like a good idea.Â I think I'll grab it as she appears to have lost interest in Rayman.

I played mine on my bed with the lady sitting next to me, reading. She looked up now and then to see what was going on and wasÂ genuinelyÂ shocked about some of the decisions you have to make.Â

Also, once completed, you're shown a run down of the choices you made inÂ comparisonÂ to the rest of the world. It's pretty fun to see how different/similarÂ you are.

[Deleted User]

google wrote:

Also, once completed, you're shown a run down of the choices you made inÂ comparisonÂ to the rest of the world. It's pretty fun to see how different/similarÂ you are.

i'm quite similar to the rest of the world...

i always knew that.

Aaroncupboard

I may have to get this. I enjoyed the first series and have a soft spot for these type of games. Does it directly link to the TV series as well? What is the combat like?

[Deleted User]

i have the entire season pass. Â it's similar to the series/comic book, and a few characters make cameo appearances. Â but the games are of a different story arc, and are self-contained so as to deal with a different set of survivors.

the combat is a mixture between QTEs, and point n click action style pointer button presses...

Paul the sparky

I liked the demo, not for the very limited gameplay, but for the way you influence the story with your decisions. How many decisions did you have to make then Google?

I did notice the smoke and mirrors in the Mass Effect style dialogue options it gives you. When the girl first calls you on the radio, it gives you the options of ask her where she is, or ask her if she's safe. Her answer is 'I'm in the treehouse because it's safe up here.'

I'll probably end up getting it, but when they're all available, and hopefully cheaper.

google

Paul_the_sparky wrote:

I liked the demo, not for the very limited gameplay, but for the way you influence the story with your decisions. How many decisions did you have to make then Google? I did notice the smoke and mirrors in the Mass Effect style dialogue options it gives you. When the girl first calls you on the radio, it gives you the options of ask her where she is, or ask her if she's safe. Her answer is 'I'm in the treehouse because it's safe up here.' I'll probably end up getting it, but when they're all available, and hopefully cheaper.

I only played the game once the full way through (and I doubt I'll be going back to it until I've got all the chapters) but there are a few pretty key decisions that you make throughout that have a direct influence over how the other survivors view and talk with you.

I would say there are four of five major decisions throughout the first episode. Outside of that there are dozens of little conversation answers/questions that also have a direct reaction to the way characters react to you.

So if you piss one of the characters off at the beginning of the game, they may or may not be there to help you when a Zombie jumps out of the bathtub.

regmcfly

Finished it today. I really enjoyed it.

google

regmcfly wrote:

Finished it today. I really enjoyed it.

Boy or girl?

[Deleted User]

i got the season pass for this for my gfÂ when she enjoyed the demo.
comparisons to heavy rain are right on the money but its no were near as pretty or involving as it dosn'tÂ have that same emotional impact.

however i like how easy it is to controll, basiclly left analogue to move and right analogue for your pointer.
all the face buttons are mapped to your pointer so x is interact triangle is look at square is talk and circle to use whatever you have.

and also my girlfriend put it on as soon as it were installed and played it right thru....that never happens!
(except with heavy rain)
3 hours about it took her and she loved it and wants more.

recomended to anyone who likes point and click or something just a little diffrent.

google

As I said, I felt Heavy Rain was a complete mess from start to finish.

This felt so much tighter, which I'm sure had something to do with the clear and defined vision the writers had (who, by the way, are part of the idle thumbs podcast).

[Deleted User]

i didn't think heavy rain was THAT bad. Â it felt clunky in places, but overall it was still a really good game. Â having said that though, i won't be playing it again.

i don't even "like" point and clicks - i mean i do, but i prefer other genres - but i loved this game. Â it does take about 3 hours on first play-through, but i think mine took a little longer... Â about 3.5 to 4 hours.

i thought the game looked really good tbh. Â it had a really nice cell-shaded style to it, and the way the characters were drawn made it true in spirit to the comics. Â a really nice touch, with lovingly rendered characters that made you feel as if you were playing the (living, breathing) comic.

google

I played it on the 360 and the graphics and frame rate are certainly not good.

The art style certainly gives it something a little different but the frame rate stutters and falters all over the place. The shadows are atrocious as are most of the textures.

You can tell there is a TellTale game there behind the new art style.

Despite this, the game never really suffers as a result. It's just a little jarring when switching scenes.

[Deleted User]

dean is that podcstÂ available anywere except itunes?
wouldn't mind a new podcast for my journeys.

the thing about heavy rain were that it started so slowly and got you invested in its charecters first and made you responsible for some choices but forced responsibility for its own choices too.
when ethansÂ kid dies at the start ...well i felt really guilty.

my girlfriend also had the same feelings....i dont think we will get the same investment from this if your following me!

it is a really excellent game though 'the walking dead' and deserves at least a play thru from everyone.

[Deleted User]

google wrote:

As I said, I felt Heavy Rain was a complete mess from start to finish. This felt so much tighter, which I'm sure had something to do with the clear and defined vision the writers had (who, by the way, are part of the idle thumbs podcast).

what podcasts do you listen to? Â personally: i enjoy rebel fm, gamers with jobs, and weekend confirmed (in that order).

[Deleted User]

daviedigi wrote:

dean is that podcstÂ available anywere except itunes? wouldn't mind a new podcast for my journeys. the thing about heavy rain were that it started so slowly and got you invested in its charecters first and made you responsible for some choices but forced responsibility for its own choices too. when ethansÂ kid dies at the start ...well i felt really guilty. my girlfriend also had the same feelings....i dont think we will get the same investment from this if your following me! it is a really excellent game though 'the walking dead' and deserves at least a play thru from everyone.

see, i hated the demo of heavy rain as i thought it was a turgidly slow mess. Â it wasn't until the game started getting some serious coverage on a few podcasts (of which i think idle thumbs was one), that i thought about giving it another chance. Â having played the game to completion, i would like to state that i honestly would like to reassess my initial evaluation, and think that it is a really bold (yet expensive) experiment in the field of gaming narrative.

you can certainly see as to where the walking dead game took its inspiration from... Â and it's a better game as a result.

Paul the sparky

google wrote:

I only played the game once the full way through (and I doubt I'll be going back to it until I've got all the chapters) but there are a few pretty key decisions that you make throughout that have a direct influence over how the other survivors view and talk with you. I would say there are four of five major decisions throughout the first episode. Outside of that there are dozens of little conversation answers/questions that also have a direct reaction to the way characters react to you. So if you piss one of the characters off at the beginning of the game, they may or may not be there to help you when a Zombie jumps out of the bathtub.

Four or five per episode sounds great from a players point of view, but it must be a fucking nightmare to write all of the possible storylines for the last episode. I'd assume there's going to be an ending where you save the most survivors possible, an ending for the least, and everything in between.

google

daviedigi wrote:

dean is that podcstÂ available anywere except itunes?

Yep. It's really great.

http://www.idlethumbs.net/archive/

They have their full archive from '07-'09. They then went on hiatus because the all got real jobs (two work at TellTale working on The Walking Dead, one works at Irrational working on Bioshock) but now they're back thanks to a Kickstarter campaign.Â

The podcast is VERY geeky. Lots of indie videogames, boardgames andÂ card gamesÂ discussed - but in a very entertaining way. The conversation is mostly stationed around their experiences playing the games and the stories they're experiencing asÂ opposedÂ to whether they like it or not.

To give you some examples - they constantly talk about Stalker and Far Cry 2 and the random little stories they dream up for their characters in-game. It's very funny.

the thing about heavy rain were that it started so slowly and got you invested in its charecters first and made you responsible for some choices but forced responsibility for its own choices too.

when ethansÂ kid dies at the start ...well i felt really guilty.

I think I'm just bitter about the game as a whole. It fucked up so many times that by the end I just didnt have a care about anything to do with the characters. Maybe If I played without the expectation again I would enjoy it more?

google

Paul_the_sparky wrote:

I'd assume there's going to be an ending where you save the most survivors possible, an ending for the least, and everything in between.

My pessimistic side isÂ definitelyÂ siding on that line of thought.Â

But hey, I hope they do something different. They must have a few themes and idea's they're playing with - but I'm sure they'll all eventually combine.

The thing is, I wont be going out of my way to 'break' the game, so I probably wont see the lines in the sand where they go up different paths. As long as the story stay's 'in character' andÂ doesn'tÂ become too videogamey, I think we'll be OK.

[Deleted User]

you played farenheit by any chance? Â it's meant to be pretty good - and done by the same guy - but i haven't played it yet.

as for idle thumbs: just couldn't get into it. Â i guess a lot of it has to do with gelling with the presenters personalities, and for me, i just couldn't like the hosts (and their style of "gaming chat") as much as some of the other (aforementioned) podcasts out there...

google

Prankster101 wrote:

you played farenheit by any chance?

Yeah. I feel the exact same way aboutÂ FahrenheitÂ as I do about Heavy Rain.

The opening to Fahrenheit isÂ absolutelyÂ amazing. The scene in the diner with so many options on how to escape/talk/run away was incredible.

It's such a shame it turned to shit after that.

[Deleted User]

google wrote:

Prankster101 wrote:

you played farenheit by any chance?

Yeah. I feel the exact same way aboutÂ FahrenheitÂ as I do about Heavy Rain. The opening to Fahrenheit isÂ absolutelyÂ amazing. The scene in the diner with so many options on how to escape/talk/run away was incredible. It's such a shame it turned to shit after that.

that's as far as i got... Â once the scene ended, and the woman cop(?) arrived, i kind of lost interest. Â compared to the white-knuckle tension which the first scene/chapter created, the csi scene felt like a bit of an anti-climax.

i've been meaning to go back, and one day i will... Â but not today.

google

Dont.

It's awful.

[Deleted User]

ok then... i probably won't.

i bought skyrim and forza 4 for Â£10 each the other day. Â but i also destroyed my collection, and sold 39 videogames to GAME as part of their "trade-in" offer which they had up until last week. Â if you were to ask me if i played any of those, i would say that i hadn't played the vast majority of them for more than an hour.

best to get rid, really. Â too many games and other distractions to be getting on with...

Mod74

As a point of order, Gary Whitta is co script editing the whole thing and writing episode 4. Anyway, carryÂ on.

regmcfly

google wrote:

regmcfly wrote:

Finished it today. I really enjoyed it.

Boy or girl?

Girl

Mod74

Prankster101 wrote:

too many games and other distractions to be getting on with...

Hard to find time to game when you're running a multimedia empire. Murdoch tweeted much the same thing the other day.

google

Mod74 wrote:

As a point of order, Gary Whitta is co script editing the whole thing and writing episode 4. Anyway, carryÂ on.

That's why I put him in the title.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories