#1 - The Walking Dead: Seasons 1 & 2
Platform I played on: PlayStation 4
Available platforms: PlsyStation3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iOS, Google Play, telltale.com, Steam, gog
Developer/Publisher: Telltale Games
Length: 22 hours (Season 1 ~13, Season 2 ~9)
Story:
In season 1, you play as a character named Lee, a black man in Georgia who is under arrest. Before we get to learn too much about what exactly is going on however, things decide to go to crap and suddenly there's a zombie apocalypse. Shortly in to the game, Lee finds a young girl named Clementine whose parents were away when everything happened. He brings her with him as they search for other survivors, look for somewhere safe, and just focus on surviving. I won't say much about season 2 to avoid season 1 spoilers, but it continues the story of survival in a zombie apocalypse.
Gameplay:
This is one of those "Your choices totally super matter" style of games that focuses on slightly branching paths depending on choices you make in game. Because of that, selecting dialogue options is a huge part of the game as it will cause slight variations in the story and bigger variations in character interactions and relationships. You'll also be able to search areas for items and examine things. There are also quick time events that involve aiming, as well as pressing and mashing buttons.
Environment:
Bleak. Seriously though, prepare for a lot of zombies, dead bodies, garbage, the colour brown, and disorganized messes. Despite the common elements to each environment, there's a good variety of location changes and new things to see and explore. The amount you can explore is usually limited, but it doesn't feel too often like a bad thing and there's usually a good amount of intractable in each area. Also brown.
Ambiance:
The game's ambiance is excellent. You always feel that sense of hopeless dread, like there's always a huge weight on your shoulders. There are some lighthearted moments thrown in to prevent you from burning out on misery and not caring anymore, but it's always very easy to feel the weight of the situation. Since it is based on a comic book, I also really enjoy the artistic style which feels very comic book in its shading and presentation.
Choices:
This is where the game really excels. You'll be faced with a lot of choices, both big and small, throughout the course of both seasons. To be clear, it isn't a situation where your choices change the game completely and you'll get an entirely different game each time. There are branching scenarios but they always snap back to a single point where the story will always go through the same major events. However, your choices do impact certain things like for how long some people survive, different conversations, different relationships with other characters, and just general stuff like that. The game is good about remembering your choices and having it be referenced in the future (even in to the next season in some cases). Really though, the big thing about choices is that they're meant to reflect who you are and what you value and prioritize. That's where the main appeal is when it comes to these decisions, even if they sometimes end up the same way.
Puzzles:
Not really much in the way of puzzles. A bit of investigating here and there, finding the right stuff, and maybe some logic involved in the best courses of action to take. Otherwise, not much here.
Cons:
-It sucks when you like a character and then they die
-It sucks when people are supposed to be on lookout but then have sex instead
-A character came back that really shouldn't have come back and it was weird and they barely explained it
Pros:
-THEM FEELS
-THEM SELF-REFLECTIONS
-Actual, tough moral choices
-Excellent characters and character developmet
-Great story
-Good aesthetic
Overall:
I was worried about playing this game because I'm not a zombie fan and I don't like the TV show. But not only is it my top adventure game, it is one of my favourite games, period. The characters are excellent and even the ones I wanted to punch managed to be believably written which allowed them to illicit an emotional response from me (anger, in case that wasn't clear). The story was bleak, but it was still touching and charming and it had me invested in everything going on. My favourite part though was the moral dilemmas because, even if they had little impact on the actual story, they allowed me to learn more about myself and learn to view situations in different ways. This game was amazing, emotional, and insightful and I eagerly await the release of the full season 3 so that I can delve back in to this wonderful work.
Verdict:
Of course Kenny would be from Florida.
So that is my list everyone and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed making it! As for what's next, it'll probably end up being fighting games, or maybe visual novels.
Also, if you aren't sure which of the awesomely awesome games on my list to check out, I made a (probably not so) handy dandy flow chart for you!
Thanks for reading!