At last the waiting is done. All that vaguely obsessive compulsive analysis of the trailer need no longer suffice for the hungry fans. It seemed like it would never happen, but finally, the Walking Dead Telltale game, season 2, has arrived. Episode one is ready for our thrilled exploration. And you'll hear no discouraging words from this aficionado. It rocks.
The world of the Walking Dead has been great for a fan base totally taken with the prospect of interacting with the Robert Kirkman's zombie apocalypse. Elsewhere I've discussed the thriving domain of the Walking Dead fanfiction . Telltale's super game provides further opportunity for interacting with this desolate, creepy and fascinating world.
Fans of season one will certainly remember Clementine. She was kind of the object of the first season. The subject, if you will, the acting protagonist, Lee, was largely driven by his desire to protect her. However, as such fans will know, Lee is gone, and now Clementine has to fend for herself. Thus she has graduated to protagonist of season two. When we meet back up with her in season two, we already see how she has had to grow up, forced to make the hard decisions to survive the zombie apocalypse.
The extensively decorated game, with award wins and nominations coming out of the wazoo, in this first episode of its second season continues to show its excellence, continuing to breathe new life into the adventure game genre. Likewise it continues its winning strategy of avoiding the risk of lapsing into mere puzzle solving and emphasizes the dynamic of interactive story telling. And these aren't empty choices.
The character's decisions about what to do, and even what to say, lead to real, often surprising and sometimes tragic outcomes. Furthermore, the game keeps track of decisions, many of which come back to haunt our main character - Lee last season, Clementine this season - from episode to episode. Indeed, it appears choices from last season can still have an impact in this new season.
It's not all the same though. As great as season one was, there are notable improvements, especially on the technical end, in season two. The graphics are much better: richer and more detailed. And the frame rate seems more stable. Clementine is able to walk now much faster than in the past. That is kind of good when gripped in on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense.
If there's one thing about which I'm not thrilled, it would be with some of the dialogue options; they struck me as too often too dichotomous. It seems that Clementine either has to be a child or a badass. She's either excessively innocent or excessively confrontational. At least, that's how it seemed to me. I don't think that's getting the most out of the opportunities. I'll be keeping an eye on that situation as the season progresses.
The other side of the coin, though, is that it is an interesting change in the game dynamic to have the options made available by a young girl protagonist. Certainly playing Lee didn't provide the opportunity to be coyly manipulative, as is possible with Clementine.
I am happy to report, though, that Telltale's greatest strength is still well on display in season one of The Walking Dead. I'm referring here to the moral ambiguity and dilemmas the player must navigate in finding the protagonist's way in the game world. For instance, are you prepared to make Clementine a killer right from the beginning?
Lots of people already have. What are the consequences of that? Only future episodes will tell the tale. This is why the Walking Dead Telltale games have been so successful and so compelling. So far, the future looks bright. At least, from outside of the zombie apocalypse...and all that.
The world of the Walking Dead has been great for a fan base totally taken with the prospect of interacting with the Robert Kirkman's zombie apocalypse. Elsewhere I've discussed the thriving domain of the Walking Dead fanfiction . Telltale's super game provides further opportunity for interacting with this desolate, creepy and fascinating world.
Fans of season one will certainly remember Clementine. She was kind of the object of the first season. The subject, if you will, the acting protagonist, Lee, was largely driven by his desire to protect her. However, as such fans will know, Lee is gone, and now Clementine has to fend for herself. Thus she has graduated to protagonist of season two. When we meet back up with her in season two, we already see how she has had to grow up, forced to make the hard decisions to survive the zombie apocalypse.
The extensively decorated game, with award wins and nominations coming out of the wazoo, in this first episode of its second season continues to show its excellence, continuing to breathe new life into the adventure game genre. Likewise it continues its winning strategy of avoiding the risk of lapsing into mere puzzle solving and emphasizes the dynamic of interactive story telling. And these aren't empty choices.
The character's decisions about what to do, and even what to say, lead to real, often surprising and sometimes tragic outcomes. Furthermore, the game keeps track of decisions, many of which come back to haunt our main character - Lee last season, Clementine this season - from episode to episode. Indeed, it appears choices from last season can still have an impact in this new season.
It's not all the same though. As great as season one was, there are notable improvements, especially on the technical end, in season two. The graphics are much better: richer and more detailed. And the frame rate seems more stable. Clementine is able to walk now much faster than in the past. That is kind of good when gripped in on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense.
If there's one thing about which I'm not thrilled, it would be with some of the dialogue options; they struck me as too often too dichotomous. It seems that Clementine either has to be a child or a badass. She's either excessively innocent or excessively confrontational. At least, that's how it seemed to me. I don't think that's getting the most out of the opportunities. I'll be keeping an eye on that situation as the season progresses.
The other side of the coin, though, is that it is an interesting change in the game dynamic to have the options made available by a young girl protagonist. Certainly playing Lee didn't provide the opportunity to be coyly manipulative, as is possible with Clementine.
I am happy to report, though, that Telltale's greatest strength is still well on display in season one of The Walking Dead. I'm referring here to the moral ambiguity and dilemmas the player must navigate in finding the protagonist's way in the game world. For instance, are you prepared to make Clementine a killer right from the beginning?
Lots of people already have. What are the consequences of that? Only future episodes will tell the tale. This is why the Walking Dead Telltale games have been so successful and so compelling. So far, the future looks bright. At least, from outside of the zombie apocalypse...and all that.
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If you're keen to have the scoop on all the Walking Dead news , you should check out Mickey Jhonny's posts at the Pretty Much Dead Alhave a look aty blog. Gaming fans will want to have a look at his piece on the best games for PC that is entirely free!
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