Title: The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 2 - A House Divided
Format: PS3, PC, Xbox 360, iOS
Release Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer:Telltale Games
Price: $4.99
ESRB Rating: M
After a purely expositional episode, Telltale has cranked the level of intensity back up with the second episode of the Walking Dead game.
Story and Presentation:Episode 1 of the The Walking Dead season 2 gave a lot of exposition, choosing to focus on Clementine, rather than the group around her. I enjoyed that approach, as you got to see what kind of person Clementine is becoming. This time around, the writers decided to give the group much more depth, and they accomplished just that. There wasn't any shocking revelations in the first episode, but season 2 packs a pretty big punch that I won't spoil. Quickly, you meet up with a host of new characters, and we finally get a proper villain, other than the walkers of course. Michael Madsen stars as Carver, a quiet yet highly intimidating antagonist that challengers the group. His reasonings make a him a much deeper character than your average bandit, and I could actually sympathize with him. He's yet another great character that has depth that we've come across, and he aims to be one of the focal points this season. Over the course of the episode, and eventually gains control over the group, while setting a pretty bleak future for Clementine.
You get a bit more growth out of Clementine, since you have to make many tough decisions this time around. Some of them being more dire than others, especially towards the end of episode 2. Along with these decisions, the group will either become closer to her, or become distant. This was one of the biggest episodes yet, and the pacing set the mood perfectly. Conversations with your companions make up the bulk of episode, but the dialog is just as engaging as the action sequences. Telltale pretty much perfected the tense atmosphere that the walking dead is known for. The 30 minute finale is action packed, and forces you to make some tough decisions on the fly. The game still stutters a bit during the more hectic scenes, at least on consoles that is. The PC version is the most ideal platform to play this on, but you'll still enjoy the great experience no matter what system you play it on.
Final Thoughts:
A House Divided ramps up the second season of the Walking Dead game, and it makes you crave more. The ending left me wanting more, and it's a shame will have to wait till April for the third episode.
S&S Rating: 9/10 @whatsPlay
