Title: The Walking Dead Episode 2: Starved for Help
Format: 360, PS3, PC/MAC
Release Date: June 27, 2012
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Price: $4.99 (400MSP)
ESRB Rating: M
The Walking Dead has returned with the second episode of the video game series. Players will once again be faced with some incredibly difficult and heart-wrenching decisions, along with a lot of zombie killing action. Will you have the gut to make the hard decisions?
Fair warning, there may be spoilers here for those who have not player the first episode.
Presentation/Story
Episode 2 begins 3 months after the first episode. The group has moved into the motel from the first episode, and starvation has taken it's tole on everyone. Your first challenge (don't worry, this isn't a spoiler) will be decide who eats, and who doesn't. This decision is a cakewalk compared to future decisions you'll be forced to make. Episode 2 has really ramped up the drama, and you'll always hate the decisions you make regardless if they are right or wrong. The story is powerful, and while players might be upset with the continual lack of constant zombie action, the human side of the zombie apocalypse (and the horrors people create without zombies) will be enough to satiate your appetite. I was so enthralled with the game that, on many occasions, I forgot that it was a game. When I'm able to get thrown into a game that much, I consider it a success.
Core Gameplay
The Walking Dead is a simple point-and-click game, but it works very well in my opinion. The tense feelings during quicktime moments are pretty scary, and I actually died a few times because I couldn't decide what to do. Your conscience plays with you a lot, and that makes it hard to make the necessary, quick decisions. Overall, I can't imagine this series being anything other than the way Telltale Games has developed it. However, Episode 2 seemed to have a bit more gameplay problems than the first episode, namely with the framerate and freezing. There were many instances where the game would skip or temporarily freeze, and I noticed more than a few sound issues. While this was frustrating, it didn't really distract me from the overall game. If anything, I was distracted by a couple instances of confusing gameplay pieces, namely at the very end involving a hostage situation (If you've played, you probably know what I'm talking about.) A more polished final game would have improved my experience.
Final Thoughts
Much like the comic and television series, I cannot wait to play The Walking Dead when each episode is released. The episodes are designed to be as realistic as you can imagine, and I appreciate the deviation from the typical zombie-killing focus.
S&S Rating: 8.5/10
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