Final Verdict - Definitely Worth Playing
*starts Daniel Bryan chants* YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! I finally got my hands on time and a copy of The Walking Dead: Season 2. I know i'm way late in playing this but I just now clearing out some of my back logged games since my machine had died on my and I was M.I.A. for about three months. If you have been following my coverage of this game you know just how much I am invested and a fan of the series. It connects you to the characters on such a level that I haven't seen from a game in a while, the closet game that comes to mind would probably be the new Tomb Raider game that we reviewed last year. Well enough of this recap let go catch up with Clementine, Omid, and Christa.
The Walking Dead: Season Two is an ongoing episodic graphic adventure based on Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic book series and developed by Telltale Games. It is the sequel to The Walking Dead, with the first episode released digitally in December 2013, and a retail collector's DVD edition planned at the conclusion of the season. The game employs the same narrative structure as the first season, where player choice in one episode will have a permanent impact on future story elements. The player choices recorded in save files from the first season and the additional episode 400 Days carry over into the second season. Clementine, who was the player's companion during the first season, is the player-character in Season Two. If you haven't already feel free to check out our game-play videos of Season 1 and the 400 Days DLC on our YouTube channel.
What’s Good:
Replay value: With this being the first episode of Season 2 one would think there is not much to do but its quite the opposite. Before my play-through I actually went back to replay Season 1
Soundtrack: Wonderful ambiance, voice acting and overall sound quality. It is truly an immersible experience embarking with Clementine as she enters all the situations and environments she encounters.
Graphics: Graphic quality seems to have taken an inherent step up in this iteration of the game while still retaining the classic comic book cell shaded style that the series has embraced. The game itself seems to have less graphical options to tweak so I take that to mean there were default improvements made behind the scenes.
Story-line: Excellent story progression and character progression helps keep you focused and on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Playing through there are many moments that have you clueless as to the angle the story is developing from but still manages to make sense underneath it all.
Game Mechanics: Improved HUD and UI make this almost like a whole new game. I was pleasantly surprised when playing to notice the little nuances about the interactivity of the game that they had changed. Another pleasant addition to the game I liked is the increased level of quick time events (QTE) included as it keeps you alert and in sync with the immediate plight of Clementine.
What’s Bad:
The unrelenting hard decisions that Telltale Games forces on the player are no joke. As you become invested in the game and Clementine you truly see that the developers at Telltale Games are some evil people. Just kidding; the game is excellent and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on the next episode.
What Should Have Been Added:
I wish instead of the way they transitioned between time lapses they gave more back-story development for us to connect deeper with the struggles Clementine had to overcome. All she has learnt to cope with the cruel world she is in and struggles she has overcome are of utmost importance to her character development.
Final Thoughts:
This game is on a roll and continues to meet if not exceed expectations in each episode. I cannot wait to see what Telltale games throws our way next. Clementines growth over the span of the two seasons is really impressive and maintains the bond the player has developed with her over the course of the seasons.
