The Walking Dead: Episode 1 - A New Day PC
User Score
8.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 550 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 487 out of 550
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 550
  3. Negative: 44 out of 550

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  1. kailip
    Apr 26, 2012
    10
    This is a game style which you either like it or hate it. I think if you don't like this style of game you shouldn't rate the game, because you're not rating its quality, but rating by your taste over its genre. I personally liked it a lot, it's mainly based on your choices throughout the game, and it's more focused on the story than killing zombies like a retarded.
  2. RoomOne01
    Apr 25, 2012
    3
    In my opinion the game is falsely marketed. The choices you are presented with are forced and out of place. It is not tailored to you like it claims, it simply puts a ridiculous situation in front of you and forces you to literally pick left or right. The movement of the characters is extremely limited and geared completely towards consoles. The fact that it shows you an XBOX controller in the menu even though you are on a PC tells me that they didn't give two sh*ts about PC gamers when they ported it. The puzzles are random and illogical. It takes more brute force than thought when it comes to solving them. All in all I wouldn't recommend this purchase. It's a crap game built around a great show and comic book. It's a forced story line, with absolutely no openness at all. I know movie/tv/book based games are known to be bad, but this one takes the cake on that badge. The only reason I give it a three is because of the name.… Expand
  3. BrowniePoints
    Apr 24, 2012
    10
    After finishing the second season of the Walking Dead, and the first compendium, my interest in this game Skyrocketed! This game is not like any other zombie game you have ever played, not like Left 4 Dead, not like Dead Island. It seamlessly integrates the story into the big picture of the Walking Dead comics. I was satisfied that my concern of a point and click game ruining the experience were false. The action scenes are great, and the voice acting is great. I recommend it if you want to play a story driven game, in which all the choices you make, have consequences. Where you have to choose sides, and who lives and who dies.… Expand
  4. kimaasen1984
    Apr 24, 2012
    10
    A great first episode, with a huge replay value! You have alot of dialogue choices that seemingly Willy make a difference later, a very interesting history. The graphics are really nice as well.
  5. DesireMercy
    Oct 21, 2012
    4
    The story and the art of this game are great, and so are many of the interactions, but after having played seasons 1-4 I can tell you with certainty that most of the major decisions are decided for you. Certain characters will die regardless of how you try to save them. This is disappointing as the game heralds "adapting to your choices" when in reality practically ALL of your choices are superficial and have no bearing on how the game actually plays out.

    Having watched seasons 1-4 of the walking dead by Myndflame on Youtube, I made a concerted effort to pick the OPPOSITE choices. Yet, in spite of this, my game has been practically identical save for a few superficial differences.

    Another major problem with the game is that MOST of it is cut scene. In the places that you are given control of your character, generally, you are stuck with ONE option to solve the puzzles or progress to the next scene. Often times you'll run into invisible walls, whether it be in the environment or in the choices the game will allow you to make. Too many times I was greeted with Lee telling me "This is probably not a good idea right now..." So what? I thought this game was about making choices?

    Although I find the game, the world, and the story fascinating I am disenfranchised with this promise of "choice". When you compare it to other great games like Fallout or Mass Effect the game falls short on its promise. The story doesn't really change. The results are almost identical, and what you do doesn't really matter.    … Expand
  6. Coeco
    Apr 25, 2012
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A "Survival" puzzle game where next to all choices you make have no real impact besides tiny different scenes and tries to make up for its flaws by getting the player emotionally involved, doing so poorly due to all the audio-cuts, freezing problems and stacks upon stacks of illogical situations most which can be thanked for by this attempt of a comic adaptation that no doubt went through being ported.

    The developers recognized this flaw which is why they sacrificed the amount of power and influence the player had in order to make more emotional scenes, be it having to choose between two strangers every five minutes just to be yelled at the one who survived or just kill someone close that got infected.

    Next to all lines are being re-used in all scenarios, no matter your decision and to top that off, there are some very redundant plot-holes being formed from poor design for example: You see a brick outside the fence which you can easily grab with your hand, but even so the character insists on it being out of reach. A logical person would remember back to another room where he stumbled upon a walking stick that could be used to add the amount of "reach" necessary to grab the brick which would be 2 inches but no. It still could not be interacted with and would not until later reveal itself to be a sequence in the events much, MUCH later on, leaving players left confused, thinking they've missed something.

    I did enjoy the nice change with that of an interactive comic movie but unless they do a serious turn-over in the next episodes WHICH WILL BE RELEASED MONTHLY    … Expand
  7. gamemasterq
    Apr 25, 2012
    1
    Story is forced and not as open ended as it makes out. Graphics, suck and the character falls down way way too many times. Does not allow full control, may as well made it into a cartoon for all the movement and control you get.
  8. TheDrumJunkie
    May 3, 2012
    7
    TL;DR: If you don't like The Walking Dead or point and click adventures, you should stay away, or at least watch a YouTube playthrough. I've been a pretty big fan of The Walking Dead since the television series aired back in 2010. I distinctly remember having Walking Dead parties with college classmates on Sunday nights to tune in and watch the massacre. Since then I've read the comics up until issue 90 and watch every single episode. Basically I felt obligated to get this game. My struggle was that I've never liked point and click, and I still don't think I ever will. The only exception that generates my excitement for this game is The Walking Dead name is on it. If you're not a fan of the show or comics, or even point and clicks, you should probably stay away. I finished the episode in about two hours. Those achievements popped up pretty often it seemed like, so I assumed it was going to be fairly short - it is. The reason I'm giving the game a 7/10 is because of it's technical obstacles like other reviewers have mentioned. Sometimes frames would jump, seem as if it was rendering a frame right then and there so obviously (on my pretty powerful rig).… Expand
  9. Danaroth
    Apr 27, 2012
    6
    Not a bad game by any means, but not even a masterpiece; the story is too much clichè and you'll find yourself into quite a lot of deja vu's which are typical of the setting, like people getting scared that one of your companions may be a zombie, shelling out from a zombie horde, hearing radio reports, zombie relatives, axes, headshots and such; yet it does a good job making the proper setting and giving a nice background of the characters.
    I'm not really impressed technical wise; the graphics grows on you fastly enough, but the setting still feels too cartoony to deliver the proper impact, there is no way to change the camera angle and the interface is way too simplicistic and it's unlikely that it will be able to hold some deeper gameplay other than simple QTE or minor inventory puzzles.
    More than once I actually wanted to be able to control my weaponry directly, but I do reckon this was not the focus of the game.
    Sadly what hurts the game the most for me is the lack of actual freedom; in a game that prides himself for the decisions that will alter your gameplay experience the game definitely falls short in that department; there are just 5 nodes that will lead to a different cutscene and just one single choice actually leads to a different plot development that can be carried to the next episodes and the rest is just some line of dialogue that you can be free to pick at random.
    True freedom should mean allowing me to have the chance to try the plans I have in my mind to save my companions, to be able to get rid of a zombie not just by killing but also by making him unharmful, to be able to leave a conversation when I see that there is something that seems more pressing at the same moment.
    All of this would require a much more refined engine that sadly a company that comes from adventure games still isn't able to provide, yet this early experiment was worth a try and I'm hopeful that it will lead to a more free and meaningful experience in the following episodes.    … Collapse
  10. AirMartino347
    Jul 10, 2012
    10
    Really amazing game!My first teltale game ever. Play through the really intsresting story and jump straight into episode 2.Every choice you make is important! Have fun. :-)
  11. Finkelroy
    Apr 25, 2012
    10
    I know Tell-Tale get a rough deal for their games and I've avoided them until The Walking Dead because of the harsh criticisms. I'm a huge Walking Dead fan, both comic and tv show, so was very skeptical when this game was announced with Tell-Tale as a developer. I bought it anyway and was pleasantly surprised. The graphics are a wonderful homage to Charlie Adlard's work in the comics and the engine will run on the vast majority of pcs. I found myself caring about the characters and agonising over the decisions I made and how they would affect future episodes. It's true you don't get full control or a free roaming world but what you do get is an interesting experience that many AAA games could learn a lot from. The story is the unique selling point of this game and it delivers, in episode 1 at least.

    I would recommend this to anyone, Walking Dead fans or not. Now hurry up and release episodes 2, 3, 4 & 5.    … Expand
  12. ArtisanActual
    Apr 25, 2012
    10
    Telltale has been known for some time now as a quality developer of a genre that is otherwise under-flowing with not only quality, but sheer number of titles in general.With TTG's most recent additions to the industry (Back To the Future, Jurassic Park) lacking majorly in some areas, including limited puzzle elements, lack of exploration, a choppy engine, and overall disappointing conclusion to the story; I'll admit, I was skeptical. However, unlike some of the more ignorant members of the gaming community as a whole, I knew that TTG had discovered something special in the form of creating a flowing, horror-filled adventure experience within the confines of an extremely zombie-rich apocalyptic universe. The story of Kirkman's comics have always been about the progression of the plot through the characters. The game adaptation is no exception. Right from the get-go, both the characters dialogue & and the actions they carry out not only create a sense of an authentic emotional impact upon the more sensitive aspects of your mind, but they make you care about the characters as well. Never in my life, in any horror franchise, including The Walking Dead, up to this point at least; have I ever appreciated a child who plays a large part in the story. Generally speaking due to their obnoxious and helpless nature, as well as the fact that they only tend to bog the main characters down in place. Clementine, the little eight year old girl you come across within the first half hour of the game, not only makes a dramatic appearance where she acts sensibly, as well as bravely. But quite literally, she saves your life. She's intelligent, witty, brave, cute, and most importantly, a damn fine companion. You care about the well being of this girl. Although simply a game, I found myself immersed and enthralled in a different rendition of the same post-apocalyptic world I discovered in the comics, as well as rediscovered in the TV show. I instantly became protective of this little girl, not only because she was a an ultimately reasonable character in such repeatedly dire situations, but because she can keep her **** together when individuals forty years her senior cannot. Suffice to say, the narrative is spot on. You'll make decisions as to whom to which you will give food, ally yourself with, trust, or even which particular character will live or die. These decisions then subsequently carry over to the soon-to-be-released follow up episodes set for launch throughout Summer. The only gripes I have with this first episode of the game is the fact that just like recently released TTG titles, "The Walking Dead" suffers from some stuttering due to a slightly flawed graphics engine developed in-house by TTG. This isn't really a complaint that can be isolated with "TWD" specifically. As I said, it plagued previous TTG game too. In comparison to those titles, the stuttering is near nonexistent. It doesn't even effect game-play, and perhaps it'll be fixed in the future. It only serves as an annoyance to distract players from brief cinematics. In reality, the only flaw I can see with the mechanics of the game itself is occasional discrepancies in the conversations of the characters between one another. Occasionally you will receive a mixed reaction from a character, while this isn't unrealistic in any way, nor is it entirely unexpected, it makes it hard for you to know where you stand with each character unless you have the UI updating you about their current emotions. In fact, it can be argued that this isn't a flaw at all, and only serves to up-the-anty in decision-making processes as well as making the characters so integral to the plot more dynamic. Regardless, it still allows for the every-so-often awkward replies between the player and other characters that seem to be contradicting to either what the player was hoping to establish, or what the reaction the player was expecting. A more common criticism I've seen if that particular reviewers, such as those over at the gamespy website, believe that certain major decisions have no impact on the story. While this statement in itself is contradictory seeing as how an important decision would have to have an impact on the story, these reviewers are also wrong to assume that only one episode into a five episode arc that these specific decisions have no impact. Perhaps if they had even payed attention to the preview for the second episode after the conclusion of the first, they would know from the characters dialogue featured that certain characters have problems with the decisions that were made by the player previously, and have yet to say anything. In the end, I recommend this game highly to anyone looking for an "old school" adventure game with items and exploration, fans of the comics (which the game's art style is inspired by), or perhaps even people who only watch the show.… Expand
  13. ghostbuster
    Apr 24, 2012
    9
    First I've seen this game I'm a little bit confused because the walking dead has a very good story and I hoped that telltale games makes good.Thank god they made a wonderful game and can't wait for episode 2!
  14. Yddraiggoch
    Apr 24, 2012
    7
    It is difficult to classify this as a game. At best, it's more like an interactive movie with a few choices and some rudimentary puzzles and dialogue thrown in between scenes. However, as disappointed as I am with it's playability, I am impressed with the story so far and the characters. I'm also intrigued by the concepts that those choices that make in the game will not only have impact on developments within the same episode, but other episodes to come.
    A single play-through took me about 3.5 hours, I'm debating a replay to make slightly different choices.
    A big minus for me comes from the control configuration screen - it's for configuring a console controller! Telltale, seriously - we aren't all console players!!!! Please put in a bit of effort for us PC gamers - we're pretty sick of sloppy ports and would, for once like a PC game that actually looks like it's been polished a little :0)    … Expand
  15. SpazzBrozz
    Apr 24, 2012
    10
    Episode 1:
    This game is totally different than any game I am used to and so I decided to try it. The main reason I gave it a go and many others is because it is Walking Dead related. I spent $20 on all five episodes and I do not regret it one bit. To me it was just like watching another episode on TV but this time I had to, solve problems, make hard choices and lead a group. It took me a l    ittle over 2 hours to finish the episode and it left me wanting more. I loved the graphics Telltale has chosen; it fits right in. The blood and gore is also amazing. I loved this episode and I cannot wait til the next is released. Walking Dead FTW!… Expand
  16. Aisling
    Apr 26, 2012
    10
    I know a lot of people are probably disappointed it's not a shooter/hack n slash where you find hordes of zombies like in L4D or Dead Island but that's not really what The Walking Dead series is about. Making 'THAT' game would have just been incredibly gimmicky and there are already decent zombie-killing games. This game stayed true to the comic book & series by focusing primarily on characters. Your choices (and there are SO many of them) define you in this game and those choices have a lasting affect well into the next episodes.… Expand
  17. Ascanio
    Jun 20, 2012
    9
    Having played a few Telltale games before, and having watched the entire Walking Dead TV series, I had pretty big expectations about this game. Well, they have been more than fulfilled, and I will be sure to buy the next four episodes of this game as soon as they come out. I will divide my review into five sections, although the average of the four will not be the final score.

    Audio: I     personally feel that although the voice acting is very good, it should've all been recorded with a better microphone. The background effects and sounds are extremely good, and I really felt immersed in the game as I was playing it, but the voices are crackly and not loud enough. 7/10

    Gameplay: This game is interesting because - although the game is a point and click game at heart - it also has first person and third person sequences, and a few QTE's. (quick time events) Although I do not feel as if this mix is detrimental to the game whatsoever, it is pretty surprising because the game switches between them instantly and without warning. 8/10

    Story: This really captivated me. you feel for every character in the game, and when something happens to them you genuinely feel worried. The story is extremely well written and well thought out. I won't go into detail for fear of giving out spoilers. 10/10

    Graphics: I always thought that if a game based on the walking dead were ever to come out, it would have ultra-realistic graphics with a gritty, dark style. Although the game does have quite a gritty art style, the graphics are certainly not ultra realistic. If anything, they're actually quite cartoony. I'm not sure how, but it works. 9/10

    Overall: If you don't like point and click games STAY AWAY. This game is completely story orientated so don't expect to play another dead island. If you don't have patience, and don't like getting involved in stories, then do not buy this game. However, if you do, (and you should) not buying this game would be a terrible, terrible mistake. 9/10    … Expand
  18. null
    Nov 26, 2012
    8
    I'm not a big fan of the TV series that goes with by the same name and I've never seen any of the comic books where this game roots from. Neither did I value the Telltale Monkey Island spin offs much. Based on several high ratings on Metacritic I gave it a go and was quite surprised. The characters evolve beautiful and crawl under your skin. This is for me one of the best story setting environments I've experienced in 30 years of gaming. Don't expect some l33t ninja button bashing or sleepless mind puzzle solving requirements from this game. This is a numbed down adventure game on rails -- but a very good one.… Expand
  19. Beric_
    Apr 27, 2012
    9
    This game is amazing for anyone who love the Zombie genre. I haven't played a point-and-click game in a while, but it's amazingly easy and it feels and looks natural at most times. I love the fact that you have to make tough choices, who you want to save from death, to tell the truth or not. You get emotionally attached to most of the characters, and you would want to see this through. You can tell the game is developed for consoles, because of some graphical glitches, audio glitches and the controls. Don't fret! I could look past those tiny imperfections, because everything else is awesome! If you love zombies and an engaging story, you'll absolutely love this game. I can't wait for the next episodes. This game receives a 9/10 from me because of the story, comic-style graphics, music and characters. The game is very much worth its price too, that's good. It does not receive a 10/10 because of a few tiny bugs and some audio-glitches. Apart from that, I recommend it highly!… Expand
  20. aqurban
    May 6, 2012
    10
    This game is an absolute thrill, despite the clunky and outdated graphic design, it reaches out to the player and deliver an experience like no other Tell Tale game has ever done before, even for those who are not fans of either the critically acclaimed TV series or the comic.
  21. Renan
    Apr 30, 2012
    2
    This is Telltale's Jurassic Park all over again, only on a different setting.

    I'm also impressed by the suspicious amount of 10's around here. With Jurassic Park some Telltale employees confesses they were writing their own critics giving all 10's on this site. I wouldn't be surprised it such was the case again.

    Anyway, they have done away with the insane amount of QTE's from Jurassic Pa    rk, which is good. But a pretty poor story and very bad execution make for a game you will probably regret buying.… Expand
  22. Soujirop
    Dec 5, 2012
    10
    Probably the best zombie game I have ever played. When I first looked into this game, I thought it would be some shooter resident-evil wannabe, then I found out it was a graphic adventure with lots of action on it, which is really original and cool. But what I liked the most was the story, so epic and inmersive, really at the level of the TV series and more touchy. The flawless voice acting helps a lot.

    The other strong point in the game is the dialogue choice options. Everything you say almost always have some kind of impact in the story, from gaining influence over some pal of your group, to trigger a whole situation that may save your life or kill you. In fact, the difficulty of the game is not killing the zombies, but preventing your group to split or fall into hysteria.

    The only thing that could be better, are the puzzles. For a graphic adventure the puzzles are quite weak, but it kind of compensates with a great dose of action. All crowned with a great and moving ending.

    This game is a must have so try it. You won't be dissapointed.    … Expand
  23. AbsorbInfo
    Apr 26, 2012
    10
    The fact that I was lucky enough to win a Season Pass to this game on Twitter via Gary Whitta (who worked as a Story Consultant on this game) blew me away. But what really blew me away was how this game sucked me in so quickly and began forcing me to make tough choices immediately. Literally, seconds after I made some tough choices, I wondered what would have happened had I made a different decision. The game indicates when a choice will be remembered or is noticed by other characters. It makes for one of the most engaging stories I have experienced in a while.


    Game: "Clementine will remember you said that"
    Me: "Oh no, did I make the right decision? How is this going to change things???" I instantly decided that I would have to play through again to see alternate outcomes. In addition to the Steam version, I will treat myself to the Xbox Live Arcade version as well so as to have two versions of the story side by side. I can't remember another game that caused me to want to do this.

    As a huge fan of the comic and the television series, I find that this game succeeds in creating a new story with some new characters and some existing ones. It all feels right at home in its universe. The game is compelling and the characters are memorable. I just get the feeling that with this game, Telltale was like "Ok, we're not **** around". It just keeps throwing the player into interesting and tense situations. Aside from all of the story and making choices talk, the art style is also very pleasing to the eye. Facial expressions are really nailed which add to the overall tone of the often visceral situations. When you sit down to play this game, get ready to have your fingers on the proverbial trigger as there are timers on making decisions. This helps in making it a somewhat realistic engine. This is how you might have to make decisions in real life. There's action. There's drama. There's gore, thrills, and chills. (And spills. I slipped on a huge puddle of blood) The Walking Dead: Episode 1 delivers on everything you would want in a Walking Dead adventure game while keeping the story front and center. Some games have forgettable stories or stories elements you might not even remember. This game sticks with you because the experience is so very personal. It feels fantastic to finally play an episodic adventure game that makes you care, second guess yourself, and ultimately react. The best part, was that by the end, I was truly entertained and ready for the next episode.

    What more could I ask for?    … Expand
  24. ArchAngel-7-
    Jun 5, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Horrible. When I heard that Tell Tale Games was making it I knew it would suck. I had hoped when they announced that there would be a video game adaptation, that they would finally give me the zombie game that gamer fans of the genre were looking for. I see Tell Tale's strategy of making games that mimic a "Choose your own adventure", Cutscene styling as lazy game making. I had hoped for something like the DAY Z mod in ARMA 2. Why did I buy it??..simple, it was called "The Walking Dead". Now ofcourse I knew before purchasing it , this game was going to be boring to play, however i had hoped it would atleast have some type of immersion. NONE. Whenever anyone points this out about the game, either a Tell Tale employee or FanBoy states "You dont think that smashing a zombie's brains in with a hammer is immersion"? "You dont think that choosing what happens is immersion enough"?....My answer is NO, not the way the game is styled. All of your decisions are forced. Any action sequences were made so that a child could complete them. This game is more like pressing "Q" or "E" so that you can continue watching a crappy movie/comic book video. And "Choices" ...really...."Choices"...the "S" on the end of the word "Choice" implies more than ONE...and when it comes to this game they are not lying...in fact you get TWO. "Save Carly or Nerd boy Doug", "Save Hershel's Son or the idiot kid".(Which i hope that kid dies). And not even all the choices are logical. Someone mentioned a brick small enough to fit through the gate at the pharmacy....or even the fact that you could use the Cane to grab it....not an option. It would not even let you pick the cane up. The one and only puzzling puzzle was the TV Remote. and that was just lame. Aside from the games integrity, how about the critics....I call BS on the many positive reviews of this game, however i see this alot in gaming. Lets just put it this way...I have come to this site to read reviews on just about every game before buying...until now I have never reviewed a game until being disgusted by the lack truth when it comes to the reviews of this game. I realize that this is only my opinion. I own every zombie/game/mod so naturally, I bought this as well. One more thing, where is episode two? I was told before buying that the game's episodes were to be released monthly. Maybe if they spent less time making you tube videos, patting themselves on the backs for the horrible game they have made, and more time making the game...there wouldnt be alot of angry customers out there. Usually the response to this statemeny by a TT agent or FanBoy is "Do you want a crap episode now or a great one later"? ..my response is I dont really care and TT doesnt either, they already got my money. I'll definitely save my money on the next set of episodes. Think Ill just watch someone playing those on You Tube. Which will get the story told to me for free.… Expand
  25. peanuts
    Jun 11, 2012
    5
    Episode 1 has some linear parts, where essentially no matter what choice you make in the game- you will end up at the same outcome later. Game Survival is fully centered around quicktime events, where pushing the correct button quickly and multiple times is key. This makes game-play centered more around fast reflexes instead of logical thinking and planning. Unfortunately the player does not get to keep weapons in the game, nor choose which weapons they want to use against enemies. The fighting sequences are fully scripted using a particular weapon (picked up just prior to battle) and seem intended for immediate use. Due to the rather linear style of game-play, I cannot recommend this as a true RPG, more like a scripted movie with quick-time events thrown in. A game that feels very similar to this one is Heavy Rain for the PS3. Since the game is the first-part of a five-part episodic series, the game length of this episode is rather short. I completed episode 1 in approximately 40 minutes. Timely releases of subsequent episodes appears to be problematic for the publisher. Episode 1 was released on April 24th, 2012. When The Walking Dead game was being advertised prior to launch, Telltales Entertainment promised releases for new episodes "every month", but since the launch of episode 1 they have inexplicably postponed releasing episode 2. Now their official stance on releasing new episodes has been modified on their website as "approximately every month". As of this writing it is June 11th, and episode 2 has still not been released which means it has been approximately two months since the last episode has been released. Potential customers should therefor, expect delays if they wish to purchase the Season Pass option. Overall, I feel the game is an average entry into what is essentially a CGI movie with scripted sequences and quicktime events. Heavy Rain, by comparison, is more polished in practically every area to include graphics, sound, characters, and plot. You are also dealing with untimely releases of subsequent episodes- even at the rate of 1 month per episode you are looking forward to 40 minutes of new game-play every month, which most people will agree is ridiculous. At face value, I would usually score an average game like this one with an average score of 6; but the untimely releases of subsequent episodes further degrades the appeal of the series to an even lower-average-score of 5.… Expand
  26. Othrandur
    Apr 25, 2012
    7
    As a game, this would be horrible, but if you understand going in that this is just an interactive cartoon for mature audiences, you will appreciate it for what it is... if you're a fan of the comics or the TV series, at least. It lacks background information for someone who doesn't know this series. The plot is reasonably interesting, for the genre, and the dialogs are well acted and credible. My main complaint is that the actions are timed. This is so much like a movie that you tend to sit back and watch, occasionally noticing that a reply is expected. It's very frustrating to have a timer that forces you to answer within a short amount of time. The game either needs more interaction to keep the player involved enough that a need for an action doesn't come as a surprise or it needs to patiently wait for the user to put down his coffee and pick up the keyboard or controller. As it is, the balance isn't right. Also, at the time of this review, the game is disappointingly unoptimized. Running on a top end system that runs the most demanding AAA games with maximum quality graphics at 1080p, this game frequently stalls on a frame for a few seconds, making it feel as if it's loading an overlay from a floppy disk. That's seriously amateurish, especially given the extreme simplicity of this game, from a technical perspective. I would recommend it for fans of the series, but only when it drops to half its current price.… Expand
  27. VitaminK
    May 17, 2012
    3
    With the reviews I was hoping for A LOT better. You don't really get to make the choices you want to or at least I wanted too, everything is forced generally one direction. Story is mediocre. This isn't a game, its a bunch of cut-scenes.
  28. Armokir
    Jul 15, 2012
    9
    I love this game! Some people would say it's like Heavy Rain with the choices and stuff, but I hated Heavy Rain. This game is really well done. Your choices will put you on different sides and will affect everything in the game. I love the action and the suspense of that great story. Well, it's a strong 9!
  29. lisitsa
    Jul 26, 2012
    4
    Not great. It IS an interactive story rather than a full-fledged action/puzzle game, but that's not the issue I have with it. I do wish it offered more of a branching story line, if story is where it's trying to shine -- most of the conversation decisions seem to be purely cosmetic. (They're also stressful to make; there's usually barely enough time to read them all before the timer runs out.) But more importantly, the story it does lead you through is just so generic. It must have hit every single zombie apocalypse bingo square in the first half hour. That's what killed it for me. If there's no gameplay to speak of and no exploration of the game's world allowed, the story better be gripping. It wasn't; it never made me care. I'll grant that the characters were decently written for the most part, and I hope they will grow in complexity in future episodes.

    On top of the lackluster story, the gameplay aspects are terribly implemented. It might play better on console, but the PC controls are atrocious, character movement felt cumbersome and stunted, and the fixed camera/scenery drove me batty, since it frequently conceals walkable paths. The player is also artificially held back from progressing at multiple points. Some of the puzzles you're presented with have obvious solutions, but the game won't give you the tools to solve them until you've passed some other check point. (The brick thing was particularly annoying, as was the pharmacy door.) Some other puzzles were also just insulting to the characters themselves. I won't go into detail, but Carly -- presumably at least passing familiar with technology, being a reporter, not to mention perfectly capable of firing a handgun -- couldn't figure out the issue with the radio? Twice? Really, now?

    As for the the visual style, I'm not a fan, though I'll grant that's partly a matter of personal taste. The line work looked sloppy to me, the colours too muddy -- Clementine's face was a good example of this. What's not a matter of personal taste are the graphics glitches, particular the pixelated shadows all over the place. I did play this on an Mac via Steam, however, so it's possible it runs better on Windows.    … Expand
  30. LazyLord
    Nov 16, 2012
    3
    The biggest part of this game are the decisions, which at first seem fun, but if you play through different routes you'll realize your decisions don't make much of a difference. The action scenes seem to come out of nowhere, and sometimes you only realize it isn't a cut scene after it's too late. But even if you do realize it in time Lee doesn't seem to be in a hurry to not get eaten. Though even if you are bad at that kind of action sequence there aren't enough to really ruin your gaming experience.

    To sum up, the most advertised part of this game is that it's tailored to your decisions. But it's really not, there's a very strict order in which everything has to be done. And most importantly, usually whatever you decide you have to stay behind 100%, for the most part the game doesn't give you the option to regret any of your decisions. Which is kind of annoying when someone gets pissed off at you for a decision you made while on a timer.

    Overall, I give it a 3.5/10.    … Expand
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. Hyper Magazine
    Jul 8, 2012
    80
    Great both standalone and as a gateway to a larger series. Let's hope it all pans out. [July 2012, p.76]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Jul 3, 2012
    80
    A slow-burn character study, some quick thinking and a constant air of menace make for a gripping start to a new adventure. [July 2012, p.68]
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  3. Absolute Games
    Jun 28, 2012
    72
    Rich atmosphere compensates for poor gameplay mechanics of The Walking Dead.
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