Three months have passed since the events of Episode 1, but The Walking Dead is far too classy to indulge itself with a montage intro. A brief conversation with a new member of the group gets you up to speed on the current situation, while a grisly decision very early in the game hurls you straight back into the deep end.
Where the first part focussed on frantically surviving the initial disaster, the second episode finds the group facing a different problem. Food supplies are running low, and tensions within the group are rising. You're tasked with rationing out food to the group, which essentially means choosing who's going to go hungry for the day.
As with the first part of this excellent series, the real strength here is in the quality of the narrative. Desperation obliges the group to trade paranoia for trust, but it isn't a comfortable transition. The scripting and delivery of lines is better than you'll find in any other game, and the characterisation is utterly superb. You'll find yourself caring about these characters far more than seems rational. You'll go out of your way to try and protect these people, even when they're acting like absolute dicks.
More importantly, you'll care about what they think of you. Group politics play a major part, and it's often down to you to try and keep things together. Lee's relationship with Clementine is by far the most fascinating aspect so far, forcing him to continually justify his pragmatic decisions to someone driven by naïve morality. These justifications aren't always honest, especially when logic gets clouded by rage. Games have a habit of offering revenge as a reward without consequence - a habit that The Walking Dead quite rightly highlights as perverse.
Despite the astounding narrative achievements, Episode 2 isn't without hefty faults. It's far easier to get killed this time around, but this doesn't add much to the overall experience. The risk of others being hurt is permanent, while Lee getting killed is just a quick re-load. This problem is prevalent throughout most videogames, but it certainly feels more prominent here. Dying destroys any sense of tension, breaking the otherwise intense sense of immersion.
Despite the blatantly rushed execution, it's impossible not to love The Walking Dead Episode 2. This is thought-provoking, clever, and genuinely grown-up entertainment. Heart-rending decisions and spectacular pacing make this one of the most intense gaming experiences we've ever had. The rough edges aren't forgivable or pleasant, but the heart of the game is so spectacular that it's impossible not to be blown away. Telltale is on the verge of creating one of the best series ever, providing it doesn't stumble in its attempts to beat the rush. Walk, don't run.
18 comments so far...
Ollie66 on 28 Jun '12 said:
This game sounds great, I mean I don't watch the TV series or anything (I know I should, it's supposed to be awesome), and I didn't think much of part 1. Definitely on my watch list now
Clanger67 on 28 Jun '12 said:
Great stuff really enjoyed part one,played through it a couple of times for the differences.Didn't really expect much less on the score front if the whole series keeps this up should be fantastic all the way through.Just hope part three doesn't take as long as this.With all the talk now of downloading games and episodes being the way forward,i for one would hate this delay with every game.
Carnage24 on 28 Jun '12 said:
Love these games. I only ever play through them once though as it I don't like to mess with the story it builds in my mind. Strange I know but I like to make out that it's like the TV show where shit happens and you can't change it.
fatboyslim1977 on 28 Jun '12 said:
Spot on review.
Played this last night and this was again a brilliant piece of gaming. Yes it has technical issues but overall and excellent series so far.
Well done Telltale.
OXM JamSponge on 28 Jun '12 said:
Totally agree. Having said that, I'm looking forward to playing through the whole thing again once I've done the entire series - until then though I'd rather not spoil my story. This is also why I try to avoid using character names in the reviews of each section, it's far more exciting being vaguely unsure of just how big an impact your decisions are having.
schwepterbrowser on 28 Jun '12 said:
That's exactly what I'm doing.
Just finished this now, I'd agree it's much more intense than the first episode. I could see the twist coming, but it was still cool - really can't wait for the rest of 'em!
... Just to nit-pick; you say it's been 3 months since the first, but it's only been 2 (1 released 28/04/12, 2 released 27/06/12).
Clanger67 on 28 Jun '12 said:
But it was supposed to be one a month.The Ps3 and pc one isn't out until tomorrow and the euro. Ps3 version hasn't even been given a release date yet,so that could be three months.Supposedly they had some trouble with certification for whatever reason so could be down to MS and Sony.
OXM JamSponge on 28 Jun '12 said:
Ahh, confusion - It's been three months since the last episode in the game world. You're right, it's been about 2 IRL. Unfortunately the extra month doesn't seem to have done much to make it more polished - hopefully they've had a headstart on part 3.
schwepterbrowser on 28 Jun '12 said:
Apparently it was submitted late anyway, so Telltale are partly responsible, then it was held up further by certification. I've heard lots of different reasons for its delay, they certainly weren't polishing it, though, it has a lot of technical problems like the review says. Ace nonetheless.
*Edit: My mistake... and you read my mind Matt
Ollie66 on 28 Jun '12 said:
How many episodes are there altogether? Is it 5? Also will they be released as a boxed retail item afterwards?
schwepterbrowser on 28 Jun '12 said:
Yep.
Hasn't been announced, but it's a possibility; they recently did it with Back to the Future.
Ollie66 on 28 Jun '12 said:
Thanks for the replies Schwepter
TheWalkingDead on 28 Jun '12 said:
Blatantly rushed execution? Sorry but that feels like a slap in the face to the people that made this. It's got hiccups but to say it was rushed is laughable. Not to mention there was 2 months between episode 1 and 2. As for dropping the monthly releases, don't count on them dropping what they've been doing all along AND doing so in the middle of the series. People were starting to get testy with a two month wait, do you want TT to go longer than that? I really don't that's for sure. Now if they want to drop the monthly releases for the next series/game, so be it. Not smart business to do so though now.
OXM JamSponge on 29 Jun '12 said:
Yeah mate, fair point. I shouldn't criticise the quality of a game if there's a risk that my opinions might insult the developers. Inspired by your opinion, I've decided to quit OXM and start my very own game review website. It should be up this weekend, hopefully.
www.ten-out-of-ten.com
msbhvn on 29 Jun '12 said:
BURN!
stevejcrow on 29 Jun '12 said:
The big twist was all too obvious and if you had the freedom of choice that was implied in the run-up to this game, could all have been avoided. Loved the first part, looked forward to the second but not so keen for the third installment!
Clanger67 on 29 Jun '12 said:
Just finished it and really enjoyed it.I agree the twist was a bit obvious couple of tense moments in it and the way things are going with the characters was expanded upon quite well.Like the the nod to Monkey Island in one of the achievements as well.
Wadium_Arcadium on 29 Jun '12 said:
I got about halfway throuh (I think) before going to bed last night.
I just got past the twist, it was pretty obvious but it was still pretty shocking to see. There was a very similar storyline in the comics actually.