The Walking Dead: Best of both seasons
Let me begin by explaining why I consider TWD Season 1 (particularly the first episode) to be an absolute masterpiece:
To me, there are 3 kinds of games:
-Games like Diablo, Call of Duty, Skyrim etc. These are games aimed at having you hooked. You couldn't care less about the story, the characters, their interactions. You play them for one reason: Get stronger, kick more ass, and get even stronger. They appeal to our need to dominate, to be the best.
-Games like Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Metal Gear Solid etc. These games go for the middle ground. They give you fast paced action, and a story that most likely will get you interested. It's a hit and miss, but most likely you'll end up caring about some aspect of the story by the end.
-And then, there are games like The Walking Dead. Games that are aimed at building an emotional connection with their characters. These sacrifice over the top gameplay, in order to tell you a story. You get hooked because you care.
Now, as I said, some games achieve this level of engrossment at some point in the course of the several hours you'll spend playing them.
TWD Season 1 achieved this in the first 10 minutes.
That moment when I was going around in Clem's house, hearing her parents say their goodbyes over voicemail, watching the pictures of them as I realised what happened, was one of the best gaming experiences I've had...they made me care about Clem without even seeing her. From that point, until the end of the game, they set a goal that thrive us all through 5 chapters. Protecting Clementine. From that moment, we weren't "watching Lee's story". We were Lee, he becomes a vessel for us to protect a helpless kid while hell broke loose. All of this, in the first 10 minutes. That's genius.
Now, about Season 2:
I would lie if I didn't tell you that I was a little dissapointed with the first episode. I found it fun, interesting, and without a doubt a good experience, but that magical element of season 1 was missing. I liked seeing Clem grow tougher, but I didn't felt like that was the best course for her character. I found myself caring only about Clem and even that was a little difficult because she was portrayed so hardened and unbreakable. The whole point of the episode seemed to be: Clem is tough now.
And then I played episode 2, and this might be one of the best episodes of both seasons. We get to meet old characters, new characters that are interesting (and sometimes terrifying) and start developing true emotions to the ones we got introduced. But most of all, they nailed the vibe of the this season. Clem might be tough, but she's still a kid. That moment when Carver got into the house, and walked around asking questions while we, as players, were unable to stop him, not only was nerve-wracking, but made us feel like Clementine: just a kid.
So, that's my take about what are the best elements of both seasons. What is the aspect you love the most of this game? What were the moments that truly got to you? And what do you think about how this season is going?
Comments
This used to be posted on every long post.
There's so many great aspects to this game, but I've gone down to emotional connection to the characters. The only other game that made me feel even somewhat close to the feelings that came from TWD was Halo 3 and that's because Sgt. Johnson died. But, Telltale Games has an excellent grasp on storytelling as well, which is why they're one of my favorite game creating companies. And I know exactly what you mean, when in Clementine's house and I hear and see all the crazy shit she's gone through, I want to try my very best to protect her, and I've probably never felt that in a game before I played TWD.