The Walking Dead

What the title said. I wrote this down after every episode. This damn game...

Episode 1

The last line really set things up, doesn’t it? ”I think it’s going to be allright” and not a minute later the power grid is completely shut down.

I really like the characters in this game. Already more than in most games. I guess it’s because of how everything is just different shades of shit.

I already lost track of what most of my thoughts are on this game so far. I guess this is just an experiment in expressing myself on paper. Off to ep. 2!

Episode 2

I’m not even done with it and man! Right off the bat you’re put in crazy difficult positions. Rationing stuff later is not helping the characters get along and now the reveal with the dairy farm! WHAT THE FUCK. I must get back to playing.

Finished.

Fuuuck. More decisions were hard as balls to make. I stabbed one of the brothers with a pitchfork. I very rarely find it worth killing off a dude if a game lets you. I don’t know why but I did this time. The tiny thing I got out of that quickly vanished as I noticed Clementine saw me do it. I felt bad.

I guess this says a lot about The Walking Dead as a game and a means to tell a story. Already in the first episode and even more with this one I’ve connected with the characters on a level that took Mass Effect one and a half game reach. And the Mass Effect universe is probably my all time favorite video game universe.

I also noticed me being among the 15% of people who chose not to bring the guy trapped in a foothold trap(?) with me. The thing is I spent too much time trying to save him only to have to leave moments later. I guess this is a prime example of how trying to help people in the best way possible turns out to be really hurtful instead.

Anyhow, this episode did not end as ill foreboding as the first one but I still expect the game to punch me in the stomach at least once or twice. This story is so good. Ep. 3 here we go!

Episode 3

Figured I’d have to make a post lest I forget all of the bad shit that went down in the first part of this episode.

Sigh. This episode is just all sorts of depressing? Carly getting shot was real unexpected. I chose to leave ­­­­_____ behind because of it. One has to draw the line somewhere, has he not? I felt bad but I didn’t want the group to become more splintered than it already was. I take issue with Kenny, but he’s one of the few that remains. We have to stick together.

I shot the kid. This is bad. I thought Kaatja was strong enough.

Finished.

There was not much more to this episode than previous post. I’m just hanging onto the story right now. There seems to be hope! Though I wonder what the hell was going on with that radio. Has Clementine been talking to someone all this time?

Episode 4

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. Some new people were befriended and some of them lost. The ploth thickens too, though I it is more suspense than dread and horror. A boat has been fixed, though I don’t know to where it might be taken.

I’ve been bit, too. Such a small mistake too. Well, I guess I do find some relief in knowing that my end is near. All I can think about is finding Clementine. I owe her that much.

Episode 5

I need a drink.

The Walking Dead

What the title said. I wrote this down after every episode. This damn game...

Episode 1

The last line really set things up, doesn’t it? ”I think it’s going to be allright” and not a minute later the power grid is completely shut down.

I really like the characters in this game. Already more than in most games. I guess it’s because of how everything is just different shades of shit.

I already lost track of what most of my thoughts are on this game so far. I guess this is just an experiment in expressing myself on paper. Off to ep. 2!

Episode 2

I’m not even done with it and man! Right off the bat you’re put in crazy difficult positions. Rationing stuff later is not helping the characters get along and now the reveal with the dairy farm! WHAT THE FUCK. I must get back to playing.

Finished.

Fuuuck. More decisions were hard as balls to make. I stabbed one of the brothers with a pitchfork. I very rarely find it worth killing off a dude if a game lets you. I don’t know why but I did this time. The tiny thing I got out of that quickly vanished as I noticed Clementine saw me do it. I felt bad.

I guess this says a lot about The Walking Dead as a game and a means to tell a story. Already in the first episode and even more with this one I’ve connected with the characters on a level that took Mass Effect one and a half game reach. And the Mass Effect universe is probably my all time favorite video game universe.

I also noticed me being among the 15% of people who chose not to bring the guy trapped in a foothold trap(?) with me. The thing is I spent too much time trying to save him only to have to leave moments later. I guess this is a prime example of how trying to help people in the best way possible turns out to be really hurtful instead.

Anyhow, this episode did not end as ill foreboding as the first one but I still expect the game to punch me in the stomach at least once or twice. This story is so good. Ep. 3 here we go!

Episode 3

Figured I’d have to make a post lest I forget all of the bad shit that went down in the first part of this episode.

Sigh. This episode is just all sorts of depressing? Carly getting shot was real unexpected. I chose to leave ­­­­_____ behind because of it. One has to draw the line somewhere, has he not? I felt bad but I didn’t want the group to become more splintered than it already was. I take issue with Kenny, but he’s one of the few that remains. We have to stick together.

I shot the kid. This is bad. I thought Kaatja was strong enough.

Finished.

There was not much more to this episode than previous post. I’m just hanging onto the story right now. There seems to be hope! Though I wonder what the hell was going on with that radio. Has Clementine been talking to someone all this time?

Episode 4

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. Some new people were befriended and some of them lost. The ploth thickens too, though I it is more suspense than dread and horror. A boat has been fixed, though I don’t know to where it might be taken.

I’ve been bit, too. Such a small mistake too. Well, I guess I do find some relief in knowing that my end is near. All I can think about is finding Clementine. I owe her that much.

Episode 5

I need a drink.

You're a lunatic for doing so, but I'm glad someone did this. I'm curious though, did you lose the RV in episode 3 even after leaving Lilly? Because I kept her and she eventually drove off with it, setting up us leaving on the train.

@fisher81 said:

You're a lunatic

Exactly.

What the hell were you thinking @Sjupp: ?! Please don't off yourself!

This seems like it's a really bad idea emotionally.

Jesus fucking Christ duder. One every month or so was a horrible experience, so I don't even want to think of back to back.

I could barely handle one episode a month. You must be an emotional wreck right now. :)

Drink up.

Oh dude...

Don't take that drink if you have weapons around the house, it might end badly.

Some of you need to go through some real life shit.

^ That might be the gif ever

@hejklyscha said:

Some of you need to go through some real life shit.

It's called "emotional investment" and "hyperbole".

I played through over a week and I thought I was nuts, way to go duder.

After playing through the entirety of the first season in a little under 24 hours, I also felt pretty drained.  I do, however, think that Episode 3 was the biggest punch in the gut.  Carley...

@hejklyscha:

YEAH MAN. WHY BE EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED TO ANYTHING--THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING IN AFRICA, BRO!!!

Damn I played through in two sittings and I thought I was gunnin' it.

Just reading this all at once is rough lol. You're a madman but this was really great to read and super entertaining. Loved the pitchfork kill, I did the same thing, and boy does that make you feel bad when she is staring at the dead guy you just f'd up. Maybe you should play something bright and fun to cheer you up, after I finished it I thought on it a bit and then popped in WWE for a Giant Bomb Battle Royale using the C.A.W. TheMightySkullboy made :P

@Sjupp: I've been doing an episode every day or two, it's great!

I must say though, there has been one consistent thing that's been somewhat disappointing to me so far (I've completed two episodes to date). And that's these VERY weird cuts to scenes or characters that had nothing to do with the preceding scene. It's as if all of a sudden the action has jumped about 5 minutes ahead without me seeing the intervening shots. There are a few other minor graphical glitches that just seem like some missed spit and polish on what is otherwise a damn fine game. I suppose these are just odd little hitches, but they really took me out of what was otherwise a very immersive experience. Immersive, for me, in the sense of wanting to keep my eyes on the screen, and thumbs on dem sticks, in case a damn QTE pops up!

They also seem to be wildly inconsistent with how and when those that die coming back as zombies.

I played the first 4 through all at once. The only thing that really got to me was Carly getting shot, but it was more of a "fuck you game, there was nothing I could have done to stop that, and it didn't feel justified".

It really wasn't that bad. I mean, a lot of it was super similar to "The Road", and "The Road" did pretty much all of it better. Seeing that movie makes TWD seem a bit tame (probably mostly due to the art style and limitations of animation).

Everyone who chose Carley made the wrong decision. #doug4lyfe

@Ravenlight said:

Everyone who chose Carley made the wrong decision. #doug4lyfe

Word, son.

@BBAlpert said:

@Ravenlight said:

Everyone who chose Carley made the wrong decision. #doug4lyfe

Word, son.

What happens to Doug if you keep him?

@Jothel said:

@BBAlpert said:

@Ravenlight said:

Everyone who chose Carley made the wrong decision. #doug4lyfe

Word, son.

What happens to Doug if you keep him?

The exact same thing.

Ah right, is there actually any way to save them and have Ben die there? I guess not due to how much he factors into the story later on?

I played through it all in two sittings. Just finished it now. Feel super disappointed by the final episode. Was waiting for this big emotional push at the end, but it just left me a bit meh. Episode 3 and 4 were pretty awesome! Felt pretty drained halfway through episode 4.

Everyone who chose Carley made the wrong decision. #doug4lyfe

I played through it all in two sittings. Just finished it now. Feel super disappointed by the final episode. Was waiting for this big emotional push at the end, but it just left me a bit meh. Episode 3 and 4 were pretty awesome! Felt pretty drained halfway through episode 4.

@Ravenlight said:

Everyone who chose Carley made the wrong decision. #doug4lyfe

I've said this every time I see a Doug vs Carley discussion come up. How did anyone choose carley when she doesn't even know how to put batteries into a radio?!?

#doug4lyfe

@Mister_Snig said:

@bibamatt

I played through it all in two sittings. Just finished it now. Feel super disappointed by the final episode. Was waiting for this big emotional push at the end, but it just left me a bit meh. Episode 3 and 4 were pretty awesome! Felt pretty drained halfway through episode 4.

I feel the exact opposite. The fifth episode is the first game to actually make my cry. It takes a lot for a work of fiction to do that.

Yeah, I'd heard a lot from people saying they teared up at the end, so was going into it expecting that! I'm usually a right softy! I bloody cried at the end of The Darkness 2 for fucks sake... But yeah, TWD Episode 5 left me cold. I realise I'm the exception to the rule here, of course. I felt like it was cheap that they used two scenes that'd featured in the comics already...

...and I didn't feel like my choices really made a difference to anything. Like, after all these choices and paths it wasn't my story at all. We all hit the same things and we all had the same end. I kinda got that vibe all the way through, but the binary nature of the decisions just hit me really hard in that last chapter. I felt like I was making choices that should factor in and be big deals and they'd just been ignored.

Overall I really enjoyed my time with the game. There were loads of hard hitting moments and I think it's one of the best stories in the whole Walking Dead fiction (I'm a big fan of the comics and TV show, too!). But, to play devil's advocate, I thought the "gameplay" mostly sucked and, yeah, I felt like my whole last couple of hours with it was really weird.

@bibamatt: Funny how I feel that it was more emotional through ep 2 and first half of 3 and then a lull until ep 5.

@Sjupp said:

@bibamatt: Funny how I feel that it was more emotional through ep 2 and first half of 3 and then a lull until ep 5.

I think my two big lump-in-the-throat moments were the Katjaa/Duck part in Episode 3 and the attic boy in Episode 4.

You crazy idiot, what the hell did you go and do that for?!

@Sweep: Whatever reason (or lack thereof) I had to play all of them in one sitting doesn't really matter now, after the game. GOTY. Hands down.

Though I did not feel super when done with ep 5 :P

@BBAlpert said:

@Ravenlight said:

Everyone who chose Carley made the wrong decision. #doug4lyfe

Word, son.

Doug didn't even want to be saved! What the hell is wrong with you people? Doug would have wanted to die if it meant Carley would live.

@bibamatt I was totally okay with my choices not really mattering because I felt that the game wasn't trying to go in that direction. All throughout the game, they make it pretty damn clear that you aren't really the leader of anything and you won't really have the final say (both the player and Lee).

Sure you make some choices here and there, like whether you save Carly or Doug (#teamdoug) or bringing Clem to Crawford, but most of them are more or less inconsequential, and understandably so. In The Walking Dead, you aren't preventing or causing events, you react to them. You don't really order people around, you try to influence them.

Which is a welcome change of pace. From other games I've played and the general reaction to things like New Vegas' ending and Mass Effect 3, giving the player that much agency has only resulted in disappointment.