Okay, so apparently this game's pretty amazing, or so I've heard... Which means I'd like to give it a shot. But I'm a little hesitant for a couple of reasons. I'm not a big fan of gratuitous gore-type stuff. Is there a lot of that in here? Blood and bodies blown apart sort of thing? The Quick Look had a scene where a zombie's head was bashed in pretty brutally... Is that a major part of the game?

I'm also not a big fan of zombies in general. I just kind of think they're dumb. But from all the praise this game's getting, I'm definitely interested in it. I love a good story, especially an emotional one.

So does anyone have any insight about this stuff? Or any information I should know or be aware of going in? I'd be playing on PS3. And please, no spoilers. Thanks. :)

Yeah, you are going to run into quite a few scenes that are more difficult to stomach compared to the zombie head bashing. You'll be responsible for a lot of them too. I wouldn't say they're gratuitous gore though, I feel like the violence displayed in the game is always meant to manipulate your emotions in a certain way and not just for the sake of gore.

Whenever you see a zombie, which isn't as often as you might think, you're either going to be running from it or killing them (or both) so you're likely to see a bit of guts. It's never really as gory as the show though, which if you've seen you know is really into the blood and guts. The zombies and zombie killing really isn't the focus of this game. It's the way people change and the ways they stay the same in such a horrible situation (and by extension, how you would act in such a situation).

There are definitely some moments where the violence is central to a scene, like a situation where you have to chop off someone's leg to get away from zombies (should you choose to), but it's not the sort of thing where you're gonna be forced to watch stuff like the zombie head bashing from the quick look every time you deal with a violent situation. Also in that scene you don't actually have to keep hitting the zombie.

TL;DR: the gore isn't gratuitous.

I am very gore-sensitive and I had no problem at all with this game.

I am not a squeamish person by any stretch of the imagination and even I was cringing at a few scenes; expect a good deal of gore and just generally fucked up stuff. Also lots of "other" things that may make you uncomfortable that I won't go in to for fear of spoiling it.

Still, if you're the kind of person that's not easily grossed-out but just doesn't prefer that kind of entertainment then you'll still find a lot to like about this game. It doesn't lean heavily on the gore as a way to keep you engaged, it's the characters and the choices you're forced to make that will be the most interesting parts of the game.

This game is just like the comic book and show in that it really isn't even about the zombies. It's about how people can get really fucked up without order, and how in this situation; You generally should fear your own kind more than the zombies themselves.

@Kerned said:

I am very gore-sensitive and I had no problem at all with this game.

This here. It's gory, but not too far. It handles all it's shocking moments with taste, and never shows actual bone breaks or anything. It's not too bad at all, and when it is, it has a purpose story wise and isn't gratuitous for no reason, it works well.

@Mike_Sandbag: Just don't let Episode 1 influence you too much and play Episode 2 immediately after.

My apologies. Gratuitous was probably a bad choice of words. I just meant to ask if there was a lot of it. Thanks for the input. :)

If anyone else has stuff to add, feel free. :)

Despite any reservations, you should absolutely play it.

There is a lot of violence. It isn't constant but it is very common. It's not incredibly realistic violence, but it is definitely a very common occurrence so if you don't like those things then probably don't play it.

The zombies are not a focus of the game. The zombies are the catalyst that drives a character driven story. There is nothing about the fiction behind the zombies unless it is required for the story. It is about how these characters interact and how desperation pushes people to do terrible things.