The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series Image
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89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews What's this?

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8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3463 Ratings

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  • Summary: Based on Robert Kirkman's comic book series, The Walking Dead brings to life a world devastated by an undead apocalypse and the horrifying choices you're forced to make to survive. Play the role of Lee Everett, a convicted criminal, who has been given a second chance at life in a worldBased on Robert Kirkman's comic book series, The Walking Dead brings to life a world devastated by an undead apocalypse and the horrifying choices you're forced to make to survive. Play the role of Lee Everett, a convicted criminal, who has been given a second chance at life in a world devastated by the undead. With corpses returning to life and survivors stopping at nothing to maintain their own safety, protecting an orphaned girl named Clementine may offer you redemption in a world gone to hell. Expand
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The Walking Dead: Episode 2 - Starved for Help Trailer
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Feb 6, 2013
    100
    An incredibly powerful, emotionally engaging experience; a watershed moment for videogame narrative and storytelling. [Feb 2013, p.70]
  2. Jan 23, 2013
    96
    The Walking Dead represents a jewel in the realm of episodic adventures. This game will shock you. It'll make you cry and curse. One of the most memorable gaming experience we've had in a long time. Don't miss out on it.
  3. Jan 7, 2013
    95
    Overall this game was a unique experience that is not your everyday type of game, but is worth playing and I would suggest this game to almost anyone. It is a game that simply tells a beautiful and tragic story. It sucks you in emotionally and does not let go.
  4. Dec 13, 2012
    90
    There are really too few game elements in The Walking Dead to justify calling it a game. Its amazing world, great voice actors and the tough decisions it throws at you constantly will have you completely forget about this though. It's a compelling story that grabs you from the opening of the game and doesn't let go until its controversial ending in the last chapter. The intelligent choice-system gives you the feeling that you're creating your own story, which is why you'll lose yourself in the characters in no-time. It never gets really challenging, but for those who enjoy a good story, it's a great enrichment of the Walking Dead-universe.
  5. CD-Action
    Jan 6, 2013
    90
    A memorable game with a superb, deep story that forces you to make tough decisions and live with them. [CD-Action 1/2013, p.62]
  6. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Dec 21, 2012
    90
    Possibly the best game series we have played so far – also the most consistent and heart-taking stories you will find in video games. [Christmas 2012]
  7. Jan 18, 2013
    80
    The Walking Dead series offers one of the most intense game story of recent years that is not hardcore on its gamers from the adventure point of view. So relax, seat yourselves and let the zombie-apocalyptic world suck you in.

See all 14 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 43 out of 578
  1. Jan 4, 2013
    10
    I have been playing computer and video games for the last 25+ years. In all that time, I have never once had a game illicit a seriousI have been playing computer and video games for the last 25+ years. In all that time, I have never once had a game illicit a serious emotional response, but this game did thrice: anger when I found what a stranger had done, frustration when I found someone in our party had lied, and regret when I realized I had to let a friend down. And this is the spoiler-free version of the review. After playing this game, you'll no longer wonder why Hollywood is losing out to the video games industry. These are stories *worth* telling. Expand
  2. Oct 22, 2019
    10
    This and Season 4 are the 2 best games I have ever played this game has everything but good gameplay the story is better than mostly every TVThis and Season 4 are the 2 best games I have ever played this game has everything but good gameplay the story is better than mostly every TV show or movie I have ever watched. This game is simply a Masterpiece and a must play Expand
  3. Feb 16, 2023
    10
    I can only think of one game I like more than this one, so I guess this must be my second favourite game of all time. I really tried to comeI can only think of one game I like more than this one, so I guess this must be my second favourite game of all time. I really tried to come up with one. I even did research.

    Come to think of it, I also can't think of any books, movies or TV shows I'd rate higher. So it might be my second favourite piece of media of all time. Crazy.

    The final season is close competition, but this season is much more proficiently written. I rarely felt like I didn't want to choose any of the available dialogue options or that there was something important I wanted to say, but there was no dialogue option for it, or that the characters weren't acting sensibly.

    The important choices you have to make are, for the most part, genuinely difficult. Giving the player a limited amount of time to decide was an excellent idea because you could spend a lot of time weighing some of them up.

    It took me a long time to realise how difficult it must be to get that right. Telltale really made it feel effortless. And yet, I don't think I ever made a choice for reasons the game hadn't expected, which is a common source of frustration in adventure games.

    The emotional core of the game is the relationship between Clementine and Lee, an 8 year old girl and the history professor/convicted murderer who finds her alone at the onset of the zombie apocalypse. In the back story to this game, Lee found his wife in bed with another man, fought with him and killed him. As the player, you're forced to reconcile this fact with the kind and caring father figure he becomes to Clementine.

    Lee is wise, but pragmatic. He admits to making up his parenting philosophy on the fly and, for the most part, also can't fall back on the general ideas about parenting that even non-parents would be aware of. They lack the nuance required in the new, much more morally ambiguous post-outbreak world.

    In almost any other game, and most other media as well, Clementine would have been a standard child-shaped McGuffin. I get the feeling Telltale was aware of that and worked hard to avoid it. Thankfully, they didn't go too far in the opposite direction and make Clementine feel like an adult or an exaggeration.

    Season 1's Clementine is cautious and innocent, but savvy and resourceful. She's optimistic, but not naive. She's brave, but worries easily. She's loyal and has an immense capacity for empathy and understanding, even for people who have done terrible things.

    You build a relationship between the two characters gradually and realistically over the course of the game, mostly through small acts like cutting Clem's hair short to make it harder to grab. Say what you will about the "dadification" of video games, but this game made me want to learn about adoption. That's pretty powerful. It turns out that there are more adopters than potential adoptees in my country and fostering is usually at least a part-time job.

    The other characters are all pretty interesting as well, but you get the idea.

    And yes, I cried.
    Expand
  4. Dec 8, 2013
    9
    Wow, what a ride this was.

    TellTale has done a great job. The writers created a story which was not only captivating but an amazing
    Wow, what a ride this was.

    TellTale has done a great job. The writers created a story which was not only captivating but an amazing emotional experience.

    The Walking Dead is a comic-book drawn style adventure game in which the choices you make tailor the story you play going forward and continuously shape the people around you and your game play experience.

    Every action has consequences and you never can please everyone.

    -----------------
    -- Gameplay
    -----------------
    The game mechanics are nice and simple. The story progresses through point-click action and mainly through dialog with the people you encounter.

    During the dialogs you will be presented with several choices of answers.
    Each answer may or may not have consequences and alters how other people see you, trust you or even start disliking you.

    Every now and then you will end up in a heavy story-changing scenario in which the story going forward is altered quite strongly.
    You might need to make a choice to save one or another person, run or fight or other difficult choice.
    Those choices alter the story quite drastic in places to the extend whereby you might end up continuing your story with different people then if you had made different choices or people start treating you completely different from that moment on.

    -----------------
    -- The Story
    -----------------

    The game places you in control of Lee a man on his way to prison as the story begins and has no idea yet what is happening.
    As you are trying to deal with the world as it now is you stumble across an 8 year old girl named Clementine who you will decide to help out and team up with.

    For the duration of the story your relationship with Clementine and others you meet evolves and are shaped continuously based on the choices you make and how you treat each person.

    I don't want to give to much of the main background story away so I'm not going into to much details.
    Let's just say, for the rest of the game you and Clementine will come across other people and groups, some highly irritating and disturbed while others are more neutral and well meaning, though you will find it hard to quickly know who to trust and who you can't.

    Quite often you will find yourself in situations you wish you could make different choices then the ones presented or make choices you know might not be right but need to be made.

    -----------------
    -- Summary
    -----------------

    Personally I can only say that TellTale and the Writes have delivered something very simplistic but yet so wonderful you are feeling you are writing your own story which will grab you, slowly pulling you deeper and deeper into this emotional roller coaster ride and will not let you go.

    By the end of Episode 5 you will just find yourself staring blankly at the credits slowly processing this whole experience.
    Well, that what it was like for me and I'm already looking very much forward to December 17th to continue on.

    I cannot recommend this game highly enough and hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.
    Expand
  5. Jan 3, 2023
    9
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  6. Jul 12, 2020
    8
    One of the most memorable games I've played, very powerful storytelling. Rarely does a video game impact me so emotionally.
  7. Aug 8, 2023
    0
    Another narrative game or with a lot of dialogue / cinematic but whose available dubbing is only English. The other communities such as theAnother narrative game or with a lot of dialogue / cinematic but whose available dubbing is only English. The other communities such as the French, Germans, Russians, etc... are neglected.

    My money will be better at other studios.
    Expand

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