The Walking Dead: Season Two Episode 2 - A House Divided

Episode 2 is one of the best Telltale has ever made. It’s big, full of great dialogue, devastating consequences, memorable and fun action scenes, and places a smart, scary plot at center stage.

The first episode of The Walking Dead: Season Two was undoubtedly great, but definitely had its flaws - partially due to being a pilot episode, and partially due to the writing being, though damn good, not quite up to the par of sheer excellence that Telltale have set themselves. The same can’t be said of Episode Two: A House Divided - this is some of the studio’s finest work.

An excellent second episode that builds incredibly well on the themes from episode one and proposes some new situations and characters with enormous potential.

The story kicks into high gear with some tense and amazing scenes, the choices become tougher and more oblique and the consequences hit hard.

The Walking Dead Season 2 has finally hit its stride for me. I really didn’t enjoy episode 1 too much due to both technical issues and having to set up back-story for many characters. Episode 2 remedies that by fixing all the bugs, putting the player in constant tense situations and having some truly frightening set pieces.

A House Divided ends with one hell of a cliffhanger—arguably one of the worst cliffhangers in the series. The wait for Episode 3 will be very difficult... but if Episode 2's quality is any indication, it will also be very much worth it.

Any doubts I had during the first episode have been washed away. This is Telltale’s storytelling ability at its very best. Filled with emotionally resonant dialogue, painful scenes and a cast that’s quickly matured, A House Divided makes it seem possible for The Walking Dead Season Two to eclipse its celebrated predecessor.

We still miss feeling that our actions do impact the plot, but this episode is full of great moments worth experiencing. So far, we can only wait for the third episode and hope that Telltale keeps bringing such an outstanding narrative.

A superior episode, then, and one that bodes well for the rest of the season.

A House Divided is another powerful, emotional installment, and continues to make a beautiful, tense experience about finding and trusting one another the end of the world.

While Episode 1 had the unenviable task of reintroducing people to the world of The Walking Dead — Episode 2: A House Divided takes off running with numerous action sequences and tension-filled scenarios that will keep you guessing until the end.

The last episode was a tough act to follow, but similar to season one, episode two is even better. The stakes are higher and the consequences steeper. Telltale has once again proved that adventure games are not only still alive, they’re as strong as ever. We can only hope it’s not long before we find out what's next.

From reminding me how much I loved last season to investing me in what happens as this season progresses, "A House Divided" succeeds on every level.

A lot of people complained that Episode 1 didn’t stand alone as its own story, and Episode 2 still doesn’t But frankly, it doesn’t matter. There are still unanswered questions, cliffhanger endings, and lack of any real resolution to any character’s conflicts, but it’s still a phenomenal story.

The Walking Dead's signature moral dilemmas are more nuanced than ever in a plot-heavy second episode.

During Episode 2, I was struck by a line about how connecting with people is important. In The Walking Dead, I’ve been doing just that, building alliances and becoming emotionally attached to characters.

As immersive and engaging as the second episode is, it still feels a bit like its setting the table for what’s to come in the remaining three episodes of this season...But it’s doing so in tantalizing fashion.

A House Divided is full of violence and choices. This second episode of The Walking Dead: Season two is a well-crafted and emotional journey.

Although Episode 2 struggles in terms of pacing, a strong Act 2 to this brief entry makes for a worthwhile venture.

Perfect story, perfect direction, not-so-perfect gameplay. [Issue #240]

More action-oriented, richer but mainly more thrilling than its first episode. The Walking Dead is in good shape. Besides, House Divided is one of those episodes where you feel your gameplay decisions actually make a difference. If only its characters grew up.

This second episode is way better than the first one. After a very slow initial session, narration starts to flow and the plot shows its real potential.

Walking Dead Season 2, Episode 2 ratchets up the stakes and pulls Clementine into different directions emotionally and physically. Some tense action sequences, engrossing dialog, and the addition of a formidable threat to everyone makes "A House Divided" a solid chapter despite its short three-hour running time. When it comes to storytelling, Telltale is still one of the best in the business and this episode doesn't betray that reputation.

The Walking Dead Season Two may not have moved into top gear yet, but Telltale have already shown that they are more than capable of producing more gut-wrenching moments and difficult choices.

While the season two debut failed to capitalize on the suspenseful tactics Telltale Games was able to integrate in the first season, Episode 2 has fixed that. It’s still a bit shorter than what we’ve grown accustomed to and the zombies feel tacked on rather than an actual story driven threat, but the hour and a half long episode is able to convince us that the drama within the group of survivors is much deeper than first expected.

The bleakness is so overbearing, in fact, that A House Divided steps perilously close to monotony. Every kindness is rewarded with brutality.

The Walking Dead's impact lies in its relationships, and A House Divided plays to that strength. As an action game, it falls flat, offering a few sections of ho-hum zombie-killing. As a soap opera controlled by the player, it sings.

Although I'm still not sure if this new cast is going to top Lee's old crew, A House Divided is a great second offering, and I'm sufficiently hooked.

Clementine is the best this season has to offer so far, and it gets better after every minute of playing. Beside her development, A House Divided places all its devices at the right place and we can only hope the narrative bomb will set off in the upcoming episode.

If you’ve been on board so far, A House Divided gives no reason to stop now.

A House Divided is a weaker entry than we’re used to, but that maybe shouldn’t be cause for alarm. The table setting seems to be all in place now for the feast still to come, and even at its most meandering The Walking Dead is still capable of telling an intriguing, frightening story about humanity’s worst impulses.

This time the screenplay just doesn’t work. But even though this is the weakest episode of the whole series by a mile, it still shows enough “Walking Dead” to be entertaining.

Sadly, the technical turbulence that has blighted previous episodes remains – the QTE-powered action beats, though well staged, are hobbled by pauses and awkward transitions, even on PC.

Clementine’s characterisation and her interactions with adults are strong as ever in this fraught episode. Two-fifths of the way through the story is still too early to judge how other themes, characters and plot strands will pay off, but the build-up suggests it’ll be worthwhile.

It's a dialogue-heavy, but ultimately solid bridging episode that's probably going to be compared to the fourth part of season one, when it's all said and done. You get the feeling it's only about to really get started now.

What is really starting to take its toll on The Walking Dead is the way it burns off goodwill with too many false choices - or worse, moments when players are meant to share guilt in situations we had no real say in.

An episode full of setup, A House Divided trades in its intensity for a bit more action, and a touch of intrigue.

Another episode comes and goes, but the stale formula remains the same. It is ‘survivors of a global catastrophe fight amongst themselves’ multiplied by ‘get your hands off the mouse, we’ll play the game for you’.