The Walking Dead: Episode 1 - A New Day

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. PlayStation Universe
    Jul 4, 2012
    90
    A New Day proves to be Telltale Games' best outing in the adventure genre in recent memory--if not, ever. This is episodic gaming done right, and just like The Walking Dead TV show, we can't wait for the next episode.
  2. PSM3 Magazine UK
    Jun 5, 2012
    90
    Tense beyond belief, beautifully bloody and perfectly paced, A New Day is an affordable piece of interactive brilliance. [July 2012, p.103]
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  3. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    May 30, 2012
    90
    The first leg of what promises to be an emotionally jarring five-part journey delivers a very different and refreshing take on zombie apocalypse survival. [July 2012, p.83]
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  5. Gameblog.fr
    May 21, 2012
    90
    It's fascinating to see how The Walking Dead, as a mainly dialog-based Point & Click adventure game, manages to be more subtle than "interactive movie" productions like Heavy Rain. It's a little like if Telltale set out to produce the best possible zombie game, but with the lowest body count ever. They understood that the power of the original material of The Walking Dead was not in the undead, but in the humans.
  6. Machinima
    May 2, 2012
    90
    The scope of the storytelling in The Walking Dead video game is almost never attempted in downloadable games, let alone executed this successfully. This is a top-flight narrative, and an excellent example of episodic gaming done right.
  7. Play UK
    Jun 17, 2012
    89
    This is the first episode of five but tremendous value and well worth the cash. [Issue#219, p.81]
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  8. Digital Chumps
    Jul 2, 2012
    88
    A New Day embraces this concept and allows the player to revel in its characters and their conversations, and in doing so even manages to grant the player legitimate agency over the suspected protagonist. And, yeah, it's a hell of a good ride.
  9. PSFocus
    May 15, 2012
    87
    An exciting first episode for what will hopefully - and after playing this game probably - be a great series. It captures that particular style we've come to know and love from the comics and manages to expand on the already satisfying story of the TV-series. A must-play for The Walking Dead fans.
  10. PlaySense
    Jul 9, 2012
    85
    Well, this is The Walking Dead alright and as a game it's a lot better than Telltales' Jurassic Park. It's not perfect, though, as the lip-synch is often a bit off and the overall length of the game leaves you wanting more. A lot more.
  11. 4P.de
    Apr 30, 2012
    85
    I was very skeptical, but after finishing the first episode I have to give kudos to Telltale. They captured the spirit of the saga in a very convincing manner. The mix of classic point&click virtues and more recent elements like realtime action and quicktime events reminds me of Heavy Rain.
  12. TotalPlayStation
    Apr 28, 2012
    85
    A great start to what should be a fantastic series. Telltale nailed the atmosphere and did a fantastic job of making the player feel as though their choices have meaning. Can't wait to see where things go to next.
  13. IGN
    Apr 23, 2012
    85
    It has a believable cast of characters and a great look. Sure, the puzzles some adventure gamers love are missing and there will be an audio hiccup here and there, but as an introductory hook to the five-episode series, The Walking Dead Episode 1 has just about everything fans could want.
  14. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Jul 4, 2012
    80
    A riveting cerebral experience. Has that 'one more episode hook'. [July 2012, p83]
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  15. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    May 23, 2012
    80
    The dialogue's sharp and well-acted, and the puzzles never stray into the ridiculous or contrived. It simply feels like playing the comic, and that's as strong an endorsement for a season pass as you'll hear. Roll on episode two.
  16. Everyeye.it
    May 4, 2012
    80
    The first episode of The Walking Dead is not a classic graphic adventure, with puzzle solving and so on. TellTale's production is an interactive novel, based on the series and dedicated to the fans.
  17. Vandal
    Apr 30, 2012
    80
    We like the way the comic book has been adapted to a videogame. It is faithful to the essence of Robert Kirkman work and, although it offers a different story, it will captivate us. If you don't know the comic books you will also like this game, as its gameplay is quite unique an succesfully blends adventure, action and story telling, with a very interesting choice system.
  18. VideoGamer
    Apr 26, 2012
    80
    This novel mix of cinematic direction, episodic storytelling, and player choice defies convention and the result is an extraordinarily accomplished piece of interactive fiction.
  19. Eurogamer Germany
    Apr 26, 2012
    80
    After the first episode I´ve got a good feeling that in August we might talk about the complete series as one of the most engaging and successful outlines for episodic gaming so far.
  20. Game Revolution
    Apr 25, 2012
    80
    That said, on its own merits, The Walking Dead Episode 1 is a unique title worth giving a try, regardless of its IP-but especially for those who appreciate what the established franchise strives for in storytelling.
  21. GameSpot
    Apr 25, 2012
    80
    Bloody, brutal, and hard to put down.
  22. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Jun 14, 2012
    75
    During the very well written conversation we're often subtly reminded of the choices we made in the past. During the action scenes, the gameplay is simple, but effective. No half circles need to be made with the analog stick, it's all about mashing the X-button. [June 2012, p.100]
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Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Best PS3 Game of 2012
50
#50 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2012

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 176 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 145 out of 176
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 176
  3. Negative: 20 out of 176
  1. Xiju
    May 11, 2012
    10
    It's about time interactive dramas make a stand in gaming. The walking Dead is a great title oozing with potential. Not only does the firstIt's about time interactive dramas make a stand in gaming. The walking Dead is a great title oozing with potential. Not only does the first episode delivers, it hypes up the following episodes.… Full Review »
  2. shadow862
    Jun 16, 2012
    10
    First off, I just want to say that people should stop comparing this to Heavy Rain, they might be both interactive drama, but they are of aFirst off, I just want to say that people should stop comparing this to Heavy Rain, they might be both interactive drama, but they are of a different genre. I'm very sure that Zombie Apocalypse and Serial Killer are two very different plots requiring a different approach to implementation. It's just not fair to the respective games and presents a bias. Now on to the game:

    This really is a masterpiece. It's the no nonsense "Walking Dead" suspense and drama that I've come to love from the TV series. Now, I haven't gone through the comics yet but based on the overall experience going through the game, given what I've seen from the TV series, I was simply blown away. The way conversations and decisions were made and implemented really does make you "feel" for the characters in their zombie apocalypse world. I believe the story was very well written and also intertwines with the comic books and the TV series, which the Walking Dead fan-boys will surely love. The graphics are unpretentious yet amazing, the characters come to life with their own quirks and expressions. The sound gets the job done and is very appropriate for a scene and really lifts the emotional context. The controls are simple and responsive. The replay value is very good, given you really want to see the consequences of your every response and actions. The price is also amazing, it gives people the option to just spend $5 to try the first episode or buy all episodes as a bundle for a discounted price of S20 and receive the content as soon as they hit the digital shelves. I give this game a perfect score as it takes the zombie apocalypse theme to a new perspective in such style and excellent presentation. We really need more of these games.    … Full Review »
  3. TheQuietGamer
    Apr 26, 2012
    9
    As a huge fan of the show, but someone who's not familiar with the comic book (no comic book store in my area) I was dying to get the game andAs a huge fan of the show, but someone who's not familiar with the comic book (no comic book store in my area) I was dying to get the game and looked forward to finding out about the comics, but was a little worried, now that I've played it I'm dying for more episodes to come out, it's fantastic the story, characters, and moments are all epic, it's not action centered like other zombie games such as the Dead Rising series or Dead Island as it's more focused on story and characters, but you will get to some "Walkers", and the story changes based on your choices, I started a second play-through and I'm surprised to see how my choices affected how the story played out, it's like the game is part RPG which is fine with me because that is my favorite game genre, and even though it's the first episode your faced with some really tough decisions to make and to add to the tension you only have a few seconds to make them, I'm dying to see how my choices will affect the other episodes, it's a blast to play and if your a Walking dead fan whether the TV show or comic book you'll love this, even if your not familiar with either I highly recommend, it's outstanding, fantastic, and a must download especially at the low price of $5.00, so as you can tell I really recommend a purchase of this awesome downloadable game.… Full Review »
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