The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

 Xbox 360
User Score
4.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 417 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 417
  2. Mixed: 65 out of 417
  3. Negative: 254 out of 417
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  1. saltydog99
    Jul 28, 2019
    4
    How did this game ever get approval for release? The walking dead franchise is a guaranteed money maker and this is what the give as a product? The game completely fails in every aspect. I did find some fun in the actual zombie killing and the expansion of the overall walking dead world. It just did not hold up to the quality expectation of the Walking Dead IP.
  2. Mediawatcher
    Jan 26, 2015
    0
    What the **** where they doing while development, where they just ****ing around while they were developing the game. Not only is this game **** it is a special type of **** the kind that just makes you feel odd on the inside. What were they thinking by releasing this game? I just can't believe how a critically acclaimed tv series got a crappy game. Even though I don't watch the show.
  3. RizNat
    Dec 8, 2014
    4
    The biggest problem with this game is that I purchased it for $50. I saw it in stores and I just bought it. BAD MOVE. I should have checked the reviews. At most this game should be $10. Graphics were not great or good, but they are not horrible. This is a good game as long as you are not expecting fantastic. Considering I love the Walking Dead series I was expecting a little more than IThe biggest problem with this game is that I purchased it for $50. I saw it in stores and I just bought it. BAD MOVE. I should have checked the reviews. At most this game should be $10. Graphics were not great or good, but they are not horrible. This is a good game as long as you are not expecting fantastic. Considering I love the Walking Dead series I was expecting a little more than I got. The plot and storyline were just blah.… Expand
  4. urieaal
    Sep 10, 2014
    3
    its so buggy, and often crashes while trying to play (win 7 X64). The Whole game just comes off as a serious cash grab.. the idea was good, the implementation is horrible.

    ***DO NOT BUY***
  5. ninjanerd
    Jul 16, 2014
    3
    terminal reality gave us a good ghostbusters game back in 2010 a game which i enjoyed but with that game they proved they could treat a good license with respect. with this game they just pissed on the license. with clunky combat a bad story and a terrible ending to that bad story and bad graphics this one isn't worth your time or money. and the A.I. sucks donkey crap.
  6. KennedyP
    Feb 24, 2014
    0
    I will start by saying "I love the walking dead series"!! Maybe this is why i am rating this game so low.. oh no it is because this game has no merit what so ever. The movement is terrible, the zombies are terrible and the game play.. well i only played it for about an hour before selling it. I lost £15 instantly but glad to see the back of it. How did you score it 4.0 Meta? Honestly
  7. bagladybetty
    Feb 9, 2014
    1
    Absolutely horrible. I wish I never bought this game. Save your money. The only good part is the actors voice-overs. I got it to have a TWD weekend starting with playing the game and then watching the return of the show on Feb 9th. I played the game for one hour and couldn't stand it anymore. It's in the box on the shelf never to be seen again. Thanks for ruining a fun weekend Activision.
  8. KennyTWD
    Feb 8, 2014
    1
    Why the flying f**k was this game made?! I mean seriously I was disappointed, my world with Lee and Clementine is sooooo much more interesting than this steaming pile of crap. The only thing I liked about this game is that later on you get to use THE GODDAMN CROSSBOW! Which is a show iconic weapon... I feel a bit bad for the actors who decided to stay in this ah well but at least theyWhy the flying f**k was this game made?! I mean seriously I was disappointed, my world with Lee and Clementine is sooooo much more interesting than this steaming pile of crap. The only thing I liked about this game is that later on you get to use THE GODDAMN CROSSBOW! Which is a show iconic weapon... I feel a bit bad for the actors who decided to stay in this ah well but at least they were interesting and did rather good in their part of the game. And whoever gives this a 10 I will hunt you down and do what I did to Larry.
    I'm Kenny from the walking dead and I review to save lives.    … Expand
  9. thj1188
    Feb 7, 2014
    1
    AWFUL!!! Quite possibly the worst game I have played on this console generation. A cash in money grab by Activision to take advantage of fans. I love the walking dead and loved telltales version go buy that not this it's cheaper and more fun and will not make you want to kill yourself. Beware the 10/10 reviews they mostly only have that one review on their account hello Activision staff weAWFUL!!! Quite possibly the worst game I have played on this console generation. A cash in money grab by Activision to take advantage of fans. I love the walking dead and loved telltales version go buy that not this it's cheaper and more fun and will not make you want to kill yourself. Beware the 10/10 reviews they mostly only have that one review on their account hello Activision staff we are not as stupid as you like to think. Personally I would find a real zombie apocalypse a lot less distressing than playing this game.

    The only reason it get's a 1 is due to the fact they released a game that sort of works all though I wish they had not and would have not had to suffer through it. You get the feeling it was rushed and no one gave a toss it was just a scam to separate you from your hard earned cash.

    The good- Errr it is short so you don't suffer any longer than necessary
    The bad- A toss up between the awful combat awful look of the game.
    The ugly- How can you not program zombie A.I? Please tell me
    Verdict: 1/10 YOU FAIL IT!!    … Expand
  10. Leo9127
    Jan 18, 2014
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is a shameless cash-in on The Walking Dead,(which is by the way one of my favorite TV shows), with awful AI, and lazy, and dull gameplay, completely useless fellow survivors, and a terrible ending which, shows how big of a bunch of cash whores is Activision, this is a really awful game.… Expand
  11. busbfran
    Dec 2, 2013
    4
    Nothing more then your average money grab by activation. Poorly executed and rusted, although the game still provides entertainment it's just missing a true story which could of been a masterpiece. Its a shame this happened to such a well known franchise name, looks like another missed opportunity. Would not recommended unless your looking to blow cash or your a serious WD freak.
  12. JohnXBoss
    Nov 25, 2013
    2
    This game is a very big deception to the AMC TV show TWD. I love the series but the game is worse that I thought. The story is monotone, the sceneries are always the same as well as the zombies appearance. The graphics and the movements are very limited as well as the gameplay. In this game you don't have an emotion and a connection with your "partners", you can treat them as dolls. TheThis game is a very big deception to the AMC TV show TWD. I love the series but the game is worse that I thought. The story is monotone, the sceneries are always the same as well as the zombies appearance. The graphics and the movements are very limited as well as the gameplay. In this game you don't have an emotion and a connection with your "partners", you can treat them as dolls. The only positive point is: you play with Daryl.… Expand
  13. BatFat09
    Nov 21, 2013
    2
    There are some good things about this game, but they are countered by the many things wrong with this poor excuse for a licensed video game. The graphics are textureless, the story is dull and lacking (especially for walking dead) voice acting is awful, and most of all... there is no replay values. This game could have been soooo much more.
  14. onyxian
    Sep 30, 2013
    3
    The Story

    The Walking Dead: Survival Instincts brings you into an apocalyptic world where zombies roam the world. Throughout the game you play as Daryl Dixon, one of the main characters from the television show. In Survival Instincts, the story line gives general players and fans of The Walking Dead and insight look of how Daryl, and his brother Merle Dixon, met up with the main group    The Story

    The Walking Dead: Survival Instincts brings you into an apocalyptic world where zombies roam the world. Throughout the game you play as Daryl Dixon, one of the main characters from the television show. In Survival Instincts, the story line gives general players and fans of The Walking Dead and insight look of how Daryl, and his brother Merle Dixon, met up with the main group and what they went through before that time occurred as well as show how Daryl achieved his ever-so famous crossbow.

    The Graphics

    Graphics quality in Survival Instincts somewhat lacks a dynamic punch, for example a walkers, otherwise known as a zombie, hair looks like it was made of glue or clay then molded onto the head. However, the diversity of each walkers face has it's own unique pattern of bite marks, scratches, shapes of the jaw, teeth and more, these all add to a good fright factor at the right moment of time e.g in a dark room, turning round and a walker attacks you out of no where. There are a great amount of bugs relating to graphics, such as broken fence pieces still floating midair, gates flashing black when opened, walkers floating when killed. All around missions have invisible walls, preventing you from going further away from the current map without any sort of police barricade, for example, taking away a bit of the realistic touch.

    The Mechanics and sound

    The AI is very sloppy, throughout gameplay I had opened a metal fence and the walkers still attacked the fence, paying no attention to me whatsoever, I then began to kill them one by one. When one walker died another took its place, as if they were lining up to die. The scavenging mechanics allow you to gather survivors and send them out to gather supplies, but the amount of survivors depends on the size of the car you currently have. That said, there are missions that allow you to find car keys to either bigger, or smaller, cars. When sending out survivors to scavenge for supplies, there is always a chance of getting them killed by walkers, depending on what item you give them to defend themselves with as each survivor has their own skill trait such as being good at using blunt weapons. There were countless sound bugs within this game, fences breaking with the sound of wood getting chopped, walkers dying with the sound of a metal fence breaking and more. The game includes a feature where the player can choose a method of travel such as highways, streets and backroads. Depending on what method you choose, one method can either consume less fuel or another method may take a road such as backroads where it consumes a lot of fuel with a high chance of breaking down. If, by chance, your car breaks down or runs out of fuel, a side mission will take place allowing you to scavenge the nearby area for fuel or car hose. The issue with the side missions is that they're very repetitive, as there are about 3-4 different areas.

    The Gameplay

    It felt a bit stiff trying to kill walkers, e.g using the sledgehammer was a lot quicker than normal. One thing that gives a good addition to gameplay is sneaking around, trying to sneak past walkers and stealth killing them by sneaking up from behind and executing the stealth kill action. Like any realistic movie or game, gun fire attracts walkers to your location so be sure to only use your gun in dire situations and ammo is scarce to watch out, you don't want to run out of ammo when you desperately need it. If you ever happen to get grabbed by a walker, it activates a grappling mechanic where the player must place the circle onto the walkers head, activate the attack trigger and stab them in the head. This method breaks fighting gameplay by 50% due to the fact after killing the walker that grabbed you, if there is another walker, it will grab you almost instantly after you let go of the previous walker, this allows you to kill over 15 walkers without using any ammo, losing any health and just drains the fun and realism out of the game entirely. On the last mission, near the very end the last thing you did is mount a military vehicles machine gun and kill any incoming zombies, after which it cuts to black screen and goes to the credits, without showing you how exactly Daryl and Merle met the group like the game was purposely made for.

    Final Verdict

    The game seems rushed, only to gain quick money. For the price of $49.99 or £31.99 makes the game a complete rip off, due to the lack of effort of the game. I feel the only reason others need to buy this game, is to play as Daryl Dixon and get to see Merle, even though he is barely in the game. A poor effort to a great series that could have become something incredible if more time was put into it.    … Expand
  15. crackshot36
    Aug 5, 2013
    3
    This is my review for walking dead: survival instinct

    SINGLE PLAYER: 4/10. good characters, but very poor storytelling and direction GRAPHICS: 3/10. outdated, awful N64 graphics with loads of glitches SOUND: 5/10. legit voice actors, but poor quality otherwise GAMEPLAY: 3/10. sub par controls, loads of glitches, and poor fighting and mechanics FUN FACTOR: 4/10. as a fan of the show,    This is my review for walking dead: survival instinct

    SINGLE PLAYER: 4/10. good characters, but very poor storytelling and direction
    GRAPHICS: 3/10. outdated, awful N64 graphics with loads of glitches
    SOUND: 5/10. legit voice actors, but poor quality otherwise
    GAMEPLAY: 3/10. sub par controls, loads of glitches, and poor fighting and mechanics
    FUN FACTOR: 4/10. as a fan of the show, i was very disappointed with this mediocre attempt at the game. good ideas, but terrible execution. man, i wish this game turned out better.
    TOTAL: 3/10    … Expand
  16. BatmanGuy1
    Jul 13, 2013
    4
    I am a really big fan of The Walking Dead and this game really pissed me off. The game is short, the game play is repetitive, and Merle is barely in the game! The survivors that you can recruit in your group are useless in this game because when you send them to get supplies, they either come with one piece of food that you have to use on them because they get so up, or they die. And theI am a really big fan of The Walking Dead and this game really pissed me off. The game is short, the game play is repetitive, and Merle is barely in the game! The survivors that you can recruit in your group are useless in this game because when you send them to get supplies, they either come with one piece of food that you have to use on them because they get so up, or they die. And the ending is horrible, even though if one of my favorite levels of the game. I blame Activision… Expand
  17. Illuminized
    Jul 12, 2013
    2
    There really isn't much to say about this game apart from the fact that it is just plain awful I will start with the graphics which are a big thing nowadays. Even on the outdated Xbox 360 console the graphics are bad. This game looks like it is from the play station 2 old Xbox era and I have seen better graphics on Xbox live arcade games. But that's not the biggest thing for some people isThere really isn't much to say about this game apart from the fact that it is just plain awful I will start with the graphics which are a big thing nowadays. Even on the outdated Xbox 360 console the graphics are bad. This game looks like it is from the play station 2 old Xbox era and I have seen better graphics on Xbox live arcade games. But that's not the biggest thing for some people is it so I'll go say how the story is next If your a big fan of the walking dead like me then I beg you dont buy this game and fall into the trap like me and so many others have done. It's obvious this game was just a money grab and from activision that doesnt suprise me. You may be tempted with it having the dixon brothers in it like me and it also having the actual actors from the show for the voice acting but thats no reason to go and blow your hard earned cash on this crap game. The story is sub-par and doesnt do the show or the dixon brothers the credit and justice they deserve You drive around from place to place with the game actually being scripted I kid you not scripted. When travelling from one destination to another if your hear dialog as you do so you will not I repeat will not find any supplies or have the opportunity to scavenge any places The ending was crappy too and was a huge letdown I managed to scrape through the game and was looking forward to seeing the ending as I thought that would atleast maybe make up for something but it doesnt This game just screams rushed. The gameplay is also very boring too like the story and the zombies are incredibly stupid too you can at times stand behind one for several seconds and they wont even smell you and turn around The zombies also re spawn too when leaving a area and going back Dont buy this game I would suggest renting it at best… Expand
  18. gawkybravo1
    Jul 9, 2013
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I didn't mind a few of the bugs, but their were very few memorable characters besides merle and dearl. plus it had the worst ending I have ever seen. it said it was a prequel but it ended with merle pulling you out a evacuation helicopter and saying the pilot was bitten, then you drive out of the evacuation zone. The End. It's a average game, a lot of bugs and glitches, and I only remember 2 of the characters besides dearl and merle. the ending is what got it a 4 out of 10… Expand
  19. bastois
    May 19, 2013
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game had high hopes for me being a hardcore fan of the series, then I played it, now this game had piss poor graphics to warz standard, and a combat system with duh hit 3 times that'll do it" not much variety at all. So I expected the story and atmosphere to do something, like the telltale game, WRONG linear story, goofy walkers and no feel that the world went to Now there are cool features like going in stealthy or Rambo-ing it up with guns but it made no difference, then there was alternate routes back roads used more fuel but more scavenge opportunities but then highways had lower fuel consumption but you break down more often. This cool except you can take the highways, use less fuel then break down and scavenge for supplies in same gas station you find every time with ZERO variety.
    Then at the end SPOILERS!! you get a cliffhanger ending where Daryl and Merle drive off into the sunset YOU it is mass effect 3 bad.
    Then if you buy the dlc what happens oh some new guns and a absolute survival mode that has 1 map and random weapons spawn. There is no tactics just shoot every thing in sight and drink some soda while your at it.
    So final verdict is rental or pirate it cause it has potential bad terrible execution.    … Expand
  20. SuperFloorMat
    Apr 28, 2013
    3
    Is this a prototype? Meh. The AI of the zombies are stupid, Even though guns feel right, everything else doesn't. This is not a survival game this game is meant for the story? Pardon me? The Story is completely A child could of wrote it.. The developers gave the bare minimal effort to create this game, This was only made to get money off of stupid consumers. I mark this as a Scam for theIs this a prototype? Meh. The AI of the zombies are stupid, Even though guns feel right, everything else doesn't. This is not a survival game this game is meant for the story? Pardon me? The Story is completely A child could of wrote it.. The developers gave the bare minimal effort to create this game, This was only made to get money off of stupid consumers. I mark this as a Scam for the Xbox 360, This was meant for the Playstation 2.… Expand
  21. Pquabsudh
    Apr 27, 2013
    1
    Terrible. It was a good thought for a game but thy should have spent more time with it. Honestly I hated and it was not worth 40 bucks maybe 10 or 15.
  22. ttocs
    Apr 27, 2013
    2
    Playing through this game I maid a mental checklist of just about everything a game could do wrong. Walking Dead Survival Instinct hit on all of them. Invisible walls, check. Horrible AI, check. Awful graphics, double check. Unresponsive guns that feel like a toy, check. Non-fluid animations, check. I could keep going but you get the point. This game is an insult to gamers and thePlaying through this game I maid a mental checklist of just about everything a game could do wrong. Walking Dead Survival Instinct hit on all of them. Invisible walls, check. Horrible AI, check. Awful graphics, double check. Unresponsive guns that feel like a toy, check. Non-fluid animations, check. I could keep going but you get the point. This game is an insult to gamers and the people who buy games. This should have been a $10 novelty game and even at that price it would deserve the scores it's getting. The game is absolutely horrible with the only redeeming quality being that it's the only shooter where you can live in the Walking Dead world. The devs and the Activision knew full fell this game would be horrible and they are doing damage control with user reviews. It's actually worse than Alien Colonial Marines which I didn't think was possible. Hands down worst game of the year and it's pushing worst game of the decade I've played. There is absolutely no reason why this game should exist. It's only there to trick gamers who don't follow review scores into thinking it's good because of the name only and to spend their hard earned money on this game (not even sure it should be called a game.)

    Avoid at all costs unless you want to rent to find out just how bad it is for yourself like I did.    … Expand
  23. paynexkiller
    Apr 25, 2013
    1
    This game could have been so much more. But it wasn't. When I saw it advertised instead of being excited and interested, I just simply said 'This'll be terrible.' The game itself is broken and the A.I. is that of a wondering sheep in a field.
  24. Brbreview
    Apr 24, 2013
    4
    One of my favorite TV shows with Merle and Daryl made into a game was a dream come true. But the end result turned out to be a big disappointment. First of all, the graphics are really muddy and outdated when I started up the game. But i was willingly to looked past that to play the game. The game play itself is nothing amazing but sneaking pass zombies and killing them was prettyOne of my favorite TV shows with Merle and Daryl made into a game was a dream come true. But the end result turned out to be a big disappointment. First of all, the graphics are really muddy and outdated when I started up the game. But i was willingly to looked past that to play the game. The game play itself is nothing amazing but sneaking pass zombies and killing them was pretty enjoyable. I found the assassination animation pretty repetitive and it would have been nice if the developers put different animations for different melee weapons Instead of the same old stab in the head with a knife. The story was bad and the ending was even worst. I enjoyed they the option to choose multiple paths which offers replay-ability. The choice to enlist different survivors was a pretty cool idea but they were completely useless and would be best to leave in the car. You can only have a certain number of survivors with you and you would have to leave someone behind if the car got full. I found it off leaving someone behind without a word of complaint. The only good part of the game is probably the appearance of Merle and Daryl but they barely say anything to increase the value of the game. Overall, the game was rushed and a quick cash in and not worth the buy.… Expand
  25. IllusiveEnergy
    Apr 15, 2013
    3
    Just another rushed game for a quick buck. Boring and repetitive game-play, boring story line, boring weapons. This is one of the worst games I've ever played.

    Wait, I'm confused, EA didn't make this?
  26. Dallange2point0
    Apr 8, 2013
    4
    I'm glad I borrowed this game instead of buying it. There is some fun to be had, but it gets highly repetitious very quick. As far as I can tell, there are only about 6 different zombie faces, so get used to bashing/shooting the same 6 zombies over and over.

    My biggest complaint about this game is the auto-save feature. It doesn't save until you actually accomplish part of the quest or    I'm glad I borrowed this game instead of buying it. There is some fun to be had, but it gets highly repetitious very quick. As far as I can tell, there are only about 6 different zombie faces, so get used to bashing/shooting the same 6 zombies over and over.

    My biggest complaint about this game is the auto-save feature. It doesn't save until you actually accomplish part of the quest or a side quest. There's been a couple occasions where I had to replay 15 minutes of the game over because of the auto-save.

    There are some decent aspects of the game. Deciding which survivors to take with you (although I don't understand the whole having a pickup truck and only being able to choose one survivor...you would think the other survivors wouldn't mind getting in the back of the truck), and choosing which route to take when driving (you choose back roads, street, or highway...you don't actually "drive").

    Bottom line, if you don't mind mediocre graphics and endless repetition, then you may really enjoy this game. Otherwise, I highly recommend renting or borrowing from a friend.    … Expand
  27. ReusedPaper
    Apr 5, 2013
    2
    The back story to Daryl and Merle... was a FAILURE. No wow factor, nothing in this game will want you to keep playing to the end. It's pretty bad when you care less about the characters as the LEADS in a game as opposed to the TV show where they are not. This game is worth a play at 10 bucks, but anything more and you're just getting ripped off.
  28. altidude82
    Apr 1, 2013
    2
    WTF is this. This was terrible ive never seen anything more poorly excuted in my life. The only positive is the voice acting thats it. The survival aspects are gone in this. You have poor AI for zombies! Really how do mess that up i cant believe it
  29. Govenah
    Apr 1, 2013
    4
    Activision's way of "cash-cowing" a popular franchise and advertising with fan-favorite characters. Acting as if they are filling a untold void all fans of the show want to know. All I have to say is: generic and irrelevant. Talk about corporate synergy though.
  30. Chicago
    Mar 30, 2013
    0
    I don't understand how it is possible for someone to say anything good about this game. I am a huge Walking Dead fan and wasn't expecting much from this game, however I was shocked at how bad it actually was. Prepare yourself for dull gameplay that is so repetitive, it will make you sick. The fake sweat pouring down the screen is incredibly stupid. This was by far the worst game I playedI don't understand how it is possible for someone to say anything good about this game. I am a huge Walking Dead fan and wasn't expecting much from this game, however I was shocked at how bad it actually was. Prepare yourself for dull gameplay that is so repetitive, it will make you sick. The fake sweat pouring down the screen is incredibly stupid. This was by far the worst game I played this generation. Anyone who gives this a good review has to be a developer. Unreal that some idiot would give it a 10 then try backing it by saying it was story driven. I give it a 0 due to how many undeserving 8s, 9s, and 10s it received.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2013
21
#21 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
32

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 30
  3. Negative: 28 out of 30
  1. Console Monster
    May 28, 2013
    40
    With the success of Telltale Games’s arcade game, there were high hopes for this full-fledged retail title. As it happens you would be best off saving your pennies for the already announced sequel to the arcade title as Survival Instinct will leave you with bitter feelings towards The Walking Dead series. Unless you are an absolute nutter for anything to do with The Walking Dead, your money will be best spent elsewhere.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    May 20, 2013
    30
    It's as if the developer simply ceased to care, or ran out of time, or both. Who knows? What we do know is that Terminal Velocity has crafted something truly loathsome and undeserving of its heritage. [Issue#135, p.108]
  3. Games Master UK
    May 9, 2013
    30
    Archaic design spoils good ideas in this shoddy squandering of one of the hottest licenses going. [June 2013, p.74]
See all critic reviews »