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. vergildmc5
    Nov 20, 2022
    5
    Pros
    funny glitches
    lots of guns
    lots of blood
    decent idea

    Negatives
    Bland design
    Awful visuals
    boring "jump scares"
    overpriced
  2. Dsims37
    Mar 3, 2022
    6
    True game is far from perfect but if it succeeds at one thing is making it feel like TWD. That alone is worth a play though. If only to see what they might have accomplished.
  3. Ridas367
    Aug 19, 2020
    8
    I don't review games normally, but the other reviews are overly negative, of course its not a replacement for other zombie games like Left 4 dead, its more like a game to be simple and fun unlike so many games that talk about story and such. This is wholely a fun only zone, it does not even matter they are zombies its just fun, its calm. Like Minecraft.
  4. 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.
  5. kingofgames
    Sep 19, 2017
    10
    This game is a must for a walking dead TV fan, it had all the atmosphere that it needs.ThiS GAME IS SO AWESOME!Yes I can understand why people would not like this game..but this isnt COD zombies. You actually have to try and survive by trying to hit the head, use stealth and destrations. I think it is a Awsome
  6. jcarl663
    Feb 10, 2017
    6
    It's not terrible. I wouldn't say "good" per se, but it's perfectly.... adequate. It's enormously repetitive, but the core functions work. Everything is just a bit jank, the animations are clunky and the plot and characters are paper thin, but a once through should keep you engaged and not particularly frustrated if you're just looking for something to do. More of an arcade experience forIt's not terrible. I wouldn't say "good" per se, but it's perfectly.... adequate. It's enormously repetitive, but the core functions work. Everything is just a bit jank, the animations are clunky and the plot and characters are paper thin, but a once through should keep you engaged and not particularly frustrated if you're just looking for something to do. More of an arcade experience for a once through for people who like the show more than anything.… Expand
  7. 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.
  8. 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
  9. Shedegg
    Dec 5, 2014
    5
    This game entises the player in with the dramatic poster and the iconic characters, but don't be fooled, it's not as good as you think. Yes it has some of the characters from the hit tv series but that doesn't make it good. The story is alright and the graphics aren't to bad. The game is to hard, i am an experienced gamer and I do get its a zombie game, but normally you find yourself in aThis game entises the player in with the dramatic poster and the iconic characters, but don't be fooled, it's not as good as you think. Yes it has some of the characters from the hit tv series but that doesn't make it good. The story is alright and the graphics aren't to bad. The game is to hard, i am an experienced gamer and I do get its a zombie game, but normally you find yourself in a massive hoard only having a small amount of ammo on your guns! Honestly I believe that they've tried but failed, if you would like a true walking dead game I would buy the tell tale series. It will probably cost mor money, and it's not a first person shooter but the storyline is much better, and you can't really fail, or if you do fail then you can have another chance as its a choice game.… Expand
  10. 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***
  11. 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.
  12. BurlapSin
    Apr 13, 2014
    10
    A great game,even though it was repetitive everyone loves games that are repetitive i mean why do you think call of duty sells more and more each year they release a new game,this theory also applies with Mario games and so on.
  13. lryderz1998
    Apr 12, 2014
    10
    This game is amazing due to the replayablitiy and its full of content and about 12 hrs story and the likeness of norman reedus an dmicheal rooker is spot on and excellent voice work well done terminal reality
  14. AndreiKiller98
    Mar 12, 2014
    7
    why so underrated? TWD SI is not bad at all...the graphics is decent, the story is good, the voice acting is really good....but is too short, I kinda enjoyed this game...there is not multiplayer or coop and that is not good but its still a really fun game...
  15. 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
  16. Cactus
    Feb 23, 2014
    10
    A translation of... "AREALGAMER, Mar 23, 2013... review. For those who could not understand it.

    I would like to severely differ with the opinions of a majority of these good folk. I am a fan of the ‘Walking Dead’ television series and found this game to be astonishing. It was violent, stealthy and quite action packed (I particularly enjoyed the crossbow). At times whilst frolicking    A translation of... "AREALGAMER, Mar 23, 2013... review. For those who could not understand it.

    I would like to severely differ with the opinions of a majority of these good folk. I am a fan of the ‘Walking Dead’ television series and found this game to be astonishing. It was violent, stealthy and quite action packed (I particularly enjoyed the crossbow).

    At times whilst frolicking through this virtual adventure I became so engrossed that I felt as though I now existed as the ‘Daryl’ protagonist, skulking through the dim, zombie infested apothecary searching for ‘Marls’ medicine, carrying a flashlight and crossbow and causing various mayhem.

    With my ‘Turtle Beach’ headphones turned up quite high and myself quite high also, playing in the dark (and I’d like to strongly stress the next points) I found to be quite unnerving and yet amusing. I thought this game portrayed a great tale and exposed us to the omitted link in the ‘Walking Dead’ story.

    And may I call attention, to all the good folk that dare to decide to have an opinion that differs to my own, that the graphics are on par with some other titles in the marketplace that I’ve seen, so I disagree with any argument to that nature. Honestly, you are all such uncouth savages it’s unbecoming of me to attempt to enlighten you. One last point, I also think consoles are the superior gaming devices.

    (It's midnight and I was bored so I thought it would be fun to translate a poorly written review, if this somehow offends anyone then bugger off and get some real problems.)    … Expand
  17. gamer39
    Feb 9, 2014
    10
    I was really getting into the L4D series and was revisiting it. I started checking around for zombie games and ran across this. I really enjoyed the title and was surprised to see the very bad reviews it is getting. Yes true, it is sort of a throwback to older games but I liked that about the game and also liked the stealth gameplay idea since you wouldn't want to draw in the attentionI was really getting into the L4D series and was revisiting it. I started checking around for zombie games and ran across this. I really enjoyed the title and was surprised to see the very bad reviews it is getting. Yes true, it is sort of a throwback to older games but I liked that about the game and also liked the stealth gameplay idea since you wouldn't want to draw in the attention of hordes of zombies. Nice change-up from a run of the mill FPS that shows they put some thought into the gameplay. Not a bad game, and it will definitely get me into Season 4 of the TV show, which I hadn't previously watched.… Expand
  18. 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.
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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.
  23. 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
  24. 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.
  25. 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
  26. 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
  27. ERB
    Aug 1, 2013
    9
    Why on earth is this game has low scores It is practically fun and awesome.I will never get It why you guys hate this.I mean this game is better than dead island.
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. 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
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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 »