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The Walking Dead: Episode 01 - A New Day
The Walking Dead: Episode 01 - A New Day opens with our protagonist, Lee Everett, in the back of a police car on the Atlanta highway. It seems Lee didn't take too kindly to a senator messing around with his wife but as luck would have it, the zombie apocalypse occurs before he reaches the slammer. With a world that has been turned upside down and the dead walking the streets, Lee must meet up with other survivors and try to figure out how to stay alive.
The Walking Dead made the transition from a comic book series to hit television show seamlessly so it was inevitable that a game would be in the works. Zombies, for some inexplicable reason, are huge at the moment and the television show is one of the best on offer. Telltale is best known for their episodic adventure games so it came as a bit of a surprise to see them at the helm. While their track record has been pretty good, they did drop the ball a bit with the Jurassic Park license. This obviously raised some concerns but I am happy to say that they did a great job with this game. You don't need any prior knowledge of the comic books or television show but if you are a fan it will certainly enhance the experience. The game is darker than the usual Telltale fare but they managed to capture the mood and feel of the comics perfectly. The game uses a hard drawn art style for the 3D models and the results are quite good. They didn't skimp on the blood and gore but this isn't some straightforward zombie shooter. While you will bash in your fair share of zombie heads, the bulk of the game is made up from interactions with other survivors and solving puzzles. Since Lee has a bit of a shady past, what you reveal to who can have some detrimental outcomes. You will encounter some timed sequences where you have to make snap judgments or quickly respond to questions that might catch you off guard. What you say or who you say it to can influence the trust and opinions of others and things are not always as clear cut as they seem. The game doesn't allow you to save either so you have to live with your choices and trust me some of them will come back to haunt you. While you can die, there are plenty of auto save spots so don't worry about repetition. I finished the game in just over two hours but it definitely got me hooked and eager to see what is going to happen next. The game has plenty of very tense situations and while the progress is very linear this doesn't detract too much from the experience. There are some light puzzle solving which mostly consist of finding the correct items and using them in the right place but thankfully these are all logical and fit in with the gameworld. You do encounter a woman that for the sake of a puzzle seemingly has no idea how to use batteries which is a bit strange to say the least but this is an isolated incident. You will run into some familiar characters from the comic books and television show but they never overshadow Lee's tale. His bond with Clementine, a young girl that you encounter early in the game, is both touching and terrifying as you know disaster can strike at any moment. The game doesn't pull any punches and not everyone will be back for episode two. I can't say too much about the story as this will obviously ruin the experience but if you are looking for a good introduction to the world of the Walking Dead then look no further. 
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System Requirements
TAGS: The Walking Dead, Episode 1, Lee, Glen, Clementine,
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