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The Walking Dead: Episode 04 - Around Every Corner
Considering everything that went down, the third episode of The Walking Dead was always going to be a tough act to follow. Since this is the penultimate episode, it also has to set things up for the finale which is no easy task. The fact that Gary Whitta, who handled editorial duties on PC Gamer and is also responsible for The Book of Eli, penned the story filled me with hope but how does this episode compare to what has been so far been an excellent season?
The game opens with the remaining survivors finally reaching the city of Savannah, Georgia and attempting to find a boat. Some of the tension from the previous episode is lost as in my game at least, I was left with a group of characters that I don't really care much for. A few new characters are introduced but none of them are really fleshed out in the way that some of the longtime characters were. The drama and intrigue in this episode comes from someone that seems to be intentionally messing with the group and the danger stemming from a section of town with survivors that will do anything it takes to stay alive. The ever present walkers are also back in full force to make a nuisance of themselves but this time Lee is a bit more of an action hero. This episode includes a few more action sequences where you get to vent your frustration on hordes of zombies but while fun, these sections tend to remove some of the tension from the game. Watching Lee cut a path through a horde of zombies can make the game feel more like Resident Evil than The Walking Dead. The new locations are interesting but even with a few people dying it just felt like this episode was lacking some of the emotional involvement that the previous ones had. Perhaps it is because the new characters are not particularly interesting and it is also pretty obvious which ones are introduced just to become zombie chow. Perhaps I am just becoming desensitized to the shocks but none of the revelations left me with my jaw hanging open like previous episodes managed. While this episode is one of the weaker ones thus far it really picks up towards the end and sets things up for what I can only guess is going to be an epic finale. For the rest, it is business as usual. The gameplay still consist of some minor puzzles that break up the conversations and decisions that you have to make. The gameplay is much more of the "choose your own adventure" style with a sprinkling of quick time events and action sequences than what can be considered a traditional adventure game but it works. The voice acting is still superb and the actors really manage to deliver the emotions that their characters feel. While not the best episode, if you have played the previous ones you will definitely want to see this one to its conclusion if only to get to the final one. Hopefully Telltale manages to finish this season as strongly as they had begun it.
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TAGS: The Walking Dead, Episode 3, Lee, Kenny, Clementine, Bandits, Train, Chuck
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