The second season of The Walking Dead Game crept up on me after the holidays, but I was finally able to dig
into it last weekend. It's usually a time issue when it takes me a
while to get to something, but, in this case, it was more about
gussying up the courage to re-enter this universe.
Picking up where the first season left
off, Clementine, having been reunited with Krista & Omid,
continue their struggle for survival in the zombie apocalypse.
As I would imagine most people who made
it through the first season would agree, this game is emotionally
taxing. I made no bones about proclaiming this before, but the fact
that a video game was able to reach a level of affectedness that the
show - and even the comic – have not, is a testament to Telltale
Games and their great cast of voice actors.
So, I made it through the first episode
– entitled All That Remains – and it sure didn't miss a beat.
Almost immediately, Clementine's world went from bad to worse and
played out like some sort of Grimm fairy tale. This episode threw out
at least four really perilous situations – one of which that really
blindsided me – the last one being so cringe worthy that it eclipsed
even Lara Croft's gut wound from the last Tomb Raider and Isaac
Clarke's laser eye procedure in Dead Space 2. The stuff Clementine is
subjected to in just the first stanza of this new arc would've been
comical, if it wasn't so disquieting.
That dog. That. Fucking. Dog. |
It doesn't look like any improvements
have been made to the game play mechanics, as they still remained
limited and clunky, but as before, that's a moot point. This is a
game about story, character and keeping people out of harm's way.
After talking to several other people about their experiences with
this game, I am now even more aware of the game's illusion of choice,
but am still not deterred. The fact remains is that this game is
stressful as fuck because one wrong move means I have to watch a
ten-year-old girl get torn to pieces. Not a party.
Post world problems. |
I guess the only thing that is missing
from this new season is the wonderful dynamic between Lee and
Clementine. While it is true she meets several characters in All That
Remains that could step into that role, those shoes will be hard ones
to fill. Especially since they're all kind of dicks.
Telltale seems to be on the right track
still with this venture and avoiding the sophomore jinx. I don't know
when the second part is scheduled to release, but hey, feel free to
take your time. I already need a break.
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