My Game of The Year 2012

 

 

This year has been a rather disappointing year for gaming, and up until recently, Mass Effect 3 had my vote for GOTY. However, after picking up The Walking Dead for £10 on Steam – I have never found a game more deserving of this title. The Walking Dead is a point and click adventure game, which in theory really shouldn’t work – but somehow Telltale Games have managed to form a masterpiece.

It has been a while since a game has managed to bring me so close to tears, and has had me literally on the edge of my seat in a mad panic as I try to avoid having my face eaten. There are a number of major choices you have to make in the game, which will impact how your story plays out.

This was a really refreshing change to the moral choice systems we are all used to, knowing that each action you take could have potentially disastrous outcomes. You usually have three or four options when you say something, and it seemed more ambiguous than the usual good or evil options. This perfectly demonstrates that in some situations, there is no right or wrong answer – and you can only go on your gut instincts.

 

The story was surprisingly deeper than I was expecting. I was often shocked at the amount of brutality the game showed, and they didn’t seem to hold back on showing what life would be like if it were overrun with the living dead. I think I was most surprised to see child zombies, probably because there were so few in The Walking Dead TV series.

There are also some pretty horrific gore moments, and even though they have adopted a more comic art style – it didn’t make it any less stomach turning. Most of the gameplay is simple enough, there are a few puzzles to solve in the game but nothing too challenging. Although there is not much in the way of gameplay, the story immerses you so much so that you don’t even notice – or care.

 

The Walking Dead is truly an amazing experience and deserves a lot more attention. I can’t help but feel that The Walking Dead is how Heavy Rain was supposed turn out. Either way, thank you Telltale games for making my GOTY 2012.