Video Game Review: The Walking Dead, The Complete First Season

Last night I received my first platinum trophy on the PlayStation video game console. I received it simply because I completed all five episodes of the video game The Walking Dead. There are actually six episodes if you include the "400 Days" episode found on the Game of the Year Edition. I have yet to play the sixth episode though as it is not necessary to get the trophy. As I completed the game, I thought I would give a quick review.

I just finished playing Heavy Rain and was looking for something a little more upbeat. The guys at work told me to play something else but for some reason I had my heart set on playing The Walking Dead. I should have listened because it was also rather somber. It played very similarly to Heavy Rain in that they are both more like interactive movies that require just a bit of interaction now and then. I am a fan of the television series The Walking Dead and thought the game would keep me entertained. I wasn't wrong.

The Walking Dead started as a series of downloadable episodes that take about two to three hours to complete. As I had a disk that contained all of the episodes, I binge played much as someone might by watching all the episodes of the television series. It started out as a lot of fun but I think having a break between episodes might have made it more enjoyable towards the end. By the fourth episode I just wanted the game to be over. I was pleasantly surprised that the fifth episode only took about an hour and a half to complete.

This evening I am trying to decide whether or not to play the "400 Days" episode or start a new video game. I enjoyed the game over the course of a two-week period but have decided not to play the second season as there are so many other video games I want to play. My hope is that the extra episode will tie up one or two loose ends in the story.

The Walking Dead is developed by Telltale Games and I picked it up for only $1. It is well worth the price I paid for it and would have been so even if I paid $20. The game has an ESRB rating of M for language and violence. Remember my disclaimer that I work for a video game company and may or may not be associated with this title in some way. In reality, I review games based on whether or not I want to play them and not the studio they come from.