The Walking Dead, absolutely the best game of 2012

[Daystar Clarion]

So I've just finished the final chapter of The Walking Dead, and I'm just... speechless.

I played Journey this year, that game was my game of the year, that has been the one game that I've been talking up all year, the one game, that if you had to buy only one this year, Journey be it.

And now, not days away from the new year, The Walking Dead comes along and totally ousts Journey as my choice of GOTY for 2012.

It is absolutely fucking amazing.

If you have any interest in the storytelling aspect of video game, you need to buy the Walking Dead. The mechanics of the game aren't amazing, but this isn't something you buy to play, if anyone ever asks for an example of good video game writing, point to The Walking Dead, it is the best told story of any game I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing..

You don't play The Walking Dead.

You fucking live it for 10-12 hours.

Thoughts? Have you played it? Are on the fence?

I'm having so many feels right now.

It made me cry...

 

[Fappy]

Definitely story of the year, but I still have a few games to finish before I am ready to declare it GoTY.

In any case it's probably the most emotionally driven game I have ever played and that's saying a lot.

Also, I'm from Georgia and they nailed the look and feel of Savannah. I recognized where I was in the city a couple times.

 

[Nouw]

It's the only game that evoked more emotions when I was playing it rather than when trying to fix it.[sub]Fucking save system >.>.[/sub] So yes, it's a great game. It doesn't quite beat Spec Ops: The Line for me because the latter has videogame cultural relevance and awareness. It deconstructs, criticize if you interpret it that way, one of the biggest trends right now, the ModernMilitaryShooter, and has awareness it is a videogame. The ending, specifically a line of dialogue, can only be pulled off in a video-game. Both are fantastic really because they use the medium to what only it can do, albeit in different ways.

 

[TheBlueRabbit]

Haven't checked it out yet, but seeing as how XBLive is giving away the first chapter for free today, it seems like the perfect time to start.

 

[lazyslothboy]

I have got to say, I've been hearing nothing but good things about the game. I am totally going to pick it up, i'm just waiting until Friday when the series goes on sale on xbox live before I pick it up.

As an aside, the game is free on xbox in the US today and maybe the rest of the week (the first episode).

 

[Laughing Man]

I wouldn't give it GOTY simply because the actual game part of it is total rubbish, even some of the tedious stuff that other games have done before (like the QTE) Walking Dead some how manages to do them worse.

Where it is winning the praise is the story, the interactive nature of it does give you a say in events, however I have a feeling that some of the key parts of the story will play out to the same result no matter what options you select. No matter the interactive story part is where the game wins and I loved it, but GOTY no sorry it just doesn't have enough decent 'game' to make it GOTY.

 

[Erttheking]

I'm a little hesitant to buy it, mainly because I've had it royally spoiled for me by TV tropes.

 

[Casual Shinji]

If it had more genuine gameplay it might've been GOTY, but then maybe the reason I got so emotionally invested was because it lacked that game-y feel - The Walking Dead felt more like a highly interactive television series rather than an actual game. You're control was reduced in such a way that you could never break the pacing of the story or the tone of the game by screwing around or acting inappropriate. This worked well for the narrative and the character dynamic. But then this also meant your choices hardly mattered, and replayability is nonexistent. So it's kinda a double edged sword.

It has one of the greatest "farewell" endings I've ever seen, by the way. The last such similar ending that got me this blubbery was Return of the King.

Definately story of the year, regardless of media.

For me Journey is still Game of the Year though.

 

[Christopher Fisher]

I don't really get emotionally attached to videogame characters, so honestly it didn't do much for me; it was a good story and a decent game, but I am not the type that's gonna get all teary eyed over the death of a cartoon character. I am more impressed with the setting and the overall atmosphere of a game's world, so Dishonored would be my GOTY. I also just happen to love stealth games so...


I've gotten teary eyed from movies and books (especially the Old Man and the Sea), but cartoons and videogames just have never really done it for me.

 

[tippy2k2]

I 100% agree with you as you can see by my shiny badge! I hope no one gets offended by my laziness but here is what I wrote in the Escapist GotY voting thread:

The Walking Dead: Now I just finished it and I really want to call it GoTY...however, maybe it was just my luck but there was a LOT of technical issues I had with the game (and I bought the disc). Voices going up and down in volume, diagloge skipping like a scratched record once, and a few instances of insane in-game-slow-down. The game was amazing but I don't think I can GoTY this. Also, there was a lot of railroading for a game about choices (lots of shit that, while makes for a great story, feels cheap when you get a case of "cut-scene stupidity").

Edited later with this:
I've decided. I can't stop thinking about the ending to The Walking Dead. I don't believe I've ever had a game seriously stick with me for so long. Happiness for what I was able to do, sadness for what I failed to do, regret for what I've lost...any argument about it "not being a real game" is just silly. The Walking Dead gets my vote.

If you are even remotely considering picking this up for the 360, I would wait until December 28th. Rumor has it (with a shout out to Andy Shandy for letting me know) is that the game is going to be on sale in the New Year Sales. If it's true, buy it immediately on the 28th. If it's not true...buy it anyway because it is one of the best stories in a game, well, ever.

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news/news-13658-Microsoft-Prepping-for-Huge--Countdown-to-2013--Sale.html

 

[Get_A_Grip_]

Yes, I'd have to say that The Walking Dead is head and shoulders above anything else I've played this year. Hell, it's probably the best game I've played in the last half decade or so.
The story is compelling and has the emotional impact of getting hit in the chest with a freight train. I've never shed a tear at a game before and The Walking Dead managed to do it thirce. Hell, no movie I've ever seen has ever made me do that.

 

[Rawne1980]

I can give it the story of the year but I can't possibly give it game of the year.

The story was fantastic and the characters were great ....... the gameplay was shockingly shit.

 

[Nomanslander]

Honestly, doesn't seem like much of a game. It seems like it's in the same camp as Heavy Rain or Indigo Prophecy with even less controls.

Not saying that's a bad thing. It's an interactive movie, so I don't think it should be consider as a game.

=/

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Played it, it was good, but not that great. Once they killed off or got rid of all the good characters by the end of Episode 4, the game was pretty much over for me. Episode 5 was weakest of them all. From the end of Episode 4, the ending was already obvious. The whole episode was pretty much just closure.

 

[Smertnik]

You love to exaggerate, don't you? It's good in the sense that it's got good story and characters but hardly "the best". It's hardly even a game at all.

 

[aguspal]

"Overrated game is overrated" > My opinion of course.


Reason: Too much focus on story, little to none in GAMEplay. In a videoGAME. G A M E.


This equals to BOREDOOM > I lose all interest in game > UNINSTALL.


I dont know why but I didnt felt like repeating myself AGAIN, I have already mentioned why I dont find this game appealing at all in a couple of other threads.

Far, far, far, FAR from "Absolutly best game of 2012". Not sure what game deserves that title, but for gods sake I personally really really hope TWD is not that one game. IMO its almost an insult, considerating an interactive movie is now apparently a videogame, that kind of defeats the whole thing. But then again, opinions.

 

[TheSteeleStrap]

I would agree to name it GOTY. I don't understand why people can say "not really a game." It's not exactly the first point-and-click adventure in existence, the gameplay has done before.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

Um... dude. Spec Ops: The Line. I mean, I know it didn't do that well, but are people really that ignorant of it? The Walking Dead is a freaking masterpiece, make no mistake, but to me Spec Ops isn't just Game Of The Year, it's Game Of The Generation.