Ben-DutkaI suppose one could call it a huge upset, but I wouldn't know. This is a legitimate question and I'm hoping some of our readers familiar with the game can enlighten me:
Why did The Walking Dead win Game of the Year at the Spike TV Video Game Awards?
That's really all I want to know. We did not review the game here at PSXE, for which I must now greatly apologize to our readers; the voucher code came at a very busy time, and I just didn't get to it. Had I known just how great it was supposed to be, I would've moved it up the priority list. And to this day, I have yet to play the game in question.
So from what I hear, there are some similarities to one of my favorite titles of the generation, Heavy Rain . If that's the case, I'll most definitely have to download The Walking Dead , although I find it difficult to believe that the same level of depth (via player choice and storytelling) is included. Beyond that, though, what makes this downloadable title superior to the other candidates ( Journey , Assassin's Creed III , Halo 4 , Dishonored )? With the exception of Halo 4 (which I'm sure is great; we just don't cover it), that looks a lot like the Game of the Year nominee list we'll sport in a few weeks time. No big surprises, really.
I'm just a little shocked. Not only would I never have anticipated seeing The Walking Dead as a GotY nominee, I wouldn't have guessed in a million years that it would actually win. I guess my biggest question is- How many people out there agree? I suppose one could just go, "Meh, it's just the Spike TV VGAs; that's all you need to know." But that doesn't seem fair, as the list of nominees seemed pretty accurate to me. I guess I'm just more out of the loop than I had thought…
Definitely a riveting game to say the least. I truly enjoyed this series however didn't feel it should have won GOTY honors. My GOTY would have went to Far Cry 3 but it came out to late. So it will have to wait unitl 2013. Otherwise Borderlands 2 would have received the title!
Last edited by CrusaderForever on 12/14/2012 8:52:45 AM
I have played the first 3 episodes (first 2 were free with plus then downloaded the 3rd). Think I'll probably pick up the boxed game after the new year.
So far the game has been amazing. As others have said, it plays similar to Heavy Rain. But I honestly care way more about the characters in the Walking Dead than I did HR. The story telling and character development of the anti-hero Lee was top notch. I was hooked after the wild second episode. Do yourself a favor and play it Ben.
TWD was my first introduction to the TWD universe and now I am a fan. all the characters are ordinary people with common goals but different intentions.
For each chapter there are difficult decisions, and you always think what would have happened to decide differently.
It is a game of psychology and moral. The storytelling is just amazing and it proves that games can be approached from a very mature and seriously point.
For me it is GOTY
Because it's awesome. That's why. 🙂
It's the best example of interactive fiction I've ever experienced. Nothing really comes close, in my opinion. I love that they didn't make it too "gamey": There's no jump button, you can't do combo attacks, etc. It gives you a sense of vulnerability and lack of control –two KEY attributes of successful horror games.
The "living comic" art style of the game is just breathtaking. Ben, a number of scenes featuring autumn leaves and quiet walks reminded me very much of Calvin and Hobbes.
And make no mistake — The Walking Dead is SCARY. Sometimes jump out of your seat scary, and much more often creeping dread scary. You will be forced to ask yourself what's worse — an existential threat to civilization, or what humans become once the thin veneer of society is gone.
The characters are some of the best written and best ACTED I've ever come across in the medium. The voice actor of the protagonist is nothing short of fantastic. The characters are complicated, conflicted and almost always sympathetic. It's too rare for games to pull that off, and the fact that the Walking Dead did it so well — I'm a big fan of the show and it's the only comic I ever read, and the game is even better — is really a milestone. There were a TON of great games this year, but I whole-heartedly agree that Walking Dead is without precedent, a game-changer, emotionally engaging and exhausting, and not to mention one HELL of a lot of fun. Play it.
Very good comment. This is what I look for when making a decision on a game. Thank you for your insight. Sounds like a must play.
Thank you! My pleasure.
I got the two free episodes that came for Plus members. I can understand the comparison to Heavy Rain but thus far don't feel the story is better at all. It's a decent game but I personally don't see how in the world this game pulled in GOTY honors. It also feels like you should have Move to play it. I think the fact that it's a popular series helped it out. I like the game but just don't feel that it's the GOTY at all
Alright, even though this post will probably get buried and forgotten, and I'm sure someone has already gave a good answer, this is my opinion/reasoning.
The Walking Dead was an overall amazing game. It is very much like Heavy Rain in it's play style, but more or less crossed with a zombie based storyline. It combines all the best elements that made The Walking Dead comics so famous and popular in the first place with top notch player choice driven consequences and effects.
There isn't a crazy in depth system with 100 endings, and not every choice has a major impact, but it makes note of nearly every choice you make and even if it only mentions it in a small line halfway through the game, it will remember it. It let's you play the game as though you really are the main character.
In essence, it makes you the main character. So you start to like certain characters and hate others. It does an amazing job at making you feel like you matter to others survival. Sooner or later, someone you like is probably going to die, and the game does a good job of making you realize that nobody is safe.
Then there's the actual story itself. Everyone everywhere that's talking about it online tends to call the story an emotional rollercoaster. There's a good reason for that. The way it brings you in to make the choices on whether or not you save people make you feel responsible for what happens. Somewhere down the line, something will come back to you and make you regret doing whatever you did.
Now, all that being said, maybe you just don't get into the story, maybe you don't like zombies, or maybe you think this just isn't for you. I personally recommend playing through at least the first 2 episodes before making any judgement calls about it.
The walking dead was another final fantasy 13, it just sold on name alone. The decisions you make seem important but a few episodes down the line it means nothing. No matter what you do or say the same things happen so dont bother bonding with clem it leads nowhere
Coming from a person who played and still enjoy this game. His statement "No matter what you do or say the same things happen" stays true. I'm surprised there wasn't a outrage like Mass Effects 3 ending, but there was a little near episodes 3 and 4 from some fans.
Hopefully someone makes utube videos outlining what you do and say, and how it affects the game. (Ben, get on it. Huge news story for you my friend unless someone has already done it.)
To be honest, that whole part of the game felt like it was pretend. Aka playing dollhouse/dress up. This obviously takes away replay value away from it and it isn't all that long with each episode (5 of them) being about 2 hours. A 5 (minimum) to 15 (max) hour long game.
Despite all of that I still think it deserves game of the year for managing to be so unique yet fun because unique and artistic doesn't always equal fun.
To me, any game that requires multiple player choices is awesome. It increases the immersion level and it's great.
I seriously think that everyone on this site has spent so much of their energy and time dissing MOH and COD that they let this game slip past without even a look. It seems like 4 or 5 out of 10 articles on here are negative accounts of those games. So it doesn't surprise me that there would be some shock from this site.
I absolutely love the TV show and the game is just as engrossing. I am moderately surprised that a downloadable title won GOTY but if any DL game deserves it, it is this one. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed Dishonored and thought it had a real shot at winning.
I have never seen so many off-topic comments in one thread on this site before, this is just getting ridiculous.
I HAVE played all 5 episodes, and this game 1000% (not a typo) deserved getting GOTY, downloadable game or not. The writing and performances in the game were impeccable. The game remembers your dialogue choices throught the entire series, and while certain portions of the story will happen regardless of your choices, you do have some control over many decisions made throughout the story. While I loved Heavy Rain, The Walking Dead is so emotionally charged, that it makes HR look like a comedy.
I'm not addressing anyone on this site in particular, just making a generalized comment for the whole of mankind. If you have the ability to play this game and you willingly choose to skip over the amazing experience it has to offer, the you are a moron.
Last edited by JROD0823 on 12/16/2012 2:12:12 PM
I completely agree with you. It seems like the majority of people on this site are either talking about how much they miss the older RPG's or putting down MOH and COD. They don't want to talk about The Walking Dead and how excellent it is and the fact that Ben had no clue about this game pretty much sums this site up.