The Walking Dead series has been my biggest surprise of 2012. Going into it with no real interest in the franchise, or adventure games, its first two instalments have taken me on an emotional roller coaster unlike any other game has before. Based on what I’d seen of the trailer for The Long Road Ahead, I had concerns that the base premise wouldn’t be as interesting as the one in episode 2. However, all my fears were quickly quashed as revelation after revelation took place.
Episode 2 of The Walking Dead video game series picks up three months after the events of the first. Having found temporary solace in a run-down motel, Lee and his group of survivors find themselves facing off against a new threat: hunger. With tensions running high, and supplies running low, a pair of potential guardian angels appear. In exchange for some fuel, this duo of survivors are willing to provide your group with shelter, and rations from their supposedly large supply. Could this be too good to be true?
Zombies, as depicted in almost all forms of fiction, are simple creatures. Featuring great strength, limited intelligence, and (in most cases) limited mobility, their sole objective is to consume the flesh of the living. For this very reason, I don’t find zombies themselves all that interesting.
It’s what happens around the zombies that creates fictional magic. From The Night of the Living Dead, to Abraham Lincoln: Zombie Hunter, to Plants vs. Zombies, creators have found a number of different ways to leverage their simplistic traits into amazing experiences. For The Walking Dead Episode 1: A New Day, the zombies are a catalyst for a far more interesting tale of human survival under apocalyptic circumstances.
Apologies for the long delay, but my review for Kid Icarus: Uprising is finally live on Splitkick! It took me awhile to play through because of its surprisingly long length, and a really long time to write. I struggled with it for weeks, and wrote three completely different versions of the review before finally settling on one to submit for edit.
Thanks to the team at Splitkick for editing, and publishing the piece, as its a game I want to encourage others to try, even with its fundamental flaws. If you’re still on the fence about it, check out my review at Splitkick.
Despite the series success over the years, critics of the Zelda series have knocked it for being too formulaic. I don’t play enough Zelda games to feel that way, but I understand the point. With that said, I loved Twilight Princess and still believe that Ocarina of Time is one of the greatest video games of all-time.
Going into Skyward Sword, I was super-excited to jump back into the land of Hyrule to save the princess and save the world. As of writing, I’m at the front steps of the second dungeon, and my excitement has cooled off considerably.
While Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure is a pretty fun game to play with the three figures that come with the starter pack, it’s the ability to drop in dozens of other unique characters through the toys that makes the game shine. At launch, I remember seeing displays full of additional characters for purchase. Nowadays, every Skylanders shelf I’ve seen has been virtually empty. Not too long ago, Steff and I were at a Wal-Mart looking at an empty Skylanders section, when a customer service rep came up to us to say that they received a shipment of 96 figures that morning, which all sold out before noon.
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, at first glance, is not a game I should like for a number of reasons:
1) I was never a fan of any Spyro games
2) I’m close to 20 years older than the target audience this game was created for and marketed to
3) I’ve grown weary of video game peripherals and add-on purchases, which the entirety of this game is built around
4) I’m generally not a fan of the “Gauntlet-style” of game.
5) I don’t like the thought of going into a Toys R Us to buy myself action figures for my kiddie video game
As curious as I’ve been to play it, I’ve put up all sorts of mental barriers to stop myself from playing this game at all. Then I got it for Christmas and I played the heck out of it. I made up all the excuses in the world to not play it, but it ended up winning me over in a big way.
And I’m back! Happy 2012 everyone!
Before we leave the subject of Game of the Year, I thought I’d share Steff’s vote for Game of the Year. Her pick for Game of the Year 2011 is…
Most Disappointing Game is a crappy honour to receive. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the worst game, but it’s a game that people had certain expectations for going into it that ultimately weren’t reached.
In Third Person’s Most Disappoint Game Award goes to a sequel that was a sleeper hit. I had a ton of fun with it and couldn’t wait for the sequel. Be careful what you wish for…
When I first completed the original Portal not too long ago, I did not feel the need to experience any more of it. Sure, Portal is a fantastic game, but within the three or so hours it took me to complete it, I felt like the game had said everything it needed to say. Although I was crazy late to the party and Portal 2 had been out for months, I wasn’t sure what Valve would do to keep the experience going without tarnishing the legacy of the original.
In Third Person 