EDIT: This review was written before I owned a controller for the PC

So much to say, the first of which is that THIS REVIEW CONTAINS NO SPOILERS! If I mention anything specific, it is only a fabricated example. That being said, let's start with the technical stuff, which is based off of the keyboard/mouse PC gameplay.

I should also mention that I've never seen the TV series, nor read the comic series that this game is based upon. I have read that this game follows a different set of characters, so you don't have to worry about spoilers via crossovers.

MOVEMENT: W-A-S-D or Arrow keys.

FIGHTING: Q and E keys

SAVING/PAUSING/LOADING:

There is no option to save -- it's automatic. Watch for a swirl of lines in the top right corner. This is the game saving your progress. If you exit the game or go back to the main menu, you will lose anything you've done since the last auto-save.

To PAUSE the game, just hit the Escape key... Better yet, try hitting the space bar! You'll get extra time to make those crucial decisions~!

THE ZOMBIES:

These are not the running, jumping, climbing, can-almost-think-type of zombie that you see in the movies as of late. What we have in The Walking Dead are the more classic-style of the undead. They shamble and barely have the coordination to stand upright. They're slow because their bodies are rotting away. They will never stop coming.

There seem to be three things they react to: Sight, sound, and a ravenous hunger for living flesh.

To fight off the undead, rapidly hit the Q key when you see the prompt on the screen, and be ready to hit the E key to attack as soon as the prompt pops up. Sometimes you'll have to use the mouse to aim an attack, and that's not as easy as you may think! During fighting scenes the cursor can be hard to move around. Make no mistake, this is definitely intentional, and a brilliant decision by the development crew. It really adds to the reality and intensity of the situation, further immersing you in the story.

YOUR CHOICES WILL AFFECT THE WAY THE GAME PLAYS OUT. You're told this each time you start a new chapter of the game, and it's absolutely true. Not only do your choices carry over from one chapter to another, but also to new seasons. We play as a man named Lee, and WE choose what his personality is like. Is he angry and defiant? Calm and caring? Some combination of the two? That's entirely up to YOU, and it will affect how the other characters interact with you.

There is not a lot of fighting, as one might expect from a title about zombigeddon. Yes, of course we struggle, we shoot, we flee, and sometimes we die... but the primary thrust of the game is the story. This is like no adventure game I've ever seen, seeming more like we're part of a movie, rather than playing a game.

In tense situations, as in real life, we don't have an unlimited amount of time to decide what to say or do. We have to make some snap decisions, and it heightens the immersiveness, wrapping around our psyche, taunting, calling, making us unable to stop thinking about what's happened, and what WILL happen because of our choices.

The way interactions and inventory are handled are much different than I'm used to. You can see small icons that show your inventory on the left-hand side of the screen, but you don't do the usual "click on inventory item, then click on the scene" routine. Instead, when you mouse-over a hotspot on the scene, you will see options that you can choose from (assuming that there's more than one action available.) If it's possible to try an inventory item on that spot, you'll see it in the options. Just use your mouse wheel or arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight your desired choice; same as you do when you're having a conversation or choosing an action to take.

This is not the kind of game where you can speed up the dialogue or skip cutscenes. The Walking Dead is all about experiencing the story, and what a story it is! Intense, gripping, distressing, touching. Through all of the turmoil and strife, there are still moments that made me smile; even laugh out loud! The only other game I've seen that evoked so much emotion was Cognition, though of course for entirely different reasons.

SIGHTS & SOUNDS:

You can see from the screenshots that the characters are done graphic art-style. Not surprising since this is based off a comic book series. And yet... deep within the gameplay, there are startling moments when the characters look real. I would swear that they had live actors doing the modelling. The mannerisms are so well done, the nuances of expression so poignant. A slight softening of the eyes, the ghost of a smile... Beautifully done!

There is some gore, but it's tolerable... and to be expected! This IS a game featuring the dead, after all! I have one friend who is not into zombies at all, and another who really can't stand gore, and both were so completely sucked in by the story that they couldn't stop playing!

The music is so perfectly melded with the situations you encounter that they're well-nigh unnoticeable. There is nothing to jar you out of the the environment, nothing to distract you from the situation you're in.

The voice acting is absolutely superb. Of course there are some exceptions, but very few.

THE VERDICT:

If you haven't figured out how I feel about the game by now, you must have skipped over the rest of the review! There's been a lot of hype about the game, and it's all -- in my opinion -- very well-deserved.

If you're looking for complex gameplay, this isn't for you. Likewise if you're looking for a lot of combat or a shoot 'em up. The Walking Dead isn't a game; it's an experience like no other, and one I highly recommend to anyone who loves a good story.

I am dying to play Season 2 -- No, not literally! Leave my brains intact, please! -- but for now, will have to settle for playing the game through for the third time :D

[i]EDIT: This review was written before I owned a controller for the PC[/i] So much to say, the first of which is that THIS REVIEW CONTAINS NO SPOILERS! If I mention anything specific, it is only a fabricated example. That being said, let's start with the technical stuff, which is based off of the keyboard/mouse PC gameplay. I should also mention that I've never seen the TV series, nor read the comic series that this game is based upon. I have read that this game follows a different set of characters, so you don't have to worry about spoilers via crossovers. MOVEMENT: W-A-S-D or Arrow keys. FIGHTING: Q and E keys SAVING/PAUSING/LOADING: There is no option to save -- it's automatic. Watch for a swirl of lines in the top right corner. This is the game saving your progress. If you exit the game or go back to the main menu, you will lose anything you've done since the last auto-save. To PAUSE the game, just hit the Escape key... Better yet, try hitting the space bar! You'll get extra time to make those crucial decisions~! THE ZOMBIES: These are not the running, jumping, climbing, can-almost-think-type of zombie that you see in the movies as of late. What we have in The Walking Dead are the more classic-style of the undead. They shamble and barely have the coordination to stand upright. They're slow because their bodies are rotting away. They will never stop coming. There seem to be three things they react to: Sight, sound, and a ravenous hunger for living flesh. To fight off the undead, rapidly hit the Q key when you see the prompt on the screen, and be ready to hit the E key to attack as soon as the prompt pops up. Sometimes you'll have to use the mouse to aim an attack, and that's not as easy as you may think! During fighting scenes the cursor can be hard to move around. Make no mistake, this is definitely intentional, and a brilliant decision by the development crew. It really adds to the reality and intensity of the situation, further immersing you in the story. [b]YOUR CHOICES WILL AFFECT THE WAY THE GAME PLAYS OUT[/b]. You're told this each time you start a new chapter of the game, and it's absolutely true. Not only do your choices carry over from one chapter to another, but also to new seasons. We play as a man named Lee, and WE choose what his personality is like. Is he angry and defiant? Calm and caring? Some combination of the two? That's entirely up to YOU, and it will affect how the other characters interact with you. There is not a lot of fighting, as one might expect from a title about zombigeddon. Yes, of course we struggle, we shoot, we flee, and sometimes we die... but the primary thrust of the game is the story. This is like no adventure game I've ever seen, seeming more like we're part of a movie, rather than playing a game. In tense situations, as in real life, we don't have an unlimited amount of time to decide what to say or do. We have to make some snap decisions, and it heightens the immersiveness, wrapping around our psyche, taunting, calling, making us unable to stop thinking about what's happened, and what WILL happen because of our choices. The way interactions and inventory are handled are much different than I'm used to. You can see small icons that show your inventory on the left-hand side of the screen, but you don't do the usual "click on inventory item, then click on the scene" routine. Instead, when you mouse-over a hotspot on the scene, you will see options that you can choose from (assuming that there's more than one action available.) If it's possible to try an inventory item on that spot, you'll see it in the options. Just use your mouse wheel or arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight your desired choice; same as you do when you're having a conversation or choosing an action to take. This is not the kind of game where you can speed up the dialogue or skip cutscenes. The Walking Dead is all about experiencing the story, and what a story it is! Intense, gripping, distressing, touching. Through all of the turmoil and strife, there are still moments that made me smile; even laugh out loud! The only other game I've seen that evoked so much emotion was [i]Cognition[/i], though of course for entirely different reasons. SIGHTS & SOUNDS: You can see from the screenshots that the characters are done graphic art-style. Not surprising since this is based off a comic book series. And yet... deep within the gameplay, there are startling moments when the characters look real. I would swear that they had live actors doing the modelling. The mannerisms are so well done, the nuances of expression so poignant. A slight softening of the eyes, the ghost of a smile... Beautifully done! There is some gore, but it's tolerable... and to be expected! This IS a game featuring the dead, after all! I have one friend who is not into zombies at all, and another who really can't stand gore, and both were so completely sucked in by the story that they couldn't stop playing! The music is so perfectly melded with the situations you encounter that they're well-nigh unnoticeable. There is nothing to jar you out of the the environment, nothing to distract you from the situation you're in. The voice acting is absolutely superb. Of course there are some exceptions, but very few. THE VERDICT: If you haven't figured out how I feel about the game by now, you must have skipped over the rest of the review! There's been a lot of hype about the game, and it's all -- in my opinion -- very well-deserved. If you're looking for complex gameplay, this isn't for you. Likewise if you're looking for a lot of combat or a shoot 'em up. The Walking Dead isn't a game; it's an experience like no other, and one I highly recommend to anyone who loves a good story. I am dying to play Season 2 -- No, not literally! Leave my brains intact, please! -- but for now, will have to settle for playing the game through for the third time :D