The Button Presser

It pulled players' heart strings, and forced you to make tough choices, and now it's coming to the PlayStation Vita this year.

The Walking Dead game from Telltale has been a critical and commercial success ever since it launched last year in five parts, and now the adventure title will be making it's way to Sony's Handheld. Not much is known yet about the Vita version, but I would expect the game to utilize the touch features of the Vita in a similar fashion to how it played on the iPad version of the game.

Look out for more details soon on this new version of the game!

Developer- Telltale Games
Publishers- Telltale Games
Release Date- October 10th, 2012
Price- $4.99 MSRP
Review Platform- Xbox Live Arcade






Penultimate Choices



With one more episode left until the season finale of Telltales’ Walking Dead game, Episode 4 was tasked with building up tension that would have to be resolved going into the last episode. I’m happy to say that the episode does just that, and still finds a way to keep players guessing about what will happen next even after experiencing the previous three episode that brought up some pretty crazy events.

In the beginning of the episode, the gang finds their way into a new town as they hope to find a place to relax and care for Omid who is still hurting from the train jump. Kenny disagrees with this plan, and is focused on finding a boat and sailing away from Walkers and his troubles, and Lee attempts to figure out who have been speaking with Clementine from her walkie talkie. Tense moments from the characters pop up frequently in this episode, and the stress piles on a bit more when you encounter some of the new characters.

Gameplay wise things are about the same, but there are more action-y sections that give you direct control in shooting walkers from a semi first person perspective.

This episode seemed a bit shorter in comparison to the previous three, but it still manages to keep up the suspense factor while creating anticipation for episode three. There are some really drastic moments in this episode, and most do a good job of letting you add input based on prompts you choose for Lee to use.

The locations in episode four are all pretty well done and are nicely varied. While this episode is shorter, there are some more interactive elements to find than past episodes, with most being used to solve specific puzzles that you’ll encounter. Sound is top notch as always, with effects and music pieces coming in that help bring together the emotional impact of the episode.

These games have been just as intense as the TV show and comic of the Walking Dead, and provide great chunks of gameplay and story at only $5 each. This another solid episode that you have to check out!

"Episode four of a five-part game series set in Robert Kirkman’s award-winning universe. In the wake of terrible loss, the group arrives in Savannah in search of salvation from the horrors around them. Stalked by an unseen human threat and the constant menace of the undead, learn to deal with an increasingly paranoid group and how to protect Clementine."

Developer-Telltale Games
Publishers-Telltale Games
Release Date- August 29th, 2012
Price- $4.99 MSRP (400 MSP)
Review Platform- Xbox Live Arcade






Death is paved on the long road ahead



Episode 3 of the Walking Dead only takes place about a week from the intense Episode 2, and features more tough decisions that you'll have to make on a very short time limit. The group has been able to fix the RV, and events begin to set in motion that find them thankful that they repaired it.

The overall flow of the game hasn't changed too much, which is good thing since what Telltale established in Episode 1 has been really great to experience. In this episode, you'll actually find yourself in some roles that really pick up the game's story and action, which still requires you to be on your toes at all times. Later in the episode you'll have to put your thinking cap on more, as some environmental puzzles task you to remember some small details that the game lays out.

Emotions will run high in this episode, but there are some funny moments that temporarily ease the pain of making very difficult decisions.

It was always hard to make a decision and then watch as the game saves, making you really stick with what you did as you move on, but it's also one of the best features of the game. Without the ability to revert a save or checkpoint, all of the choices become much more impacting.

The visuals are still great, although there were some technical issues I ran into involving the recap video showcasing some of the choices I made in the previous episode. Most of the episode take place outside and you'll also venture to new locations which is pretty refreshing from the farm from episode 2.

Episode 3 took me about 3 hours to complete and most of the time was spent in the later parts of the game as I slowly figured out what to do next. $5 is still a great price for these parts, and each one usually warrants about two playthroughs, and once they're all released it'll be cool to sit and playthrough them all in one go.

Long Road Ahead is business as usual for the Walking Dead game and leaves you wanting more, which is something that I said for Episode 2 as well. It's nice that there will be more episodes of the game after Ep.5 comes out, because I can't get enough of these games!

"Episode three of a five-part game series set in Robert Kirkman’s award-winning universe. Treachery within the group leads to a devastating series of events in the most emotionally turbulent episode to date! Will the tough choices you made in episodes one and two come back to haunt you or prove to be worthwhile decisions? Purchase of this DLC requires The Walking Dead - Episode 1: A New Day."