Review - The Walking Dead: 400 Days

The Walking Dead: 400 Days

Telltale Games

PC, OS X, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, PS Vita, Ouya

Survival, Horror, Adventure

July 3, 2013

The Preamble

I just want to start out by saying I think The Walking Dead series that came out last year from Telltale Games was not only one of the best games I played last year, but one of the best games I've played period.

Before playing The Walking Dead, I don't think I'd ever played a game that affected me so much. Not only is the writing immaculate, resulting in awesomely relatable characters, but the tough choices I was forced to make and the consequences I had to endure went so far as to conjure up a gaming experience unlike any I had ever encountered.

So, obviously, I'm super pumped for Season 2 coming out, which is said to be released before the end of 2013. But until then, Telltale has decided to whet our pallet a bit, and ease us into the next season with a transition episode, 400 Days. And it goes without saying, the choices you make in 400 Days will affect your story in Season 2 (along with the choices you made in Season 1).

The Overview

The Walking Dead begins with the story of a zombie outbreak, which you witness from the point of view of Lee. Season 2 is proposed to start 400 days after this initial outbreak, and this transition episode is meant to give us a smattering of what's going on during this period.

You play through five mini-stories, each from the perspective of new characters, more or less independent of one another (there is some cross-over with the stories, though). You can play the mini-stories in any order you please, and each one has it's own unique decisions that you'll have to make that will shape your version of the story. 

To go into any more detail with the story would be a disservice to the game, and the experience you'll get when playing it, so I'll leave it at that.

The Good

• 400 Days is a great showcase of non-linear story telling. The Walking Dead did this itself a bit, but in this transition episode it's front and center. While each character has their own story, you can begin to see how they will become intertwined, and how choices for one character may end up affecting another character in a significant way.

• One of the big hooks of The Walking Dead was how relatable the characters were, allowing you to see things from their point of view, sympathize with them, and make decisions based on what you think that character would really do. 400 Days carries the torch nicely in this respect, with great writing and voice acting.

• Honestly, the episode is short (1-2 hours), so there's not a whole lot else to say here except that, for the most part, 400 Days is more of the same. While that may sound lame, for those that have already played through The Walking Dead, you know it's the best praise I could give.

The Bad

• Difficult decisions for the sake of having difficult decisions. I said it myself, one of my favorite things about The Walking Dead was the plethora of tough decisions you had to make, most of which had a significant shock factor to them. Similarly, in 400 Days, there are tough decisions for each character to make, and the shock factor is there, but I wonder if they aren't forcing it a bit too much. There doesn't need to be a horrifying decision to make every 15 minutes, only if it makes sense. For the most part it does make sense in 400 Days, but I started getting the feeling that some of these decisions were somewhat contrived. This is less of a knock on the game, and more of a realization of a fear, which is that Telltale will try to force what people like so much about the first season into the next, rather than let it come naturally.

The Conclusion

The Walking Dead: 400 Days sets out to give us a launchpad from Season 1 to Season 2, and in my opinion, does a damn good job of it. I was already pumped for Season 2, and playing through 400 Days pumps me up even more. If you were a fan of The Walking Dead, pick this up and play it, I guarantee you will like it (and it's only $5!). If you haven't played The Walking Dead... you shouldn't be reading this, you should be playing The Walking Dead! (But seriously, thanks for reading =D)

Review - The Last of Us

The Last of Us

Naughty Dog

Playstation 3

Survival, Horror, Stealth, Action

June 14, 2013

The Preamble

Well, I want to start this one out by apologizing to the console gaming audience out there. As I was just looking back through the blog archive, it seems as though, outside of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, I've reviewed and discussed nothing but PC games on this blog.

Well, today we're venturing into the depths of the PS3 exclusive space, taking a look at The Last of Us. This title comes to us from developer Naughty Dog, famous for their work on the Uncharted series.

Unfortunately, I haven't played any of the Uncharted series, so I won't be able to make any comparisons there. What I can say is that The Last of Us is an extremely well-made game, wrought with emotional struggle, intense stealth-driven gameplay, and a narrative that you will not soon forget.

The Overview

I went into this game knowing virtually nothing about it. I knew that it was going to be survival horror type of game, with strong focus on characters and story and I was excited about this. I had of course seen the critical acclaim for the game, but outside of that, I really didn't know much.

I think that's maybe the best way to play this game, so I'm not going to be very descriptive in the overview of the story here. 

After a brief introduction of how the outbreak occurs, you travel forward in time 20 years after the infection, where society has been decimated and left to various sects of survivors that have declared their independence in some way or another. You play as Joel, a smuggler, devoid of almost all of his emotion as a result of enduring the last 20 years, watching civilization crumble. Through a series of events which I'll leave unsaid, Joel embarks on a journey that will lead him all over the country, forcing him to resolve unforgettable situations and pull him in emotional directions he didn't think he'd ever have to encounter.

The Good

• The story is top notch. From the unforgettable introduction to the thought provoking conclusion, The Last of Us remains good until the last drop. You are constantly excited, yet terrified, to see what happens next. While there are some typical zombie apocalypse tropes, there is a lot of uncertainty throughout the game.

• The character development is immaculate. Well written, well voiced, well animated; you feel like you know them, both the good and bad things about them. The arcs that each character take are compelling and keep you guessing about each decision.

• As far as the survival-horror-action genre goes, I don't think I've come across a game that conveys the true feeling of being a survivor as well as The Last of Us. You have to work your ass off to scavenge supplies, and even if you're good, you are never left feeling comfortable about the quantity of resources that you have. You are constantly tasked with rationing out your supplies and weighing your options every time you encounter an enemy.

• For a console game, the visuals are great. You aren't stuck with the same old grey, bleak, zombie setting. There is a surprising amount of variety in the weather and environment, which makes for a more diverse and interesting experience.

The Bad

• This may be the RPG fanboy in me peaking out, but the low number of skills, and the mundane nature of the ones that are present is pretty bleak. I would have loved a larger variety to play around with, at least some that actually influenced your play style somehow, which seems to be completely absent.

• Maybe it's just me and my lack of interest in stealth games anymore, but there are a lot of segments in this game that are downright infuriating. Retry after retry of tedious stealth gameplay. This wore on me in a big way after a while. Take a look at the 'Extra Note' below for more on this.

• There are some serious issues with checkpoint saving in this game. The game is not very clear about where the checkpoints are and the inclusion of what seems to be 'save anywhere' function always left me very confused when trying to load. There were numerous times I restarted from a checkpoint to find out that half of my ammo was gone and twice as many enemies were present. While this didn't happen every time, it happened enough for me to notice and get very frustrated on occasion. Also, saving is incredibly slow.

The Conclusion

The Last of Us is really quite groundbreaking on a storytelling level. It might be the most cinematic, immersive video game experience I've had the pleasure of consuming. That said, unless you are a huge fan of stealth gameplay, I don't feel like the game offers a lot more than that fantastic storytelling experience.

So I think there are a couple groups of people that would be interested in this game. 

• If you're interested in seeing one of the finest executions of storytelling in gaming, absolutely give this game a go (also, read the Extra Note below). Even if you are sort of zombied out (trust me, I'm right there with you), I still think it's well worth taking a look at.
• If you love tough stealth games, whether you care about story or not, this is worth taking a look at. 

An Extra Note

If you're not a gamer who is a huge stealth fan, and are more interested in the narrative part of the game, I would highly recommend playing on Normal or Easy difficulty settings. I made it through on Hard, but boy was it frustrating at times. If I had to do it over, I would have probably gone with Normal. Anyway, just my two cents on that subject.

The Thomp is Back!

As some of you may have noticed, The Thomplog has been pretty quiet lately.

The long and the short of it is, the Thomp has permanently departed the hot, arid Phoenix heat, and will hereby be delivering opinions on gaming via a new home in Kirkland, WA, outside of Seattle. It feels good to be back up North, with the water, the cool air, the cloud cover... all perfect ingredients to get in the mood for gaming!

That said, while I've been away, I've still managed to reserve some time to play. In fact, I've finished quite a few games since last posting, and look forward to writing some thoughts about them soon.

Until then, here's a quick look at what I've been playing.

The Last of Us

Status: Finished. Review coming soon.

This game was really quite an experience. Some of the most compelling character development I've seen in a game. Expect to see a review of this soon.

Metro: Last Light

Status: Finished. Review coming soon.

  Another dark, intense, story driven FPS from the team that brought us Metro 2033. I thoroughly enjoyed this game, perhaps even more than it's predecessor. Expect a review soon.

The Walking Dead: 400 Days

Status: Finished. Review coming soon.

Season 2 of Telltale's The Walking Dead will take place 400 days after the end of Season 1. This special transition episode is here to give us an idea of the happenings during this time, from the eyes of 5 separate protagonists. Expect a review soon.

Saint's Row: The Third

Status: Finished. Review coming soon.

In preparation for Saints Row 4, I decided I would give the highly acclaimed "Third" a try. Turns out it is insanely fun, and insanely ridiculous. Expect a full review soon.

Rogue Legacy

Status: Reallllly close to finished. Damn you last boss!

This game has damn near taken over my life since it came out. Super fun and super addicting. Looking forward to talking more about this game!

League of Legends

Status: It never ennnnnnds!

I'm ashamed to really say anything right here. Yes, I've been playing this game. Yes, I've been playing it a lot. Let's leave it at that for now.

Grand Theft Auto V

Status: Not started. Ready and raring for midnight release!

Super-duper stoked for this. There are 27 hours and counting until the release as I write this. This one looks bigger and better than ever with tons of new features and THREE main protagonists! Review will come eventually.

There have, of course, been other games I've been playing on and off, but none enough to mention here really. I've got a bit of catching up to do with these, but am happy to be back on the horse again. 

Until next time, Thomp out!