The most recent episode of The Walking Dead has been released and continues the tale of Lee, Clementine, and the rest of the survivors. Now I do want to warn people that if you have not played the first episode, this article will have small spoilers from episode 1. If you also didn’t read my review for episode 1 you can check it out here.
The Walking Dead Episode 2: Starved for Help takes place three months after the events of episode 1, and it is not looking good for our survivors. In the beginning, everyone that has survived is still shacked up at the hotel; and they are starting to run out on their food supplies. The story takes this and runs with how it is affecting everybody. There also appears to be a power struggle for leadership between the group. The tension is really high between people; especially with the lack of food. Luckily for the gang, there is an opportunity that strolls along that might be able to fix their food issue.
Two people from a farm end up running into them who are willing to trade food for gas. A couple of the members, including the main character Lee, go to check out the place. It looks like a paradise away from what has become hell on earth. The survivors will eventually come to realize that the farm might not be such a safe place after all. The story is the star of the show, and if you can’t get behind the story or don’t care about these characters, then the game will be a snooze fest of dialogue.
The only real hiccup in the story that I saw was the inclusion of a new survivor at the very beginning without a real in depth look at the character. It’s obvious that his only reason for being there is to serve a small part in the story. It kind of made me want to know more about the guy, but never got to in depth with his back story.
Like the last episode there are some moments in the game where players will realize they can’t leave their guard down while scenes happening. There was one scene in particular that made me jump because I had gotten into a relaxed habit with the scenes, and that mistake nearly bit me in the butt (literally).
While the end is somewhat predictable, it is still a very impressive ending to the episode. The twist is rather gross and sets the tone for what is to come. It almost makes me wonder where this series will go after this episode, but that’s where the fun comes. Not knowing what is going to happen in the story makes me want to keep playing it. It also has replay value off the fact that some decisions could impact the story in a whole new way.
The game still relies heavily on the emotional story it tells and the decisions you make that have implications. The second episode loved to remind me of all the things I did or didn’t do for someone in the previous episode. While the full impact of those decisions aren’t felt quite yet, the story lets you know that something is coming; and the way people treat you definitely would change based off your decisions.The games main mechanics stays intact, as well as the bad movement. No major changes to the game play. There will be lot of reaction commands and scenes where some events will require you to escape certain situations.
Episode 2 is an amazing continuation to the episodic content. It takes what was done so well in the previous episode and continues the intriguing story line of these survivors. The only problem is that all the problems I had with the first game are still apparent with this episode, and will probably be the same for all the episodes to come. The Walking Dead from Tell Tale studios is available now, and should be given a chance by anyone who is a fan of The Walking Dead or looking to sink their teeth into a good zombie story.
[Images via Joystiq]
