S&S Review: The Walking Dead Game: Episode 3: Long Road Ahead

Title: The Walking Dead Game: Episode 3: Long Road Ahead
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac
Release Date: August 28 on PS2, August 29 on Steam and XBLA
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games
Price: $5
ESRB Rating: M

The third episode of the phenomenal Walking Dead series has finally been put in our hands, and its been well worth the wait.  Improving on already great storytelling and gameplay mechanics, The Long Road Ahead is the best episode yet.
*Spoiler Free*

Presentation and Story:
The general presentation of the game hasn't changed since the last two episodes, but the survivors do stop in more places.  The comic book style is still here and you really come to appreciate it in this episode.  Some of the character expressions alone will make you believe and feel everything the characters are feeling, remorse and melancholy.  Lee and Clementine really steal the show this episode, just the chemistry alone between these two characters will leave you flabbergasted that a game could make you feel for two characters.  The story is paced beautifully throughout, with a lot more action sequences than before.  After finishing the second episode, I thought that the writers couldn't really get  any more dark and depressing, but episode 3 really takes the ball and runs with it.  This is the one of the many reasons I love these games, the developers aren't really pulling any punches.  I have never felt this emotional when watching a particular cutscene since I saw Otacon lose his love Naomi in Metal Gear Solid 4.  New characters make an arrival in this episode, providing some fresh personalities to go along with Lee and the regulars.  The soundtrack is as great as before, providing some haunting music mixed in with emotional strings for the game's downtime.

Core Gameplay:
The gameplay hasn't changed either, although the episode has a lot more action scenes than before.  You point and click your way through most of the game, finding items and conversing with people will progress through the game's storyline.  Lee's inventory system gets more use than before, but never really gets too over-complicated.  There is also a bit of problem solving in the game which adds more variety to the simple gameplay mechanics.  The frantic yet excellent conversation system will leave you in anger at some of the decisions you'll be making, which will further expose how emotionally invested you are in the game.    Each decision you made in previous episodes all have their specific effects in this episode, as you continue to grow your relationships with each character, depending on which characters you saved in episodes one and two.  As you converse with each of the characters, you get to learn even more about their backstories.  I did find a couple of bugs though, mostly with audio drops.  These few bugs are few and far between and don't hurt this terrific experience.  

Final Thoughts:
Once again the guys at Telltale continue to push the limits in terms of storytelling.  Wonderful voice acting and a believable atmosphere will capture your emotions and force you to react to the madness on your screens.  

S&S Rating: 9.25/10

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