S&S Review: The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct
Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii U
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Terminal Reality
Price: $49.99
ESRB Rating: M
This definitely isn't the Walking Dead first person shooter you were waiting for.....
The concept of the game was great, it serving as a prequel to the show, I thought going in that I would love the game's narrative. That obviously wasn't the case when I finished the of course, it just ended up being one of the more boring narratives in the Walking Dead lore. It does do a few things right though, the game stars the show's most interesting character, Daryl Dixon, and it tells his story and how he reacts to the first outbreak. Norman Reedus voices Daryl, and he does a good job at it. But if you're looking for a performance similar to the show, you'll be disappointed. Michael Rooker is also in the game as well, and he's just as annoying as he is in the show. The story starts off pretty interesting, but it got pretty bland as you progress through the short campaign. So if you came in looking for another good storyline in the Walking Dead universe, you're going to be out of luck. The visuals aren't that great either, the game looks like a PS2 game. The character models do resemble their lifelike counterparts, at least the two main characters that is. The other characters in the appear robotic, and have very stiff animations, including the walkers. The music is okay as well, but the opening theme from the show makes a return in the game, and it's actually a nice touch. Overall, the presentation in Survival Instinct is severely lacking, and the gameplay didn't set the bar very high either.
The game is a lackluster first person shooter, and that's really all it is. Just like the story component in the game, it has a lot cool concepts in it, but they aren't executed well. The game is definitely a competent first person shooter, and it really emphasizes stealth gameplay. You're supposed to approach zombies from behind, and execute a stealth kill. This is the preferred method of killing walkers, if you wish to survive on the harder difficulty, it's the only way. If you use guns, you'll end up attracting hordes of walkers. When the walkers are alone, they're easy pickins', but they're a lot tougher when they approach you in groups. Melee combat is another preferred way of fighting, but it's so boring and monotonous, I actually preferred using guns. Besides the combat, there are a lot of components as well. Resource management, you can only carry so much with you at one time, so you'll have to select which items and weapons you're going to take with you on a mission. Another feature is the ability to choose how you get from one place to the next. Its neat, but seeing as how every level is basically the same, it doesn't really matter the route you choose to take. Another cool idea that comes into play is when you run into survivors, each survivor has different traits and abilities that will affect your decision on if you want to bring them along. You can't bring everyone obviously, so this does create a bit of conflict between your choices. The survivors are really bland though, so you never form a connection between any of them, making killing them off really easy. The campaign won't last you long, and after finishing it, you probably won't wanna go back and play it again.
All in all, this game is a complete hit and miss. The only reason that Activision released the game was to cash in on the popularity of the show and comic. The Walking Dead has become a global phenomena, and the publisher wanted to get in on it. The sad thing is that the game will still sell, just off of the popularity of the show alone, and that's just a shame.
S&S Rating: 5/10
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