Game Review: The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

  The Walking Dead video game? Yup it's real, and it was released earlier today.

There was a lot of hype surrounding this game. Consumers were expecting big things due to the show's success, and they couldn't wait to get in on the action. I read Tweets from fans saying how they couldn't wait to run through the woods, syphon fuel off the highway, and slash zombies to their hearts' content. I too leapt at the chance to play the game, hoping to guide Darrel's character through the close encounters we've all seen on TV. I was so excited that I went all in and purchased the game as soon as I could.

After only a few hours of playing, I began to realize that my hopes for Survival Instinct weren't going to be met. There weren't woods to run through, open highways to scavenge on nor ways to barricade doors. Paths are carved out for you to follow with very few alternative options, and zombies take an exhausting number of hits to kill. The only chance you ever got to scavenge was when your vehicle ran out of gas or broke down. This happened to me twice on the same route, and the location I stopped to scavenge in was almost exactly the same. The only difference was the walkers roaming around. Same cars, same avenue of approach and even the same ammo pick-ups where in the same exact locations. Contrary to the show, a one hit kill isn't possible when face-to-face with a walker. Nor is it possible to stab them through the fences like the heroes on TV. Rather, I spent the afternoon running in circles, attempting to "execute" them by stabbing them from behind. The amount of health is a joke when faced with a swarm of zombies who require 4 strikes each. Why not use a gun you ask? Because I'd run out of ammo by the time I'd attract new zombies. The graphics were ok and the controls felt clunky. It seemed like the game was quickly put together to get it out to the masses. I became frustrated after I realized I was completing the same (yes, the exact same) few missions over and over to collect gas, car parts and other supplies. On a positive note, the music (just like the television show) is amazing. It does its job adding to the suspense as you're trying to sneak through a town looking for supplies, only to open a door to a walker ready to ambush you. By no means do I expect games to be easy, nor do I expect to have achievements handed to me. What I did expect from this game, however, was to have a similar experience to that I get from watching the show; and unfortunately, the game didn't deliver.

For those of you who are hardcore fans of the television show and have dreamt about a Walking Dead video game, I would suggest that you give it a try. My only advice would be rent first before going out and spending your hard earned cash. For those of you who are looking for a different FPS or zombie game to try, I leave it up to you.

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