Originally Posted by John W.
I absolutely agree with your assessment of the game. I feel that this is the kind of example that needs to be set, from the perspective of writing and character development, specifically, for the industry. Too many gamers these days are placated by games that completely lack any form of story and focus entirely on gameplay - and, frankly, it disgusts me. Don't get me wrong, I can get into a game that's just mindless, visceral action, but eventually I get tired of it and I quit playing... and then I forget about it.
I will always remember this game. Why? Because of its clear cut attention to storytelling; it was less a video game and more an experience, frankly. It captured my attention and invested me in itself far more than any other game ever has - like a good novel does. I found myself briefly grieving for characters who lost their lives throughout the game - I found myself completely overcome with emotion over the sheer humanity of the situations that came up. I was Lee, whenever I played, completely.
Few video games sell their genre as a medium of storytelling and artwork; most games - the Call of Duty/Battlefield series, Halo, etc. - continue to spread the slanderous image of gamers as either normal people killing time, losers with nothing better to do, or juvenile children with well-off parents. TTG's take on The Walking Dead was the complete opposite; if ever a game has truly made an effort to evolve the gaming industry into a platform for shared experiences and storytelling on par with great works of literature or theater, this is it.
The complexity and intelligence of the writing and character design shines throughout every moment of the series, and is supplemented by a fantastic cast of voice actors. The game itself is generally enjoyable to play because of a handful of dedicated crew members slaving away at their desks in the TTG office. Maybe they were late on pushing out each episode; maybe there were some glitches along the way (none that I ever experienced, for the record); maybe our choices didn't completely alter the story; maybe the game isn't perfect, but it's damn close, for me.
I applaud the entire TTG cast & crew, I thank you for this experience you've allowed all of us to share, I insist on buying anything similar you put out for the rest of my life, and I assure you that this story and this game will always be among my top ten.
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