The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct
-Ben
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
As the zombie craze received new life with works such as the popular Call of Duty: Zombies mode and Left 4 Dead, it also was spreading to other mediums as well. The most prominent of these would be the television adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels, The Walking Dead. The show’s popularity is due in part to its portrayal of a zombie apocalypse in a realistic way. Yes, that does sound quite odd. But it’s the truth. With its focus more on the remaining survivors and less on the undead, the program has brought a fresh perspective on the genre; this is turn brought more attention to other properties such as Max Brooks’ World War Z.
It’s success also warranted several spinoffs, especially in the video game industry. Many gamers will automatically think of Telltale Games’ award
winning action adventure game. Despite being based off the same source material as the television series, the game wasn’t strictly set within the same universe. But alas, a game was finally released set within the show’s canon; the game also would focus on one of the program’s original creations: the character Daryl Dixon. The game was called The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct and would be set during the very beginning of the apocalypse.
This was in fact a genius move. Take one of the series’ most beloved and popular characters and build a video game around him. Plus, it explored the relationship between Daryl and his older brother, Merle, which did not really have a chance to develop until the third season. Actors Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker both returned to reprise the roles of Daryl and Merle, respectively. A first person shooter that let the player decide whether to be stealthy and sneak around the walkers, or go in guns blazing.
As the zombie craze received new life with works such as the popular Call of Duty: Zombies mode and Left 4 Dead, it also was spreading to other mediums as well. The most prominent of these would be the television adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels, The Walking Dead. The show’s popularity is due in part to its portrayal of a zombie apocalypse in a realistic way. Yes, that does sound quite odd. But it’s the truth. With its focus more on the remaining survivors and less on the undead, the program has brought a fresh perspective on the genre; this is turn brought more attention to other properties such as Max Brooks’ World War Z.
It’s success also warranted several spinoffs, especially in the video game industry. Many gamers will automatically think of Telltale Games’ award
winning action adventure game. Despite being based off the same source material as the television series, the game wasn’t strictly set within the same universe. But alas, a game was finally released set within the show’s canon; the game also would focus on one of the program’s original creations: the character Daryl Dixon. The game was called The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct and would be set during the very beginning of the apocalypse.
This was in fact a genius move. Take one of the series’ most beloved and popular characters and build a video game around him. Plus, it explored the relationship between Daryl and his older brother, Merle, which did not really have a chance to develop until the third season. Actors Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker both returned to reprise the roles of Daryl and Merle, respectively. A first person shooter that let the player decide whether to be stealthy and sneak around the walkers, or go in guns blazing.
Although the game had all of this going for it, Survival Instinct was not a perfect game; actually, it was far from it. It was crude, simple and ultimately, flawed. So, this is a negative review? ABSOLUTELY NOT. The game industry has developed into a complex world; it favors innovation over caution, drama over stoicism. This was an ambitious story told through a simplified FPS formula. So, if I was judging on the same battlefield as the likes of BioShock and Halo, this would be a bad game. But I’m not judging it on those standards. I’m looking at it as a huge fan of the television series and Telltale Games’ episodic masterpiece. With that mindset…
I had so much fun with this game.
Why did I love this game so much? Perhaps it was because of the dummed-down formula and repetitive gameplay. There is still a place for games
like this. After saving the galaxy from the Reapers, stopping the Didact from destroying Earth and defeating Comstock amidst the clouds, I welcomed the fun of just gathering supplies, covertly executing walkers and managing my group of survivors on my way to the supposed safe haven of Atlanta. It reminded me of the shooters of the early 2000’s, such as F.E.A.R.and Half-Life 2, though I wouldn’t say nostalgia had anything to do with it. It was just one of those old, easy to understand and play shooters.
I had so much fun with this game.
Why did I love this game so much? Perhaps it was because of the dummed-down formula and repetitive gameplay. There is still a place for games
like this. After saving the galaxy from the Reapers, stopping the Didact from destroying Earth and defeating Comstock amidst the clouds, I welcomed the fun of just gathering supplies, covertly executing walkers and managing my group of survivors on my way to the supposed safe haven of Atlanta. It reminded me of the shooters of the early 2000’s, such as F.E.A.R.and Half-Life 2, though I wouldn’t say nostalgia had anything to do with it. It was just one of those old, easy to understand and play shooters.
The voice acting from the two leads remained on par with the series as well; Reedus retained Daryl’s distrusting yet vulnerable quality, while Rooker made Merle as mischievous, mocking and spiteful as ever. I truly feel, while watching the TV series, that that Daryl on screen is the same one I spent at least eight hours sneaking around as in the game. Sometimes with those kind of situations, there’s a certain amount of disconnection to be felt. Not here.
The gameplay, like I said earlier, was pretty straightforward. You had the option of using melee or ranged weapons, or do a mixture of them. You could sneak around or try to be a vigilante and run through shooting off bullets like the fourth of July. I will say that the executing mechanic was awesome and satisfying. Though they were once our friends and family, nothing got me more pumped up than stabbing a walker straight through the head after sneaking up on it. The gun mechanic was a little sketchy; sometimes I would shoot three feet away from the walker’s head and it would still explode as if I got a bullseye. Maybe it was just their A.I. They didn’t seem to care much when I shined my flashlight right in their face, in one of the myriad of dark buildings you scavenge from. As long I didn’t steal their dinner, I guess.
The gameplay, like I said earlier, was pretty straightforward. You had the option of using melee or ranged weapons, or do a mixture of them. You could sneak around or try to be a vigilante and run through shooting off bullets like the fourth of July. I will say that the executing mechanic was awesome and satisfying. Though they were once our friends and family, nothing got me more pumped up than stabbing a walker straight through the head after sneaking up on it. The gun mechanic was a little sketchy; sometimes I would shoot three feet away from the walker’s head and it would still explode as if I got a bullseye. Maybe it was just their A.I. They didn’t seem to care much when I shined my flashlight right in their face, in one of the myriad of dark buildings you scavenge from. As long I didn’t steal their dinner, I guess.
I believe the real star of this game would have to be the uneasy atmosphere. The whole game felt like the pilot, where Rick rides the horse into Atlanta and sees the city abandoned. Eerie and unsettling, some of the most frightening times in a game happened when I explored a dark building for supplies. And it wasn’t my choice, either. I HAD to in order to survive and take care of my group (the members of which I was given the freedom to handpick throughout the game). No critic can ever complain that Survival Instinct was disloyal to its source material.
But as always, the praise comes with some downfalls. The underdeveloped story seemed to move really quickly and at times, I was lost on what I was supposed to be doing. The cutscenes that had most of the explanation of what was going on flew by in a second; specifically, a crucial part towards the end of the game evaporated before I even knew that I was in a cutscene. I had to read Wikipedia to understand what happened. Plus, the group I assembled over the course of the game didn’t really play much of a part except to “Stay at Car,” “Scavenge for Fuel,” and run away at a point when walkers invaded our position. Yeah, thanks for having my back guys.
AMC’s The Walking Dead gave the zombie genre new life and gave the craze a crisp reboot. Survival Instinct, despite the less-than-likely chance of appearing on any “Best of 2013” lists, was a fun return to the post-apocalyptic landscape of the series. If you enjoy the TV series, this is definitely a title
you want to check out. It adds depth to one of its more popular characters and will keep you on your toes as you discover your fate in the zombie apocalypse.
AMC’s The Walking Dead gave the zombie genre new life and gave the craze a crisp reboot. Survival Instinct, despite the less-than-likely chance of appearing on any “Best of 2013” lists, was a fun return to the post-apocalyptic landscape of the series. If you enjoy the TV series, this is definitely a title
you want to check out. It adds depth to one of its more popular characters and will keep you on your toes as you discover your fate in the zombie apocalypse.