Game of the Year Shortlist: The Walking Dead

Neon Kelly, Video Production Editor

It's hard to talk about The Walking Dead without spoiling all the best bits for those of you who've yet to play. I could argue that this is your own fault; I mean, I've been ranting for months about how utterly amazing this series is, so why haven't you tried it yet? But that's unfair, so I won't ruin it. Hell, I wouldn't spoil this game for my worst enemy, let alone you lovely people.

So, Walking Dead. It's got a great art style, one that sort of creeps up on you, because you initially dismiss it as being a bit cartoony. It also has an excellent understanding of what makes a great scene, both visually (the attic in Episode 4) and in terms of dramatic tension (too many examples for me to name). And it does an extremely good job of taking you out of your comfort zone, of putting you in a situation where it seems impossible to do the right thing, whatever that means in a zombie-infested wasteland.

But when you boil everything else away, it's the characters who make this game. Clementine is obviously the crowning achievement: I love her to bits, and if you even think about hurting her, I'll beat you to death with the nastiest household object I can find. But it's not just Clem. Lee is a wonderful creation, a flawed and believable hero who simultaneously stands up as a considered protagonist, and as the product of all the bad decisions we've made. And then there's Kenny. How do you begin to discuss Kenny? How do I condense that guy into a pithy little sentence for this blurb?

I can't. I can't do it. And to be honest, you shouldn't.

Matt Nellis, Video Producer

My playthrough of The Walking Dead was probably a bit different from most others. Nevertheless this did nothing to detract from the experience I had. My biggest tell when identifying whether I really enjoyed a game is if I can remember specific character names and moments. With The Walking Dead, I can remember every single person's name from those I liked to the ones I loathed. I can remember every single major decision I had to make and what the consequence was. This is a game that really resonated with me.

Some may argue that it is less of a game and more interactive fiction, but honestly that doesn't matter to me in the slightest. We often talk about games seeming to lack focus and falling short by trying to tick too many boxes, but with The Walking Dead it seems they only had one box to tick: TUG HEARTSTRINGS. Bring on season 2.