Name: The Walking Dead: Definitive Edition
Developer: Skybound Games
Publisher: Skybound Games
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4
Release Date: 10.09.2019
Acquired: A copy of this game was provided from a publisher for review purpose
In 2012 Telltale Games put some fresh breath of air, into the adventure game genre with Telltale’s The Walking Dead. Telling a story based on Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, with Clementine a little girl that has to deal with the zombie outbreak that plagues the world. Doing everything she can to survive, while also dealing with other humans and how the plague has affected them too. What that made it such a great game to play, was how your choices affected the story and even future episodes. It made every story feel unique and could be vastly different than how it played out for your friends. You start to care for the characters you meet, and it affects how you behave towards them and what choices you make.
In September 2018 Telltale went public that they were foreclosing and all staff was being terminated with only a few staying behind to complete projects. Season 4 of The Walking Dead was one of the games affected the most with two more episodes to be released later. it was announced that Skybound Games, the gaming division of Skybound Entertainment, will be finishing the final two episodes of Season 4.
The third and fourth episodes were ultimately released on 15th January 2019 and 26th March 2019 respectively, thus concluding the story of Clementine. It is from here The Walking Dead: Definitive Edition comes in, delivering the complete package for all of those that either miss the series or has never picked it up
The Walking Dead: Definitive Edition is a huge package for every fan or a great deal to get a chance to play it for the first time. It contains:
- All 4 seasons of The Walking Dead
- The Spin-offs 400 Days, and The Walking Dead: Michonne
This gives you a total of 23 episodes that you can play from start to finish, but it gets even better I would dare to say. All episodes have gotten a graphical upgrade with the style they used in season 4, bringing a more complete feel to it all. They also added tons of behind the scenes content, with artwork, music, models and a look into the production of the games. So let’s talk about what The Walking Dead: Definitive Edition brings to the table.”
The Good
First off, it was great to be back in this series. The graphical upgrade was a very welcome addition, and they have made a very good job with the previous seasons. Also if you want you to have the option to turn on “Graphic Black” that makes it look more like the comics. The story is still pretty good, with choices that really make you question your decisions. It’s common that what you think is the right decision backfires in the worst ways or big sacrifices will have to be made. I love how this series develops Clementine, from the innocent little girl you will do anything to protect into the woman the world shapes her into.
It would seem like the frame rate has gotten an upgrade also, which often stuttered on the previous generation of consoles. Now everything is much smoother, which helped a lot with enjoying it more. I have to point out that it’s really nice to have it all in one package since over the years I have had different seasons on different consoles, so I never had the story fully tailored after my choices. This is a small plus, but for me, it was an essential bonus.
The Bad
I honestly don’t have much to nitpick about, since the games itself are the same way they were when released. Gameplay, controls, and story are the same, but with graphical and bonus content upgrades. Loading was at times slow, not a deal-breaker but it was present.
Verdict
There is no doubt that The Walking Dead is a great video game series, I really enjoyed coming back too. For someone like me that kinda fell off during the earlier seasons, I’m glad there is an easy and convenient way to play it all again. With the addition of graphical upgrades and bonus content, it is definitely the definitive way to play The Walking Dead. If it is worth a re-buy for those that already own the previous seasons it’s debatable, but no doubt a great deal if you have never played it before.
Overall
9/10
User Review
( vote)Pros
- Still a great story
- Good graphical upgrade
- All the bonus content
- An easy and convenient way to play it all
Cons
- Previous problems with the gameplay are still present
- Some loading
