Excellent game and story, sad to see it end so soon.
To start I have watched the Walking Dead TV series and like many people absolutely love it and can't wait for season 3 to start. This game is a spin off of the comic book and follows a totally different character and group of characters. Its also 1 of 5 episodes or "parts" so right now you can only play the first episode(others will be released shorty). The big question many individuals ask is do you need to see the TV series to play the game? The answer is no its not required. However if you have watched the TV series it makes this game that much better and is almost an instant buy. That being said if you have seen the series stop reading this review and buy this game you wont regret it. For anyone else that's still not sure keep reading.
Graphics/Art
I really love the art design Telltale games decided to go with because it looks very comic book like which in my opinion stays true to the original. It looks very similar to Borderlands just for a comparison. In general I really loved this approach instead of making the characters look more "real" it changes things up from the TV series and puts a different spin on it.
Story
I'm not going to go into to many details about the story just to keep away from spoilers. The main character who you play as, is Lee who is a being convicted of murder and on the way to prison when the zombies/walkers attack. He then stumbles a into the backyard of Clementine an 8 year old girl when trying to escape the walkers. Lee finds out that Clementine is all alone and decides to help her escape/find her parents. After that Lee and Clementine meet a range group of characters similar to the TV series that the players gets to interact with. Without going into anymore details about the story I must say its the main reason why anyone should play this game because its so immersive. The characters themselves are surprisingly interesting and likable. Even though you just started playing you feel like you have known them for awhile and want to invest more and more time with them.
Gameplay
The gameplay is like a simple version of heavy rain where the player is required to click on actions to do something. Its a blend of action and role playing. The gameplay isn't like Left 4 Dead where you shoot zombies in the face but more of a suspenseful thriller where you make quick time events and see gory and satisfying results. You will also have to make choices and dialog decisions similar to any Bioware game. Overall its very easy to pick up and play.
Negative Aspects
There really isn't many negatives besides this game is really short. Since its only episode 1 of the 5 part series it runs for maybe a solid 4-5 hours. You can also replay it making different decisions to see how it would play out which would add time. It was kind of sad to see it end so soon just because I was so into the story that it kind of ends and leaves cliff hangers similar to the TV series. In my opinion I think Telltale could have made this part longer and who knows maybe the other episodes will be. The second annoying thing would have to be the camera. Its not huge deal however it gets in the way and results in some weird camera angels.
Summary
Overall as I've mentioned if you have watched The Walking Dead series this is a must buy. Everyone else I hope I have convinced you to give this game a try because its really well done. If your looking for hardcore zombie killing you wont find that here however games like Left 4 Dead or Dead Island will do the trick. What you will find is an excellent interesting cast of characters that you can get attached too supported by a great story. The game doesn't last long however, for the $5 an episode or $25 for all 5(you get them later) you really cant go wrong here. Welcome to the world of The Walking Dead.