The Walking Dead: Episode 3 - Long Road Ahead
Score: 95% Publisher: Telltale Games Developer: Telltale Games Media: Download/1 Players: 1 Genre: Survival Horror/Puzzle/Adventure
Previously on The Walking Dead: In our last encounter with the undead, Macon, GA native Lee Everett and the crew that made it through the first episode met a couple of farmers that offered the group of feast of meat, despite the lack of animals on the premises. After finding his friend legless and stashed away upstairs, Lee had to rush to the rescue of the group and stop them from becoming cannibals. After all was said and done, the dynamic of the group shifted greatly when members of the group were captured and locked in the barn. When Larry, the eldest group member, suffers a heart attack, a grave decision had to be made to make sure he did not return in an unholy state. With her father now dead, Lilly begins to turn on the people she considers murdered her dad. This new dynamic carries over and continues when the group returns to the motel they’ve built up as a stronghold, and it is where a new chapter begins as we start The Walking Dead: Episode 3 – Long Road Ahead...
This Time on The Walking Dead: Depending on the choices you (as Lee) made in the previous two episodes, it is possible that there may be different members in your group as you start Long Road Ahead, but the storyline will more or less remain the same with some additional dialogue that may be modified here and there. As such, this chapter opens with Lilly suspecting a thief among her living companions, which causes even more separation and anxiety within the group. As a result, Kenny finally gets his way by leading the group into the sunset in the RV that he managed to get running again. With the crew on the road, tensions flare to the point of the unexpected happening, and you end up having to make a heavy decision that could forever change the group dynamics again, but don’t worry… there will be no major spoilers here.
Watching vs. Playing The Walking Dead: The Walking Dead: Episode 3 – Long Road Ahead plays like its predecessors, with you controlling what is essentially an interactive movie. Like the previous two episodes, some of the decisions can greatly affect the dynamics of future interactions with other group members. What felt different about this chapter in the story was that it truly felt like there was a lot more watching and a little less doing than before. The funny thing is, even though I usually want to actually play my games, Long Road Ahead is my favorite episode to date as it embraces more emotion to drive the storyline forward. While there seemed to be a few more graphical hitches in transitions and other moments of dialogue, The Walking Dead: Episode 3 – Long Road Ahead played out in great fashion and it kept me interested from start to finish. In fact, I am now waiting in anticipation for the next episode as much as the initial intermission in the series.
Next Time on The Walking Dead: With the group now approaching the city limits of Savannah, the new goal for the group is to make it through the city alive as they make their way to the coast. Feeling that salvation will lie in the form of a boat to take them offshore and away from the harm of the walkers, Lee and the others will develop a plan to save themselves. Like all episodes, there lies a twist. Clementine’s parents had actually taken a trip to Savannah at the onset of the diseased walking dead taking over. Becoming her surrogate father during this time of struggle, Lee promises Clementine that they will search for her parents on the way to finding a boat. It will be interesting to see if the shooting lessons that Lee gave Clementine become necessary in The Walking Dead: Episode 4 – Around Every Corner...
-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele
Related Links: The Walking Dead Official Website Game Vortex's The Walking Dead Coverage
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