Game review: The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

There are a number of TV tie in type games around at the moment, and The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is one of them, I am sure we are aware that the hit TV series from AMC, starring that bloke from teachers and this life is in its third series, and is a typical zombie apocalypse scenario, and lucky for us only beautiful people have managed to survive.
The Walking DeadThe Walking Dead
The Walking Dead

So take that and create a game based on the series, well to be honest I have seen the first series of the TV programme and the game really hasn`t much to go on, and it shows.

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is an underwhelming affair with dreadfully slow AI and a short uninspiring campaign.

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When the zombie apocalypse does arrive, I would prefer it like this, with slow easy to kill zombies that conveniently line up so you can shoot two at a time, and are so easy to kill it’s not even a challenge.

The story centres on Daryl and Merl Dixon a couple of red necks (voiced by the original actors). It follows them on the world’s worst road trip as they fight their way through the Georgia country side, you gather enough fuel and supplies to travel to the next town and then the process starts all over again.

The bulk of the game is spent searching for things and avoiding zombies so you will be meeting survivors who send you on quests to find stuff, which is fine but does become monotonous after a while.

You can distract the dead by throwing items like bottles but why bother when you can just push them out the way? Killing them is easy as they are very predictable and a couple of whacks with a hammer sorts them out, or alternatively you can go for the quick execution (a knife to the head).

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The main problem with The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is the lack of tension, it just feels like a chore after a while and even the introduction of some interesting weapons like the crossbow and the axe make for slightly entertaining moments, but it just becomes the same old story time after time.

I did think the mapping system was interesting giving you a number of routes to take to your next destination based on fuel consumption, take the highway and you burn up less fuel and find less supplies , take the back roads and you have the opposite.

As a FPS game The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is not one of the best, it does remind me of Dead Island yet it is nowhere near as good

Summary

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is one of those games that has some interesting ideas but they are poorly implemented, with shocking AI and poor quality graphics it doesn’t blow my skirt up at all.

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If you’re a fan of the TV series this might appeal but if you’re looking for a descent zombie killing game then try Dead Island instead

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

Developers: Terminal Reality

Publishers: Activision

Xbox 360®

Playstation 3®

PC

WiiU

Genre: FPS

Release Date: 22nd March 2013

Gameplay: 2/5

Graphics: 3/5

Story 2/5

Overall: 2/5