Normally I don't post my thoughts on games I've played in my journals but this time I really had to.

A few hours ago I finished what I think might be my second favorite game after the Arkham series: The Walking Dead. Never before have I cried so much during...well anything really. Not movies, not books, not games, anything.

This was my first exposure to the Walking Dead universe and I just have to say that if the show and comics were as great as the game was, then I can't wait to read/watch more.

The story focuses on Lee Everett, a former university professor who is convicted after killing a senator who had been sleeping with his wife. Once the cop car he's in crashes after having hit a walker(what they call the Walking Dead zombies), Lee comes upon the house of a little girl named Clementine who he takes care of throughout the game while they search for her parents. Along the way they meet other survivors.

One thing I really liked about this game was how real Lee as a character felt. He wasn't some gun toting vigilante. He wasn't an anthropomorphic animal with cool powers or some chosen hero. He was just a guy. He was just a guy trying to survive through a crappy situation. His relationship with Clementine is also one of the sweetest and most well written relationships I've ever seen. There are so many moments in the game that made it hard for me to believe that Lee wasn't her father.

I also really like how the choices you make in the game aren't always the best ones. Too often in games the choices you make are always black and white. You either make the right choice or the wrong choice. I like that in this game, it's all grey. There is no right or wrong answer. Now that doesn't mean you'll like all the choices you make. There were quite a few times in the game that I felt bad after some of the choices I made. There are also times where the game allow you to do certain things such as kill someone that, while at the time it might feel right, can make you reconsider, especially if Clementine sees you do it.

Now while I do love this game, I do have some issues with it. First is that almost all your choices are timed. Most of the time when you interact with a character, you're given only a finite amount of time to choose your answer. While this would be understandable for parts such as when you have one or two people from your group arguing, it'll even show up just when you're having a conversation with a character. The only time it doesn't show up is usually when you're just asking characters things like what they think about their situation or where they're from. While it does give you enough time to make a choice, it just feels unnecessary at times.

The only other issue I have with the game is that throughout you'll encounter a lot of frame rate issues. Many times the game will freeze at certain parts and then start up again. At one point, at the end of episode 2, the graph showing my choices along with those who made the same choices I did.(at the end of each episode, you'll get a graph showing your choices and the percentage of players who made the same choice as you).

Despite these issues, it's still a fantastic game and one I'm happy I played. Would I recomend it? Hell yeah I would! Even if you're not a Walking Dead fan, I still say check this game out. The story and characters are so well written and the emotion is truely genuine.

So what did you think of my review? If you think I should continue reviewing games, let me know. And if you have any you think I should check out, just leave a comment.