The Walking Dead Season 2: All That Remains
Overview -
Telltale returns to its critically acclaimed zombie lovefest, 'The Walking Dead,' based off the comics of the same name, with season two's first episode, 'All That Remains.' Taking the series in a new direction, players take control of Clementine, the adorable, innocent little fan favorite from the first season. This first episode of the second season has a lot to live up to as 'The Walking Dead: Season 1' took home more awards and accolades than anybody with a wallet would've bet. The first series took gaming into uncharted territory with its compelling story sprinkled with plot-altering decisions, and now it's up to Telltale to keep the streak going. This may be the most anticipate second season in video game history.
Video Review
Telltale has done very little to improve or even augment the visual component to the series. While the style is still as intriguing as ever, no one can say the first season was without its technical failings. Now, in season two, we're still stuttering our way past jarring load screens at an alarming rate. It was almost endearingly scrappy the first time around, but I can't forgive Telltale for ignoring these problems when they had the chance to fix them. The developer is clearly more concerned with putting out content rather than improving its tech. I want to be able to say it doesn't matter as long as the story is great, but I just can't. I'm weak that way. I want it to run as smoothly as possible so I'm not ripped out of a scene in the moment that it loads.
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There's also the issue with lighting, which needs to improve for nighttime scenes.
Audio Review
Melissa Hutchison reprises her role as Clementine, paving the way once again for stellar audio work and a superbly written script. Even if the focus is a little narrowed this time around, the characters are just as fleshed out as before, and Hutchison has done a great job at ageing Clementine in both her voice and inflection. A fair bit of time has passed in the lead-up to events in 'All That Remains,' yet I had very little difficulty believing Clementine had grown in that time. It keeps the character compelling and believable, which is vitally important to 'The Walking Dead' as a whole.
'All That Remains' is either the start to a great second season or the beginning of the end for a once great series. I simply don't know, and I won't know until getting into the rest of the season. The potential and the set-up is there, which is the baseline for a jumping off point. It could just be so-so, but then that would be a disappointment.
The direction Telltale is taking with Clementine is perfectly logical as stories go, but lacked immediate surprise and impact. The final scene cuts out abruptly, confident in the importance of its final moments, but the characters at the center of this flashpoint were barely known to me. Maybe later on I'll regret the decision I made, but right now I'm just curious if it mattered at all. Hopefully I'll be in tears soon. In a good, manly way.
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