Fresh on the heels of the mid-season 2 episode premiere on AMC, Telltale Games, the development team behind The Walking Dead video game adaptation has revealed on their blog some interesting details on the upcoming release. Telltale gave three brand new in game shots from the first episode, along with premiering the first video in a nine part series, The Playing Dead. Giving us even more reasons to be excited for 2012. Existing alongside the timeline of the comics when Rick Grimes is in a coma, the game places you in the role of Lee Everrett. As Lee is being transported to prison, the squad car he's in crashes thrusting him into a world in chaos, as he becomes part of The Walking Dead. Along the path of surviving, Lee also encounters Clementine, a newly orphaned girl, who becomes a support system of sorts for Lee. Reacting to Lee's actions, she quickly becomes benefit to him by providing a makeshift family in a world full of separation and loss. Don't worry your little gamer heads though, she's not going to force you to play babysitter on an endless escort mission, she really is just support. The developers reveal that the game is going to be coming to Steam, XBLA, and PSN as downloadable episodes. This is an interesting way for the game's release to be handled, yet is it seemingly one of the best ideas. Running around 2 hours per episode, it keeps it accessible, almost like sitting down with a graphic novel volume of the series for a little bit of time, and leaving you wanting more of the story. With a series so story driven it's not a surprise that the game will be delivered this way. Think of the game as a playable television series. As a series that is all about story, it's great to hear that the video game is doing the same, focusing on the core of what makes the series so amazing. Getting down to the actual gameplay, they reveal the core mechanics are about choice. Don't expect to have an endless supply of ammunition, mowing down zombies. The game is focusing on the idea that whether a person has become a zombie or not, it was still at some point a human being, and it's much different to kill a zombie when it's up close and personal. If you choose to save another person in the game, you may see them helping you in future episodes. It will be interesting to see how much replay value the game will offer up with choice being one of the primary focuses. If you're uneasy how the developers are approaching the writing for the game, look to the inspiration from Kirkman for reassurance, "I don't understand why people think it's so hard to write The Walking Dead, all you have to do is make people hug and cry, and s***." Check back for more information as it becomes available. In the mean time, check out the full Playing Dead video below. Be sure to visit Telltale Games for more info and access to their official blog. http://youtu.be/pOLSfSt4TqM
