Video game adaptations of licensed material often dont fair well, with countless tie-ins failing to take advantage of the potential offered by their source, and a general sense of frustration hanging over the genre as a whole, but in 2012 Telltale Games discovered a key secret ingredient; quality writing. Thanks to their outstanding writing, The Walking Dead didnt just tug on our heart strings, it completely tore them out of our body, along with our hearts, and pushed them through a grinder. Its that much of an emotional rollercoaster of a ride thanks to the fantastic voice acting, complex, and multi-dimensional characters - even further in fact, they are more lifelike, sympathetic, and relatable than Rick Grimes and his TV show cohorts. Thats not me knocking me the show or comics either, as I deeply love them too, but when it comes down to it though, the actual video game series has better writing and is simply more engaging than its affiliated stories. Is this partly due to how the morally tough choices presented to the player can determine the fate of certain plot centric characters? Possibly: its easy to scream at your television about how stupid the characters are, considering the consequences arent resting on your shoulders. When you are the one calling the shots though, you cant help but get attached to each and every death. And with Season 2 of the episodic series on the way, it feels topical to reflect on those that are no longer with us, and to prepare for the inevitable emotional devastation of the incoming season.