mac.iLounge

Zombie lovers of the world, rejoice! Following the successful TV adaptation by AMC, Telltale Games is now bringing Richard Kirkman’s ultra-popular comic series The Walking Dead ($25) into the Mac gaming realm. Like many of the developer’s titles, this one is episodic: episode one is available right now, with four more set to be released on a monthly basis, with each additional episode included for the initial asking price. Telltale calls this an adventure horror game, though after playing through the first chapter, we’d say it’s better described as an interactive story. You’ll need a relatively recent Mac running Valve’s Steam to experience the impressively textured, cel-shaded 3-D world.

You play as Lee, a man convicted of a crime that he insists he didn’t commit. As with Telltale’s earlier titles, you proceed on a largely linear track through what appears to be an open, realtime 3-D world—defined areas that allow for some degree of wandering and backtracking, complete with plenty of cinematics and very nice voice acting. Rather than taking down hordes of zombies like in most of the genre’s games, this one proceeds at a slower pace—although that doesn’t make it any less terrifying. One of the coolest aspects of the game is that your decisions change the direction of the story, and we’re really looking forward to seeing how that plays out over the episodes. Although you’re not playing as Rick Grimes or any of the established characters, this game’s story is canon, and does feature some overlap with the characters and story from the comics.