The word 'game' to describe these episodes seems a bit thin, though. The first one was barely a game, and the second one, seemingly less so. But as an interactive story telling experience, they are unparalleled. You follow the linear path that the author has set out for you, but are given choices along the way. It's a bit like those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books you had as a kid. Just having choices there isn't enough though, it's how these choices make you think. Not a single decision you have to make in The Walking Dead is a black or white one. They're all dripping in delicious grey, and most are going to make you feel bad in some way. Particularly the choices where someone's life is at risk. Can't wait to see which morally deprived choices I get to make later today.
While I'm waiting for that, I'll write about what I have been playing recently. And other than hours and hours of League of Legends, it has been Sleeping Dogs. Up until a week before its release, I wasn't particularly interested in this open world third person action adventure game. I saw the star studded cast, and though, eh, famous names do not a good game make. But then suddenly, it was a good game, people were talking about the quality gameplay, the excellent story and the pretty visuals. So I bought it, and I can indeed confirm all of these things, and more.
We spent a bit of time on the Hooked Gamers Podcast talking about Sleeping Dogs, so everything you hear on there applies here. I have played a good few more hours since then, and the game just seems to get better as you go. Having a GTA-style game where the main combat mechanic is melee rather than simply pointing your gun and shooting is very refreshing. Especially when the combat is as good as it is. It is nearly as good as the Batman fighting, and that's saying something. You don't get to stick dudes' heads in spinning fans in Batman though. Which I guess is a good thing and a bad thing - it's kinda nasty.
Having one good game like this per year is pretty awesome. Saints Row the Third last year, Sleeping Dogs this year, and inevitably GTA 5 next year. What's cool is that each of them brings something different to the table too. Saints Row brings the hilarity and ridiculousness that used to be synonymous with GTA. I don't agree with people saying that GTA has gone downhill since it became more serious, I think it's good to have a more mature game in that vein. And now Sleeping Dogs has brought a different style of gameplay to the format, so there's some excellent quality around for open world games at the moment. Let's hope it continues. Good games are good.
Thanks for reading.
