Telltale Games, at that point a developer of charming but pretty niche point-and-click adventures, really tapped into something special when crafting their game adaptation of The Walking Dead. While the gameplay is straightforward and ultimately somewhat shallow, Telltale still manages to tell one of the most effective video game stories ever and became the unlikely winner of 2012's coveted Game of the Year award.

The protagonist is Lee Everett, a convict on his way to prison right when the zombie apocalypse begins. He very quickly crosses paths with a young girl named Clementine, whose parents were away when the chaos began. The game's writing rests primarily on the strength of these two characters and the bond forged between them, and it absolutely works. As Lee you want to do everything in your power to protect Clem, and find yourself extremely hooked (those waits between episodes were brutal).

Lee and Clementine meet up with a group of survivors. Early on they cross paths with a few characters from the comics, but these cameos aren't too necessary after long sing the game's cast can stand strong on its own. You really care about this group and when they inevitably die in unexpected ways you feel that impact. The game's narrative does an excellent job of having that "nobody's safe" sense to it.

While early episodes have light puzzle solving elements, these became less prominent as the five chapters move forward. I think Telltale must've realized that the game's strength laid in its branching dialogue, pivotal choice moments, and the occassional QTE for good measure.

Of course, the trick with Telltale Games is that the choices never have a prominent effect on the story. While a character might survive longer than another depending on a choice, ultimately players will be railroaded into the same general resolution. This would become more apparent (and problematic) in future Telltale releases but The Walking Dead Season One is firing so strongly in its storytelling that you'll hardly notice.

I was waiting with baited breath for episode five to drop on the PSN Store, and while I had written a list of predictions I was totally off the mark and blown away by what was much better than anything I could've come up with. The Walking Dead knows when to keep things simple for maximum emotional impact. This is a game I'll never forget, changed the way game stories were told, and it goes without saying it's easily the greatest Telltale made.

This remake single handedly took a game that I just thought was a very good PS2 RPG and turned it into something really special. I don't think it's my favorite in the Persona series still, but everything this remake adds to the character development, the narrative, the music, and the gameplay makes all the best parts of Persona 3 sing.

I get that it isn't technically definitive. It's missing FeMC and all the content that came with that, and The Answer (Before it gets released as DLC, I hope they overhaul the gameplay!)

But this is basically the "Journey" in it's best form. I'll not going to talk about any real negatives in this review because they are all pointless nitpicks.

Linked episodes? All kino and give the male cast the development they really needed in the original game. Surprisingly well written too.

Tartarus? It's actually fun. I still slightly prefer Persona 5's handcrafted dungeons but P3R does the whole procedural generation thing a lot better, and all the Tartarus blocks look gorgeous.

Even the gardening/cooking/watching TV/walking Koromaru sections give the characters a lot more time together. Fully voiced too.

Theurgies are a great addition to the gameplay. I can see some people finding it to be a bit too easy on normal but harder difficulties do exist. Shift is a great addition to combat too, making normal battles less of a chore, while still retaining the challenge a boss should pose.

As for the voice acting... It's a better dub. The old dub isn't bad but this dub feels better directed, and all the characters have voices that are either incredibly similar to their original one, or fit the same vibe. The only odd one out is Akihiko, but I feel like Alejandro did a fantastic job with his performance and probably has more nuance than Liam's original peformance... though I will say I do feel like 2024 Liam could have pulled it off as well. I blame the lack of variety in his voice on the direction and not Liam himself.

Every menu looks stylish and its fun to browse through, similar to Persona 5. It doesn't look like Persona 5 though... it's just a stylish menu.

I was originally someone who was worried about this remake. The change in the English voice cast, and the idea that a few things might've been axed. But everything in this remake only stands to elevate the game. The expanded ending is really something special too. Everything added to Persona 3 Reload doesn't lose the feel of the original, and only enhances the gameplay and the story's narrative themes. 10/10 experience.

Uhhh this kind of rules?

Look, I have no delusions about being cool. When I was a kid, my dad was getting his PhD until I was like 9 years old, so I often found myself killing time in empty classrooms on Oklahoma University campus. That meant 30-60 minutes of just me and some chalkboards. For most kids, I assume that would mean a whole bunch of doodling. But for this radical 90s youth, it meant coming up with the most complicated long division problems I could and seeing how fast I could solve them.

I think basic math is fun! Sue me! My wife and I often watch 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and compete with each other for points throughout the episode. The 2-player mode of DK Jr. Math gave me the same vibes, but with some NES jank thrown in, and being limited to using single-digit numbers for each step of your equation. I had a great time!

The single-player mode was extremely anxiety-inducing at first while I tried to figure out if I remembered how to do this kind of math without being able to write down remainders, but once I got the hang of it, I knew this was exactly the kind of edutainment that little Alex would have loved. This is absolutely not for everyone, but tiny geeks and nerds (both currently and formerly tiny) will have a blast.