GamesBeat’s 2012 Game of the Year: The Walking Dead

After the lukewarm reception for Telltale Games’ previous licensed titles, Jurassic Park and Back to the Future, expectations weren’t exceedingly high for The Walking Dead. So it was a pleasant shock when the video game turned out to be one of the best examples of interactive storytelling we’ve seen all year.

The Walking Dead (for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Mac, and iOS devices) is a classic point-and-click adventure game, its simple puzzles interspersed with light action sequences, quick-time events, and tension-filled decision-making. But it’s the story, not the gameplay, that makes it so compelling. At its core is the relationship between the hero, Lee Everett, and Clementine, an 8-year-old girl he befriends while seeking refuge from zombies in the Georgia suburbs. Over the course of five episodes, the game tells a grim tale of survival and morality, but none of it would have been nearly as effective if Telltale hadn’t done such a wonderful job in creating a cast of believable, relatable characters.