Springtime Sadness - Games That Left an Emotional Impact

Lots of games try to hit emotional chords and just fall completely flat, both among blockbuster titles and indie games. I've got plenty to say about the games that fail in this regard, but there's enough negativity in the gaming world. I'd like to focus instead on some titles that really stand out to me as success stories. This is far from everything (I could, and should, write a whole article on why Yakuza is the best comedic series in gaming) but here are examples of some of my favorites. Be sure to tell me yours!

Walking Dead Season 6 Episodes 5 and 6

Tonight marks the fastest news sites have ever spoiled a new Walking Dead for me. I don't actually care about spoilers and I thought this one was obvious anyway, though. Anyway, before I watch it tomorrow, here's some reviews for the last two episodes before this one. A double-header of dead heads: A bad episode with good old Rick, and The Tale of Abraham’s Fancy New Coat.

Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 4

Episode 3 ends with a bunch of cliffhangers. Episode 4 answers none of them. This is a good episode though: It's got a goat, blunt metaphors, and Ninja Turtles jokes.

Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 3

After an exceptionally good second episode, Walking Dead season 6 falls on its face. This was a pretty bad episode with some annoying, vaguely shot cliffhanger moments made entirely to rile up fans rather than tell a good story.

Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 2

New episode review's up on Sharkberg! I really loved this one. It's Jennifer Lynch's second episode and I'd be happy if she just ran the show from now on.

Also, be sure to check out this article on The Phantom Pain written by a friend of mine. It's good, but it's nothing but spoilers, so be warned!

Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 1

Now that I'm done with the spin-off, I can catch up with the new season of the original series. Here's a review of the pilot episode before I sit down to watch the latest one.

Fear the Walking Dead Episodes 5 and 6

A double review of the final two episodes of this season's Fear the Walking Dead is up on Sharkberg. Episode 5's just as frustrating as 4 but the finale was good. Should you watch it? A solid "Maybe."

In movie-land, I checked out Crimson Peak and The Martian this weekend, both good though both not without their issues. At the very least, they're both nicely shot films with cool sets and costumes.

I'll be writing more movie reviews soon. In the meantime, I'm relaxing after the nightmare world of Metal Gear Solid V with Yoshi's Wooly World. Couldn't possibly be more different.

Fear the Walking Dead Episode 4

My review of Fear the Walking Dead Episode 4 is up on Sharkberg; it's a bit of a short one, but it will do.

I'm hoping to get reviews of The Visit and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain finished this week, and possibly one for Super Mario Maker. No promises, I know better than to promise a review on any kind of timeline when I've got 40+ sitting unfinished.

In the meantime, I've got a newly arrived, extra regal King Dedede amiibo that I've really got to build a Mario Maker stage with.

Fear the Walking Dead Episodes 2 and 3

Sorry for the delays! My reviews of the second and third episodes of the Walking Dead spin-off are up on Sharkberg: http://sharkberg.com/fear-the-walking-dead-s01e02e03-so-close-yet-so-farthe-dog/

Soon I'll be writing a review of M. Night Shyamalan's The Visit. Turns out: It's actually pretty good.

Fear the Walking Dead and Future TV Reviews

While my movie and game reviews will all continue to appear here on Wobble Reviews first, I'm starting to write about TV shows for Sharkberg as well. My first review is a look at the pilot episode of the new spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead: You can find it here.

I've also revised and reposted my Metal Gear series reviews over there in preparation for the September 1st launch of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but you can find the updated versions right here on Wobble Reviews too!

The Walking Dead: 400 Days (2013, PS3)

400 Days is a newly released installment of Telltale Games' Walking Dead series. While you're required to own the first episode of Season 1 in order to play 400 Days, you're not required to have completed the season. Rather than focusing on one playable character as Walking Dead: Season 1 did with Lee, 400 Days puts players in control of five separate characters at different points in the zombie outbreak's timeline. The stories of these five characters combine at the end in an epilogue chapter meant to bridge the gap between the previous Telltale episodes and the upcoming second season. While they lack the emotional investment of Season 1's long form storytelling, these short stories are nice little experiments, though some are stronger than others.

Review - The Walking Dead (PS3, 2012)

In August 2012, I wrote a review of the first two episodes of Telltale Games' episodic series The Walking Dead. Between April and November, Telltale would release five episodes of this point-and-click adventure game based on the comic book and television show of the same name. Large parts of this review reuse text I'd previously written, since all of the technical bits still apply. This review serves as a replacement for the original, since I plan to cover everything previously said and more, but for posterity's sake, here's a link to the old version. As a warning, that old review spoils a few early plot points.

This review contains no major spoilers. I intend to write a separate post on my feelings about the individual episodes that should absolutely not be read before playing them, but if you haven't played the game yet, you're safe reading this.

Review - The Walking Dead (Video Game) - Episodes 1 and 2

In April 2012, Telltale Games released the first installment of their episodic series The Walking Dead, based on the world of the comic and TV series of the same name. I wasn't interested at first, as I hadn't read the comic or seen the show at all (I've since watched the pilot episode of the show and enjoyed it) and zombie apocalypse settings were starting to feel really stale. However, positive feedback from others got me to give this game a shot and I'm very glad I did. Telltale has created an intense, character driven game with greater emphasis on dialogue than action. While its puzzles are very simple, The Walking Dead may be one of the best point and click style adventure games I've played.