The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct Review: Keep Walking!

Game Reviewed: The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct

Release Date: March 19th, 2013

Developer: Terminal Reality

Publisher: Activision

Platform: [Reviewed: Xbox 360], PlayStation, PC

Genre: First Person Shooter

Rated: M for Mature

The moment of truth is upon us. Activision’s version of AMC’s The Walking Dead is officially here.It’s been a fiasco explaining to some gamers that this is NOT season 2 of TellTale’s Walking Dead. This is Survival Instinct, where the title practically drives the premise for the game.

The first questionable issue is the developers chosen to handle what could be a pure bread winner for Activision, Terminal Reality. Terminal Reality, recently known for Kinect Star Wars and Ghostbusters The Video Game are heading this up, holding gold in the palm of their hands. Daryl and Merle in a game, what can be better than that? Besides, if Telltale could go from Jurassic Park to epicness, who’s to say that Terminal Reality is not holding an ace?

In Survival Instinct, you play as Daryl Dixon, the youngest of the Dixon brothers caught between the infestation of walkers looking for Merle and a safe haven in Atlanta. The story opens up with Daryl hunting with his father and a few friends when all goes to hell and his father is overtaken by walkers.

I have to stop and be honest and say that my level of anticipation dropped during the opening credits.  Where most gamers may feel an adrenaline from the exciting intro that plays similar to the television series, I was left puzzled by the cursor on the top of my screen. Need I remind all of you, this is an XBOX 360 review, not PC. Call us picky, but I don’t expect to see a moving cursor dragging across my screen while the opening credits run, on a console!

But you have to play it safe, it’s the Walking Dead! You’ll have the opportunity to use firearms as the game progresses, but you must ask yourself, what is it worth?

Survival Instinct picks up many of its ideals  from Left 4 Dead. The most evident is the way items are highlighted requiring your attention. You’ll need to find rations to eat, just as much as you’ll need weapons to survive.

When it comes to taking out zombies, it has to be the dumbest, mind-numbing tactic anyone could think of. The developers found it “cool” to call this worthless process a “group hug.” I’d call it poor use of mechanics on a multi-million dollar title. Instead of being attacked by the horde, one at a time they reach out, waiting for you to put them out of their misery. And if just enough walkers are there, thanks to the sh*tty mechanics, you’re done for.

You’ll need to find gas to travel. However, your trip is all done on a ridiculous map. Now I get that this game may have been developed on the PC, but there was literally little effort put into almost any aspect of gameplay. After you choose your route, whether its back streets, streets or the highway, the map pushes you to your next destination while an audio conversation plays as a filler.

Daryl will run into people along the way that needs help and can be of assistance to him. You can instruct them to help you find food, gas or even stay put to help guarantee their safety. While choosing missions, making choices operate in a HUB-like manner. Ironically, a weapon on the vehicle begins the mission.

Graphically, The Walking Dead has some of the worst graphics I’ve seen from Activision as a publisher. Terminal Reality has done a much better job with Ghostbusters to say that a more upscale title like so is suffers visually.

Then there’s the weird sweat that looks like Daryl just stepped out of a swimming pool. As soon as you begin to run, you sweat. As you sprint, the screen then begins to have water slither down the screen like you’ve ran a mile or something.

Audio doesn’t hesitate to repeat itself if you’re taking your time acknowledge characters. When you are even relatively close to a survivor, they tend to constantly strive for attention or repeat the same line over and over. And over.

…And Over.

Terminal Reality has done an outstanding job of destroying a fan base for this game and driving their studio into the ground. I’ve played plenty of broken games, but none quite like this one. We wouldn’t recommend looking forward to any DLC’s they decide to release simply because Survival Instinct is not worth it! If I were Michael Rooker or Norman Reedus, I’d be asking the company to remove my likeness from the game.

The Scores

Gameplay: 1.5/5

Visuals: 2/5

Audio: 2.5/5

Controls: 1.25/5

Value: 1/5

Overall Rating: 1.25/5