My Favourite Video Game Songs - Part 1

A few days ago, I decided to share a picture on Twitter, which prompted people to drop a like on the tweet, and in exchange, I'd share my favourite video game songs for each like. 

I've done a few music lists in the past that focused on game series such as The Legend of Zelda, but I've never done a list of songs I love from gaming in general.

So, keep reading, and check them out...in no particular order!

The Walking Dead Season 3: New Screens & Poster!

Ah...The Walking Dead. Those of you who've followed my blog for a while would know just how much I love this Telltale Games series. I've played it through several times now, on the Xbox 360, Steam and PS4, and I can't wait for Season 3.

New screens were shown off at the San Diego Comic Con via a live-stream, and colour me impressed. I knew that they'll be a new graphics engine in play here, but I didn't expect it to look this gorgeous! Hopefully, this will be ironing out the glitchy moments that Telltale Games previous efforts have been known for in the past. 

First off, here's the new poster:

The Walking Dead Michonne: Episode 1 - 'In Too Deep' Review

Zombies are swarming in left, right and centre. Reality and a nightmarish vision of the past blur into one as Michonne struggles to establish what is real and what is her past memories coming back, once again, to haunt her. She's hit rock bottom, and one of the first choices in the game shows this. Michonne grabs a gun, readies it, and moves it to her head. Do you pull the trigger, or is there something worth fighting for afterall?

This is what Episode 1 of The Walking Dead: Michonne explores. Where does a woman who has lost everything discover her fight again? Right after this explosive five minute opener (complete with some incredibly fluid quick-time zombie-slaying), Michonne is rescued by Pete, a fellow survivor who is taking shelter in a boat with his fellow crew-mates. Things start to pick up when the team pick up a radio signal from a distressed sounding girl. Stationed on a nearby marooned ferry, Michonne and Pete decide to take a trip over by row-boat. As customary with The Walking Dead, things aren't that easy. The duo are attacked shortly after departing by walkers. It seems that like everything else, the sea is not safe either. They escape, leaving their boat to join the walkers wading at the bottom of the water.

E3 2015: My Most Anticipated Titles, Part 3

Firstly, apologies for the delay on this post, my work has been a little hectic as of late.

So, we have arrived at the third and final part of my E3 posts! Here you'll find the final eight games that I am looking forward to playing when they are released. Feel free to go back and read Part 1 and Part 2.

Super Mario Maker

Super Mario Maker is a level editor game, allowing players to create their own Super Mario levels. You'll also be able to play through them, and try out others creations. From the footage released so far, it is shaping up to be perhaps one of the best Wii U games available.

Music Monday: Take Us Back (The Walking Dead)

Today's Music Monday track is from one of my favourite games, Telltale Games' The Walking Dead. 

I recently picked up both Season 1 and Season 2 once again for the PS4 (the third time I have now bought them), which I intend to stream on my new Twitch account once I get my PS4 console next month. 

Some purchases for the PS4, ready and waiting!

The track I chose plays in the credits of Season 1, Episode 5. After a pretty emotional ending (I shall avoid spoilers), Take Us Back by Aleia Diane plays. It makes us reflect on the events, both past and present, that occured during season 1, especially those closing moments of Season 1's final episode. 

The Walking Dead: Season 2 Screens & Teaser Emerge

Whilst Telltale Games are keeping quiet on a solid release date at the moment, details for The Walking Dead: Season 2 have started to emerge.

The company, behind the multi-award winning point and click series The Walking Dead return the follow up, season two. Season two will see players take control of Clementine, the first game's sweet orphan who pretty much everyone who played it felt some sort of emotional attachment to. 

In season two, Clementine faces the zombie apocalypse alone after the events of the first series. Like the hugely successful TV show and comic series before it, Season Two combines the horror and battles against not only the undead, but fellow survivors too. 

Expected later this year, The Walking Dead: Season Two will once again consist of five episodes that will conclude at some point in 2014. A season pass for the series will be available when the game is released.

Check out these newly released screens and the teaser trailer below. Avoid scrolling down if you have not played The Walking Dead: Season 1 yet! (spoilers inbound). 

Screens:

Oh, the feels! :(

"Still keepin' that hair short..."

The graphics and cartoon style seem to be even more defined here!

One of the new characters announced for Season Two-Winston.

Who is sitting opposite Clem? Guess we'll find out in due time!

Facing the epidemic alone.

Teaser Trailer:

The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 "Faith" Review

Telltale Games impressed us all last year with The Walking Dead and it's shorter spin-off dlc, '400 Days' in 2012 and 2013, so it was going to be tricky to live up to the high expectations after gamers played through both. The Wolf Among Us, based on Bill Willingham's comic series 'Fables' had been set the task of proceeding after The Walking Dead, but does it succeed?

Thankfully, all signs point to yes. Fans of the comic will love seeing this prequel to the series (I myself am a fan of the comics), and placing players in the shoes of Bigby Wolf, Fabletown's chain-smoking detective, is a good choice. Bigby is a much-loved character in Fables and definitely one of the strongest.

In The Wolf Among Us, players are introduced to the gloomy, run-down New York setting where a host of well-known characters from fairytales and fables are now forced to live after being forced out of their fantasy world, the Homelands. In order to stop the 'mundanes' (normal human beings) from finding out about their true existence  each Fable has to purchase expensive magic called Glamour to hide their true form. All Fables who cannot afford to cover up their real identity are forced to live on a farm far enough away from the city so that they are not discovered.

Following Bigby Wolf, Fabletown's chain-smoking, drinking and widely disliked detective, The Wolf Among us sees Bigby attempting to solve a grim set of murders, accompanied by the kind-hearted Snow White, by using his methods of deduction and interrogation. 

Being a fan of L.A. Noire, I loved the investigation sections of episode 1 around the crime scenes, the interrogating and the ability to piece together the suspects from the clues I have so far collected. The action is slightly more high-octane than in The Walking Dead, meaning that although the gameplay is pretty similar  the action sequences are definitely rather different. In The Wolf Among Us, there feels like much more of a struggle during the fighting.

Not only does the gameplay work, but the script is top-notch. I genuinely was engrossed in the unfolding story and the characters, and am sure that this game will be the same as The Walking Dead in the sense that you will feel attached to the characters as the episodes go on. 

My only criticism would be that the frame-rate issues are pretty bad. Like The Walking Dead before it, the Xbox 360 version jumps and temporarily freezes during cut-scenes. 

A dark, noir-style, intriguing and strong start to what looks certain to be a successful series, The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 will not disappoint.

Miracle of Sound: Level 3 Album Review

Miracle of Sound is back once again with an album full of songs written about games, TV programmes and films. 

Composed and written entirely by Gavin Dunne who releases under his band name, Miracle of Sound, Level 3 features gaming tracks based on games such as Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Borderlands 2 and Assassins Creed III.

As with the previous two albums, Gav embraces and experiments with plenty of different genres to fit with the tone of the game, programme or film he is singing about. For instance, 'His Father's Son' resembles a sea shanty blended with Native American influences-exactly like the game itself. 

Stand out tracks on the album include the newest release, Dream of the Sky, which is based on Bioshock Infinite, Breaking Down The Borders (Borderlands 2), The Savage Side of Me (Tomb Raider), The Best I Can (Telltale Games' The Walking Dead), and His Fathers Son (Assassins Creed III).

The non-gaming songs are just as great, with 'Halfman's Song', about Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones, is one of the best tracks on the album. 

For me though, no Miracle of Sound album is complete without a tongue in cheek ditty, and thankfully, Level 3 delivers on this too. 'Wigglesticks' is a brief track mocking Resident Evil 6's over-reliance on Quick Time Events (I enjoyed that game, but come on, it was a little too much at times!), 'The Call of Duty Circus' explains the typical type of Call of Duty gamers you'll encounter whilst playing online, whilst 'Doorfighter' is based on the plethora of door opening sequences in Medal of Honour. 

The Miracle of Sound: Level 3 album is available to buy as a digital downloaded copy via his Bandcamp page now. 

Cute The Walking Dead Fan Art!

Check out this rather cute piece of The Walking Dead fanart by artist Bisparulz.

This piece features Omid, Ben, Kenny, Christa, Clementine, Lee and Chuck from the Telltale Games series. Check out the larger version of it here. 

Music Monday: 'Take Us Back' (The Walking Dead)

'Take Us Back' by Alela Diane from The Walking Dead.

Without giving away any spoilers, this song plays in the credits, straight after witnessing the final part of the fifth and final episode, which definitely pulls on your heartstrings. I sat here blubbing away as the song was playing, as I am sure many of you did too!

The Walking Dead Game Review

Ah, this game. Every so often a game comes along that gets me completely hooked. I'm pulled into it-hook, line and sinker. The Walking Dead by Telltale Games definitely did this to me. 

This point and click action game sees you take on the role of Lee, a convicted criminal who was on his way to being exported to prison at the time of the initial outbreak. After escaping a car crash caused by a walker, Lee starts to realise that his life has changed dramatically-gone is the prospect of donning prison robes and staring at bars-in it's place, Lee must fight to survive against the undead, whilst redeeming himself for his past mistakes as he progresses. 

On his travels, Lee bumps into Clementine, an eight year old girl who has been surviving by sheltering in her treehouse from the zombies below. Instantly struck by her and noticing her parents are absent, Lee quickly forms a friendship with the little girl, taking on the role of her guardian until she finds her parents in Savannah, who had been on vacation at the time of the outbreak. 

What makes this game work so well is the relationship between Lee and Clem. As the game progresses, you will notice how their relationship has evolved, to the point where we are rooting for both of them to make it through to safety together. Clementine is impossible to dislike-sweet, innocent, and seeing the good in everybody, her idolisation of her saviour, Lee, is easy to love. You actually want to do everything you can to save Clementine, perhaps one of the most loveable characters to come out of a video game for a long time.

Clementine and Lee's relationship is part of a much wider, complex fight for survival, which the writers have managed to convey so successfully in the story. It's easy to become emotionally invested in the story, the characters you meet and join along the way, and the consequences for the actions you decided to take. 

The point and click aspect of the game is fantastic-it's great fun exploring each place and interacting with things to see Lee and the other characters reactions. The puzzles are never that complicated-often obstacles can be remedied rather quickly, but nevertheless, they're enjoyable-and satisfying-to complete. However, the choice aspect is probably one of the stongest parts. Throughout the story you will be confronted with decisions which will change the narrative depending on which option you have decided on. Many decisions are incredibly difficult to make, but with often only a split second to pick an option, this game relies heavily on your instinct. Many times you will be sitting there filled with guilt, regretting the option you decided to take, whilst other times you will be rejoicing at how successful the situation has turned out. 

Being a fan of the comics, I was pleased to notice that the game not only follows the bleak, sometimes darkly funny tone of the comics, but also the style of it too. Characters are designed to look like they've stepped straight out of the pages of Robert Kirkman's excellent series.

At the end of each episode, statistics are revealed, showing percentages of players that took either decision each time. Most of the time, these statistics are rather divided, and it is interesting seeing how you compare to fellow players. 

Without giving away any spoilers, I was amazed at how powerful this game, and it's excellent story was. I am not ashamed to admit that I cried at the ending of episode 5, as I am sure many others did too! I left the game feeling a little devastated, and sat contemplating my choices for some time afterwards. This is what made this one of the most talked about games of 2012-it sticks with you long after.

So congratulations The Walking Dead and Telltale Games for winning 2012's Game of the Year, it's well deserved. Now, please bring on Series 2!

The Walking Dead: Episode 3 Trailer Released

TellTale Games have revealed a new trailer for the third episode in their 5 part series, The Walking Dead.

Based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead is set during the same time as the series, but from a different perspective. 

All 5 episodes are available on Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network and PC. No release date has been confirmed for this third episode as of yet but it should be released soon. Check out the trailer below.

Walking Dead Launch Trailer Released

Telltale Games have released the launch trailer for their The Walking Dead video game, which may have been designed by someone who takes classes in auto cad, and is coming to Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC and Mac.


Based on the popular graphic novel series, episode one, entitled "A New Day" will see players take on the role of Lee Everett in a story that foreshadows the events shared by Rick Grimes and co in the comics. 


All five episodes can be bought together in a Season Pass from the Telltale store, or can be downloaded as separate instalments.


Check out the trailer below! 

The Walking Dead Debut Trailer

The début trailer for Telltale Games' The Walking Dead has been released. The trailer shows that Telltale have adopted the graphic novel series art style, and hopefully it will be just as faithful as the series also.


In The Walking Dead, players will be taking on the role of Lee Everett, a convicted criminal who is faced with the challenge of protecting an orphaned girl named Clementine in a zombie apocalypse. 


The Walking Dead will be shambling onto consoles later this year.

New The Walking Dead Video and Screens

The Walking Dead 5-part episodic game is due for an Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network and PC release this Spring. Telltale Games have now released a bunch of screens, an official website, and the first video in their "Playing Dead" series.


The game takes place during the period in which main protagonist Rick Grimes is in a coma in the comics, placing you in the role of Lee Everrett. However, expect to see Rick at some point in the game. 


The "Playing Dead" videos serve as the company's dev diary, which will reveal some behind the scenes footage of the game in development. The nine-part series will feature guests such as The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. 


As well as the dev diary, Telltale have released three new screenshots from the game, which fans of the series may notice similarities with the comic book's artist, Charlie Adlard. You can check out the first "Playing Dead" instalment and the screens below.