Day 67, Game 67 - The Walking Dead: Assault

Free games. Who doesn't like free games, right? I even had a discussion on Twitter today about the difference between liking a free game because it's a good game, or liking a good game because it's a free game.

Some games aren't good, even though they are free. You have to sit back and ask yourself if the free game is something you would pay for had it not been free, or if you are just finding enjoyment in it simply because you didn't spend any of your hard earned cash for it.

Well today, The Walking Dead: Assault game for the iOS was being given away from free, thanks to the awesome IGN.com. When this game first came out last year, I chose not to buy it, despite how big of a Walking Dead fan I am. Why? Because I was pretty much burnt out and uninterested in mobile gaming that didn't involve my Vita or my 3DS. A guy can only play so much Angry Birds before he doesn't see his phone as a viable gaming platform any longer.

So, The Walking Dead: Assault ... well, it's a top down shooter that plays out over 11 missions. The controls are super basic, as all you have to do is move your group of characters around the map, pick up supplies and getting in range to take out the surrounding walkers. The pace is fast and frantic, with patience and skill getting pushed to the back burner for the most part. There isn't much strategy while playing the game, but before each level, you get to chose which four characters you will use in your squad. Why is that important, you ask? That's because each character has a different weapon (pistol, shotgun, riffle, etc.) and special moves. Does it effect the game play dramatically? Not especially, but each level does play a little differently, so your choice can effect how easy or hard the mission is.

The best thing about this game, hands down, is that it is based off the comic book series directly. The 11 chapters takes place over the first few books of the comic series, with characters and senescence ripped right out of the universe that Robert Kirkman created. It's all in black and white, with blood in red and ammo/supplies highlighted in yellow, and objects you can interact with in green. The limited amount of color looks gorgeous when dropped cautiously on the B&W backdrop of the zombie apocalypse.

This game does stay very true to the foundation of the comics and the universe, which is phenomenal. They could have easily slapped the Walking Dead moniker on any old top-down shooter game and made some money just on the name itself. And while it does feature a small microtransaction option for leveling up your characters, it's not forced down your throat, either. It's a nice addition to the Walking Dead universe, which is refreshing (as I have my doubts about The Walking Dead: Survivor Instinct game coming out next month).

Again, it was free, and is all month, apparently. Is it a good free game, or a game that's good because it's free? Well...

You tell me.

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