E3 2012: The Walking Dead Episode 2 – Starved for Help will force you to make both quick and carefully thought out decisions.
The
first episode of the Walking Dead put players in the role of reluctant protagonist Lee Everett. Lee’s struggles and choices from the previous game directly play into the not only the story of Starved for Help, but all future episodes in The Walking Dead series. In fact Episode 1 – A New Day must be purchased and completed before evening starting
Episode 2 – Starved for Help. The currently planned
Episode 3 – Long Road Ahead and later installments will instead “roll the dice” on Lee’s past choices when a save is not imported.
The incarnation of Lee in our demo had decided to save Doug and Duck, refused Irene’s request, and gained the ire of Larry. At the start of the game Lee, Kenny, and new character Mark were hunting through the woods in search for food. Mark gained entrance into the encampment by providing a large cache of food. However, after four months the food supply has run low and several members of the camp wish to remove Mark.
As Mark is a newer member, players as Lee can speak to him regarding their feelings of other characters. During the demo our Lee stated to Mark “Larry hates me because he’s a racist”. A comment like this might seem minor at the moment, but Mark would remember such a comment.
Soon the trio of hunters located two frightened students and their coach clutched in a sealed bear trap. With Walkers close on the horizon, Lee had to choice to save the coach or leave him to die. Opting for the former isn’t completely clear cut as well: Do you cut the trap’s chain? Pry it open? Or even amputate the leg? In the end, our version of Lee saved the coach, but lost one of the students to the undead horde.
With two more survivors in tow, the heroes soon arrived back at the encampment. The de facto leader Lilly was quite livid about brining two mouths to feed. Lilly punishes Lee by forcing him to distribute the day’s four food rations among nine people. Does he help the nurse Katjaa so she can heal the wounded? The weakened Mark who is fortifying the walls? Doug who was already on the food list? Or even keep the food for ourselves?
In the end our Lee helped the two children, Duck and Clementine, and also his hunting pals Kenny and Mark. While these four were happy being aided, the rest of the encampment became increasingly angry with Lee’s choice. Larry soon confronted Lee and demanded his axe to complete repairs to the barriers. Mark also arrived, asking for the axe as well.
Mark was not in top shape and Larry full of strength. Realizing the walls take priority, Lee surrendered the axe to Larry. With full smugness, Larry insulted Lee one last time. Mark recalled Lee’s earlier remarks about Larry being a racist and blurted “There is no need to be a racist, Larry!”. This soon resulted in a shouting matched between Lee and Larry, and Mark being chastised by the protagonist.
Every choice a player makes, no matter whether small or large will effect the entire outcome of not only Episode 2 – Starved for Help, but the final conclusion of the entire The Walking Dead series. Fans and new comers can give the latest episode a try when it arrives later this month for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac.
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