If the trailer is any indication, Activision has a loooooong way to go before their Walking Dead game can hold a candle to Telltale Games' version.
Activision's Survival Instinct may boast star power with Michael Rooker and Norman Reedus signing on to provide the voices for the Dixon brothers, but that seems to be about all they have. A trailer that's been making the rounds is, suffice it to say, terrifically unimpressive. See for yourself below.
At least Telltale's version has the charm and art style of the Kirkman comic, but with Instinct using the show more as a basis, the game is left looking like any other first-person zombie game. But with as many fans as there are of the show, there's definitely a market for the game, but Activison still has some work to do if they want this game to succeed.
If the game goes past where the brothers first meet Rick, there could be some pretty cool elements, especially with Merle and his new knife-hand attachment. However, Activision hasn't released many details for the story. Only that the brothers embark on a "haunting, unforgiving quest to make their way to the supposed safety of Atlanta."
Like any good post-apocalyptic game, item management will be a necesarry skill. Resources like ammunition, food, supplies, etc., will be extremely scarce.
Players will have the option to choose between taking the undead head on, or using stealth to avoid detection, hence the bottle throwing as a distraction, seen in the trailer. It may sound familiar to the breakout Dead Island, but given its setting in the backwoods of Georgia, it should be completely different. As a press release describes, "No place is truly safe for Daryl as he makes his way through the Georgia countryside in this new, post-apocalyptic world."
The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is set to be released in 2013 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
