The Walking Dead: 400 Days Review
Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of The Walking Dead: 400 Days. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience.
 

Reviewed on: PC
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Telltale Games
Rated: "M" for Mature

 
CHEATfactor Game Review
by Joe Sinicki
Presentation 8/10 
For the most part, 400 Days looks, feels and sounds an awful lot like the much acclaimed season 1 of Telltale's The Walking Dead proper. Some animations have been smoothed and the voice acting suffices.
Gameplay 8/10 
Best for those dedicated fans who played through all of season one and are anxiously awaiting more - 400 Days gives fans just that, more of what they love with a few teases for what's to come
Lasting Appeal 6/10 
While not offering as many choices as season 1, 400 Days proves that Telltale understands what makes this series work by forcing the player to make difficult choices that don't have a moral right or wrong.
Overall 8/10 
Telltale hasn't fixed the few issues from the original and the game still feels strange with a controller as opposed to a mouse and keyboard but that shouldn't stop you from checking it out regardless of your platform.
CHEATfactor 4/10 
 

Last year, a funny thing happened on the way to the zombie apocalypse - someone slipped a bit of emotion in with the undead slaying. Season 1 of Telltale's take on the Walking Dead (reviewed here) was met with critical acclaim and overshadowed the release of that other Walking Dead Game, but success is a funny thing and runs out quickly. Enter The Walking Dead: 400 Days. Meant as a bridge between season one and the upcoming second season, Telltale has crafted a unique standalone tale that hits all the right marks and plays to its strengths well. Be aware though, this one should only be for diehards of the series, as not much has been changed at all.

"...you won't get as connected with any of the characters..."

 
   

While season 1 focused on a single group of survivors and their life after the zombie apocalypse, 400 Days tells five unique and separate stories that at first glance don't have much to do with each other at all. Each story takes about twenty minutes to complete, and you won't get as connected with any of the characters as you're going to want to - but that's part of the point and in essence, part of the beauty. You're getting a taste of each character, a snippet of their life and Telltale hopes that's going to be enough to bring you back for a whole second season. Major props to the writers for being able to introduce five new stories and keeping them not only interesting but also likeable at the same time.

If you played any of the previous Walking Dead, you'll know the drill here - a point and click style adventure that asks you to make some pretty daring choices. There aren't many simple good/bad choices here, and good portions of them are going to task your morality and decision making skills. Telltale has done a great job making these decisions, which more often than not don't have a single appealing choice enjoyable. It may be cheating but I often found myself pausing the game to take some time and think about my decisions and how they would effect the story, something I didn't do until a few episodes into season one.

"... it fails to fix some of the major issues..."

 
   

That being said, 400 Days doesn't offer much that the original didn't, and while that may be great for the majority of people who really dug the first season, it fails to fix some of the major issues that didn't get it. Telltale made its mark as a PC developer and that's been evident since the studio decided to go multi-platform. The point and click style works predictably well with a mouse and keyboard, but trying to use a controller is another story altogether. Sure, it's not unplayable but it often feels clunky and unresponsive.

For the most part, The Walking Dead: 400 Days looks just like it should, right out of the first season. There are a number of small improvements, like animations feeling just a bit smoother or voice acting feeling just a bit more lifelike but there's some rough and often forced writing in here as well. It may not be cringe-worthy, but it's so on the nose and predictable.

It's simple, if you liked the point and click style of Telltale's first season of The Walking Dead, you'll more than likely enjoy 400 Days. It features the same gut-wrenching decision-making that made the series so irresistible in the first place. Telltale hasn't fixed the few issues from the original and the game still feels strange with a controller as opposed to a mouse and keyboard but that shouldn't stop you from checking it out regardless of your platform.

 
 
CHEATfactor
 
CHEATS USED: Freeze Decision Timer
 
Since 400 Days is an elaborate piece of DLC for season one, the trainer for the original game works here as well. There's one option - to freeze the decision timer, but it's a great one since you'll be able to take as much time as you want to figure out your next complicated move in the zombie apocalypse.
 
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