The Walking Dead: Episode 3 - Long Road Ahead review: it goes there

When we rejoin The Walking Dead: Episode 3'sband of survivors (lead by ex-con Lee and his ward Clementine) tensions are high as de facto leader Lilly notices medical supplies that have gone missing. As the episode progresses, the survivors happen upon a train they hope can get them to Savannah and open waters free of the zombie infestation. They're also hoping that they can make it without losing any more members of their dwindling party.

That part doesn't go so well.

I wouldn't play The Walking Dead: Episode 3alone. I'm serious. You probably think you know how deep this rabbit hole goes after the ... unusual family the survivors encountered inThe Walking Dead: Episode 2 - Starved for Help, but I can assure you that you do not.

The Walking Dead's story continues to be so heart-wrenching, so well-told that I'm starting to find myself wishing it was divorced from some of the more clumsy action sequences. They provide tension, sure, but much of it is generated by frustratingly imprecise controls. Particularly maddening - and prevalent - in "Long Road Ahead" are bits when you have to fire a gun by removing your thumb from the stick you're using to aim and pressing the "A" button. (Note: You can use the right trigger to fire, though it's not listed on screen.)

The occasional puzzles are less offensive, but they're also so easy (bordering on self-evident) that they scarcely qualify for the name.

Note that I'm not arguing this story would work better in a film or novel. In fact, quite the opposite - what makes this story so exciting is the malleability that only interactivity can provide. Choosing lines of dialog is usually timed and always carries the possibility of drastically altering your character's story, making even seemingly benign conversations in The Walking Dead: Episode 3 tense.