Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) is one of the most beloved zombie slayers in town thanks to The Walking Dead‘s first showrunner Frank Darabont and Dixon’s brilliantly reserved portrayal by Reedus. His skill with a crossbow and unique little-brother relationship to racist-redneck Merle has now earned him the coveted spot as lead character in a new TWD video game.
Although Telltale games has been releasing comic book inspired gamed, which center on strong storytelling and quicktime clips, Walking Dead has extended its license to Activision, which will be releasing a new First-Person Shooter (FPS) based on the AMC TV series.
EDITOR’S PICK: Interview – “Hi My Name is Daryl: Norman Reedus”
It’s a stealth driven game where, according to Activision: “No place is truly safe for Daryl as he makes his way through the Georgia countryside in this new, post-apocalyptic world.”
If there are two things I love, it’s slaying zombies and FPS games. Brought together by the right development team, it could be a perfect marriage. However, there are a few pitfalls to avoid.
Walking Dead FPS Planning & Pitfalls
1- Give players a meaty campaign. If you played Warner Bros Interactive’s newest zombie slayer, Lollipop Chainsaw game, you’ll note that the biggest complaint about the game was the short campaign. However, shear personality and quirky dialogue and characters won out.
2- Don’t toss in a bunch of uninspired multiplayer game types, trying to fool players into thinking that the same old game of Deathmatch and King of the Hill has been somehow reinvented because you slapped a new name on to it. Gamers would rather get on Modern Warfare 3, the upcoming Black Ops 2, and upcoming Halo 4 for their multiplayer fests.
3- Norman Reedus has to be the voice. Sorry, we the players will except no imitations. Plus, Reedus is an all around good guy so do whatever you can to ensure he’s the voice.
4- Telltale games offered us great dialogue in its digital games. Even if you have Reedus, make sure you get someone from the AMC TWD writing staff or Robert Kirkman to help with and approve the dialogue choices.
5- Cooperative multiplayer with Merle would be cool. This is a prequel after all. Although, whoever chooses to play as the unlikeable Merle has some serious issues.
6- FPS vs Third-person adventure. You went with FPS. Daryl has a crossbow. Don’t make us play the entire game with a crossbow.
7- If you’re giving us a stealth mechanic, take some lessons from Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
What other suggestions do you have for the development team?
You can check out the trailer for The Walking Dead FPS on IGN. The game will be available for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
