New The Walking Dead Game Features More Shooting, Less Talking

[IanDavis]

New The Walking Dead Game Features More Shooting, Less Talking

Overkill Studio swaps out cops for zombies in the upcoming co-op shooter.

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Telltale's critically acclaimed The Walking Dead [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/editorials/reviews/11944-The-Walking-Dead-Season-2-Amid-The-Ruins-Review]adventure games[/a] have been so successful that they almost eclipse the TV show and comics, at least in the eyes of gamers. Sure, there was that [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/7074-The-Walking-Dead-Survival-Instinct]Survival Instincts[/a] shooter, but everyone forgot about that for a very good reason. If you want less talk and more action with your walkers, you're in luck. Payday dev Overkill, along with Starbreeze Studios, are scheming up [a href=http://steamcommunity.com/games/218620/announcements/detail/252519633803947552]a new Walking Dead game[/a] that's all about co-op action.

Confusingly called The Walking Dead (just like every other incarnation of the license), it'll be "a co-op first person shooter with elements of action, role-playing, survival horror and stealth". That sounds an awful lot like what Overkill already does with Payday. That's ok, because [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/7985-Time-To-Get-Paid]Payday 2's pretty good[/a]. We'll have to wait to see how the two franchises will differ when more details get released, but I assume it won't involve robbing banks.

As part of the announcement, Overkill's giving all Payday 2 players a barbed wire-covered baseball bat that they can use to smash in the skulls of law enforcement officers just doing their job. It also teased "unprecedented crossovers" between the two games. "When Washington falls, what will Dallas do?", the announcement asks, referring to the masked bank robber.

I always felt that Payday was Left 4 Dead but with cops, and now Overkill's The Walking Dead bring things full circle again. But when you think about it, raiding cities for supplies and dealing with bandits and walkers sounds like a pretty good heist game to me.

Overkill's The Walking Dead will release sometime in 2016, with no platforms announced at this time.

Source: [a href=http://steamcommunity.com/games/218620/announcements/detail/252519633803947552]Overkill[/a]

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[Bindal]

I think, they call it "Overkill's The Walking Dead". At least, in full written name.
Also, I would like to point out that the Payday 2 community was... less than happy about this announcement. For those not knowing, that's what happened:
35 Days ago, there was a random Steam-Event in the official Payday 2 group (Overkill uses those to announce small content-updates or streams that way).
The next day, the event happened, giving us the "What's Next?"-Website with a 34-day-countdown. Every day, there was a random radio conversation, about all sorts of topics. On a few days, they gave serious references to Payday 2 content (mentioning "Mayor Bob McKendrick", a guy we got into office via a heist as well as several franchises within the Payday universe and a current crimewave).

The countdown ALSO would end on the exact day Payday 2 was released the previous year (as 'today last year'). So, naturally, everyone expected it to be a Payday 2 Update. Or at least something relevant to Payday 2. When it turned out to be not even remotely relevant to the game... well, you can guess how people reacted.

 

[unstabLized]

I think, they call it "Overkill's The Walking Dead". At least, in full written name.
Also, I would like to point out that the Payday 2 community was... less than happy about this announcement. For those not knowing, that's what happened:
35 Days ago, there was a random Steam-Event in the official Payday 2 group (Overkill uses those to announce small content-updates or streams that way).
The next day, the event happened, giving us the "What's Next?"-Website with a 34-day-countdown. Every day, there was a random radio conversation, about all sorts of topics. On a few days, they gave serious references to Payday 2 content (mentioning "Mayor Bob McKendrick", a guy we got into office via a heist as well as several franchises within the Payday universe and a current crimewave).

The countdown ALSO would end on the exact day Payday 2 was released the previous year (as 'today last year'). So, naturally, everyone expected it to be a Payday 2 Update. Or at least something relevant to Payday 2. When it turned out to be not even remotely relevant to the game... well, you can guess how people reacted.

Hell, I'm a bit upset too. I love Payday 1 and 2, I've burned 200 on the first and 330 on the second. Maybe it's just overreaction because the whole thing is so fresh (probably is), but I'm a bit disappointed to be honest. If anything, they shouldn't have picked Payday 2's anniversary to do this. Huge disappointment for Payday fans.

 

[Johnson McGee]

I don't get it. The main appeal of The Walking Dead as a series is the drama of the people in a harsh situation, not the shooting of zombies, hence the popularity of the Telltale incarnation. These efforts to make it about action are pointless; you could substitute any license or even generic zombies and make the exact same game. Therefore "The Walking Dead" as a name is only there to draw fans, but at the same time you're offering something that the fans aren't likely to be interested in.

 

[Aesir23]

Ok, I don't watch The Walking Dead nor have I played Telltale's games for it... yet. I just wanted to say that I don't think I've ever found a trailer so disturbing before. Props to Overkill for creating a teaser that made me speechless.

 

[Batou667]

Bah. If it's not (Telltale's) The Walking Dead Season 3, I'm not interested.

[edit] Yeah, that's a unique and unsettling teaser trailer though. Was that a suicide, or what?

 

[Bindal]

Yeah, that's a unique and unsettling teaser trailer though. Was that a suicide, or what?

Yep, suicide. Via headshot.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I think, they call it "Overkill's The Walking Dead". At least, in full written name.
Also, I would like to point out that the Payday 2 community was... less than happy about this announcement. For those not knowing, that's what happened:
35 Days ago, there was a random Steam-Event in the official Payday 2 group (Overkill uses those to announce small content-updates or streams that way).
The next day, the event happened, giving us the "What's Next?"-Website with a 34-day-countdown. Every day, there was a random radio conversation, about all sorts of topics. On a few days, they gave serious references to Payday 2 content (mentioning "Mayor Bob McKendrick", a guy we got into office via a heist as well as several franchises within the Payday universe and a current crimewave).

The countdown ALSO would end on the exact day Payday 2 was released the previous year (as 'today last year'). So, naturally, everyone expected it to be a Payday 2 Update. Or at least something relevant to Payday 2. When it turned out to be not even remotely relevant to the game... well, you can guess how people reacted.

Heh. Not to mention they were being OBNOXIOUS teases about everything.

TOMORROW - tomorrow rolls around. NOW - now happens. THIRTY-FIVE DAYS - thirty-five days pass. IN 2016 - well now we have to wait two years.

At least the Bat in Payday 2 is good. It's not just good, it's broken, it's the best melee weapon in the game.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

I want to punch Kirkman in the gut for holding Lucille, and wearing that damned shirt!!!!

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

I'm thinking somebody at Overkill saw the Dead Island trailer.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well at least the devs got some more work, that is about as optimistic as I can get with this. We all know it's a shameless cash in from the franchise holders so just get it out of your system as fast as possible.

 

[softclocks]

I don't get it. The main appeal of The Walking Dead as a series is the drama of the people in a harsh situation, not the shooting of zombies, hence the popularity of the Telltale incarnation. These efforts to make it about action are pointless; you could substitute any license or even generic zombies and make the exact same game. Therefore "The Walking Dead" as a name is only there to draw fans, but at the same time you're offering something that the fans aren't likely to be interested in.

This sums it up.

Why would anyone want a walking dead shooter.

 

[Bindal]

I don't get it. The main appeal of The Walking Dead as a series is the drama of the people in a harsh situation, not the shooting of zombies, hence the popularity of the Telltale incarnation. These efforts to make it about action are pointless; you could substitute any license or even generic zombies and make the exact same game. Therefore "The Walking Dead" as a name is only there to draw fans, but at the same time you're offering something that the fans aren't likely to be interested in.

This sums it up.

Why would anyone want a walking dead shooter.

Well, anyone that played some of the DLC maps of Blops Zombies? Those people know that "shooting lots of zombies" and "dramatic story" are not exclusive to each other.

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I don't get it. The main appeal of The Walking Dead as a series is the drama of the people in a harsh situation, not the shooting of zombies, hence the popularity of the Telltale incarnation. These efforts to make it about action are pointless; you could substitute any license or even generic zombies and make the exact same game. Therefore "The Walking Dead" as a name is only there to draw fans, but at the same time you're offering something that the fans aren't likely to be interested in.

This sums it up.

Why would anyone want a walking dead shooter.

But the charts say that if we engage the COD audience we'll be increasing our customer base by millions!

The new game also includes jet-packs, mechs, an unlockable souped up car and sweet weapon customisation, with cinematic set pieces and a linear story that will engage your inner Michael Bay!

 

[Baron_BJ]

I have to assume that the game will primarily feature players raiding "enemy" camps and compounds from rival human settlements (if human enemies don't exist there would be too few enemy variations, excluding things like "zombie with motorcycle helmet, must be melee'd off" and that's still pushing it) with a heavy emphasis limited ammunition and staying quiet so as not to attract attention from the zeds. I'm also going to assume that melee combat is a heavy focus in the games combat much like it has always been in the series; unless it's like in the series where a small number of stationary camps have figured out ways of crafting their own ammunition.

This would have to be an especially difficult project since TWD is a series that doesn't have any "special infected" (a concept I've always greatly disliked) like Left 4 Dead or the steaming pile of pig shit that is Dead Island. I just hope that the combat concepts that the franchise has always pushed aren't thrown away for some generic shooter.

 

[IanDavis]

But the charts say that if we engage the COD audience we'll be increasing our customer base by millions!

Just because it's a shooter doesn't mean it's watered-down dreck. Payday's a great example. It doesn't even ask you to play the tutorial level before it kicks you in the nuts and has you try again. It demands planning and coordination before you can even pretend to be good. There's no mass-market pandering here, yet they still sold millions of copies.

 

[Nurb]

In other words it's just like every other zombie shooter.

And the indie market is just flooded with them. Enough with the zombies!