Poll: The Walking Dead - Which was the best chapter?

[Elyxard]

It's a close one between 2 and 3. 2 feels like a more "complete" chapter, telling only one focused, internalized narrative arc, while chapter 3 doesn't feel quite as self contained; that last section after the "Duck" thing feels almost out of place after everything that had happened since then (though I don't blame the writers too much, it would have been too short of a chapter if it had just ended there).

I still have to go with three though. It's the chapter that definitely had shocking moment after shocking moment of things you don't often see in other stories. The game definitely became it's own unique "thing" during that section.

Still though, I can't say that any of the chapters in particular were weak. There were a couple moments in chapter 4 that bugged me (Ben is dumb, but not quite dumb enough to un-barracade a door), but each chapter is quality and still different enough from each other to create some great variety across the board.

 

[Mikejames]

If you put a gun to my head and demanded an answer, I'd probably blurt out 3, but it's a damn hard choice as all are brilliant.

The only one that I can actually easily rule out as not being my favourite is the current most popular option on the poll oddly enough, Chapter 2. To me, while Chapter 2 was still great, it was the one that was the least notable. Just nothing really happened in it. I mean, Chapter 1 introduces you to everything, Chapter 3 has you leave for Savannah, Chapter 4 has you arrive and explore, and Chapter 5 has it all come to its end. Chapter 2 is the only one where it seems to just stumble around a bit by comparison to the others.

I thought Chapter 2 was a solid introduction to group conflict and moral ambiguity. We see just how far people outside our group have spiraled mentally, and face events that start putting some inherently good people at each others throats. I don't recall taking too long on episode one choices, but it took some effort to figure out some of episode 2's.

I think Episode 4 may have been the lesser chapter for me in retrospect.

Spoiler

Possibly because I had lost almost everyone I liked besides Clementine, and still didn't really know much about the newcomers. Also thought that Crawford, while tense in its own right, was a bit of a missed opportunity for a chance to deal with a violent survivalist community.

 

[BreakfastMan]

2 was best, the moment where the game really clicked for me. Had great characters and great development, plus a great story. Yeah, 3 was shocking, but it also made me mad as hell, mostly because they just started killing characters willy-nilly in ways that were totally stupid and non-sensical. Though, 4 and 5 were both quite good, so those are both tied for second.

 

[Robot Number V]

Man, really? I must be in the minority, I would personally rank Episode 2 (though still really, REALLY good) near the bottom. I think episode 5 is the best, by far. I mean, it has THIS in it:


Plus you know...other things.

I guess people are complaining that Ep 5 was too short but for me, I had already played through all of Episode 4 and part of 3 by the time I got to it, so the length was just about perfect.

 

[redmoretrout]

I didn't play the episodes individually, I waited for the entire thing to be released and played it all at once. So it's very hard for me to remember where one episode ended and another began. But for me it is definitely the episode where

Spoiler

Kenny loses his family.

It not only dealt with loss, but the aftermath of it. Something seen too rarely in games. Usually in games the hero loses something/someone and then through the course of his adventure gets everything back or find a new something/someone.

Spoiler

's continued struggle after losing everything was some of the best storytelling I've ever seen in a game. The game dealt with the consequences of the terrible situation, not just the situation itself.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

Hmm.. 2. It was tense, I liked that it was more it's own story (unlike 3-5 which all flow into the next), and while the twist was predictable (I guessed it way before they even acted suspicious), it was done so well I can't complain. I liked how few zombies there were. Until the end it's entirely zombie free, and it focuses entirely on how shitty some people can be.

I don't 3 as much as everyone else apparently. I thought it dragged on too much, it killed off my favourite characters, and after I finished it I didn't have a huge drive to jump right into the next one after I'd finished, like I did with all the others. (Don't get me wrong, it's still amazing).

 

[Zeckt]

I'll have to go with chapter 5, the ending left me completely satisfied and moved but chapter 2 definitely comes close!

 

[Goofguy]

But they're all so good! I guess I'll have to go with chapter 5 because it's just so hard hitting and brings a sad yet satisfying conclusion to all the preceding events.

 

[Fetus]

I personally lean towards Chapter 2.
It was very predictable but still awesome. And, who wouldn't want to watch Lee kick redneck ass?

 

[GodzillaGuy92]

Definitely Chapter 2. I suspect that, in addition to its shortcomings compared to the rest of the game, my experience with Chapter 1 was colored by a bit of hype backlash. It was still very good, of course, but it wasn't until Chapter 2 that I realized exactly why so many people were naming The Walking Dead their game of the year. Specifically, the moment where Kenny kills Larry. The act itself wasn't even what truly affected me - it was Clementine's reaction. That was the point where it truly dawned on me what I was fighting for, and that I was willing to do anything to keep Clementine from having to witness something like that again. In the same vein, I chose not to kill Danny or Andrew, and the resulting moments ("This is not how the world works now.") were executed magnificently. Heck, I even saw the chapter's major plot twist coming, but when the moment came, I was sickened and disturbed all the same, and that level of emotional resonance flawlessly lent itself to the strength of the episode's story.

 

[triggrhappy94]

This is really hard.
I'm tempted to say the end credits, because it just leaves you to listen to that amazing song and think of every character you lost.

Chapter 1 feels like the slowest, but had the best puzzles and most consequences.
Chapter 2 was really interesting. I had just finished reading a book on linguistics for a Uni class, so I was really trying to interpret everything everyone was saying. I ended up figuring out the big twist when you try to check out the barn before fixing the fence.
I thought trying to use a train in Chapter 3 was kind of dumb. It was also the chapter that saw the end of the half-hearted love interest, Duck... I mean what's-her-face. It also did that terrible thing, where it says "So-and-so will remember that" then kills them immediately after words.
Chapter 4 was alright. That's all you can really say about it.
Chapter 5 had the final show down which was really interesting. I had done a pretty good job as Lee, so the guy was trying to get mad at me for no good reason, which was odd. It's also where you have to make the hardest decision.

 

[glodud]

Definitely chapter 3, in chapter two the only recurring character killed was Larry and he was a sick old man. In chapter three they killed Carly who I thought was about to become a romantic interest for Lee and Duck who was a child. Chapter 3 was when I realized that this story would do things I had never seen in any video games before.

 

[The_Blue_Rider]

Definitely 5, although yes it was only so good because of how it was built up in the past episodes.
1 was a little slow, but it had to introduce everything, so it gets a pass.
2 was incredibly predictable, but it was executed so well I just had to love it.
3 had good moments, its just it felt like it dragged at times.
4 was an amazing episode since it built up so much tension, and its the episode where you see Kenny really fall apart. Its really sad

 

[mParadox]

The second episode was amazing. Also, the final choice you make in Chap 2 has a big impact in Chapter 5. At least, a slight one. [sub]A little one. >.>[/sub]

5th was obviously the most emotional! 3rd was a game changer. And 1st was... the most perfect tutorial any game's ever gotten.

 

[Arbi Trax]

I just finished chapter 5 ten minutes ago...so I'm going to go with that.

I could do with a hug right about now...