2012 Vidya Gaem Awards

Host: While other games floundered in a sea of hype they couldn't possibly live up to, The Walking Dead came out of nowhere to carve its own niche. Bolstered by word of mouth sales and some well timed steam sales, a zombie themed point and click adventure found itself the talking point of almost all gaming circles, each claiming to have been the ones who first discovered it. Taking a reasonably well known setting from The Walking Dead comic series, the game accomplished the rare task of implementing an existing IP inside a video game. Attempting something new with the tired zombie formula, Telltale created a story driven game with a purpose, and with characters that even the most cynical could find affection. Despite some bugs, we see a fresh update to adventure game user interface which works well. Closely beating its polar opposite runner up, Hotline Miami; The Walking Dead is awarded our Least Hated award for giving us an engaging, modest title among a year of disappointment.