Video Games – Page 5

Return to Championship Manager 01/02 (16/17 Data) – August ’01

THE OBJECTIVE: Bring title glory back to Liverpool. THE CAVEAT: Any transfer bids must be accepted. Maybe Moreno will finally f**king leave. It should be 2001. A time of a Labour government. A time before we became ‘bullies of the western world’. A time you could still smoke in pubs. And of course, a time […]

THE OBJECTIVE: Bring title glory back to Liverpool.

THE CAVEAT: Any transfer bids must be accepted. Maybe Moreno will finally f**king leave (he did).

Aaaand we’re back. The season starts now. I’m a man down thanks to the disturbingly delightful sum of £8 million for Alberto Moreno. But i have a cunning plan for the interim: Jurgen Klopp’s ‘best friend’ Mamadou Sakho. He favours his left side and has strong positional sense, so he’s the perfect stand in. The first match is a nice home fixture against newly promoted Middlesborough. Should be relatively risk free to try it out. But what’s this?

Not even kicked a ball yet, and already asking for more money. Presumably to absorb the cost of his exuberant post season holiday. Ah well, plenty of money in the pot, so negotiations have begun. Definitely no place in the starting XI this time out though. Little upstart. As for the rest, it’s pretty straight forward. Origi misses out in favour of new signing Sadio Mane. He partners Coutinho just behind Daniel please-don’t-get-injured Sturridge. I also favour Karius over Mignolet despite their handling being an above-average 17, the German edges it with better reflexes.

It’s a narrow yet attacking formation, which often works best in Champ Manager 01/02. The standard 4-3-3 will be the alternative which heralds similar results. Jordan Henderson is the default captain. I’ll stick with that. Here we go, the first game of the season is here, and it’s LIVE.

Fixture #1 – Middlesborough (Home):-

An impressive first game of the season then. First goals of the season for Coutinho and, surprisingly, 2 defenders. Sakho buries a lovely low drive after a 1-2 with Sturridge before being reverted back to CB. This was following an unknown injury to the other goalscorer, Dejan Lovren. A man of the match performance from captain Jordan Henderson, including a assist, vindicates the CPU choice thus far. Pretty much perfect. But then….

So the unknown injury turned out to be a ankle sprain. This will mean a makeshift left back is required already. I have my hopes pinned on the revised 15 million bid made for Martinez. In other results, the first blue heavyweight match of the season between Chelsea and Man City went the way of the London side after 2 quick headed goals in the first half.

In transfer news, Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic swaps London blue for Merseyside blue in a £750,000 move to Everton. Only a day later he plays in an Everton side that convincingly beat Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, who bizarrely have already played 2 games when 7 teams are yet to even play. Don’t give Jose Maureen reason to whine about fixture congestion already, Premier League!

Emre Can gets his wish and signs on for 5 more years, and in the league cup Liverpool are drawn against Russell Slade’s Charlton Athletic at home. A good chance for some rotation in the squad. Next up is another Premier League heavyweight battle as Liverpool take on Arsene Wenger’s bottlers-i mean battlers at the Emirates….

Fixture #2 – Arsenal (Away):-

Not much to complain about here, despite taking the lead. A tight first half followed by very little happening in the second other than 2 dipping efforts from Coutinho and Ramsey respectively. A respectable point away from home.

The first European classic of the season took place at the Stade Louis. Europa League champs Sevilla (hmph) took on Champions League winners Real Madrid in an-all Spanish affair. Sevilla missed ALL their penalties in the shootout after Madrid had pegged back from 4-2 down late in normal time. Deflated.

Fixture #3 – Manchester City (Home):-

The fixtures are coming thick and fast now. After a solid point gained at 1 potential title contender (before February at least), now it’s Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at Anfield. With Lovren out Sakho will cover once again, with Milner being drafted to left back. A look at the squad shows West Ham are eyeing up Nathaniel Clyne. I could potentially need to replace 2 full back positions shortly….

Would you look at that. This result is a thing of beauty. From the kick off Liverpool don’t give Citeh an inch, limiting them to 1 solitary shot on target. An already impressive performance improves even more so with the arrival of Wijnaldum for the ineffective Mane on the hour. He takes the man of the match award even with only 30 minutes on the pitch. Nice.

That result leaves Pool at the top of the table after August’s matches. With only 1 goal conceded, no defeats and averaging 2+ goals a match, it’s a promising start.

At the bottom, Burnley are the early relegation-form side, conceding TEN goals in their 3 games. Ouch. I bet Joey Barton didn’t bet on that. Arsenal are also unbeaten after 2 games, which is unprecedented at this stage of the season!

Although September is fast approaching, August isn’t done with me just yet…..

Inigo Martinez, Liverpool’s transfer target, has made an unexpected move of staying on in Spain. Back to the drawing board then. Until next month!

You can read the first part of this journey here

Championship manager and it’s fan made updates are available as freeware from http://www.champman0102.co.uk/

Return to Championship Manager 01/02 (16/17 Data) – Pre-Season

THE OBJECTIVE: Bring title glory back to Liverpool.

THE CAVEAT: Any transfer bids must be accepted. Maybe Moreno will finally f**king leave.

It should be 2001. A time of a Labour government. A time before we became ‘bullies of the western world’. A time you could still smoke in pubs. And of course, a time Liverpool are yet to win the Premier League in 11 years of trying. But thanks to the lovely people over at the CM 01/02 website, the 16/17 data is available to download to update a now-freeware classic.

So now it’s 2016. A time of a Conservative Prime Minister people did not vote for. A time that 51.89% of the country became racist c**ts and set in motion the process the leave the European Union. A time that for almost 10 years you can no longer smoke in pubs. Manchester United haven’t been Premier League champions for 3 years. And of course, a time where Liverpool are still yet to win the Premier League after 26 years of trying. Some things don’t change.

The 2001/2 season for Liverpool was one of their best Premier League seasons. A 2nd place finish with 80 points was as high as then-manager Gerard Houllier could manage in his tenure. In 2016/17 Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool managed to qualify for the Champions League with 4th place with only 4 points less than 2001/2. How times have changed. At least I won’t have to deal with Sir Alex Ferguson anymore. Although Jose Mourinho is twice the shit the Manchester United legend ever was. As if finishing 6th in the Premier League is ‘success’. But i digress.

So onto the task at hand. Liverpool don’t have the prolific striker they once had in Michael Owen 15 years ago (jeez i feel old now) but with Sturridge/Firmino there is goal-scoring talent on offer. Alberto Moreno isn’t the open-goal missing, nutmeg-invitee defensive waste of space he is in the real world, but he can be improved with what is a modest transfer budget (relative to the original time setting).

So the board expect a title challenge. Well, i was hopeful as such for my beloved Liverpool for the same. However, if you can’t go to Barbados, Bridlington is better than nothing, right? Overall the squad is good and has depth in most positions. Too much in the central midfield department: Henderson the captain and workhorse, and decent defensive midfielders in Lucas, Can and the versatile Milner. Bar Milner the squad has plenty of pace with most players in the 12-20 bracket which will suit my attacking style well. Much like it does Klopp.

Before looking at any potential transfers, it’s important to address the current squad. Mostly its fine, with defence being the weakest third. The trio of centre-backs Lovren, Sahko and Matip only have a max of 16 for positioning, the most vital statistic. A bid is swiftly place for 25 years old Spaniard Inigo Martinez of Real Sociedad who boasts a marking attribute of 20 along with 17 for positioning.

The first transfer of note occurs within my first week. Man Utd midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin opted away from the Premier League to join Russia’s Zenit. Meanwhile, the first bombshell of the season comes before a ball has been kicked:-

So 1 of my potential front 3 is already out of the first game of the Premier League season. There’s still time to add to that, Mr Sturridge. A departure i have no qualms about may potentially happen. Yes, a club is showing interest in Alberto Moreno! Athletico Madrid no less. Please make a bid. Please. In other topical Liverpool news, ex-terrible signing Javier Manquillo has been sold be Athletico to Sunderland.

Squad numbers submitted, with the omission of the No. 9 a damning indictment on the state of the current Liverpool striking situation. But what’s this?

Well f**king hell. The non-rejection of bids rule has started in my favour! There is hope for the dressing room yet. Meanwhile, the Community Shield rolls around. Man Utd’s ever-cynical Ander Herrera turns in a man of the match display in a 3-1 against the unlikeliest of reigning Premier League champions ~~Gary Lineker-in-pants on live TV FC~~ Leicester City. I’m sure that pleased his ever-toxic manager.

“He’s gone, oh i, i’d better learn how to face it, he’s gone, oh i, i’d pay the devil to replace him”

Moreno is F**KING gone. Off to Athletico Madrid. Hurrah! Ok, so he isn’t the same guy as in real life, who i’m sure is also a nice bloke. But seriously, his defending in the 2016 Europa League final cost at least 1 goal, and what the hell was this? Because i have no words.

The pre-season is now over. The first Premier League fixtures are up, and i’m keen to see what my currently-depleted squad is made of. Well if Wenger can do it and keep his job….

Championship manager and it’s fan made updates are available as freeware from http://www.champman0102.co.uk/

Review – The Walking Dead: A New Frontier (PS4)

The third season of Telltale’s eponymous series is possibly the most curious yet. Telltale’s approach to storytelling has become familiar over its various franchises. Potential outcomes have become more obvious through familiarity than merely being predictable. This latest Walking Dead installment attempts to skirt around such expectations and take it up a notch.

Like the previous entries in the series, Telltale’s Walking Dead tries to keep you guessing, whilst also filled with moments of genuine emotion. Given the formula is pretty much the same throughout, the first two series were always going to have one over it’s third instalment. There is nothing new here other than the continuing plot line from previous seasons and animation improvements. The voice-acting is once again among some of the best in video games. I certainly didn’t expect anything different formula-wise; in fact, I’d be disappointed if it had changed.

So, Telltale mechanics? Check. Emotional and difficult choices? Check. Best Walking Dead season so far? That’s much harder to answer. To delve into the specifics of the plot would be unnecessary and spoiler-ific, but of course any previous experience of the series will steer your mind in the right direction. The only reveal I will share – and possibly the most disappointing element of the game – is that you are no longer in control of Clementine in the main story. This time it’s Javier Carlos, a disgraced baseball player who’s current zombie-filled plight is as difficult as his family history.

Despite the lead character change once again, the game’s success still revolves around what decisions are made. Moreover, it can be replayed to enact the alternatives if so desired. There are moments that feel too cliched however, or forcing shock value upon you.

On the whole though Telltale’s formula is more hit than miss; the final chapter has a number of loose ends that tie up really well, leaving a sensation of hope that was missing from the end of the first 2 seasons. It also leaves off with a lot of potential story-lines for potential future seasons. I did find some of the new relationships hard to buy into, with a reliance on flashbacks to mold the character you want. There are mixed emotions to the more abrupt deaths that occur. A simple “oh, they’re dead” is as much emotion as can be spared for certain characters, with little time for reflection.

Telltale rose to prominence due to the introduction of this meticulous formula back in 2012 with its first season. It may not seem they can quite recreate the success that first season had with this one, but Telltale have certainly proven they are far from bereft of ideas. You won’t be left wanting once A New Frontier ends, with multiple narratives introduced and addressed along the way. The expectation is solely on the stories and how they are delivered, nothing more.

A New Frontier this is a fitting entry into Walking Dead lore. If you’ve experienced the previous Telltale seasons, then you know what to expect. And by the end of A New Frontier, despite it being the weakest entry so far, is still well worth your time. Your jaw may drop from time to time, and there’s plenty of trauma and emotion throughout. But don’t forget that in the long run none of this will probably matter.

Emotional, inquisitive, dramatic yet also comforting, A New Frontier will keep you hooked from start to finish with another solid season.

Review – God of War: Ascension (PS3)

As mentally-scarred, borderline insane, revenge-driven, unrelenting anti-heroes go, Kratos is somehow quite an appealing character. In this already five-game series he has been pulled from pillar to post, and has hit rock bottom more times than a soap opera character. But somehow, someway, Kratos always manages to rise up. To ascend.

God of War: Ascension is not a sequel, but a prequel to the entire series. This includes the 2 PSP prequels, so Ascension is really a pre-pre-prequel. As baffling as that may seem, or sounds, Ascension is no step back. In fact, Ascension pushes the world of Kratos (and the PS3) upon us more than ever before, both aesthetically and creatively. The graphics here are fantastic; lavish detail among each and every piece of brick and mortar, accompanied with bold, vibrant colours.

The motion capture of Kratos and the supporting cast looks more real than ever before, particular in the cut-scenes. As expected, Ascension does not hold back on the graphic nature the series is famous for. It is however noticeably more suppressed than the ever-escalating violence of the mainstay series.

Single-Player

What separates Ascension from its peers is the changes made to the combat. Aside from the series-stable light/heavy attacks and combination strings, there are some excellent additions and alternatives to use. When confronted by many foes at once (as often is the case), a tap of R1 sees Kratos throw one of his chain-attached blades into the desired enemy, and latches on. This not only allows you to either attack your chained foe, but all those around you too, which makes for much more full-flowing combat. You can even evade and still be attached to a foe, making way to get those high numbered combos that bit easier.

Kratos only has the Blades of Chaos as main weapons this time around. But in various areas of the game there are alternative weapons that can be picked up if desired. This is known as the ‘World Weapons’ system. These weapons can be used with the circle button, and also in combination with the Blades if desired. The chain grab can be used to obtain a shield as a world weapon from an enemy too. It all comes together really well, making Ascension more advanced than any other God of War game.

Puzzle elements are another re-emerging God of War formula. There is the typical form of “push block to access ledge/activate switch”, but this time around there is much more on offer. An ability acquired within the campaign allows Kratos to ‘Heal’ or Decay’ promulgated surroundings to access the next area, or weaken other materials to break through them. These get more complicated as the campaign unfolds, and prove a welcome break from the hack and slash.

Unfortunately, despite its pleasing aesthetics, combat and puzzle mixture, there are a lot of confusing elements to Ascension as a package. This is the only God of War game where I have had issues with the fixed camera system. Quite often in a typical setting, although the exit is obvious, you have to blindly guide Kratos through it, which can be very frustrating at times. One instance even led me to have to reload a chapter, only to find that the problem was the camera didn’t react the first time.

The other major issue is the slightly bland single player campaign. From the original God of War through to III, the scale has always risen. The story always escalating through to the epic final confrontation. But in Ascension, once the first plot catalyst is confirmed, it just seems so long to get there. This leads to a lot more repetition and very uneven pacing. There is considerably less interaction with, well, anyone, for a good two thirds of the campaign, but does improves significantly from then on. Thankfully the action is noticeably different enough to keep Ascension from being the bad apple of the series.

Multiplayer

New to the series is the introduction of online multiplayer. Although you don’t play as Kratos, you play another Spartan warrior in the same predicament. After a quick tutorial of controls, you choose which god you wish to follow, each one granting different powers and abilities. From there, you can throw yourself into free-for-all or team-based battles, to gain XP which allows you power up and suit up your character.

The gameplay itself is typical God of War combat. Except now there are eight of you at it at once, in maps littered with traps, power-ups and the like. Although originally sceptical, it works really well, and is highly addictive. The more you power up your character, the more you want to dive in for more XP. Where many will put a God of War game back on the shelf once the campaign is over, this will provide hours and hours of longevity.

Sony has really pushed for a complete package with God of War: Ascension. The excellent addition of multiplayer, the improved combat and puzzle elements, plus the fact it looks glorious throughout, is certainly testament to that. Only the less memorable campaign story and pacing is a slight blemish on what is overall a very worthy purchase. For fans, it’s familiarity with a bit more to tackle. For newcomers, there is enough here to get them hooked on the series. Prequels don’t get much better than this.

WWE 2K16 Review – Showcase of the Immoral

THE CHAMP IS HERE! Yes, it’s that time of year again, where the grappling soap opera laces up its boots and dons its flamboyant singlets/shorts to unleash its roster on the world once again. After last year’s threadbare next gen debut, the tension is rising, the deck is stacked for failure, and so can the champion-turned-disappointment come out on top in 2015?

Let’s start with what desperately needed improvement from last year: the content. It’s what generally labels a WWE game as a success or failure, whether it’s Road to Wrestlemania modes, original stories, unlockable content, etc. So it is instantly pleasing to see that WWE 2K16 has introduced the 2K Showcase mode. Essentially a copy of History of Wrestlemania mode in WWE2K14, Showcase lets you play out Stone Cold Steve Austin’s key historic (and some not so historic) encounters. Meeting certain conditions unlocks material that can be used in the general modes of the game. However, whilst initially a lot of fun to revisit scenes that are 20 years old and every older WWE’s fan dream, there are some serious pacing issues.

Most conditions are simple yet tedious to fulfil. These can be as basic as delivering X amount of damage or perform an Irish whip, and are also mandatory to continue and complete the match. The fact that these matches unlock new characters and other goodies is the only incentive to a mode that only succeeds in feeling forced and very restrictive. As you progress the conditions mount up resulting in rather exhaustive and laborious matches. All the while I was wishing I was watching the real thing instead.

Which leads onto the most disappointing element: the gameplay itself. WWE 2K16 is clunky and slow, with unforgivable glitches such as commands that randomly stop working as quickly as they start working again. Factor in an oddly inexplicable difficulty spike, which leads to frustration more than an increased challenge.

Despite these apparent indignation’s, WWE 2K16 is a generally simple title to pick up and play. The variety of crazy matches to be had will satisfy the hard-core WWE fan. But, and this is the biggest but of all, WWE games have effectively been the same title – albeit tweaked – since WWE ’13. WWE 2K16 is effectively WWE ’13 version 3, with the series in desperate need of a change from the ground up.

Striking, grappling, submission, reversals and even pinning manoeuvres are all just essentially a game of chance; a game built up on QTE-based command foundations that are often cleverly masked behind the accurately depicted WWE arenas and superstars.

But then even the visuals themselves are not the draw they once were, especially after taking the step up to the next console generation. Appearances from the owner himself Vince McMahon are almost comical as his face barely resembles the man that made WWE what it is today. And that pretty much optimises the state of the Yukes-developed WWE game in today’s world; although its wealth of modes will draw a few hours of fun, particularly multiplayer, it really isn’t due to skill; making for a rather shallow experience.

Despite all these grievances, it can be easily concurred that WWE 2K16 is the best wrestling game you can buy today. Unfortunately that does not mean that it is a great game by any means. One obvious reason is lack of competition; there are simply very little rivals to WWE‘s crown, much like the real product. Moreover, WWE 2K16 just isn’t satisfying enough even for a hard-core WWE fan. As a fan of the promotion for the best part of 20 years, it stretched even my interest. WWE 2K16 has a feel of desperation that its TV counterpart often suffers from: a lack of fan satisfaction.

The version played for this review was the Xbox One edition.

Telltale’s The Walking Dead Season 1: A Parent’s Tale

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Walking Dead season 1. If you haven’t finished the game yet, bookmark the post and come back when you have. Seriously. Spoilers.

Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead series is the benchmark of episodic video gaming. Never has a video game been so simple in it’s mechanics yet present so many conflicting and complicated narratives to deal with. Episode by episode the stakes were raised, culminating with Game of the Year awards for the first season back in 2012.

The fabulous storytelling Telltale equals if not betters that of the comic book and TV show. Regardless of the medium, The Walking Dead is a universe tinged with tragedy, unrelenting tragedy. After all, what is there to look forward to during a zombie apocalypse?

Another common theme is children. In the TV/comic series, you have Rick Grimes and his son Carl, a boy who is mentally forced into adulthood by the zombie apocalypse and its dangers.

Telltale’s incarnation presents Lee and Clementine, a father/daughter (but-not-really) relationship brought together in unlikely circumstances; Lee, a convicted murderer of his wife’s lover, escapes his police escort vehicle after it, and the escorting officer, meet their end via nearby walkers. With Clementine, she is spotted by Lee and found to be home alone with only her tree-house keeping her out of harms way.

Given that Lee is the main playable protagonist it is easy to forget, sympathise or maybe even empathise with this initial murderous narrative. Especially given you are tasked into ensuring his survival as if it was your own. This is a somewhat polar opposite to Rick Grimes, who is a man of the law. But as the chapters unravel, Lee often becomes the voice of reason, recognised by many as as leader, and is looking out for the child all the while. Just like Rick.

Eventually it is revealed that Lee had always wanted a family of his own. His wife’s long-distance work and eventual extramarital affair ended those prospects, regardless of Lee’s subsequently murderous actions. I’m not crazy enough to condone murder of course, but this narrative is repeatedly thrust upon you to test how you may or may not reason with it, and the others around you. This includes Clementine, who is only 9 years old by the end of the first season. Her eyes and mind are already being forced wide open to a world a child should never have to endure. For Lee, this is a chance at redemption. That redemption comes in the form of Clementine.

There are many characters that come and go in The Walking Dead, but Lee and Clementine’s relationship is the bedrock of the first season. It’s how it starts and how it ends, regardless of the decisions you make. Being a father of two myself, it is a relationship that grew deep in my heart. It toyed with my emotions if Clementine went missing; room by room searches provoked only feelings of dread. Not only does protecting Clem becomes Lee’s primary focus, it became mine also.

I’ve played through season 1 twice. Once in 2012, and again in 2017. Both times I made choices based around Lee’s position at that moment, but in fact I was making the exact choices that I would make, not Lee. At first I often decided to lie to save Clem’s feelings, and felt bad for doing so. I think it’s fair to say we’ve all told a little porky here and there to stop a child’s train of thought.

However, a lot has changed in 5 years. My then infant daughter is now well into her seventh year of life, and absorbing information like a sponge. Even from age 4, the cortex begins to operate at the same level as an adults. Moreover, from age 4 a child’s brain is twice as active as any adult due to the increased consumption of glucose. It makes perfect sense, as children grow and develop into adults. This also means they are more likely to trust and accept what is in front of their eyes, what they are told and what they experience is what life is. And it is this ongoing narrative that almost every conversation with Clem is asking of you.

It was evident on the second play through that I found myself being far more honest, not just with Clementine, but others also. This is where Telltale have succeeded the most; for all the black-and-white answers you can give, there are shades of grey that can equally be successful, or not so, in different ways. Even at Clementine’s young age, she easily determine’s Lee’s criminal misgivings from the simplest of half-truths. The challenge is how you deal with that, as it is unexpected of a child only a few years old.

Then there is Duck. Remember him? Hyper little thing, around the same age as Clementine. Duck is evidently far from ready for any catastrophe due to Katjaa’s mothering ways, and I would expect no less from most mother’s in the same situation. In both play-through’s, my instinct was to save Duck instead of Herschel Green’s son. But this first major decision is a trick; Shawn dies no matter what you pick and is merely a points scoring exercise with Kenny, Duck’s dad. Telltale, you bastards!

Back in 2012 my son was an excitable, full-of-beans young man who was rather hyper at times, but equally affectionate. So like Duck, the potential was there for him to get into trouble, or not be fully aware of the dangers (hardly zombie danger, but still) around him until it’s too late. Throughout Duck’s eagerness my instincts were always to protect a child. Even though he wasn’t my own. Between a grieving mother and an increasingly unstable father in Katjaa and Kenny respectively, my inclinations were toward being their voice of reason in a world of tragedy and chaos.

When Duck meets his end after being bitten in chapter 3, the first time I took the mantle of putting him down before he returned as a zombie. This is of course a decision that 1) I hope to never ever have to make in real life with my own or anyone’s kids, and 2) I would also be the one to pull the trigger. I have no idea how I would cope with that level or manner of loss. In fact the thought makes me physically sick. The second time however, the added years of parenthood hit me. I found myself telling Duck’s father, Kenny, who had just witnessed his wife shoot herself in the head with Duck about to turn, that he should finish off Duck. I just couldn’t do it. Damn this game. For some, such choices may seem flippant as it is but a video game. But such decisions ripped at my conscience. Such decisions should never have to be made. And it makes for heart-pounding entertainment.

This brings us poignantly onto the final scenes of the first season’s final episode. People’s accounts have detailed being visibly upset or distressed at what is the ‘parent’s’ final moments of the game. It truly is a heart-wrenching scene of which I felt distinct sadness for. Unlike any other in a video game before in fact. All I kept hoping for was for Clem not to die, with the feeling of dread rapidly increasing at the prospect. Despite this, it was also incredibly touching to see how Lee and Clem’s rapport had built up to this point. I’d like to think it’s a similar rapport I’d have with my own daughter, given a similar situation.

In both instances, I ensured Lee was hand-cuffed to the radiator and encouraged Clem to shoot him before turning. I’m not sure if I could deal with Clem seeing a zombie Lee, and am only tentatively contemplating replaying the scene if a different way. Even by not triggering a particular outcome, Telltale is challenging me. Toying with my emotions.

Following Lee’s tragic departure from the series, the focus becomes purely on Clementine. She becomes the playable protagonist. In my mind, there is no one better to encapsulate the series than Clementine. She is this Walking Dead’s Rick Grimes. Visibly older, mentally stronger, Clem is now a hardened survivalist. But still just a child. The decisions you make are now hers, and not of a guardian.