A former Game of the Year winner is only $1.49 on Steam right now, thanks to a massive 90% discount that is live until July 9. Consquently, the PC game in question has never been cheaper on Steam, and is unlikely to be cheaper anytime soon, if ever. And $1.49 is cheap for any video game, let alone one of the great games of all time, and the big Game of the Year winner in the year 2012.
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Those around and gaming in 2012, will remember it was headlined by releases like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Mass Effect 3, New Super Mario Bros, Borderlands 2, Dishonored, Persona 4 Golden, Far Cry 3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Halo 4, Assassin’s Creed III, Diablo III, and Xenoblade Chronicles. The one game that stood above all and won more Game of the Year Awards than any game above, including at The Game Awards, which was known as the Spike Video Game Awards at the time. This game is The Walking Dead from Telltale Games, the defining game of the studio.
2012’s Best Game
For those that do not know, The Walking Dead is a narrative-driven adventure game where players influence the story, including the ending, of the game through dialogue and action choices. Obviously, it is set in the same universe as the comic book series of the same name from Robert Kirkman. And as its 89 on Metacritic reflects, it’s one of the best releases in The Walking Dead franchise. It also spawned its own series within the series, featuring three seasons and two spin-off games. Unfortunately, while the subsequent releases are solid, they never replicated the success or immense quality of the first game.
It is also worth noting that when The Walking Dead came out in 2012, its narrative design stood out. It was not the first game of that generation that let players shape the game’s story and ending through decision-making. It took this formula and brought it to the mainstream in a way that prior games hadn’t really. To this end, Telltale Games almost became its own genre of game.
For those unfamiliar with the game, you play as Lee Everett, a convicted criminal who has been given a second chance after the world is turned upside down by the undead. That said, his new lease on life comes with protecting an orphaned girl named Clementine in a world rapidly going to hell.
The game, with the 400 Days DLC included, takes about 12 to 14 hours to beat, which is a lot of content for $1.49. And it still holds up in 2026. In fact, it’s pretty much the same game and hasn’t aged at all because it’s not a cutting-edge game in the first place. It’s a simple narrative adventure game, which helps it stand the test of time. That said, those who prefer gameplay over story will find next to nothing of value here. This is very much a story-driven game.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the video game conversations happening over on the ComicBook Forum.
