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There is no doubt that The Walking Dead (TWD) is a pop culture sensation. The TV show on AMC (which is based on the graphic novel) has ignited a firestorm in the world of night time television. It is one of the highest rated shows on television, it is the muse for a multitude of online memes and the show’s strength allowed AMC to strong arm Dish network into a new contract. In a nutshell, the people love TWD. And as far as the gaming world is concerned, we have seen a very unique and emotionally dynamic series of “episodes” released on XBLA/PSN/PC to great commercial and critical appeal. In short, the gamers love TWD. So one would think anything from the world of TWD would be a good thing for all, right?

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct (TWD: SI) is an FPS coming courtesy of Activision and is set to release next year for all major platforms. However, based on the posts I have seen online, the negativity surround this title is as nightmareish as a horde of hungry walkers. The amount of “we don’t need COD in our walking dead” or “great another great property falls to the FPS monster” is nothing shy of stunning.

I think that the gaming community needs to calm down for a moment. There are things to keep in mind that can give us hope that TWD: SI won’t be a stinking turd dropped from the anus of an amazing universe. Here are 5 of those things to keep in mind.

5 – We Have Seen Nothing

How can we possibly hate on something we haven’t even seen? What trailers or game footage have those on the internet seen that others have not? It is one thing to watch a game trailer or gameplay footage and then criticize a title – to damn a game before it even releases just makes everyone involved look foolish.

4 – Survival, not Run & Gun

The aim of this title is not to “run and gun”, a fear many gamers initially have when the term FPS and the word Activision are put side by side. The game’s aim is to be ““a do-whatever-you-need-to-survive first-person action game that brings the deep, character-driven world of AMC’s Emmy Award-winning TV series onto console gaming systems and the PC in a frightening, new way…”. With this in mind, we should calm ourselves and see if they can successfully back up their claim. Activision seems aimed in on the target – let’s wait and see if they nail the shot.

3 – Norman Reedus

TWD is a property that is based on emotion, grit, humor and intensity. To convey these feelings, voice acting will be essential. And who better to voice the main protagonist of TWD: SI than an actual leading actor of TWD itself? Norman Reedus, aka Daryl, is on board with the project and will be lending his talents to this ambitious title.

2 – Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

In regards to people who immediately rush to sandbag anything with the Activision label, keep in mind that not every game falls into the CoD formula. This amazing game serves as an example that Activision does care about proper fan service and will allow it’s studios the proper time and resource to make a finely crafted game (that doesn’t begin with the word call, anyways…). I wouldn’t expect anything different with TWD: SI.

1 – Terminal Reality

This is not Treyarch !!! Terminal Reality are the developers forging TWD: SI. So no need to jump on the “OMG EWW COD WALKING DEAD” bandwagon. And considering the solid fan service shown in Ghostbusters: the Video Game, I think they definitely have a shot of making this game fit the style of TWD. Some of their games have been better than others…but doom and gloom is by no means necessary at this point.

So there you go,

5 quick reasons why we shouldn’t rush on board the hate train. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct may come out to be a horrid turd that makes us look ill upon our favorite show. Or it could be a surprise GOTY contender. Or it could be anything inbetween. Let’s try and give some benefit of the doubt here and see what Activision offers.

Live and Let Game.

- Respawn King