Review: The Walking Dead Pinball (XBLA)

Anybody that reads The Walking Dead comics or watches the TV show knows that when it comes to defeating zombies – or walkers in the world of The Walking Dead – in the undead apocalypse, anything can be useful as a walker-head-crushing weapon. Frying pans, pool cues, 2x4s, baseball bats … practically anything within reach while under walker attack duress. What wouldn't be particularly useful to slaughter walkers is a single small silver pinball from a pinball machine. Not seeing that as much of a brain-buster. That is unless while playing The Walking Dead Pinball table on Xbox Live Arcade via Pinball FX2 from Zen Studios.

Review: The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 2 (PC)

The big reveal of this second episode of Season 2 of The Walking Dead, wasn't much of a reveal at all if one happened to stick around for the "Next Time..." preview that rolled at the conclusion of episode 1, All That Remains. Fortunately, the second episode doesn't hinge on the "big reveal."

No, no. Instead the episode pivots on, "Oh, damn, they're all dead!" turn at the episode's culmination. Or, you know, something like that because it's The Walking Dead.

Review: The Walking Dead - Season 2: Episode 1 (PC)

At the close of The Walking Dead Season 1, developer Telltale Games could have been forgiven for moving on to other stories, to shift the focus from Clementine, the small girl that escaped Season 1, to other people trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. After all, The Walking Dead series -- in the comics, the television show, and the games -- has no compunction about killing off major characters to move the story along.

Season 2 makes Clementine the focus and introduces many new characters, accompanied by an oddly upbeat sensibility. At least, if one were to define "upbeat" by horror, horror everywhere!