The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episodes 1 & 2 - Ties That Bind Reviews

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episodes 1 & 2 - Ties That Bind is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Dec 22, 2016

The second chapter of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier follows the great path of the previous one and Telltale Games delivers a brilliant story that will be seen in the next chapters of the game.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 21, 2016

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier begins with a very powerful double chapter and Telltale Games makes clear why they are the masters of their own genre. Dynamic, spectacular and fresh are the adjectives that describe this new adventure.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 2, 2017

It’s wonderful to be back with Clem, and the new characters are interesting. Even though the story is still in its infancy, it feels like we’ve got plenty to look forward to as the season moves forward.

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85 / 100
Dec 29, 2016

The Ties that Bind Part 2 is an excellent ending to what was already a great premiere to season three. While a little on the short side, the overall experience is memorable and has me anticipating the next episode.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 5, 2017

Like its name implies, “Ties That Bind” and its two-part premiere serves as an excellent introduction to The Walking Dead: A New Frontier that establishes a world for both longtime players and new players alike. Players bound by their emotional connection to Clementine and several other characters from the first two seasons will find much to enjoy from catching up with them and what their new state in this post-apocalyptic world are like, while the season promises many new experiences – both heartbreaking and otherwise – to explore in this wild new frontier with plenty of new choices to make, decisions to act on, and a whole new world to take in.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 21, 2016

Maybe we can expect wonders from the third season of Walking Dead. The first two episodes have great characters and a very impressive plot.

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85%
Dec 20, 2016

I'll admit that my interest in Telltale's well-worn adventure formula was starting to wane, but The Walking Dead: A New Frontier's opening episodes are proof positive that there's still plenty of life in it, as Ties That Bind Part 1 and 2 are both barnstorming episodes. Essential for any self-respecting The Walking Dead fan, regardless of whether you played seasons one and two in Telltale's series.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 3, 2017

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier opens up with two strong episodes that have me the most invested I've been in The Walking Dead since the first release. Hopefully fleshing out the characters a little more can push this season to be even more memorable.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jan 8, 2017

However despite all that, I would like to say that the above stated cons can easily be overlooked by those after a rollicking zombie tale. This game actually forced me to pick up Season 1 and get to know The Walking Dead series again. Rest assured, A New Frontier is a brilliant game and continues the never-ending Walker drama, certainly providing enough intrigue to keep me avidly looking out for episode three.

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8.5 / 10.0
Feb 27, 2017

Perhaps the greatest shortcoming is the game’s stubbornness to shove Javi’s family as the player’s raison d’etre, when it’s clear that Clementine is a much more relatable and less frustrating character. The classic Telltale trap of unavoidable events is still there, but by now you should know what you’re getting into. If judged by what it attempts to do, rather than by what some sceptic players want it to be, A New Frontier’s harrowing first episodes smoothen most rough edges found in other games in the series in terms of storytelling. It just about manages to shake off the notion of being a rehashed concept, and become a beast that can stand on its own two feet, built upon the foundations laid by Lee and Clementine. Hopefully the rest of the season manages to sustain this level of quality.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 28, 2016

After the disappointing adventures of Michonne in the videogame universe of The Walking Dead, Telltale managed to show us why it’s main saga was so successful back in 2012. An awesome new cast and a story full of turns and surprises waiting at the end of every corner. A New Frontier is off to a great start.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

85 / 100
Dec 21, 2016
The Walking Dead - A New Frontier Quick Review (Season 3 - Episodes 1+2: Ties That Bind) video thumbnail
82 / 100
Dec 20, 2016

A promising, assured start, and a welcome return to form for Telltale.

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8.2 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2016

It’s still a little disconcerting to still not have a clear idea where the season as a whole will be heading, but moment-to-moment, Season 3 of Telltale’s Walking Dead continues to deliver some of the impressive world-building and characterization that made me love the series when it first premiered. I feel a part of Javi and Clementine’s plight, and though I hope the rest of the season can avoid some of the familiar Telltale and Walking Dead formula trappings that Episode 2 fell into and to keep surprising me, I’m still invested in finding out what’s next. Especially with a little more context for the New Frontier revealed, Telltale is starting to better lay out all the logs it has to build a cabin. I just hope the rest of the structure is as strong as the foundation.

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8 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2016

The two-episode opener does its job at getting your interest back into the series and kindling your curiosity

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GameSpot
Top Critic
8 / 10
Dec 20, 2016

The conclusion to The Ties That Bind is a gut-wrenching, gory masterpiece up there with the very best episodes of The Walking Dead.

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8 / 10
Dec 20, 2016

Whether you’re a returning fan, a lapsed player or a complete newcomer, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier gets off to a good and welcoming start, with more than a few twists and turns packed into the two-part episode. While it’s not perfect, that extra time has given Telltale room to breathe life into a new and interesting cast of admittedly flawed characters, build new relationships and present them with new and immediate dangers, always with the threat of zombies in the background.

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Dec 21, 2016

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is off to a great start with Episode 1 & 2, "Ties that Bind".

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80 / 100
Dec 28, 2016

The Ties that Bind Part 1 is a great start to a new entry in Telltale’s excellent series, one that does just enough to feel fresh.

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Dec 31, 2016

Episodes 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier improve upon the series' existing formula, offering an emotionally trying story and a new coat of gameplay polish.

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