Zombie Apocalypse (XBLA)

By Natas46

Zombie Apocalypse (ZA) is an Xbox Live Arcade/Playstation Network game that I was interested in when it released last September. I downloaded the demo and nearly pulled the trigger, but then I read some reviews that panned the repetitive nature of the game. Those reviews combined with a general lack of interest amongst my friends persuaded me to fore go the purchase.

Fortunately, ZA was recently featured as the XBL Deal of the Week, which brought the game back onto my radar. I again downloaded the demo, which I found myself playing over and over. I asked around and, surprisingly, found that some of my friends were also interested in the game, so I picked it up.

ZA is a dual stick shooter (think Smash TV) with responsive controls and surprisingly good graphics. The game boasts 55 levels (referred to in-game as "days"), but there are only 7 maps, so the locales do get a little repetitive. However, there are about seven different weapon pickups and new, more powerful enemies are added through the first half of the game at a good enough clip to keep things interesting. Also, the game provides a multitude of goals (score, most days completed, survivors rescued, highest multiplier, etc.) to allow for many different play styles. It quickly becomes a hard game, but it allows continues without taking away the damage that you caused before dying (like BioShock), so completing the game can be accomplished by anyone with enough persistence to do so. The game plays very similarly to Gears of War 2's horde mode, which has 50 rounds all on the same map, so, for fans of Horde, I can't see the cycle of 7 maps getting to be too much of a problem. Further, additional play modes can be unlocked: chainsaws only, blackout, turbo, hardcore, and "7 Days of Hell." Each of these modes include the same basic progression system and are played on the same maps, but they each alter the game just enough to keep things interesting. Seven Days of Hell mode is especially fun, with wave after wave of enemies and seemingly endless days. The final day of 7 Days of Hell will take about an hour to complete, but really feels like an accomplishment once completed (even if you had to continue numerous times).

While the game is a fun, old school arcade game in single player, it really shines in co-op. Up to 4 players can join together and take on the zombie horde over XBL or PSN (spots can be made private) or locally. The entire team contributes to the team's score, but the end of round recap divides accomplishments by team members, so you can talk some trash on your buddy that isn't carrying his weight. Unfortunately, the co-op is not drop-in, drop-out co-op, so you will have to exit out to the lobby to add friends after you have started a game. Also, there isn't a lot of strategy involved in the game, so this is a good game to just catch up with your buddies while playing.

I have thoroughly enjoyed ZA and look forward to the next chance I get to join up with some buddies to save humanity from the zombie onslaught. Considering that the only other games that have made me feel this kind of anticipation about getting to play some more have been full retail games that cost $60, you will get more than $10 of value from ZA. In fact, considering the well over 20 hours I have already spent playing the game, ZA may be the best bargain I have found in this generation of video games. I would strongly recommend anyone with even a little interest in this game to download the trial version and give it a chance. If you miss dual stick arcade games, love co-op horde mode style games, and can find some friends willing to make the purchase, you will be happy with your purchase of ZA.