Zombie Apocalypse, XBLA and PSN Game for $10
4-Player Local, Online Co-op Xbox Live Arcade & Playstation Network
Sep 29, 2009
Zombie Apocalypse is a top-down, twin-stick directional shooter for Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) and Playstation Network (PSN) which features both local (same-screen) and online cooperative (co-op) gameplay for up to 4 players. It features numerous types of weapons, zombies, and locations. It costs $10 on Playstation Network, or 800 MS Points on Xbox Live Arcade.
Zombie Apocalypse - Left 4 Dead only Top-Down
Since I Maed a Gam3 W1th Zombies 1n it!!!1 released recently as well, it's difficult to tell whether or not the game had any significant influence on Zombie Apocalypse. However, what is quite clear is the influence Left 4 Dead played in this new arcade title's creation.
Similarly to Left 4 Dead, up to 4 characters in Zombie Apocalypse fend off hordes of rampaging zombies hell-bent on their destruction with a variety of weapons and powerups. This arcade title even features an explosive talking teddy bear, which acts exactly like the pipe bomb in L4D - attracting the horde for a short time and then exploding.
Zombie Apocalypse takes place in a top-down perspective similar to the old-school arcade game Gauntlet, or the more recent Hunter: The Wreckoning on last-gen systems Gamecube, Xbox, and Playstation 2. ZA even resembles Hunter's dark graphical style pretty closely.
It features 7 different locations, along with numerous weapons ranging from Flamethrowers and Molotovs to Double Pistols and Shotguns. Players always have a trusty Assault Rifle when other weapons don't present themselves, and a Chainsaw for getting up-close and personal.
Gameplay and Fun Factor
Unlike the more interesting games that Zombie Apocalypse was clearly inspired by, this dull shooter does not allow for level exploration - instead trapping players inside small, confined areas and unleashing waves of enemies similar to games like Geometry Wars, but no where near as exciting.
After each mindless level, or "Day," players are greeted with a load screen for a few seconds. This irritating distraction takes away from the game's flow, and makes the repetition feel all the more obvious. Even worse, the "Tips" displayed in-between levels aren't always accurate and frequently show pictures with little to no relevance to the description - a clear sign that the soul of this game is about as lifeless as the zombies it features.
Even worse, with four people it's easy to stay alive well past the point where Zombie Apocalypse stops being fun, which is about 30 minutes to an hour depending on the players' individual attention spans.
While some may complain that I Maed a Gam3 W1th Zombies 1n it!!!1 ends too quickly, at least players want more, instead of deliberately quitting early.
Graphics and Audio
For an arcade title, the graphics impress. The environments, in particular, are rich with details. Background objects such as the spinning blades of a downed helicopter will instantly kill any zombies pushed in the way, resulting in a fantastic spray of blood.
The game's lighting effects rival the impressive backgrounds, adding more depth to the visual style, and even offering a unique level in which players must fight in darkness with only a little light to see what's out to get them. Unfortunately, due to the lame gameplay, players can simply sweep their aim back and forth and kill any enemies without even seeing them, but at least the visual style creates something new.
While the graphics impress, the audio irritates. The teddy bear or "Zombie Bait," when thrown, spouts off the same catchphrases over and over like a broken record. Considering every player starts with 1 zombie bait on each level, it's surprising that the developers chose only 2-3 recorded phrases, resulting in the same phrases by the same high-pitched voice, which sounds like a bad Mickey Mouse impression.
To add to the annoyance, whichever character wins the round will spout their own bad dialogue. Each character seems to only have one phrase, yet again highlighting the absurdly repetitious nature of this game.
Zombie Apocalypse Conclusion
It's not that Zombie Apocalypse is a bad game, it's just bland, uninspired, insultingly repetitious and sometimes just downright annoying. Those looking for a mindless co-op shooter will likely get their fix with Zombie Apocalypse, but it's really no better of a buy than any other mindless arcade co-op romp (here's looking at you, Gauntlet). And in reality, with the increasingly competitive online arcade markets of Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network, there are simply much better games out there.
To read about some Co-op XBLA games that are in fact much better than Zombie Apocalypse, the article 10 Xbox 360 Co-op Games for Under $10 should help, or check out 5 Best Xbox 360 Original Arcade Games for more great XBLA titles. And finally, any zombie fan with an Xbox 360 must try the other XBLA Zombie game that has local co-op, I Maed a Gam3 W1th Zombies 1n it!!!1.
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