Dead Nation
Available on: PSN
Release Date: November 30th
The general idea behind Dead Nation is pretty easy to understand: kill zombies. But let's not just kill zombies. Let's kill thousands of zombies - and not just a bunch of scattered groups, but swarms of hundreds of the loathsome dead at once. Let's have so many zombies, that the game claims to have the most zombies in a video game - ever. Let's stack the odds against ourselves and come out alive.
I really like twin stick shooters. Ever since Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved hit XBLA, I've been hooked. Super Stardust HD quickly became another favorite of mine, so the fact that Dead Nation is made by the same people really helped with getting me excited about it's release. But while games like Geometry Wars and [my favorite mode in] Super Stardust put you in an arena against a never ending swarms of enemies, Dead Nation takes you to the streets of a city with a simple objective: fight your way through massive hordes of zombies from Point A to Point B, and get there alive.
There is a story somewhere in all this, but it really doesn't matter.
The only thing that will save you is your reflexes and ability to think fast. For instance, you got a horde of zombies closing in from the front, you back away and mow them down with your SMG when suddenly another horde comes pouring out of an alley behind you. They're closing in fast: better act faster.
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| Here they come... |
Fortunately, the game gives you a slew of options when dealing with a problem like this. A variety of items are at your disposal that will distract and destroy large groups of zombies (much like pipe bombs in L4D, grenades come with flashers that attract zombies to their demise). Some cars have alarms that can be set off that will attract the undead (and of course explode). You also have access to devastating weapons that can easily mow down hordes of zombies (including a cannon that launches blades. No joke).
Learning how to best use a weapon or item is crucial for your survival. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, and you don't want to try bringing down some of the tougher zombies with the wrong one. As nice as a sizable collection of weapons is, it can get difficult to manage them during some of the more frantic moments. For instance, trying to run from a horde and switch to a more efficient weapon can prove troublesome, especially if in your panic you select the wrong gun and end up popping off a few useless shots before realizing it. Time is very important: when the masses of zombies are closing in, you don't have much.
Speaking of tougher zombies, the game also has some "special infected." I think they actually have another name (I am sure that Valve would have a problem with them using that term), but that is what everyone else who plays the game calls them. Bio-weapons or something? Anyways, these zombies are, of course, bigger and meaner than your run of the mill zombie. Some of the meaner ones include a zombie that summons a swarm (and will keep summoning more so long as you allow it to live), and another that can one-shot you with a pair of blades on its arms.
While most of these tougher zombies are unique, a couple of them are clearly "inspired" by some of the Left 4 Dead baddies... Dead Nation has an obese zombie called a "Bombie" that charges you and explodes. Another zombie, called the "Leech," spits acid at you, and spills acid from its body when it dies.
Honestly, the game can be a bit much sometimes. I just finished the game on Morbid (the fourth hardest of five difficulty settings) and I might have to wait a while before I pick it up again. By the final mission, the hordes became extremely overwhelming. Every time I thought I was going to come out alive, spending a lot of time carefully picking my way through hordes zombies, only to die just before reaching a checkpoint was like a crushing blow to my spirit. I would want to put it down and come back later, but I couldn't. I had already invested so much time in whatever mission I was in I couldn't just back out. And I'd grit my teeth, and try again - this time, a little more carefully.
The game also consists of a sort of "meta-game." It features leader boards which doesn't just track individual player's kills, but the total kills of every country participating in the game. This means you aren't just fighting for your own personal pride, but for your mother land. Now, this may seem a little unfair, considering that the USA has a much larger fan base than most of the other participating countries, but the game scores the counties on how many kills the country has compared to the number of its participating players. And you'd be surprised how many kills a handful of people in Poland are bringing in. For weeks Finland was ahead of America. Now, America has overtaken everyone else by millions, but at least they worked the system so that everyone else would have some kind of chance.
Another interesting thing about this meta-game is that a countries zombie kills contributes to "eliminating the virus," and reaching a certain number starts a "new virus cycle." As of now, no one seems to know what the virus cycle means. Maybe they intend to unlock new features as countries reach new cycles. The game has only been out for just under two months as of this writing, so I guess we'll find out eventually.
The game does feature co-op. Unfortunately, I'm not big on "team" efforts in video games. I have played some co-op missions, and it is fun. Since the zombies are beefed up with two people, it's harder to go all cowboy and take them on yourself. Relying on a team mate was just something I was never very good at, so I prefer to play solo. Now, if the game had some kind of competitive mode...
It's an insanely fun game, if not a bit maddening and tiring at times. It looks good and, despite the massive numbers of onscreen zombies, it holds up well throughout the carnage. The 10 missions and 5 difficulty settings will definitely keep you busy, especially if you are "fighting for your country." For $15 bucks, it's a great buy. But only if you like twin stick shooters.
Official trailer:
1 comment:
The little bit of time that I was able to spend on this game was very positive. I do like that it's shy about be Left 4 Dead as a twin stick shooter. It gives it that same comforting feeling that Dead Rising gets from Dawn of the Dead. I look forward to being able to play more of this one.
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