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Zombie Shooter review

Game: Zombie Shooter
Platform: PC
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Developer: Sigma Team

Reader review by JoeTheDestroyer

June 20, 2011

A deep plot with memorable characters, stunning HD graphics with superb realism, skull-crushing difficulty, a hip soundtrack featuring popular not-quite-metal artists, completely original gameplay, huge emphasis on style that may invoke the tired argument of whether or not games are a form of art...

None of these are associated with Zombie Shooter. The title tells you exactly what to expect: hordes of zombies and enough firearms, ammunition and explosive material to make the NRA feel inadequate. With an overhead Diablo-ish perspective, it's your job to empty endless rounds into undead skulls and cause as many explosions as possible to thwart the zombie invasion.

The beginning might make you a bit antsy. Rather than blasting the undead to kingdom come, you start off plinking away lesser enemies and small groups of standard zombies. Heads will roll, dollars will drop, and power ups will be yours. Between levels, you can drop some dough on new weaponry, armor, medkits, extra lives, or even upgrade the weapons you already have to give them a bigger zombie-exploding kick. If you're finding your character is still a wuss, you can pay experience points to boost basic stats like health or speed and make survival easier.

You'll need it...

Soon the zombies inundate the level, and some come armed. Zombie cops equipped with riot shotguns accompany their shambling brethren, and eventually meaner undead beasts with plasma weapons and rockets arrive. The numbers become ridiculous, overfilling the screen to the point that you wonder if the onslaught will ever end. Environments become zombie clown cars, and you know there's only one way to solve this problem: violence!

Those starting pistols are okay, but what can they do against a giant zombie with plasma cannons grafted onto his arms? You might as well be throwing pebbles at him. This is where you reach deep into your bag and summon the big guns: a shotgun, a grenade launcher, even a standard minigun. But when plausible isn't getting the job done, ridiculous has to step in. A far reaching flamethrower can cut down zombie ranks easily, or the plasma minigun can slice through undead like a hot knife through butter. These are the kind of guns that give a man the cojones to run headlong into a snarling pack of flesh-eaters with the left mouse button held down and enjoy the ensuing bloodbath.

Believe me, you will be tested. Many of the zombies do major damage, especially a certain pink type that shoots lasers. You won't, however, find the challenge ridiculous or completely unfair. The destructive power of your weaponry and plentiful ammo keep you in the game long enough to enjoy the destruction.

..that is until you come upon the first boss battle. Blasting alone won't fell the beast, you've got to use wit to take him down and patience to take out his pink laser-shooting minions. This scene will kick your ass a few times and force you to love it. Once you finally have the creature tackled, you can recline in your computer seat and crack a smile. Boss defeated.

Cue end credits.

At a $5 price point, an action game from a lesser known developer isn't likely to last very long. We all know the ride is going to be short, but it doesn't sting any less when it's over. Even still, at ten levels it feels too brief, especially when many of the first stages were a breeze. With point-and-click combat so simplistic and gratifying, it's hard not to want more.

Usually, if I say a developer made a basic sort of game, it comes off as a slam, but not so with Zombie Shooter. This game may keep it simple, but it packs enough bite to make that simplicity work. This isn't the kind of game you make into a huge project. This is the sort you play after a long title to cleanse your pallet; or when all you want is unbridled violence and zombie ass kicking. After all, the title tells you what to expect and pays that in spades. It's just a shame the ride's over so soon.

Rating: 7/10

More Reviews by JoeTheDestroyer
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