Zombocalypse Part II

If you've read my blogs before it shouldn't surprise you that I'm a big fan of zombie games, movies and pretty much anything else zombies. So it shouldn't surprise you this week that I'm talking about another zombie game: Dead Nation. Now for those who don't know, Dead Nation is a top down duel-stick shooter for the Playstation 3 and 4. It was also part of the "Welcome Back" pack that Sony put out after the network outage that knocked the PSN down for almost a month—compromising 77 million accounts—which is how I and a lot of other players found themselves in possession of this game (along with Little Big Planet).

All that aside this game is awesome and a ton of fun when played cooperatively. You play the game as either Scarlette or Jake, or both if you're in the co-op mode. You start out by leaving your shelter in search of food and supplies. The zombie apocalypse is well underway at this point and you two are immune to the viral infection which has claimed and zombified the majority of the world's population. After finding a radio and communicating with a scientist from some shadowy corporation (umbrella corp knock off) you learn that the scientist can develop a cure using your DNA and a tissue sample from patient zero, a man called Douglas Bane (fun fact the word "bane" means destroyer or murderer. Get it? Cause he's patient zero; it's symbolism people), and this is all set up so that they can use all your favourite zombie movie locals and tropes without them seemingly thrown in for no reason and it is glorious.

The game is pretty simple but still a fun top down shooter. You use the analogs to aim and move and the only way to describe it is that it feels good. The controls are solid: they never feel inaccurate or sloppy, unless you're freaking out or panicking that is...But in those occasions, in a real crisis, you would be panicking so it really adds a layer of depth to the game and makes it more enjoyable. Now as I said before the game supports co-op and I honestly wouldn't recommend playing it any other way. The game is pretty tough at points and the co-op helps. And who doesn't like playing with a friend or random stranger over the Internet?

The real meat of the game comes from the weapons and zombies and there's a wide variety of both; some you'd expect and some that are pretty new and inventive. When it comes to the zombies you have your average run of the mill fodder zombies and a slew of "special" infected zombies that were white or blue collar workers turned while on the job, whose uniform now grant them special abilities and effects. Then there's the evolved class—people changed into badass monstrosities by the virus—which are called Bombies, Leapers and Cutters, all of which are pretty self explanatory and tough as balls to take down. The weapons are probably the best part of the game. You start off with a limited number but as you progress through the stages you unlock more and more guns along with flares, grenades, molotovs and mines, each with have their own upgrade paths. And you'll need them all to help deal with the hordes upon hordes of undead the game throws at you.

This game took me completely by surprise. I got it on a whim and it blew me away. I was not expecting the amount of time and effort I would pump into this game and it is definitely an underrated title on the PSN store. If you're looking for a game with a good story, solid gameplay and tons of replay value, look no further.