Review: Zombieville USA 2

Updated: Nov 12, 2011

Version: 1.2

Size: 53.8 MB

Language: English

Seller: Mika Mobile, Inc.

Zombieville USA was an early game available for the iPhone. You controlled an unnamed protagonist as he ran down the longest street in existence, using a vast array of weapons and looting houses for cash and ammunition, all while avoiding getting his brains eaten by the undead. It was a simple but fun game that was let down by a lack of variety. Levels got repetitive quickly and while money let you upgrade your weapons, once you had them all upgraded there was very little left to do. Still it was a good game and with it's simple cartoon graphics it proved to be quite popular.

So when the sequel to Zombieville USA came out, we all jumped at the opportunity to give it a try. So what’s changed?

The original was an iPhone classic.

Well for a start there's now a Y axis. No longer are you limited to moving just from left to right, you're given a greater field to play in. This makes the game look a 2d side scroller sort of like Streets of Rage, only with more undead. While this makes the game play more difficult it lends to more variety and provides the option to run away from the undead which was lacking in the original. You'll still find yourself caught between undead hordes but now you only have yourself to blame.

Much like the original everything looks like it has been lifted from a flash cartoon, it's simplistic but well done and seems to make the game more charming. There's a couple of changes over the original however to keep things interesting. For example there's now a number of protagonists to choose from each with their own funny back story though they all share the same abilities. The zombies have been given a massive overhaul as well, with each one getting a new and distinct graphic rather than just a simple palette swap. It makes it easier to recognise the types of undead you're up against and come up with tactics to counter them. Not to make things too repetitive Mika have also thrown in some extra zombie types such as the exploding zombie and the acid spitting undead. It keeps you on your toes and looks very nice but be warned, there is a fair amount of gore as some of the more brutal weapons take large chunks out of the shambling undead. This game is definitely not for the squeamish.

The bigger field of play makes things a bit hectic!

As you're allowed to select which level you play there's more backdrops to the game as well. No longer just a street view they've also added a town and shopping mall setting which keeps things from getting repetitive.

It's worth mentioning that the music for the game is also quite impressive. While there's not a great deal of variety it does make the zombie killings sprees more enjoyable. We were particularly fond of the shopping mall sound track. Combining a nice sounding guitar and elevator music sounds surreal but really gets you in the mood for shenanigans with a shotgun.

Game play has been spiced up too, money not only buys you weapons but can be used to upgrade them. There's also perks and special abilities that make life easier in game, like the weapons they can be upgraded too but again it proves to be quite costly. One tip. Invest in the “Daddy Warbucks” perk as soon as possible as this increases the money gained from the cash dropped by the undead or the objects you destroy during the game.

Our hero is back! Now with added mullet!

One nice addition that was lacking in the original is the use of multi player. You can now join a friend and take on the undead hordes together. While this does lead to some competitiveness as you start fighting over the items dropped or who gets to kill the zombies it makes the game last a bit longer and provides some funny moments.

Overall there's not a great deal to say about Zombieville USA 2. It's just an improvement over what was originally a very solid game. It's a shame that there’s no storyline to speak of but for a quick bit of mindless fun its ideal. If you don't have it already make sure to grab it today.  

Review: Dead Island

Remember the cinematic video that was released when we first heard about Dead Island? The dark and sad foreboding video that warned of a game that wouldn't focus on the Romero-esque horror of the walking dead but instead instead more of the human cost like, well, 'The Walking Dead'.

 


Sadly that isn't what Dead Island delivers, instead what we get is controversy and a possibly unfinished version. Yet despite all it's “teething problems” Dead Island is a very fun game to play.

The best way to describe Dead Island is to think of a mix between Borderlands and Condemned. There's vehicles for you to drive around the island, a levelling system, and while almost anything you can pick up is a weapon they all have base statistics and rare versions indicated by a blue or orange name. There's also very little in the way of a story, the cinematic pieces are few and far between and sometimes overly shocking. It's just enough to tie the game together but don't expect it to win any rewards. In terms of game play emphasis is on close combat as opposed to weapons, for the first few chapters you would be lucky to even see a simple revolver let alone an assault rifle. Even on the later levels where everyone seems to have a machine gun you will find yourself choosing to use the machete instead just to conserve ammunition.

While you have a choice of 4 different characters, each with their own speciality, the undead themselves come in numerous different flavours. From the shambling undead that like to pretend to be corpses right up until you see them chewing on your ankle to the marathon running zombies you'd see in films like '28 Days Later'. I won't spoil some of the other special zombies as they have all have a cut scene that does a good job of introducing them in a, “Oh crap I have to fight that?” kind of moment.

Thankfully the game has a nice crafting mechanic, by collection some seemingly ordinary objects that litter the island for example a car battery, some wire and some duct tape. You can turn your machete into a high voltage blade of death. It definitely comes in useful.

Visually everything looks stunning though the setting, which is for the most part bright and cheerful seems to be at odds with the undead carnage that litters the beaches of this once tropical resort. Surprisingly though this setting only serves to make the occasions you have to venture into a dark and potentially undead filled beach hut even more unnerving.

All this makes for an interesting single player but what is it that makes Dead Island so interesting? The multiplayer. Taking on a group of the undead with a couple of friends is a great experience, particularly when it all goes wrong and you have to think quickly or just run away very fast.

Getting into a multplayer game is easy to do too, even if you're in single player mode you're still given the option to join another person's game who has reached a similar level of progress.

So if you've got some friends who already have the game or are thinking about getting it, grab a copy yourself and enjoy the undead horror. If you're a fan of the undead genre then give the game a shot, the frantic game play will keep you entertained for some time.