In honor of the hit AMC show The Walking Dead returning to T.V. for a sixth season, I dove into one of the greatest genre’s in the history of video games. Yes, I’m talking about zombies. I have been gaming all my life and as much as I like a game with a creative storyline, original characters and unique game modes, there is nothing more satisfying than simply blasting and hacking away at a horde of zombies that are trying to kill you. I know it doesn’t sound that pleasant at first, but in video game form it’s a big-old-bloody bucket of fun.
This past week I took three of the best zombie video games I could get my hands on and played the brains out of them. If you’re a big zombie fan, or just a video game fan in general and haven’t played these games, listen up. I’ve broken these games down piece-by-piece and have all the tips and critiques you need to survive these apocalyptic nightmares.
Dead Island: Riptide
A sequel to the original Dead Island, Dead Island: Riptide is a tropical vacation gone horribly wrong. When a government zombie virus breaks out on a once peaceful island, you become stranded with two simple missions: survive and get away. Playing as one of five characters you must scrounge and scavenge for any weapons and survival materials you can find to ward off bands of tourists turned brain-munching zombies. I have to say I took this game for granted at first, thinking I could just plow my way through the undead like nobody’s business, without learning the overlooked nuances of the game. It turns out I was wrong.
In my first sessions I found myself being eaten like an endless appetizer at T.G.I Friday’s. Apparently, there is a stamina meter present at the bottom of the screen that I regrettably overlooked. The more you sprint, jump, punch and slash away at zombies (which you will be doing constantly) the lower your stamina gets. The lower your stamina is the more vulnerable you are to be taken down and chomped on like a rotisserie chicken. Once I learned how to manage my fatigue, the game became much easier.
Another thing to look out for is zombie levels. Each zombie you run into has a strength level. Depending on their level the zombie you come across could be easy or hard to kill. The odd thing about this game is that their strength level and appearance don’t always make sense together. For example, if you come across what looks like a four-foot-tall, 80-pound grandmother, check her strength level and proceed with caution. If her level is 20 or higher, just run because that undead granny is a flesh-eating killing machine.
Be sure to conserve ammo when you find guns because you don’t get much and you never know when you’ll get more. Upgrade your skills every chance you get, such as lock picking and weapons skills. Also, when it comes to hand-weapons such as blades, baseball bats and hammers (my personal favorite), monitor how much damage the weapons take because they do deteriorate over time. All around I give this game three out of five brains and consider it a solid pickup for anyone in the zombie spirit. Dead Island: Riptide was recently priced at Game Stop at a used price of $8.99.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Zombie Mode)
The Call of Duty franchise has been an absolute powerhouse in the gaming industry for years and continues to throw their weight around today. One of, if not the, most crucial contributors to Call of Duty’s unparalleled success has been the Zombie game mode. I chose to play the Black Ops 2 version of Zombies out of personal preference but I recommend any of the Call of Duty Zombie games.
In this game mode, you and up to three other players take on wave after wave of zombies for
George Amaru / Art Director
as long as you can. Each wave comes in rounds which increase in difficulty. How do you advance each round? You guessed it. Kill all of the zombies. With each round the zombie waves increase in strength and numbers so you’ll want to be packing some serious heat and save plenty of ammo for the later rounds.
At first, you begin with only a handgun, able to wipe out zombies with one shot. As the rounds get harder the mystery box will come into play. On either of the maps/locations there will be a mystery box. After accumulating some cash from killing zombies, you can submit a sum of money to the mystery box. In slot machine fashion, the box will randomly spit out a new weapon for you to use.
If you get a quality weapon, like an assault rifle, light machine gun or the legendary ray gun, you should be in good shape. Yes…there is an alien ray gun in this game. On the other hand, if you end up with a weapon like a handgun or that god awful, box-looking, semi-automatic rifle, you might as well lather yourself up with barbeque sauce and lay down on a plate because you’re getting eaten. Seriously, that rifle is horrible. You’d be better off with a paintball gun that shoots marshmallows.
To make the mystery box even more risky there is the devious teddy bear prize. If you are unlucky enough to see a teddy bear pop out of the box, that means the box will magically teleport to the other side of the map. Depending on the round you are on, this could be a suicide run you will have to make because if you want to have a chance you’ll definitely need the box.
For all of you experienced gamers who love the zombie genre and the COD franchise you are already quite familiar with this game. This game mode will go down as one of the greatest zombie games/game modes of all time and if you have not played it you are doing yourself a disservice. I give Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Zombie Mode) five out of five brains, and suggest you grab your most trusted buddies, dive in your foxhole and let the blood-bath begin.
The Walking Dead Video Game: Survivor’s Instinct
Usually, video games based off of television shows are not my cup of tea. But this game, I have to say, was a pleasant surprise. In this game you play solely as The Walking Dead fan favorite character Daryl Dixon as the zombie apocalypse is taking place. In comparison to the other zombie games I’ve played, this game is very much like the show in the sense that it’s less about killing the zombies and more about avoiding them and surviving. You gather crucial materials such as weapons, ammo, food, water and gasoline.
In a way, the game is a “pick your own adventure” type of game, meaning you choose whether to take the backroads or the highway with both routes varying in difficulty depending on the situation. Unfortunately it takes quite some time to meet up with known characters like Merle (Daryl’s brother) and the legendary Rick Grimes, but, when you do , their cameo’s are very satisfying. In terms of actually killing the zombies or “walkers,” to be true to the show, they are by far the hardest to kill, taking four to five blows from a blunt weapon to put them down (that’s a lot).
The best strategy for this game is to play it exactly like the show. Don’t make a lot of noise and, when under pressure, hiding and running are the better options.This game was by far the most difficult of the three, but, being a fan of the show, I was extremely impressed and grant this game four out of five brains.
Nick Tocco can be contacted at ntocco@kscequinox.com