What do you get if you take a game with poor out-of-game presentation (unless you love cheesy B-movie style intros and box art, in which case you might think the presentation is awesome), but pair it up with excellent in-game audio and visuals that revisits a genre I’ve been itching to try again? You’d get “ZombieGeddon”, a game that takes the zombie shooting out of the arena (where it’s been since I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1 lodged it there firmly) and takes it back to the days of Commando and Ikari Warriors.
Those of you who don’t remember those classics (I played the hell out of Commando on the Commodore 64) may have encountered this kind of gameplay on XBLA titles “Assault Heroes” and “Assault Heroes 2”. Unlike the arena shooter (which was reborn into modern popularity via Geometry Wars), which focuses on enclosing you in an arena with enemies surrounding you, vertically scrolling shooters have your character marching on foot, dodging and weaving as you shoot a steady stream of enemies, and offers a greater sense of exploration and discovery than the limited movement of the arena shooters. “ZombieGeddon” offers pretty detailed environments for an 80 Microsoft Point game, and some enemy variety (including some pretty odd ones, such as rocket launcher-wielding skeletons). It’s a fun romp for those who fondly remember Commando and its ilk, or have yet to try a game like this.
Here’s what the developer (Fun Factory Entertainment) has to say about the game:
“Evil has risen, and only two elite soldiers have what it takes to send it back to hell! Featuring: – Almost a dozen intensifying levels, across 4 environments, adding up to hours of nail-biting gameplay – Rich graphics and a killer soundtrack – Strategic use of weapons in order to complete your mission – Learn your enemies weaknesses, and use the environment to your advantage!”
Writings of Mass Deduction 