With the release of Brad Pitt's Big Budget Zombie Movie (which also borrows the name from a certain best seller known as World War Z) we of course had to review the FPS game adapatation of the film. Mix in a murder mystery and another zombie game and we've got a pretty well rounded out set of fun games for you to enjoy this month.
(Note: All games are tested on one or more of the following devices: iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S3, iPad2, Nexus 10.)
Description: World War Z. With how much has recently been dumped into marketing Brad Pitt's zombie film I'm sure everyone knows at least the premise of the movie. The game itself gives us 28 levels of first person shooting enjoyment with just enough puzzles thrown in to give us variety. The game pits you against the zombie hordes in an effort to save your friends and family. This isn't the most original of concepts though based off a movie it's not what you'd expect – it's actually a hell of a lot of fun!
While the plot ideas run parallel to those found in the movie World War Z you aren't playing as Brad Pitt. You are playing a character with a similar role. You don't have to worry about any movie spoilers or having to have seen the movie (or read the book) in order to enjoy the game.
Review: (Note: This was reviewed on a Galaxy S3, I've heard the Apple controls have had mixed feedback though can't confirm or deny this firsthand.) The best selling Max Brooks novel turned into the highest costing zombie film of all time. Of course it's going to have a game developed based off of it. Of course the game as all movie adaptations is going to be horrible, right? Wrong. I know what your thinking – movie ports are never fun. By not trying to stay true to the story of the film though this one is able to pull off an enjoyable experience!
There are a variety of game play options in the game. From a shooter to melee to puzzle solving. This game really tries to give you a bit of everything and for the most part it works. While the shooting portion is your straight target, aim, fire, reload the pacing of the zombies is set so perfectly that it never grows old. The absolute only downfall to the game is the melee version. It's clunky, a little laggy, and switching back to weapons is painfully slow as zombies are moving in around you. If it weren't for the melee there would be no issues with this game at all. To keep things fresh throughout the game you earn experience that you can purchase new weapons with. The game is so much more fun than it has any right to be and is clearly the pick of the week.
Description: Syberia doesn't fully fall into the category of horror or even survival horror. It's partially a murder mystery and partially a search for a missing person. Your setting in Syberia is a steampunk-ish themed world. You are arriving in a remote town and play as a lawyer named Kate Walker who is in the middle of finalizing a takeover of a local toy factory. As the owner of the local toy shop has died you must find her long lost younger brother who is now the owner.
The village and toy factory are sparsely populated and the majority of your interactions are not with other people but with intricate machines that give you clues and puzzles to lead you to your final goal. The puzzles range from simple to intricate with a plot that keeps you moving steadily forward and giving you some great character development as well.
Review: Point and click games have been making a comeback in the rise of mobile gaming. It's just fitting as the interface is so perfectly a match for the genre. While this is a re-release of a 2002 PC game it's one that is a fun play. As I mentioned it's a point and click so you will be moving from location to location finding objects to collect or interact with to further your goal in the game. I had actually played the original game so I was able to pretty speedily play through this one as my hazy memory of a game played over 10 years ago got me through some areas with the added bonus that items you can interact with are now highlighted got me through others.
The game itself should prove fun for point and click enthusiasts but there are two issues I can't help but point out. The music, while haunting and mood setting at first gets rather repetitive as you play on. If there was a bit more variety to it, even small changes, the entire setting would be much more immersive. My second complaint? While this is being released episodic I feel the price is too high for the length of the game combined with how close to the end of the first chapter they ask you to make the payment. If the price unlocks further episodes at no additional cost it is worth it though it's too early to say if that's the case.
Description: Do you love to kill zombies? Do you love shooting them from moving vehicles? That is the purpose of Zombie Derby. Your mission is to battle through hordes of the undead to get to safety. In doing so you get to pick from a variety of upgradable vehicles an go on a zombie killing rampage! Just be careful to properly monitor your ammo and gas to get from one area to the next. Be careful though as the roads are dangerous and are full of obstacles and undead.
It's hard to picture a side side scroller where you pilot a car shooting at zombies as something that could truly be fun but Zombie Derby is able to do just that. In fact it's so fun you're going to want to play through it a couple of times!
Review: Graphically Zombie Derby puts things in an interesting perspective. You are basically playing a side scroller with 3D graphics. It's a style that was very popular on consoles for awhile but hasn't made a big mark on mobile platforms. Until now at least. Zombie Derby is an absolutely beautiful game. There are 4 gigantic levels for you to explore through with the option of 5 upgradable vehicles. While it may seem a bit repetitive hearing that with only 4 levels, the variety of vehicles and ways to play with each one make it absolutely worth it. Also if you have fun upgrading your vehicles each of these have 15 upgrades to go through from earning experience going through the levels.
It's not just about killing zombies though. You have to watch your gas and ammo reserves to properly get through the levels. While you can plow through the undead with your vehicle that's going to dock you some gas with each kill so you may want to make sure your ammunition is stocked up.
The best part? Zombie Derby is free to play and while you can use in-game purchases to unlock upgrades quicker they aren't necessary to beat the game. Nor is the game made so hard without purchasing upgrades quicker that you'll be eyeing your credit card to get at it as some in-game purchases are almost required for a win these days.