Weirdly enough, I had forgotten about the release of Dead Nation, despite being interested when it was first announced. Thankfuly Ben Carey didn’t – he’s played it, and written a reader review for your perusal.
And thanks to Madman entertainment, the best reader review we publish each month will win a prize pack containing ten of the latest Madman DVD releases.
Take it away Ben…
Dead Nation (PSN)
Vampires may have made a comeback in film and television recently, but zombies have always had the upper hand when it comes to video games; in fact, the first zombie game, Zombie Zombie (ZX Spectrum), dates all the way back to 1984. Back in 2010, zombies have once again infected our consoles and it’s up to you (yes you!) to eradicate them.
Loved
Mass Extermination: There is just something so rewarding about running around and gunning down hordes and hordes of zombies. And not only is it fun, but you’re also doing something for your country!
Weapons and Upgrades: Grenades, rifles, and shotguns…what more could a man ask for? Well, with an imminent zombie apocalypse on the horizon, probably a lot more. That’s why, as you work your way through the game, you will gain access to the big guns, such as the Flame Thrower, the Shocker, the Blade Canon, and, my personal favourite, the Rocket Launcher. Each of these weapons is fully upgradable; power, rate of fire, clip size etc. One of my favourite weapons is the Proximity Mine, which, full upgraded, will just sit there explode whenever something triggers it (up to five explosions), which really helps keep the undead at bay.
Story: The story here isn’t out to win any awards, it’s really just there to flesh out the game a bit for those with a taste for something other than just non-stop zombie genocide. The story isn’t mind blowing or entirely original, but it’s definitely nice that it’s there and the accompanying art is fantastic.
Interface and Statistics: I really liked the game’s interface; the colour scheme, the news ticker, and the constantly updated statistics which show, in real time, how many zombies each country has killed and how much of the virus they have eliminated, represented by the virus cycle counter.
Hated
Death Pits: There are some parts of the game where you become confined within an area and set upon by seemingly endless streams of zombies. The way I play games like this is slow and methodical, I like to be able to retreat if need be, so needless to say, a death pit is something I fear and loath (especially in Las Vegas). There are also numerous points throughout where you find yourself surrounded by zombies even though you have cleared out the surrounding areas. Apparently zombies are now quite well versed in the art of spontaneous teleportation and multiplication.
Online Lag: When I played online it lagged a fair bit and eventually kicked my partner from the server. It could have been just us, but I have heard of a few other people with similar problems, which leads me to believe that this is a problem that the team should definitely look at.
All in all, Dead Nation is kick-ass, fun as hell, and good value for money. If you loved Super Stardust HD (made by the same people) but thought that it could have used more zombies, then this is the game for you.
Reviewed by Ben Carey.
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