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Zombie Shooter 2
Sigma Software
Game details:
Release Date: Sep 23, 2009
Genre: Isometric third-person shooter
ESRB: Mature
Platforms: PC only
There are multiple things about zombies that entice people: the fact that only a headshot would kill them, the fact that there are many of them and no way of winning, or simply the fact that you can just blow their brains out without being sentenced to life in prison. It's the latter that the cleverly named Zombie Shooter 2 stands for, and boy it does a great job at it. Sigma Software has adapted the advanced 2D engine of Alien Shooter 2 to get extra atmosphere out of the popular zombie motif, and what came out, while not very original, is a great product to waste some hours on.
About the game
Zombie Shooter 2 is an RPG, and a shmup (shoot'em'up). Think of Diablo interbreeding with a turret defense game in which you aim the turret. That's what Zombie Shooter is. It would be enough said, but not everybody knows what that is. Basically the game features an isometric perspective, along with tons of Zombies you can slaughter, a lot of ammo to pick up so you can keep firing, and guns to fire said ammo. Also, secrets. It's a very addictive game, not too hard, but frantic and explosive later on.
Starting out
You start the game with a selection of multiple characters, with different stats depending on what you choose or a default load out. The basic story of all characters is that you are on a quest to save your unnamed sister from the great corporation known as Magma, which, as it seems, is the source of a great big infection that has all the people eat brains. As such, you lead the story of a badass dude that manages to be far more effective than the US army, is gifted with cars and tanks to move on with his quest, and ultimately destroys the great evil in the Magma Corporation so that everything would be nice and ok again. The dude or chick you start with has a basic weapon, barely more than a pistol usually, just enough to make do.
Going awesome
Going through the game leads to an interesting departure from normal zombie games. While you start as a normal zombie inspired game, with basic guns and shotguns and shambling zombies, you quickly get to see that this isn't your everyday Romero zombie game - later on you get to see zombie soldiers who are able to shoot guns, even after being shot a bit they would still try to shoot you, and after being badly damaged, their ribcage opens up to reveal some kind of tentacle monster who would come up and slash you. It's more of a mutant type virus this, the type of which you see in Resident Evil and the like, mutating their victims into brutes, monstrosities and the ever annoying rocket launcher types. Moving into the game you gain more and more weaponry, some of which you may find in hidden locations, most of which you will use your hard earned money to buy, going from nail guns to full blown plasma cannons. Apparently Magma corps had much more under its belt than portals to alien worlds and zombie viruses. You will encounter military encampments, crazy dudes who want to get you along for a ride in an old car with a big Gatling gun on top, and so on, which while not leaving the game stale, is nothing you may not see before, even though most of the people seem kind of oblivious to the fact that there is a zombie infection all around them (most of them don't seem to care).
Atmosphere - Zombie Black and White
The atmosphere in Zombie Shooter 2 is one you would expect from most zombie inspired games - spooky neighborhoods which are very sparsely populated usually but with plenty of enemies to kill, sewers, caves and high-tech facilities (this last one is characteristic of Resident Evil). You get classical zombies, complete with fat ladies who are harder to kill and puke to attack, normal soldier zombies who inexplicably can still shoot with their weapons, and huge mutated zombies that you have to unload plenty of rockets at in order to defeat - all painted in an eerie black and white that pops the red blood out. Everything looks lifeless and appropriate at first. Yes, at first, because while it seems creepy in first hour of the game, it all blows out in a zombie slugfest later on, which makes the black and white setting feel tacked on. Also in the beginning of the game, the atmosphere is more horror-like because you seem to be fighting for you life - hence the term survival-horror, but later on you are pretty much looking for zombies to kill because of how godly you become. The music is spooky when nothing is happening and explodes into techno madness when all hell breaks loose, sometimes feeling a little bit extreme, but nonetheless appropriate.
Graphics - 2D cool
The graphics in the game are an odd bunch - it looks great when you look at it, but you can't look away from the fact that it's a bidimensional game with 3D objects tacked on. It still is one of the best looking 2D games out there, and does the job right when it comes to the isometric perspective, although it is exactly the perspective that doesn't lend itself well to the type of game Zombie Shooter 2 should have been... or perhaps I'm just wrong - it is a Shooter, isn't it? All around, it looks great, the gunfire looks powerful when it should and all zombies die in spectacular ways when you use high powered weapons on them. It all looks as it should.
Stomping to conclusions
Zombie shooter 2 is an ok, albeit small, game. While it doesn't have much of a story, nor much of a consistent difficulty curve, the game is a great time sink for what it does. It's a game that will make you enjoy blowing away zombies in the few survival modes and campaign it has, but won't be memorable for it.