Zombie Apocalypse XBL Arcade (Review)

First off the music is straight out of 28 Days the movie. The mood is set almost instantly; you begin your quest with one of the four: Harlan, Natalie, Jimmy and Ed. The job here is very simple. Kill as many zombies as you can before becoming a snack.

Zombie Apocalypse starts out quick and easy; you pick a character, get a toe tag and then become a huge meal with a large “X” on your back. As you blast your way through 55 long days (which seem like years), you bring the fight to them with an arsenal of chainsaws, SMG’s, rocket launchers; the list goes on. Each day you end up doing the same thing and that is surviving another night. You must fight your way feverishly to the end. There are boss battles in-between to break things up; it keeps everything fresh and at a fast-pace. If you love arcade games then this title is for you. ZA is a straight-up shooter and a great one at that. With only a total of 5-6 arenas to play through, it’s not really about the environments as much as it is the game mechanics.

The game offers 6-8 hours of gameplay in single-player mode (not counting online multiplayer). As you progress through the single-player campaign, you unlock other game modes and different difficultly levels for the ultimate hardcore player experience.

The multi-player experience is just as good as the single-player campaign. With up to four other players in the mix you get to slaughter hordes of zombies flooding the streets; it keeps you alert and on your toes. The one thing I didn’t like about multi-player was that all players didn’t get their own chain multiplier; everyone shares the same one. This means if one of you die everyone pays the price. This means you need to stick together as a team or you will find out quickly what it means not to be a team player. Not working as a team will reward everyone with a multiplier that resets back to one. I am not saying that needing teamwork is a bad thing; I find it really refreshing that people can’t play the lone-wolf and try to win the game on their own.

So the key to winning is simple: if you want to end the battle with the best hi-score possible, you have to work at it together and make sure everyone is alive and safe. The only learning curve is finding people that are willing to do this as a team. Making the Top Leader Board will not be easy if you don’t have a lot of friends who are willing to work together with you. Over time you will make friends that will want to achieve the same goals as you, but finding them won’t be easy.

ZA has some of the nicest graphics seen in an overhead arcade shooter. The sound effects are spot on with something you would hear from a Night of the Living Dead movie and falls into place perfectly.  I loved Zombie Apocalypse to the bitter end. I was sad to see it end, but like all good things they must come to an eventual end. If you are looking for an action-packed zombie rush like no other, check out Zombie Apocalypse where the action doesn’t get dull for an instant. ZA is well worth the 800 MS points they are asking for it. It’s little to ask for this Zombie packed title. Check it out today.

Score: 9 out of 10

James ‘DaRipp3r’ Pittaro