Dawn of the Lead

Some time ago, at a RPG session me and my friends discussed our dream computer games – in other words, if we could have someone design us a computer game, what would it be like? Unsurprisingly my dream game featured zombies. I framed it as a Jagged Alliance/X-COM style game set in a zombie apocalypse, featuring base and team management, turn-based combat and some RPG elements. Unfortunately, while this is a wet dream for me, no-one would ever do a game like that.

Then I ran into Dead State.

Instead of rewriting everything on their site, let me just quote:

Dead State is a compelling, high-tension RPG set at the beginning of the zombie apocalypse – a deadly illness is rampaging through the world, turning those infected into the walking dead. As society is beginning to fall apart, the player must organize a scant handful of allies, working on fortifying a shelter, scouting for food and supplies, making uncertain alliances with others, and attempting to hold together a group as humanity teeters on the brink of extinction. And although the zombies lurk as an ever present threat, the biggest obstacle to the player may just be other humans with the same goal: survival at any cost.

-Strategic turn-based gameplay: combines single-player character control with streamlined ally AI management, allowing for innovative party control

-Lush graphics: expansive maps and detailed character models brought to life through the power of Torque 3D

-Unique perspective: Combination of classic isometric perspective and field of view based on character line-of-sight allows for a tense and exciting game experience

-Open-ended gameplay: Large explorable world and non-linear storyline allow players to explore the landscape of Dead State freely, and encounter new challenges each time they play

-Engaging story and characters: Story and characters written by veteran game developer Brian Mitsoda (Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines) – features realistic and compelling dialogue and expertly-woven story elements

-Compelling player choice: Players not judged by a linear morality scale, but asked to make difficult and challenging decisions to keep themselves and their fellow survivors alive

-Complex and reactive character AI: Allies react realistically in combat situations, human enemies employ variable tactics against other character, zombies follow frightening mobbing behavior

-Innovative mechanics: Noise mechanic affects how zombies track prey by sound, resource management within player shelter allows for streamlined upgrades and organization of ally tasks

Sure, design promises are design promises, and it remains to be seen how they actually work. If they manage to pull it off, we’re looking at THE PC game for zombie enthusiasts. The game should sport a decent plot, judging from Mitsoda’s Vampire: the Masquerade game which was pretty ace. The pictures below should give some idea of what the game will look like. Click to enlarge to huge versions.

Here’s a PC Gamer article to further whet your appetite.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

Great news for people looking for a zombie western, as it was announced that the zombie content for Red Dead Redemption will be released as a standalone disc, with no purchase of the original game required.

From Rockstar Games’ site:

Also coming soon, Undead Nightmare, a single, stand-alone disc that bundles together for the first time ever, the Undead Nightmare Pack, the Outlaws to the End Co-Op Mission Pack, the Legends and Killers Pack, the Liars and Cheats Pack and all the Multiplayer Free Roam modes released to date.  Undead Nightmare will be available at retail stores everywhere for $29.99/£24.99/€29.99 and does not require a copy of Red Dead Redemption to play.

And here’s a new trailer. I think it’s going to be a must to purchase.

Interesting zombie stuff just keeps rolling in. Here are the latest things that caught my attention:

Left 4 Dead – Sacrifice #3

The excellent webcomic continues. This really is the best zombie comic I’ve read since The Walking Dead.

Click to go to comic

Left 4 Dead – Sacrifice trailer

Speaking of Sacrifice, a lovely cinematic trailer for the new DLC has just been released. Looks mighty tasty, and has got me thinking that it might be time to fire up L4D again.

Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare trailer

Red Dead Redemption, the excellent (or so I’ve been told) spaghetti western game is getting the zombie treatment. The idea of combining zombies and westerns has been around for quite a while, but apart from some comics and low budget flicks, there hasn’t really been much to speak of. The trailer below shows that this combination is potentially a really, really good idea.

Here’s a bit of zombie fun for all you fans of the undead. Binary Space is a Flash game developer, and they’re working on a game called Class 3 Outbreak, with a release coming in early 2010. Rather cleverly using Google Maps, the game is an RTS (Real-Time Strategy) game, where the player uses a meagre police force to try and stop a vicious zombie outbreak.

Binary Space have already released the Zombie Outbreak Simulator, which is a sandbox game previewing Class 3 Outbreak. It’s simple and fun. Just set the number of zombies, the infection time, the number of armed civilians and policemen etc, and watch zombies consume Washington DC.  Despite it’s simplicity, it’s strangely attractive and addictive. I often found myself filling in small narratives, such as when a very industrious policeman put down around 50 zombies in the streets of a residential area, or when a bunch of zombies stormed a baseball field full of people. I also particularly liked my own  28 Days Later scenario, in which I set the zombies’ speed to “very fast” and the infection time to 1 second. Fun was had.

Click on the link below to try out the simulator.

http://www.class3outbreak.com/zombie-outbreak-simulator/

By the way, I noticed that my ad-blocking software for Firefox blocked the game (not really surprising, there is a lot of ad content along with the game), so you might need to disable yours on the game page, or at least create a filter exception.

The Left 4 Dead 2 demo is now playable to people who have preordered it. That would not include me, with my poorly student budget. I can, of course, console myself with the following trailer/opening demo for the game.

And man oh man, that is some sweet stuff. To the people that created the atrocious – and appropriately named – Resident Evil: Degeneration movie: This is how you do CGI zombie action. Oh, and this is how you do dialogue as well. Oh, and characters.

If only we could get a feature-length film of this.

What can I say? I love Left 4 Dead, and the sequel’s due out this November. I’ll let the teaser speak for itself.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Those are indeed hand to hand weapons.

There aren’t too many games about zombies. Sure, they appear in every other first person shooter as generic enemies, but actual genre games are in short supply, especially if you don’t take into account little Flash games such as Last Stand. Disappointingly the excellent game of zombie mall mayhem, Dead Rising, only appeared on Xbox 360, despite all the rumours about a PC version. Apparently Capcom listened to gamers – the PC game market probably had nothing to do with it – and the appropriately named sequel Dead Rising 2 will appear on the PC as well. The sequel is set in a very Las Vegasy setting called Fortune City, with the zombie epidemic running wild throughout the US. The last thing to combine Las Vegas and zombies was the movie Resident Evil Extinction, so the bar really isn’t set very high.

Viva Las Vegas!

Check out the over-the-top trailer with the world’s most hilarious zombie-killing headgear here.

I can hardly wait. This just might be the most zombie fun on the PC since Left 4 Dead.