A Literal Zombie Invasion

Zombies. It doesn't seem likely that their appearance in games will ever diminish. The last couple of years have seen a hefty revival in this slightly lifeless genre, with games such as Call of Duty: World at War, Zombie Apocalypse, Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare DLC, and the recently released Call of Duty: Black Ops all having a strong focus on blasting the heads off of the undead. So how can Dead Nation additionally flesh out a market which is rapidly reaching epidemic levels?

During the introductory loading screens, you are shown a cut scene which effectively establishes the setup. A zombie virus has spread across the globe, reducing the human population down to a small group of survivors who aren't susceptible to it. It is up to you as one of those survivors to make your way across a zombie-infested city, with no clear goal in mind other than scavenging for food, leaving your crumbling shelter behind. As you move along though, certain events will cause you to begin investigating and searching for specific items. As a whole, the game does a pretty good job of convincing you that you are indeed one of the last few humans left alive amid the carnage and that you may well be one of humanity's last hopes of defence against the hordes of undead that surround you. The story that pushes things along is very basic (and slightly reminiscent of the Resident Evil series) and a lot more effort could have gone into it, but it does a decent enough job of keeping you moving onwards and stringing things together.

Gory Satisfaction

Where Dead Nation really begins to shine is the graphics. Played from a top-down isometric view, the visuals really push the envelope, and while the overall story may leave something to be desired, the real atmosphere is created by the environments around you. Real time lighting effects look gorgeous, and every object in the environment casts a shadow, making your flashlight a vital part of your kit since zombies conveniently only come out at night. Levels are detailed and well laid out, although if a Dead Nation 2 is in the cards, a tad more variety would be appreciated, since after a while things do seem a bit rehashed.

Sound has also been given the high standards of Housemarque treatment, with Ari Pulkinen being responsible for the score yet again (he previously worked on Housemarque's highly successful game Super Stardust HD). Sadly music doesn't really edge into the forefront of the game, but rather underscores the tense moments with appropriate pieces. Weapons also sound great, and the impacts of bullets into rotting flesh stand out and sound sickeningly real.

Mind-Numbingly Simple, in a Good Way

The gameplay itself is addictively simple. The two thumbsticks are used to strafe and aim your gun, R1 is the trigger, and you change primary and secondary weapons with the D-pad. If you're completely overwhelmed by zombies you can dash forward by pressing L2, or clear them out by throwing one of your secondary items, such as a grenade or a mine. The environment in general can be used heavily to your advantage, for example; if you shoot a car, setting off a flashing alarm, zombies will flock towards it in droves, allowing you a quick respite and taking out all the zombies around it when it eventually explodes. The same can be done with vending machines, which can additionally eject heath packs.