So Many Zombies, So Little Time
With State of Decay 2 bringing back it’s corpse-filled open world, the zombies have yet another game to add to their ever-expanding roster. Whether you’re already engrossed by what Undead Labs’ latest venture has to offer or are pretty burnt out when it comes to dealing with the dead, it’s easy to forget just how many masterpieces and bizarre concoctions that the genre has sent our way over the years. If you need a reminder on how versatile these reanimated husks can be, then you need to check out these five games ASAP!
#5: “The Typing of the Dead” (1999)
The House of the Dead franchise is remembered fondly for its beyond cheesy dialogue, Tarot-inspired bosses as well as being one of the first rail-shooters to incorporate the undead as antagonists. Harmlessly entertaining but overall a pretty generic zombie-killing experience. You know what isn’t generic? Having to type out increasingly complex words in order to kill an approaching horde. This PC adaptation somehow made the game all the more intense by forcing players to rely on dictionaries rather that bullets. Now that’s outside the box.
#4: “Left 4 Dead” series (2008-09)
The co-op game that managed to strike the balance between true dread and unabashed joy. With up to three friends, players could band together and blast apart encroaching waves of undead to their hearts content. At least until they came across the Witch and found themselves viciously mauled to pieces. While there’s nothing truly horrifying about this series, it still knows how to inject a fresh dose of fear among its audience…even as players are cleaving apart zombies by the dozen with a chainsaw.
#3: “Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare” (2010)
How do you make what is considered the best western game ever made even better? Just add zombies of course. Taking the form of a standalone DLC brimming with cannibalistic content, John Marston’s tale of tragedy is put on hold as he deals with a mass supernatural outbreak. What’s most surprising is just how well the two genres gel together. After all, nothing beats riding off into the sunset when you steed is one of the Four Horses of the Apocalypse, or engaging in a Mexican standoff knowing a well-timed bullet will make a zombified foe’s head explode.
#2: “The Walking Dead” (2010)
Telltales’ magnum opus not only managed to successfully put its own spin on the now iconic property, but also provided a heart-wrenching story that explored how when the dead come a calling, its the living that become the real monsters. The episodic formula, branching choices and personable characters all lent themselves to the overall narrative so well that players were left weeping by the time the game’s conclusion came around. When the zombies become overshadowed by the emotional weight of your ending, then you know you’ve done a good job.
#1: “The Last of Us” (2013)
Instead of walking corpses, we get fungi-infected monsters. Instead of clear protagonists and antagonists, we get flawed survivors and depraved killers. Instead of hope, we’re given a world that has gone to hell thanks to nature spiralling out of control. With a narrative that explores every facet of human desperation, grief and anguish, Joel and Ellie’s journey across the shambles of civilization presents us with countless hardships, whether in the form of the horrifying Clickers or the savagery of man. It’s everything other zombie games wish they could be.
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Best Zombie Killing Games!
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