I love zombies. And I love games. But I HATE zombie games.

[Jacco]

Why? Because they are all the damn same. And because its something developers just can't seem to get right.

Recap:

Resident Evil 1,2,3- shitty control and camera system, shitty movement system, shitty gameplay in general. They give you billions of interesting and awesome weapons and then let you use them maybe twice throughout the entire playthrough. Oh, and let's not forget about Capcom's story telling abilities. Resident Evil 4 was fantastic, but I argue that it is not a zombie game.

Dead Rising- Zombies in a shopping mall has been done about 40 times. Soldiers coming to slaughter everyone and in turn getting slaughtered themselves has been about about 100 times. Also, personally, I DESPISE melee combat games. Yeah its fun for the first hour or so shoving paint buckets on zombies' heads and beating them down with coat racks, but then it just turns into a grindfest and because you stay in the mall the whole time, it gets boringly repetitive.

Left 4 Dead- Cool idea, absolutely abismal execution. Only four levels? Are you kidding me? Thats an expansion pack, not a game. And NO ONE EVER WORKS TOGETHER. You need to force people to work as a team, not just throw 50 zombies a second at them and sprinkle in a few absurdly hard to kill monsters every now and then. And the worst part is that nothing ever changes from level to level. The boss monsters show up at the same places, the hordes come at the same time, even the objectives never change.

Dead Island- See Dead Rising and see Left 4 Dead and you have Dead Island.

So. For dicussion value, either recommend some good zombie games or post some ideas you've had that you think would make a great zombie game.

 

[tendaji]

2 words for you. Dead State http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/08/25/a-blood-red-state-dead-state-revealed/

Hopefully it gets made while i'm still alive.

It looked really interesting, but I can't say a turn-based combat system is something I would enjoy in a zombie game. I personally was thinking of like a Fallout layout kind of game when I saw Obsidian. But after reading and looking at the screenshots, that game looks like it isn't interesting enough to pick up.

 

[Strain42]

Plants vs. Zombies

Fun, entertaining, easy.

Of course I'd understand if that's not your cup of tea lol

I agree with you though. I'm not a big one for zombie games either.

 

[Jedoro]

I think one would be fun if it were more like Mirror's Edge:

-Less guns and ammo so you don't feel like Rambo
-Bigger focus on armed and unarmed melee combat, since that's what'd be available
-Higher mobility, because running from something that wants to eat your flesh will jack up your adrenaline levels, and we all know adrenaline is a hell of a drug

 

[josemlopes]

The problem is that most zombies games make their key element killing zombies instead of being surviving a zombie apocalypse. Dead Island was the only game that at least tried to be some of that, but in the end still just about killing zombies

 

[Valagetti]

L4D2 is a great game... only when you play with friends, therefore you play as a team. L4D2 is supposed to like repeative, valve can be like that, But I like the way they pull it off. And the tanks currently spawn really early now, so no the game isn't exactly the same, but yes the objctives are, but i still don't mind.

Black Ops Zombies is quite good as well, better when playing with friends.

 

[Daverson]

My big issue with most zombie games is simple. The zombies aren't dangerous. They've taken zombies, and gotten rid of the one thing that makes then scary. In almost no zombie game (that I've played) are you in any danger of becoming one of the undead. Hell, I don't think I've even seen someone turn in a zombie game (outside cutscenes, but they don't count, because you aren't playing them - you're watching them)

In the movies, you get bit, and it's over. Seriously, try to think of any (good) zombie movie where a characters been bitten has a happy ending, they don't exist. There's a reason for this!

But in the vidja games, it seems there's easily an easily obtained cure, you're character is magically immune, or zombie bites have no effect ingame without any explanation (which is even weirder when it's made out to be a big thing in cutscenes!).

The exception to this is the excellent Project Zomboid, which, in my mind at least, is the only proper zombie game made to date. Shame the whole project seems to have been cursed...

 

[uhddh]

Zombies and zombie games are samey and boring. Games because they suck and have not improved. Zombies in general have been overused and have lost all impact or "scarefactor" if you will

 

[Link4422]

I think one would be fun if it were more like Mirror's Edge:

-Less guns and ammo so you don't feel like Rambo
-Bigger focus on armed and unarmed melee combat, since that's what'd be available
-Higher mobility, because running from something that wants to eat your flesh will jack up your adrenaline levels, and we all know adrenaline is a hell of a drug

Adding zombies to Mirror's Edge seems to be the solution...

 

[Kopikatsu]

My big issue with most zombie games is simple. The zombies aren't dangerous. They've taken zombies, and gotten rid of the one thing that makes then scary. In almost no zombie game (that I've played) are you in any danger of becoming one of the undead. Hell, I don't think I've even seen someone turn in a zombie game (outside cutscenes, but they don't count, because you aren't playing them - you're watching them)

In the movies, you get bit, and it's over. Seriously, try to think of any (good) zombie movie where a characters been bitten has a happy ending, they don't exist. There's a reason for this!

But in the vidja games, it seems there's easily an easily obtained cure, you're character is magically immune, or zombie bites have no effect ingame without any explanation (which is even weirder when it's made out to be a big thing in cutscenes!).

The exception to this is the excellent Project Zomboid, which, in my mind at least, is the only proper zombie game made to date. Shame the whole project seems to have been cursed...

I suppose it doesn't really count because the basic zombies are supposed to be more of an environmental hazard than actual threat, but the upcoming Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City has an infection mechanic. You can be cured, but if you aren't, you go into a semi-zombie state where you're invulnerable to everything but headshots and zombies/BOWs ignore you. If you still go uncured, you turn into an actual zombie and attack your teammates.

Edit: The only zombie games I like are rail shooters and TPS. Sometimes FPSes, too.

House of the Dead and Resident Evil 4, here I come.

 

[Uncle_Brainhorn]

I'm about the opposite. I hate zombies in any form, but I'll play zombie games.

But pretty much only if it has co-op or something, like Left 4 Dead.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

http://www.nomoreroominhell.com/

It's free and playable if you own a Steam version of TF2 (which who the hell doesn't). I like it, because it gives you cannon fodder zombies that are lethal and strong enough for you to stay the fuck back, but they're weak enough you can still kill them.

Due to scarce weapons ammo, HUGE amounts of zombies, and the weakness of melee weapons, you pretty much have to stick together. Every game I've played we always were communicating and helping everyone out.

Plus, I never paid a cent for it.

 

[natster43]

My big issue with most zombie games is simple. The zombies aren't dangerous. They've taken zombies, and gotten rid of the one thing that makes then scary. In almost no zombie game (that I've played) are you in any danger of becoming one of the undead. Hell, I don't think I've even seen someone turn in a zombie game (outside cutscenes, but they don't count, because you aren't playing them - you're watching them)

In the movies, you get bit, and it's over. Seriously, try to think of any (good) zombie movie where a characters been bitten has a happy ending, they don't exist. There's a reason for this!

But in the vidja games, it seems there's easily an easily obtained cure, you're character is magically immune, or zombie bites have no effect ingame without any explanation (which is even weirder when it's made out to be a big thing in cutscenes!).

The exception to this is the excellent Project Zomboid, which, in my mind at least, is the only proper zombie game made to date. Shame the whole project seems to have been cursed...

I suppose it doesn't really count because the basic zombies are supposed to be more of an environmental hazard than actual threat, but the upcoming Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City has an infection mechanic. You can be cured, but if you aren't, you go into a semi-zombie state where you're invulnerable to everything but headshots and zombies/BOWs ignore you. If you still go uncured, you turn into an actual zombie and attack your teammates.

Edit: The only zombie games I like are rail shooters and TPS. Sometimes FPSes, too.

House of the Dead and Resident Evil 4, here I come.

I am also pretty sure that the Resident Evil Outbreak games had an infection meter in them. Where depending on if you were being attacked or crawling it would go up quicker. I don't know if you turned once it filled but I am guessing you do. Also about Operation Raccoon City. I don't know if this will change for the actual final version, but when you finally turn into a zombie, you do not get to control the zombie and you pretty much wait as it tries to attack your team mates until your they kill you and you respawn, if it is anything like the Multiplayer demos at any of the cons.

OT: I would like to see a game where killing zombies would be pretty much your last option. Where you need to avoid them more to get around. Attacking them with guns would attract more zombies to the area, same goes for missing and hitting something else that makes a loud thud, and getting bit would be pretty much it for you, you are now infected and will turn in a short amount of time, making your friends (if Multiplayer) have to kill you, or you have to make the choice between killing yourself and trying to hide it from your friends and infect more people later. This game would have to either have a save system like Dead Rising's, or make it every time you die you have to start over from the beginning.

 

[SaikyoKid]

If you remember the whole PSN debacle not too long ago, you'd remember that one of the free games they had up for grabs was Dead Nation. A simple little game, but probably the most fun I've had with a zombie game in a LONG time, and I've played many zombie games over the years mind you. The controls are very simple (think Smash TV or anything like that), the zombies actually differ as you go from level to level, the weapons actually are quite fun to use, and it certainly has better story telling than Resident Evil. Plus co-op survival mode has probably been some of the best 2 player fun I've had for ages in a game. So yea, look it up. I managed to get it for free but I'm fairly sure it can't be more than a few bucks on PSN by now...


Just a little video to show how it plays.

 

[scorptatious]

Plants vs. Zombies.

It's a tower defense game made by Pop Cap games. Except instead of a tower you're defending a garden using loads of different kinds of plants against different kinds of zombies. It's colorful, humorous, has loads of different game modes, and it only costs $10 on Steam.

I didn't really like tower defense games before, but this game proved to me that if done right, they can be in fact, quite fun.

 

[Torrasque]

Ah, you're like me then.
You hate zombie games because of flaws in the game ruin the whole zombie-ness.
Take RE5 for instance. Not zombies, they are infected. Yet they still get classified as zombies a lot of the time.
Left 4 Dead is a fun game, but the whole "give 4 people who probably don't know how to handle these guns, give them an unreal amount of ammo, and throw zombies at them" kind of ruins the realism. That, and the whole "zombie horde just fucked your shit. MED PACK FIXES EVERYTHING!" is silly when used for zombies.

You have to consider that most zombie games (almost all the big popular ones) are games that have a zombie skin, but are not zombie games. They focus on game play and keeping things fun, balanced, and anything else that sells more copies.

Most of the good ZOMBIE games, are very unknown. There was one I remember checking out a couple months ago that looked very promising (had a very good grasp of realism, very good zombie details), but they had their data stolen, which sets back their projected release date of an alpha. I can't remember the name though, but I'll search for it and see if I can find it.
There was another one that I played during high school that was a sort of turn-based, but I can't remember what it was called either (dead something? /shrug) It had a grid map that you explored as a zombie or human. As a zombie, you destroyed fortifications and attacked humans. As a human, you went from building to building finding weapons, killing zombies, and getting zombie revival kits. Was quite fun, but it went to hell when 80% of the population decided "fuck it, I'm gonna be a zombie".

The zombie games that you would like, are very hard to find.
Just like good zombie movies/shows are very hard to find.

 

[Jedoro]

I think one would be fun if it were more like Mirror's Edge:

-Less guns and ammo so you don't feel like Rambo
-Bigger focus on armed and unarmed melee combat, since that's what'd be available
-Higher mobility, because running from something that wants to eat your flesh will jack up your adrenaline levels, and we all know adrenaline is a hell of a drug

Adding zombies to Mirror's Edge seems to be the solution...

But make it an open world instead of linear, throw in some NPC allies or co-op, and I'd buy that in a heartbeat.