There are no good zombie games

[J T]

"Zombie games draw heavily from film but do so without ever replicating what it is that makes the movies horrific. Anyone well versed in this particular film subgenre would be aware that it is not the zombies that are the greatest horror. Zombies may produce the most ’shocking’ moments, but it is the degenerative humanity in the survivors that is most horrific. Sure, there are moments of cooperation but invariably it is the selfishness or inhumanity of a survivor that leads to the groups eventual downfall. I cannot recall any game in recent years that has successfully replicated this. " - Gerard Delaney

http://www.binary-swan.com/there-are-no ... bie-games/



He makes a good point. I hadn't thought of this before.

[Ack]

I would argue that part of the problem is that there really aren't too many zombie-based multiplayer games, and that many of them are usually short games, not giving enough time to develop to the point where the cast screws each other over.

In most single-player zombie games, there are only a couple of characters that the plot revolves around, and it almsot never feels like there are enough to sustain the dynamic this guy wants. Still, what about characters like Ada Wong in Resident Evil 2? And the downfall of the S.T.A.R.S. due to a betrayal in the group occurs before you even begin playing in the first Resident Evil title.

But then again, this guy wants more recent examples. What about the psychopaths in Dead Rising? After all, they're the real threats in the game, deranged people that are far more dangerous than the shambling hordes moving through the mall.

[Flake]

I've never played it, but isn't 'Left For Dead' supposed to be a pretty likable zombie game? And I thought Dead Rising was great (except for my playing it on an SD TV, oy).

[J T]

The point isn't that there are not any good games with zombies in them, but that they do not capture the horror of a zombie movie wherein everyone loses their humanity as they struggle to save themselves. Left 4 Dead is a good game with zombies in it, but you really have to look out for each other. There is no benefit in tossing one of your teammates to the horde to save time. Although, I have played with some people that did that, but it wasn't exactly fun.

[OldSchool_Boy]

There is no benefit in tossing one of your teammates to the horde to save time. Although, I have played with some people that did that, but it wasn't exactly fun.

I think that's why it wouldn't work for Multiplayer games. It just wouldn't be fun anymore.

[J T]

Maybe you're right.

As I think more about this, it's basically an example of the old Prisoner's Dilemma.

I read an interesting article about how this applies to cheating in games:
http://www.psychologyofgames.com/tag/prisoners-dilemma/

So, yeah, I guess you could look at online gaming in general as people losing their humanity, and it's not that much fun.

[J T]

Another thought... the dilemma of whether to Save or Harvest little sisters in BioShock does present you with that choice point that you are afraid to face in a zombie film: would I become a monster to save myself?

[BigTinz]

There's a total conversion zombie survival game for Unreal 2k4 that completely destroys this stance.

[the7k]

Yeah, Dead Rising is a decent example, even though it's too comical to be taken seriously. The survivors are a much graver threat than the zombies.

It's not a zombie game, but Kane and Lynch's "Fragile Alliance" gamemode sounds like it would be perfect for this. It's all about screwing your friends over to get more cash at the risk of having less allies and more enemies (your screwed over friends come back as cops). This would make a lot more sense in a zombie scenario, where your friends come back as zombies instead.

[Weekend_Warrior]

I don't understand modern day people's fascination with zombies.

Just a few years ago, I joined a local ghost hunting team that I thought was pretty cool and on the level. That was until one night, when they started talking seriously about how they believed that one day zombies were all going to rise up out of the ground and kill people, and how "cool" that would be. Needless to say, that was one of the last time's that I got together with that group.

Then about a year ago, I came into work and some kid was reading some sort of "Zombie Survival Guide," that supposedly tells you what to do in the event of a zombie attack. I of course rolled my eyes. But became surprised when this other guy chimed in and say "oh cool, you're reading about zombies?"

I dunno. I just don't get it