There are No Good Zombie Games

Zombies are the new World War II of gaming. You have the juggernaut that is Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2, indie titles such as Zombie Apocalypse among others, re-releases, and even DLC for other titles that have little or no reason to include zombies in their game world. I could go on but suffice to say there is alot on offer for fans of the walking dead. Amongst all these titles there are definitely some great games worthy of attention, but thus far there has not been a good zombie game. Across all these titles the zombies merely serve as the AI opponent, the antagonistic force to be overcome, they hint at the horror of the cinematic source material only through the blood splatters and flying limbs. 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. The Survivors in all these games are players or npc’s that are alligned with the you from the start, they never betray you to save their own skin.

As gamers we are not exposed to what makes Zombie films so interesting. The Boss Battles in Dead Rising show that people can abandon humanity in the event of a zombie apocalypse but it doesn’t go far enough. The ‘bosses’ are always antagonistic, there is never a suggestion that they might work with the player. Left 4 Dead is designed carefully to reward cooperation and survival, it wants the players to win and to feel like a team. If you have seen George A. Romero’s “…of the Dead” films then you might be aware that Cooperation and Survival are themes presented alongside Selfishness and Heartlessness. I would love to see betrayal as a realistic option for particular moments in Left 4 Dead games but that is not the direction Valve is going.

These titles can be great action games, but they represent a missed opportunity. Zombies have become the World War II of gaming because they are the thematic filter that allows for the action genre to advance in mechanics and design. All I can do is hope that game designers recognize the full range of experiences possible in the material they are using.

This post was originally made on my blog Binary Swan

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Lance Darnell

October 27, 2009

Great post, Gerard! The original B&W; Night of the Living Dead is nothing like modern zombie games. Modern zombie games seem to resemble 28 Days Later.
Your post made me think of what it would be like if a game allowed you to take a headshot of a loved one, and that face would be on every zombie in the game. Oh, that sounds really bad - forget about that.... :o

Gerard Delaney

@Lance: 28 Days Later is a good example, the soldiers only seem like friends for a few minutes before becoming monsters and the ending didn't feel right either. Zombieland is another film to consider as it seems to take more from Left 4 Dead's approach to the genre than any movie I can think of

Andy Phifer

You're totally right. How many bullets did they shoot in Night of the Living Dead? A real zombie game would be about fortifying the base and trying to convince people that your plan is the best.

@Gerard - I may be way off, but Left4Dead always reminded me of From Dusk till Dawn. Is Zombieland worth watching? Or would I get more excitement from playing Left4Dead?

@Lance: I haven't seen Zombieland as yet (Australia has a regional handicap), my comments are based on what I have heard others say about it so I can't really comment. Saying that Left 4 Dead is a must play for everybody in my opinion

@Gerard - I am well aware of the Australian Government's problem with freedom of speech. Aaron Betts, a fellow Aussie & Bitmobber, has done a wonderful job of informing me:
http://bitmob.com/index.php/mobfeed/australia-laws-life-and-games.html

Kevin Zhang-xing

When I read this post, I was all like "What?!", but you do strike a point. However, I loved Plants Vs. Zombies, and the Zombies not only acted as enemies, but enemies on a mindless path of destruction, and they are a MASSIVE comedy source in that game. It certainly isn't scary, but it's definitely a great zombie game.

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Evan Killham

It's not a zombie game, but I think The Thing (almost) accomplished what you want as far as betrayal from companions. You pick up followers throughout the game, and you cooperate with and protect them in order to progress, but there is always a threat that they can turn into monsters any second. Of course, the game turned out to be a lot more scripted than that, but the idea had potential.