Zombies, don’t you just love ‘em? Well, they seem to love you as they’re always shambling towards you with arms outstretched. Maybe they just want a hug? Oh no, wait, they’re trying to eat my brains, aaaggggggh!
But seriously, if that’s possible when talking about hordes of the undead – aren’t we bored of zombie games yet? Well, Zombie Army Trilogy puts a new spin on things and it’s actually quite fun as you attempt to save Germany from the rotting Third Reich when Hitler suddenly does something very different to all the Downfall meme videos on YouTube and unleashes the undead when he realises he’s losing the war by more conventional means.
Zombie Army Trilogy features scenarios over three chapters where you play as German soldiers armed with sniper rifles, shotguns, machine guns, pistols and explosives and you can play it either solo or co-op with three other players.
The solo experience gives a slower paced game where you can use strategy when you have to hunker down as a horde approaches. You can then set trip wires, drop mines and throw grenades to turn zombies into gibs and of course, you can keep a distance and do what the game is designed for.
And that is exploding heads from afar through your sniper scope. Look through the sights and you can steady your aim and send a bullet flying through the air, earning points and satisfaction as you do so. Make an extra skilful shot and you get a cool slow-mo of the bullet’s path and an x-ray view of the zombie’s skull! Of course, this is staple fodder from Sniper Elite also developed by Rebellion and it never really gets old. Dead types you can inject with very fast moving metal include your basic shamblers, skeletons, kamikaze sprinters holding dynamite, elite soldiers with lots of health and necromancers who can resurrect fallen comrades around them. You’ll also be facing against other ghoulish snipers who can fly. Fiendish!
Multiplayer is a more hectic affair which is kind of at odds with itself. Although you’re encouraged to work as a team, you also have a scoreboard on screen with places on, which encourages you to actually be quite selfish and try to nick kills off others. It’s tempting to rush ahead but it’s also easy to be downed which can result in early round exits for impatient players.
Special mention also has to be made for the music in this game which is sensational. If you’re a fan of 80s horror movies and John Carpenter soundtracks you’ll really love it when the synths kick in before your impending doom, reminding you of classics such as Dawn of the Dead.
Graphically though, things don’t scrub up as well as I would have hoped. There is plenty of texture pop up, noticeable slowdown and tearing all over the shop. The zombie lurch mo-cap is very good though – it’s almost as if they actually motion captured the real undead!
I have a soft spot for this game. I like horror and I like sniping so I think it’s great fun either alone or in a group, if not a little samey. If you like order, stay off multiplayer but if you want to jump in with some buddies just make sure they’re ready to work as a team or you could end up being devoured early on. Zombie Army Trilogy gets a good 6 out of 10.
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