Game Reviews

Age of Zombies

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Age of Zombies
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| Age of Zombies

Age of Zombies is like a cheese platter. There are some yummy tidbits and others that are, quite frankly, stinky.

The action is good, though basic and much of the entertainment is dished out as one-liners uttered by hero Barry Steakfries. Yet, for every hilariously absurd moment is a groan-worthy scene that feels forced rather than funny.

It's a mindless twin-stick shooter ideal for a quick play here and there, but it's too sophomoric to be anything but cheesy fun.

Chrono trigger

Steakfries plays the part of unlikely time-travelling hero, wielding a variety of guns including pistol, shotgun, bazooka, and mini-gun against massive zombie hordes. The short adventure starts in prehistory, where you twirl a pair of virtual analogue sticks to mow down a zombified Tyrannosaur. Proceeding levels take you to Chicago in the mafia heyday, feudal Japan, and the distant future.

Superb virtual controls guarantee precise shooting and responsive movement. Age of Zombies isn't the deepest of shooters, but it is among the most fluid and easy to control. Only one complaint can be lodged against it: the default floating control scheme makes using grenades tricky.

Since the analogue sticks and grenade button appear based on where you touch the screen, the grenade button can appear inaccessible at the edge of the display. Furthermore, the button only shows when you have a finger to the screen. A permanent button in the upper-right corner would be preferable under the default scheme, although there is an alternate configuration that does cement the button and analogue sticks in place.

Cheap laughs

Survival mode boosts the game's replay value in light of the short story, as does integration with both OpenFeint and Game Center for leaderboards and achievements. Brevity is surprisingly less of a concern as a result of these features and the attention drawn by its low brow humour.

The jokes are hit and miss. Unfortunately, the misses are lame enough to cut into the fun and give the game a cheap feel. Steakfries often jaws about random stuff that isn't funny or drops a curse word in the hope of getting a laugh. When it comes to this sort of humour, less is more.

There are some clever moments, though Age of Zombies generally tries too hard to clown around and ends up looking foolish more often than funny. It doesn't ruin the fun, well-designed gameplay underneath, but it does make this quick-fire shooter suited to a particular taste.

Age of Zombies

Age of Zombies needs to pull back on the lame jokes to let its nicely designed gameplay shine through
Score
Tracy Erickson
Tracy Erickson
Manning our editorial outpost in America, Tracy comes with years of expertise at mashing a keyboard. When he's not out painting the town red, he jets across the home of the brave, covering press events under the Pocket Gamer banner.