25 Apr 2019
April 26th marks the launch of the zombie-game epic Days Gone. Created by Oregon-based studio, SIE bend, who have taken influence from their surroundings and their devs love of motorbikes to create this open-world epic. Since the game was first showcased all the way back at E3 2016, there has been a decent amount of hype, and a lot of terrifying horde gameplay reveals. After a delayed release date players will now be able to get their hands on the epic very soon. Sony exclusives with April release dates have been incredible of the last few years, so here's hoping that Days Gone can follow in the footsteps of Horizon: Zero Dawn and 2018's God of War.
The release of, what could be, the biggest zombie game of the year, got us thinking about other games that sit within the zombie genre. There's been so many throughout the years, we thought we'd take a look at some of the best!
Valve's classic co-operative zombie games were one of the first games that sprang to mind when we were thinking of really fun zombie games. Released all the way back in 2004 and 2009, the LFD games managed to mix challenging levels, fun gameplay mechanics and genuine tension and fear, remember the crying witches? Fans continue to call for a third game, but nothing has been teased by the games developer Valve. Although there may not be an actual LFD3 on the horizon some are touting the new World War Z game as a spiritual successor.
World War Z also has up to four-player split-screen co-op gaming option, like the LFD games of old. Split-screen or sofa-coop games seem to be losing popularity with game developers in recent years, with them instead of opting for online multiplayer that requires multiple systems and strong internet connections to maintain the play.
You can't talk about zombie games without mentioning the Resident Evil franchise. With the release of the first game all the way back in 1996, there has been over 20 games released in the universe of the Umbrella Corporation, including remakes of some of the more popular titles. The Resident Evil 2 remaster released in 2019 was met with acclaim from players and critics alike. The completely re-vamped game carried on the gauntlet set down by Resident Evil 7 of much darker and more atmospheric Resi games. Can we hope to see a remastered Nemesis on the horizon with Resident Evil 3? Your move Capcom.
Has there been a more popular extra-content feature on a game than the zombie's add on for Call of Duty? It was first introduced for Call of Duty: World at War, release all the way back in 2008 and we collectively spent hours and hours and hours taking down the dead-Nazi horde. The addition of Nazi Zombie DLC for more recent Call of Duty games shows how the levels have continued to capture gamers imaginations. Here’s to more zombie appearances in future COD installments.
From FPS nerve-wracking zombie experiences to something a little more mass-appeal. The extraordinary success of Plants vs Zombies with its accessible format, replay-ability and colourful characters has made it into an international phenomenon. PvZ has spawned multiple sequels across multiple platforms ranging from third-person shooters, to tower defense and mobile games. The mobile game has been downloaded millions of times, it looks like we're happy to defend our houses from zombies with dangerous plants in the garden for many years to come!
Throwing it all the way back to 1998, the PS1 classic MediEvil is definitely a bit less terrifying than the screaming hordes of zombies in Days Gone or World War Z. As the evil incarnations of Zavok’s dark magic, the Zombies in MediEvil stop at nothing to get their next meal. The zombies are the easiest enemies to defeat in MediEvil, it really doesn’t take much to bring them down. They’re the only enemy that spawns in the Graveyard, they’re slow and dim-witted just as zombies should be!
Let's finish off on another PS4 exclusive. The Last of Us might be one of the biggest zombie(ish) games of the last decade. Naughty Dogs post-apocalyptic future saw the world over-run with fungus-infected humans called Clickers. Considering how terrifying these zombie-like creatures are we think these definitely count. As with all good zombie stories, it's not always the Clickers that are the most dangerous creatures out there, the human enemies can provide just as much of a challenge. The second game in the franchise could possibly be released later in 2019, and fans everywhere are waiting with bated breath for a confirmation of that date. If you haven't checked out the Last of Us yet, there's never been a better time!
Happy Zombie-slaying 🧟
Posted by: Abbie Dickinson, Digital Marketing & Communications Manager, Games Jobs Direct
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