A new lease of life for these
AS much as I like to think of myself as a woman of culture, with a penchant for Shakespeare, black and white movies, and Classic FM, in reality, I enjoy nothing more than some absolute schlock.
In that vein, Zombie Army 4: Dead War delivers in spades, as it dials up the cheesy horror tropes to 13.
In the best tradition of straight-toDVD B-movies, Dead War takes place in an alternative history, one where it’s 1946 and the dying days of World War II are still spluttering in Europe.
Hitler, on the brink of defeat, has executed contingency Plan Z as a last-gasp effort for victory – and unleashed hordes of undead Nazis on the continent.
The Zombie Army series comes from an impressive pedigree. It started life as DLC for developer Rebellion’s successful Sniper Elite V2 in 2013.
But much like the villainous swarms of shuffling undead, it’s taken on a life of its own.
It elevates zombie-bashing to an art form, allowing players to hack,
ZOMBIE ARMY 4: DEAD WAR
slash, splatter, stomp or dismember the pulseless baddies as they see fit.
There are a weird and wonderful array of zombies to take down – zombies with flame-throwers, zombies with dynamite, zombies that spit, well armoured zombies that refuse to die (again) and commander zombies which cast black spells to summon recruits.
My absolute favourites are the zombie tanks, which chase you down like the demented, halfrelative of Lightning McQueen, spilling zombies from its gore-filled, fleshy insides.
As B-movie-ish as the plot feels, the gameplay boils down to one thing – blasting as many zombies as you possibly can. Few scenes are as satisfying as the blood fountains – small siege areas which require you to kill wave after wave of undead in order to fulfill a blood sacrifice. One of the first I encountered was in a courtyard packed with fuel barrels.
Many of the zombies were carrying oil canisters, ensuring that when they exploded, they took out their blood-thirsty neighbours.
In these scenarios the game’s combo meter can earn you some serious points – but you need to be quick, because if you don’t make a fresh kill before the timer runs out, you lose your accumulator.
Graphically, it’s as gory as a game can get. It delights in its gruesome close-ups, and you can almost smell the rotting, fetid flesh of your enemies as you sink a blade, pop a bullet, or slice a chainsaw through them.
Another beautiful little touch – if you’re playing on the PS4, like I was – is the use of the DualShock controller speaker.
Those venturing to Chateau Mullin in the dead-of-night will often find me playing games – and so it was in the dark, as I returned from the kitchen with a steaming brew that I heard a child-like voice calling from the couch to come back and play. Half-asleep, it almost gave me a heart attack. The cat however, remained nonplussed.
Where Zombie Army 4 comes into its own though, is when you play co-op.
Teaming up means double the fun, and double the carnage – fighting back-to-back with your buddy as Hitler’s hordes surround you.
There is nothing groundbreaking or new about Dead War, and if you’re a fan of this type of game you will have seen all of this before.
But to be honest, it doesn’t matter. Just like the best exploitation, grindhouse, low budget horrors, this works when it really shouldn’t.
It’s a joyous, over-the-top splatterfest that refuses to allow itself to be taken seriously – and I defy you to play it without a smile on your face.
GRU TO BE BACK
IT’S been 10 years since we were first introduced to criminal mastermind Gru, and his adorable minions. Now fans will learn all about how little Gru was set on the path to super villainy in Minions 2: The Rise Of Gru, right.
Steve Carell is back as Gru, who is desperate to join the Vicious 6, who are voiced by actors including Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, and Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean Clawed. More importantly, minions Kevin, Stuart, and Bob are back – with a new minion, Otto. It’s due out in cinemas on July 10.