Dead Nation

copied from cheat cc


Braaaaaiiinnnsss


by Amanda L. Kondolojy

When it comes to being a typical top-down shooter, Dead Nation gets most of the basics right. And when it comes to zombie infestation games, Dead Nation also nails the basics. However, in a sub-genre that is becoming more saturated by the week, I think a little bit more is required of a game than just hitting the basics. And that is where Dead Nation unfortunately falls a little flat.

The game's premise is simple and familiar to fans of zombie games. You play as a male or female lead that has found himself in the middle of the zombie apocalypse and is strangely immune to the bites of the undead. Sure, it's a contrived plot, but games like Left 4 Dead prove that you don't necessarily need an epic plotline to move along a great zombie game. And much like the aforementioned L4D, the plot in Zombie Nation never really moves anywhere exciting, and still-frame plot scenes are barely interesting. Still, at least they aren't long, which is a good thing.

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The gameplay in Dead Nation suffers from being too simple, which is more of a problem. You can tell from the time that you fire your first bullet that the developers were trying to create a unique arcade-style experience. The top-down shooting levels are short, with frequent checkpoints and few areas to explore. And while this isn't enough to completely discredit the entire experience, the format of Dead Nation feels a bit too quick to be suited to a console gameplay experience. As I blasted through checkpoints, I felt like I would have gotten more out of the game if there was a little bit more meat on its bones. Though there are certain item drop areas you can check out, they are predictably placed, and the format of the game lends itself to some simple run-and-gun gameplay, especially if you are going it alone.