Infected Review
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"Imagine what it would do to a tree."
Of course the game does encourage you to complete the missions in suitable fashion; times are given to try and beat the scenarios, and if you can then you will be awarded a gold, silver or bronze shield. These shields are necessary to unlock further missions and the money you get for acquiring them is how you can buy new weapons and improve your apparently mentally unbalanced cop's statistics. The missions are varied and somewhat bloody fun, some may have you trying to rid a specific area of zombies while others may have you trying to protect the uninfected from becoming lunch and subsequently more of a problem for you. Now if you are thinking that because your cop's blood allows him to not become infected then he is virtually indestructible, right? Wrong, you just won't turn into a zombie when they attack, they can still hurt you by spitting undead vomit at you and/or otherwise attacking you.
Now for a handheld actioner, the game plays fairly well, I initially was not happy with the controls as you move and look only using the control
nub. I just couldn't move out of the way when I wanted to. Until I discovered that if you hold down the right trigger, the game will lock on to a zombie, allowing you to strafe. This one move opened up a whole other playing dynamic. Moving left and right allowed me to still shoot while dodging the attacking barf and as you get better at the controls you can switch to other zombies while still strafing. Of course you will want to
be very nimble with your fingers as you do use just about every button while in the thick of the action.
"You know Chuck, I don't think that guy was a zombie."
Now where I may normally talk about the game's sound, I think it's important to mention while there is some decent voice acting going on and all sorts of explosions and wet, dripping carnage, the game is not exactly politically correct. There is heavy swearing using all curse words and
some really raunchy, dark humor. I would get into this a little bit more but even describing some of this would probably offend some. Just know that this game is really tailor made for a mature gamer who has basically no problem hearing and seeing awful stuff. Now I personally did not mind this title because having watched as many zombie flicks as I have I have developed an immunity to bad taste, but for the uninitiated, watch out, this title has bite.
And lots of them, getting bitten is fairly commonplace in this title as you will see with the game's slick visual style. There is no denying that
this game was made by people who wanted to play such a beast, but when I say that there is blood and gloop and guts and bile, I am not kidding. It all looks appropriately wet and disgusting and I loved it. When you wear down two or more zombies and they are relatively close to one another, a red glowing light appears, letting you know that a combo will be scored should you shoot your viral gun. And the city, New York, looks pretty good; on the mission load-out screen there is a top-down shot of Manhattan island with all points of interest displayed for you and in-game visuals will have you running down streets and into subways. It all looks like fun and although there is a suspicious lack of vehicles, the game has a dirty, grit feel to it. I will tell you that I thought the intro movie featuring the tree lighting ceremony was quite humorous as the crowd of New Yorkers was about 14 people large.
| Review Scoring Details for Infected |
Gameplay: 7.5
Not too bad, I thought it would be a problem but quickly worked out the
control kinks. I think they could have come up with something better, but as
it is, the controls are more then adequate.
Graphics: 8.3
Funny little cutscenes and way-cool bloody shootouts. This game is designed
like a big-budget zombie flick with more body fluids then I have
ever seen in a game. The city looks good and you can even design your own
character; mine looks like an albino assassin, cool. You can even unlock
quasi-famous people to help you in your never-ending bloodbath.
Sound: 8.1
Those sloppy wet noises are just what the doctor ordered for a game of this
type. Somebody get the barf bag, I hear the sound of a dripping corpse.
Difficulty: Medium
I banged through the first 10 or so missions without too much trouble, I died
a couple of times and replayed some levels because I didn't save the minimum
amount of people, but for the most part it isn't too tough. Of course you can
adjust the difficulty.
Concept: 8.6
Zombies descending on New York during Christmas time. New York is a resilient
city but this game certainly tests it's mettle, somehow I know
everything works out though...
Multiplayer: 8.0
Log on line using the WiFi connection and try introducing your unique blood
signature into the virtual world. See if you can infect the planet or get
munched up by that dude out there called Black Plague.
Overall: 8.2
Yes, this is a hoot of a game to play and again I warn you, only for the
mature. The action comes at you with both barrels blazing and never lets
up. With crude humor, a "B" movie plot and lots and lots of guns, this is a
zombie fan's dream.
Infected Comments (0)
GameZone Review Detail
| Gameplay | 7.5 |
| Graphics | 8.3 |
| Sound | 8.1 |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Concept | 8.6 |
| Multiplayer | 8 |
| Overall | 8.2 |
8.2
GZ Rating
7.4
ESRB Rating
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