Kaostic’s Zombie Survival Recommendations

Kaostic Recommends:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - Zombie Mode

Please, hold your nerd rage, at least hear me out. While the Call of Duty franchise is indeed a cash cow, the zombie modes offered within them have been some of the most time consuming and fun games that I have played in quite a long time, the most recent being Black Ops 2.

Although I agree that the game is over-priced and the DLC packs are lackluster, I buy them for one reason and one reason only - zombies. I can justify paying inordinate amounts of money for both my girlfriend and I so that we can have a full squad of zombie-killing maniacs who, together, will kill both time and infected alike. The premise is simple and as long as you have friends to play with, it’s a manic and exciting game to get to grips with, especially in the later levels. It’s about tactics, timing and co-operation; you aren’t going to last very long if your team doesn’t work well together or you have a lone wolf in your pack.

The addition of the ‘Tranzit’ mode in which you travel through a number of different locations by bus whilst fighting off the oncoming horde, is a stroke of genius. I never thought I would associate Call of Duty with genius but it is. This game mode has brought an entirely different aspect to the game and throws a rather large cog into the works as you have to adjust your tactics drastically, working together more than ever to coordinate your survival.

Whilst Call of Duty isn’t to everybody’s taste and is widely known for its ‘fanboyism’, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. It’s a hefty price to pay but if you play nothing but the zombie mode, you won’t regret it.

Alternatively try:

Sniper Elite: Nazi Zombie Army

This is a new game to the market and I was sceptical at first about what it would be like. I really enjoyed Sniper Elite V2 but the multiplayer definitely fell short of my expectations set by the single-player campaign. Within the first five minutes of playing this standalone expansion, I knew that I would enjoy the game thoroughly.

You can play on your own but it’s best to find a team of up to three teammates. There’s no real story and you shoot, explode and kick your way through hordes of Nazi zombies, reaching checkpoints throughout the levels (of which there are five by default).

Whilst this isn’t a particularly challenging game early on, it gets near impossible towards the end, even on the easier difficulties with a variety of zombie ‘classes’ to destroy and kill. You have to utilise different tactics to destroy your foes, learning and adapting to the different environments as you go, making the most out of your surroundings such as hiding on balconies or behind turned-over trucks.

As the name suggests, your main weapon is a sniper rifle and as you’re shooting mainly at long range, you are treated to slow-motion bullet cams of ‘good’ kills such as headshots at a distance. It’s extremely satisfying to see your bullet exploding your Nazi foes and hearing the victories cries over voice comms when your teammates do that same.

You play from a third-person perspective which gives the game much more of a relaxed feel but don’t get me wrong, there are moments where I was either fuming with rage or shouting at my teammates ‘politely advising’ them on what to do.

The War Z / DayZ

These two games are compared a lot and the two communities are constantly baring their teeth at each other but, in the end, I couldn’t care less. Whilst there are big differences between the games, they are both the only mainstream zombie survival simulators and that’s all I care about.

If you’re more the type who likes to ‘go it alone’ and venture out into the wilderness but nothing but a flashlight and the clothes on your back, these are the games for you. You are a survivor of the apocalypse and you have to help this survivor.. survive. You have to creep round buildings, search through bins and mutilate infected tactically. Make too much noise and you’ll be overrun by a horde of them but play it safe and stay smart, and you could just make it out alive, kid.

These games are very difficult to start with, especially if you’re alone. You have to try and forage for weapons and the essentials such as food and water whilst avoiding zombies at all costs. Later on in your journey, you’ll be a lot better protected but then the zombies aren’t the problem, the players are.

You’ll never feel safe in these games. You’ll never have a checkpoint or a save point. When you die, you die. You lose everything on your character and have to start again. When you log in, you’re not sure if you’ll spawn two feet from a player, in the midst of a firefight or in the peaceful hanging gardens of babylon. Because of this, I am always on edge when playing them and can never relax.

These are the only games that have made me physically shake with.. yeah, I guess it’s fear. I fear for my character’s life. The familiar noise of a shot cracking out or footsteps in the grass will make you prone faster than jack rabbit on speed. Heart beating, palms sweating, all you can do is wait and hope you’re not hit over the back of the head or bitten from behind.

They’re intense, scary and not for the faint hearted but very, very fun, especially with a group of friends.