Dead Nation is a downloadable title created by Housemarque, the developer behind the magnificent Super Stardust HD (also downloadable on the PSN). Dead Nation uses the same basic mechanics as Super Stardust (Left Stick moves, Right Stick aims) but adds a little more complexity, by introducing several different types of weapon as well as grenades, mines and more. But what sets Dead Nation apart from all the other zombie shooters out there? Well, for a start, the price point is low indeed.

From the moment you start the game, it is clear that Dead Nation is a much grittier, darker experience than that of its cousin, Super Stardust HD. The game’s storyline states that you can only travel at night, so dark, eerie environments are the norm. You’ll visit hospitals, parks, trainyards, harbours, and many other areas of cities in your adventure – each with its own tactical advantages and disadvantages.

And that’s what this game’s all about; behind all the action, the shooting and the creepy alleyways; it’s all about tactics. As the difficulty increases of the game increases (there are five difficulties to choose from), so does the importance of good tactics. Obviously on the lower difficulties, where you’ve plenty of ammo and weak enemies, you can blast through the game with very little strategy; but on the highest difficulty, you have very little ammo to spare, and your enemies can take you out very quickly; meaning you quickly have to develop special tactics according to the situation that you’re in.

You can even use the environment to kill your enemies.

Otherwise, the gameplay is incredibly fun, not to mention addictive. There are about a dozen different weapons which you can buy throughout the game, each with several upgradable parts such as clip size, blast radius and fire rate to mention but a few. This adds a further tactical edge to the game and gives the weapon system a little more depth than the simple “aim and shoot” manner of the game at the outset. Also at your disposal are secondary weapons like grenades, mines, molotovs – extra items which really help when you’re in a pinch.

The harder difficulties will give your enemies more health and stronger attacks.

There are also many other elements to keep you playing, such as various treasures laid out through the levels which can be used to purchase better equipment, or even acquire better armour! Then you can play with another friend in the co-op campaign (which is identical to the single-player campaign), whether local or online. Of course you can play through several times on different difficulties to really test your skills – even the most skilled of players will find some trouble with the highest difficulty level.

The lighting effects and graphics for the game are completely sound, and although not quite as spectacular as Super Stardust, Housemarque have definitely conveyed the right feel and atmosphere to the game just through the various lighting effects, weather and brilliantly detailed set pieces, so much so that it feels unfortunate that the entire game is set in the dark (even if it does add to the mood).

One of the highlights of Dead Nation is its lighting effects.

Compared to most arcade titles, Dead Nation’s storyline is surprisingly long – about 6-10 hours in length depending on if you speed through or hold back and collect all the treasures. You certainly won’t play through just once though, and if you want to keep playing until you get that Platinum, it’ll take anywhere between 15 and 30 hours to do (since difficulty trophies stack, so you’ll have to play through up to 4 times).

Dead Nation promises a gritty, addictive, pick-up-and-play attitude that only arcade-style titles can emulate, yet it delivers on all those fronts and more. The story isn’t particularly necessary to the game (rarely do we find a ‘necessary’ story within an arcade title) but the gameplay will keep you playing regardless. Whether you’re a newbie to the zombie genre or a long-standing survivor, Dead Nation is sure to please everyone – especially when you’re looking for a quick, simple game of tactical yet mindless zombie shooting.

 

Credit: Ben Ryman

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