Games for Lunch: Burn Zombie Burn

In a nutshell: Smash TV meets Zombies Ate My Neighbors
5/12/2009 7:08 PM | 3 Comments | Page 1 of 3

Developer: doublesix
Publisher: doublesix
Release Date: March 26, 2009
System: PS3
ESRB Rating: M
Official Web site

0:00 I watched a demo of this game for about five minutes at the latest Game Developers Conference. Looked fun enough, but it's hard to gauge until I get my hands on that controller.

0:01 Eerie zither music gives way to a driving guitar beat on the simple title screen. In the background, sepia-toned zombies wander about a yard aimlessly.

0:02 I got a decently broad idea of the game at GDC, but I have no idea of the particulars, so let's jump into the tutorial. "Welcome to Zombie Academy! Day 1 - Basics."

0:04 A Bruce Campbell lookalike in a flaming bowling shirt appears in a virtual environment right out of "The Matrix." He teases his ridiculous pompadour and pulls out a pistol. From a mostly overhead view I get some nice responsive running by tilting the left stick. Tapping the fire button gives faster shots than just holding it down -- that's gonna get annoying. Clicking the left stick brings up pointers to nearby weapons -- nice touch.

0:06 I pick up a chainsaw and tear through 25 zombies in record time. A few of them manage to grab at me when I get close. The characters are so tiny it's hard to discern whether I'm hitting them with the chainsaw or with ME.

0:07 Holding down R2 takes out a torch that can set nearby zombies on fire. Burning zombies are faster and more powerful, but keeping burning zombies around increases your score multiplier. Burning zombies also drop better power-ups. Seems like a good risk/reward structure there.

0:08 Quote of the moment: "I came here today to kill zombies and chew bubble gum. And I'm all out of gum." Duke Nukem is rolling around in his grave.

0:10 Using a single weapon to kill a bunch of zombies in a row builds up a combo meter. I decide to try out the rapid-fire Uzi, along with a lock-on feature that trains on the nearest zombie automatically. Combining these two lets me take out every zombie on screen without even moving. They can't even get close.

0:11 Once I've built up enough combo energy, I can set off a Big Red Button that sends all the zombies into the "Thriller" dance. You HAVE to love a game that has a Big Red Button that sets off the "Thriller" dance. You just HAVE to.

0:16 I'm liking the little time-delayed sticks of TNT in this latest tutorial. I try chaining them together to maximize my score, as the game suggests, but end up blowing myself up in the process. The remote-detonation upgrade helps me avoid this fate. It all reminds me of Bomberman, right down to the kicking.

0:19 Taking a Shotgun to a horde of 50 or so clumped, burning zombies is INCREDIBLY satisfying.

0:21 Defense Mode tutorial. I have to protect a girl named Daisy, who's sitting in a shiny hot rod in the center of the screen. Using the shotgun with auto-aiming makes this incredibly easy.

0:22 I'm loving the new baseball bat weapon. Tapping the attack button makes nearby zombies dizzy, freezing them in place for a second. Then holding it down does a HUGE swing that sends them packing.