Age of Zombies Review

With the plethora of dual stick shooters hitting the iOS App Store, there are a few that stand out due a popular character or some interesting game mechanics. A lot of the games in this genre are addictive for a bit and then lose their luster rapidly as the games become very repetitive. The most recent addition to the overcrowded pool is Age of Zombies, an above average specimen.

For everyone that doesn’t know what a dual stick shooter is, I added this little section to give you a crash course on what this genre entails. The player takes control of a character using on digital controller to move and the other to aim weapons against his or her adversaries. This rather simple gameplay mechanic allows a player to let out their aggression against a mob of opponents with a massive arsenal at their disposal…if the player can make it to the power up.

Starting its life on the PSP and PS3, Age of Zombies “came back from the dead” and is now available on all of your favorite iOS devices. In this dual stick shooter, the player takes control of Barry Steakfries as he falls chases down a mad scientist who sent zombies throughout the different eras of time to infect anyone. This is a good point to warn anyone who is easily offended that this game has some lewd moments. If you can ignore this or just enjoy bathroom humor, this game will provide a ton of enjoyment just from the script.

As Barry shoots his way through time, the player can pick up different weapons (he starts out with a pistol that has unlimited ammo) that have a set amount of ammunition but provide a nice advantage against the massive zombie hordes. Using the weapons against the zombie masses definitely brings forth a good feeling as Barry plows through them. One nice little touch are the bosses at the end of each era. They have some nasty abilities that can ruin your time travel trip rather quickly.

As with most games, achievements play a large role in a player’s social standing and this game is no different. The player has the option of choosing either OpenFeint or Game Center to handle their achievements. Personally, I use Game Center as everything is more integrated versus having to worry about which service all my games are on.

Overall, the touch controls are responsive, the game is immersive, and for $2.99, a lot of game time can be garnered from the purchase. The developers are also good enough to make the app universal, running on both the iPad and the iPhone/iPod Touch. My only concern with the game is that once it has been beaten, if there are no extra DLC packs, the game will be thrown to the wayside and forgotten. I do hope the developers continue to support the title with more weapons, foes, and levels. Other than that, what are you waiting for, purchase the game and shoot up some zombies!