Good zombie games?

[Jeivar]

It seems there are quite a lot of indie zombie games on Steam. With the autumn sale on, I'd appreciate some recommendations/warnings. Which ones are actually fun?
I'm mostly looking for single-players games, but I guess I am open to good MMO's.

[Maxios]

The Dead Linger is pretty good, in my opinion. It's not very well-optimized at the moment, and a large update is set to come out in two weeks. The update's going to add in hunting, deer, a few new building types, very basic item crafting, and new items.

I know a lot of people are fond of Project Zomboid, but I personally dislike it. The developers and community talk at length about how "realistic" the game is in its current state, yet it feels very arcade-ish at times.

A good, free zombie survival game is Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead (though it isn't on Steam). It's a roguelike that's updated every few weeks. There was a thread about it, but it seems to have dropped from the first page. It's, for the most part, extremely realistic and brutal.

I haven't heard a lot of good things about State of Decay. From what I've seen from videos, the writing/voice acting is pretty poor. The combat is also very cartoony, which sort of stands out from the mostly-realistic vibe the developers tried to have.

I haven't heard a single good thing about Infestation: Survivor Stories (aka WarZ.) It's buggy, full of hackers, microtransactions, and jerk players.

[JeminiZero]

Project Zomboid (http://store.steampowered.com/app/108600/) has a demo, so you can draw your judgements from that.

Aside from those mentioned by Maxios:

Contagion (http://store.steampowered.com/app/238430/) is discounted for the next day or so. I haven't played it, so cannot recommend for or against.

No more room in hell (http://store.steampowered.com/app/224260/) is free!

[Wookieetank]

I found Dead Island (and now Dead Island Riptide since picking it up last week) to be immensely fun. Two words, Torso Ball :smallbiggrin: On a more serious note, actually does first person hack and slash very well and the overall feel of impending doom is rather well done. Minor crafting is also available, in the form of tweaking your weapons, electrified cudgels, flaming swords, and the like.

[Tylorious]

The best zombie game i have played, and i have played quite a few, has to have been state of decay. Beautiful gameplay and survival as a group. You get a base and upgrade it to keep it safe. It just feels good to play.

[dirtytricks]

I spent less than $20us on Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon city(ps3) and was blown away. Very fun single player campaigns and a very unique(but good!) MP setup

A gem of a spin-off by capcom

[Tebryn]

I'm just going to say, skip the demo for Project Zomboid and get it. It's awesome. Best Zombie Game on the market.

[MLai]

I felt like a bite-sized zombie game, so I recently got Deadlight (with soundtrack) for $4 during the Steam sale. :smallsmile:

I... oh shoot, I didn't even realize I did that thar.

[BeholdenCaulf]

If you don't mind story-driven games and are willing to sacrifice a fair bit of action for a unique gameplay experience that really gets to the heart of what zombie survival is about (don't fear the dead, fear the living) then it has to be the walking dead game

It's beautiful, the ending will make you cry

Whatever you do though, do not confuse the aforementioned walking dead game based on the comic books for the walking dead: survival instinct based on the tv show which is a disgrace to not only the genre and the entire video game industry but also an insult to the gift of life itself which was heartbreakingly squandered in creating such a horrific, bottom of the barrel crapfest

State of decay is alright, good even but you have to really force yourself to play it sometimes

The last of us is the bomb but I think it's a ps3 exclusive

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Minecraft has Zombies and Skeletons...:smallwink:

[Wookieetank]

Minecraft has Zombies and Skeletons...:smallwink:

As does Terarria! :smallbiggrin:

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Play TF2. Get on a Zombie Fortress map.

[GloatingSwine]

I know a lot of people are fond of Project Zomboid, but I personally dislike it. The developers and community talk at length about how "realistic" the game is in its current state, yet it feels very arcade-ish at times.


Whenever the community of a game, particularly a niche game, use the word "realistic", mentally substitute it for "annoying" and you'll probably have a good idea what to expect.

[MLai]

If you don't mind story-driven games and are willing to sacrifice a fair bit of action for a unique gameplay experience that really gets to the heart of what zombie survival is about (don't fear the dead, fear the living) then it has to be the walking dead game
What game type is it? FPS? TPS? RPG? QTE visual novel?

State of decay is alright, good even but you have to really force yourself to play it sometimes
IMO, an open-world zombie survival game that is single-player only... really misses the point. As you said, don't fear the dead fear the living.
However, when you don't put any type of controls into player behavior in a multi-player open-world zombie game, you get the PvP mess like DayZ where a bunch of kids treat it like a deathmatch game with mediocre gameplay mechanics.
The first thing that needs to be done, IMO, is to take away the FPS controls and insert the RE1 type controls. This means you don't get to run n' gun, and act like Rambo. You get to move around and attack clumsily, aka real life. This way zombies don't need to zip around like hedgehogs like in DayZ, preserving the atmosphere/immersion yet still preserving the threat.
Oh, and 1-bite-you're-dead should be a thing. Without it, zombies are just rats and spiders.

The last of us is the bomb but I think it's a ps3 exclusive
It's also available for PC (Steam).

[Hawriel]

Day Z

An Arma 2 mod that is a zombie survival game. It can be rather fun on the lone survival aspect. I have not played it in a long time so I do not know the state of the game now.

The Walking Dead

Tell tail games has a wonderful story for this game. Characters that you can care about and choices that can be hard to make.

[MLai]

Day Z
An Arma 2 mod that is a zombie survival game. It can be rather fun on the lone survival aspect. I have not played it in a long time so I do not know the state of the game now..
I'm pretty familiar with Day Z, and I would advise against it.
It's less a zombie survival game, and more of a "See how long you can survive in a deserted Eastern European countryside where every other player is a deathmatch-addled teenager gunning for your head."
If you're looking for a The Walking Dead TV show experience, you won't find it in Day Z.
But if you like the idea of The Most Dangerous Game, with Sonic-Hedgehog zombies thrown in, then yes Day Z is good.

[KillianHawkeye]

What game type is it? FPS? TPS? RPG? QTE visual novel?

It's basically a point-and-click adventure game, but it's still awesome. There are sequences where you need to react quickly or you (or someone else) will die. The story is superbly well-written.

[Wookieetank]

It's basically a point-and-click adventure game, but it's still awesome. There are sequences where you need to react quickly or you (or someone else) will die. The story is superbly well-written.

My only issues with The Walking Dead is that the farther into it you get the more emotionally abusive it feels. Its a great game and all, just make sure you have time to play something light and fluffy afterwards.

[Kudaku]

My only issues with The Walking Dead is that the farther into it you get the more emotionally abusive it feels. Its a great game and all, just make sure you have time to play something light and fluffy afterwards.

In all fairness, this is something the game shares with both the comic and the TV show.

[KillianHawkeye]

Yeah, pretty sure that the effect is intentional.

[Wookieetank]

Yeah, its why I stopped reading the comics after the prison. *shudder* :smallfrown:

Also has me very timid about looking into S2 of Walking Dead by Taletell.

[KillianHawkeye]

I'm looking forward to it, myself. Saw a trailer for it on my XBox about a month ago.

[Hawriel]

My only issues with The Walking Dead is that the farther into it you get the more emotionally abusive it feels. Its a great game and all, just make sure you have time to play something light and fluffy afterwards.

Emotional abusive?

No. While the game story line can be very dramatic and emotional. Abuse is not even a word I would think of using.

[Kudaku]

The game does occasionally offer you the illusion of choice but no matter what option you try the end result is the same. Abuse might be a strong word, but not entirely out of place.

[Wookieetank]

Emotional abusive?

No. While the game story line can be very dramatic and emotional. Abuse is not even a word I would think of using.

Primary example being: your options are take out a kid, or let the kid's dad take him out. As someone who has worked at a kids hospital for the past 6.5 years, this was just sickening to me. :smallfurious:

[shadow_archmagi]

The struggling-along-at-the-edge-of-death (appropriately enough) Zombie Master will always have a place in my heart, if only for its unique core concept of FPS vs RTS. (It differs from classic zombie games in that one player commands the horde.)

That said, the community is either awful or dead.

[Ozfer]

I know I'm late, but I can wholeheartedly recommend Contagion. The game is hands down the best zombie game I have ever played. There are three basic game modes right now: Escape, Extraction, and The Hunt.

The first two become stale quickly, mostly because there is only one map for each. But this should be remedied with the full release, which will include more maps, plus Steam Workshop integration. Escape is not really my kind of thing, but I could see people enjoying it. Extraction is a little more enjoyable, as you have to find survivors in a town and defend them until escape is available.

But where the game truly shines for me is The Hunt. Even with only two maps, I have played this mode countless times, and had fun every round. It is basically a free for all, where the last man standing wins (But with zombies everywhere). Making noise is basically asking for death, so you will be executing zombies with the most brutally satisfying melee attacks I have ever seen.

Anyway... Yea. The game is great.

[Cikomyr]

If you like the 1-bite and you get infected, then go Project Zomboid.