Night of the living bores: The overuse of zombies in video games

AWESOMEoutof10's Liam Dean laments the over-saturation of Zombies in the medium. "It is such a good premise, in fact, that games designers have been cashing in on it for ages. The zombie game has just been done to death, if you’ll excuse the pun. It’s everywhere you look these days from the tacked on FPS zombie shooting modes of Call Of Duty to the supposedly “shocking” tourist hacking of Dead Island: Riptide. Even though it garnered quite a lot of positive critical reception, I even found the recent indie game Deadlight to be a pretty but essentially boring game that had none of the tense desperation or creeping dread that usually comes with the territory. In many cases, these games feel like rushed and hackneyed interpretations of George A Romero’s masterpiece instead of homages created by fans of the genre. A cynical person could even say that many are shameless cash-ins designed to pique our interests and prey upon our natural curiosity with the undead. I’m afraid I am one of these cynical people."

[Timesplitter14]

DayZ does it very well. So well it might be the greatest, most interesting and most intense gaming experience I've ever had

[Donnieboi]

But that's only 1 game. U do understand that overuse means that most zombie containing games only use zombies as a crutch to sell mediocre games. But it still sells just because it has zombies. I especially despise zombies as dlc. Same game, different coat.

[PopRocks359]

So by your logic, it doesn't matter what the game does differently, it's not worth checking out simply because it has zombies in it?

I wouldn't exactly say Resident Evil, Dead Rising, Left 4 Dead, ZombiU and TellTale's The Walking Dead are all the same game, dude. They all have zombies, sure; but they all provide players with different ways to deal with hordes.

[Flavor]

Overuse of zombies in culture...

Zombies are the perfect entertainment for sociopathic, alienated people.

Alone surrounded by hordes of soulless, hostile, dangerous creatures: this is how sociopaths view the everyday world around them.

[Rainstorm81]

I must be a sociopath but I don't envision people as zombies or zombie-like creatures but more like sheep

[Donnieboi]

But when u say sheep, u mean mindless drones who wander aimlessly and follow what the other "sheep" do, even if it leads them to slaughter. There is a definite similarity. Either way, we imagine that we're killing people for no ther reason than to just do it. No war scenario, no nothing. Just killing "former" humans and we're supposed to think that that is enough of a selling point to want the game? Zombies are overused in a lot games that never would have gotten any play time otherwise.

[Revolver_X_]

The zombie genre is American made. The Walking Dead is the most watched basic television show in America. We love our zombies. Resident Evil, Dead Rising, Left 4 Dead, Dead Island are all decent to good games. They are all relatively different with story and/or mechanics.

Besides, if you dont understand the zombie genre, then you never will. Unlike vampires, werewolves, ect. zombies are the symptom. This is why any good zombie movie/game usually doesnt explain how it started, because it doesnt matter. Its all about the human element. How someones moral compass changes. Who to trust, who not to. Hence both Dead Rising and Dead Island's story.

Vampires and werewolves have been talked about for centuries. The living dead isnt even 50 years old yet. Overused my a$$.

[Myst]

Welp you can add another person to that list then.

[madjedi]

Zombies aren't bad it's just the last 5 yrs or so there are too many zombie orientated games/movies.

It used to be a niche product, unfortunately everyone wants to cash in on the zombie craze.

I have played 2 really good zombie games this gen, burn zombie burn and dead nation, left 4 dead looks real fun, but i never played it. I have gotten burnt out on zombie games, in general and don't like most stupid horror films.

Primarily because i have a hard time, suspending my reasoning during a horror movie. If it is not rational or logical, even in the movies universe, my mind starts ripping it apart as to why it's so illogical or unreasonable. It's probably why i don't own a single horror/killer movie.

I really hope it dies off before long, i am bored with the obsession with the walking dead(not referring to the tv show specificly).

Sorry revolver your ass is wrong, it is definitely an overused hollywood monster atm.

" This is why any good zombie movie/game usually doesnt explain how it started, because it doesnt matter."

Translation because they are too lazy to bother explaining anything or it's so fucking ridiculous you would make people laugh their asses off, instead of pissing themselves.

That and every government and military in the world, is conveniently beyond incompetent to initiate quarantine or sterilization measues on infected populations if the need arose.

"The zombie genre is American made." "We love our zombies." Some of us not as much as other.

" Resident Evil, Dead Rising, Left 4 Dead, Dead Island are all decent to good games." Re and ld4 okay, dr yuck, dead island lol that game was ass and then some, goty edition my fucking ass.

[mixelon]

I'd happily see more zombie games.

A couple of sites (mine included) have good counter-points to the anti-zombie perspective. I can't think of a game where the zombies were detrimental to the game itself.