Concerned politicians and other groups might say video games desensitize us to violence, but I’m actually starting to feel sorry for zombies. Every month without fail, I see several new indie zombie shooters. Like a mindless consumer (which zombies are often said to represent), I am suckered into purchasing at least one, if not two, of these shooters each month. When I think about how many zombies I’ve (justifiably) killed in video games, there’s a part of me that says “Stop, you’ve done more than enough.” Then comes another zombie shooter that catches my eye, and the mindless, gratuitous cycle continues.
- Jed Pressgrove, Fate of the Game
Brash Games: I’m convinced at some point in the future that video game development companies across the world will receive a strongly worded letter from the Zombie union, requesting they stop treating the put upon undead as bullet sponges and cannon fodder and start to treat them as just vitally disadvantaged.
DHGF: Overall, Escape from Zombie City was an interesting title that held my attention longer than I thought it would. For only a couple of bucks, those really into zombie shooters will get their fill as it proves to be a solid title. While it doesn’t reinvent the genre, it offers a few mechanics that keep it from being a plodding run-and-gun game and it wisely tucks in a few rewards to bring players back a couple more times. In a medium chock full of zombie efforts, Escape plays it safe for the most part, but the results are mildly satisfying.
There's certainly no shortage of zombie-themed titles on the 3DS eShop, and it would be easy to lump Escape from Zombie City in with the seasonal shovelware shuffling onto the scene just in time for Halloween — but there's a little more to the story than that. The brainchild of developer Tom Create — responsible for the GO Series on DSiWare - Escape from Zombie City invaded its native Japan well over a year ago, and has just now washed up to infect our western shores.
