Serious World War Z

[Rabid]

I wasn't too interested in this when it was announced a year or two back (the movie was fun but as a huge fan of the novel I was sad) but having checked around as it nears closer to release I decided to pre-order it because it looks like a lot of fun.

It works more-or-less like L4D; a co-op based shooter with twelve different characters across three (four including the free one they're releasing post-launch) different campaigns from New York to Moscow and several different classes to pick from and upgrade by playing.

There's up to 500 zombies attacking you at once, a few types of "special" zombies (not really - some may have riot gear on and charge you, some may leap at you teeth-first from a distance etc) and overall it looks like a load of casual fun with friends.

There's also a Player vs Player vs Enemy mode, too.

 

[afric]

days gone but left for dead

looks like the movie rather than the novel

 

[Rabid]

days gone but left for dead

looks like the movie rather than the novel

Yeah, its based on the movie-verse cause the licensing was much easier to get and the main dude wanted to make something fun out of it.

Looks like a load of fun though. There's also a PVPVE mode where its like 4 vs 4 but there'll be hordes and shit invading the map too.

 

[MaXenzie]

unless they do something interesting with it its gonna get really samey pretty quickly

 

[Rabid]

unless they do something interesting with it its gonna get really samey pretty quickly

I suppose, but you could say the same of L4D.

I know they've said that item drops will be random, fortifications will be random for the large siege portions, there'll be an "AI director" of sorts (not like L4D's but along the same lines) to monitor the zombies and how you are doing, etc.

Plus more DLC and stuff coming down the road for free.

 

[Deleted member 61]

i always wished there was a game based on the concepts within max brook's zombie survival guide

this seems generic and uninteresting

 

[Rabid]

i always wished there was a game based on the concepts within max brook's zombie survival guide

this seems generic and uninteresting

Honestly I thought that too but the more gameplay I've seen the more I realised for a cheaper-than-normal game it still looks like a load of casual fun.

 

[Black Rain (1989)]

Great novel, shit movie. I hope it takes its cues from the former rather than the latter. But it doesn't seem that way unfortunately.

 

[Deleted member 61]

Honestly I thought that too but the more gameplay I've seen the more I realised for a cheaper-than-normal game it still looks like a load of casual fun.

if its like 30-35$ title like left 4 dead, I could see it ended up just fine for the market.

good for the shoot em up with pals genre

 

[Rabid]

if its like 30-35$ title like left 4 dead, I could see it ended up just fine for the market.

good for the shoot em up with pals genre

About that, yeah. In UK terms, most games are £45-50 and I got this preordered for £35.

 

[Deleted member 61]

About that, yeah. In UK terms, most games are £45-50 and I got this preordered for £35.

not sure if its showing USD or if its 35 CAD for me, but if it is, that's a good price. checking out the classes, it might compete with the Killing Floor crowd who want to mix it up. credits to them for finding a niche.

 

[Rabid]

Great novel, shit movie. I hope it takes its cues from the former rather than the latter. But it doesn't seem that way unfortunately.

Nah they very much took it from the movie license since it was cheaper and the producer really wanted to make a fun game out of it. This was when they'd finished their other games (the studio is a pretty cool one actually) and wanted a new project.

Which, for what it is, it seems like they did.

 

[MaXenzie]

Nah they very much took it from the movie license since it was cheaper and the producer really wanted to make a fun game out of it. This was when they'd finished their other games (the studio is a pretty cool one actually) and wanted a new project.

Which, for what it is, it seems like they did.

if it has a Valve-tier AI director that changes the mission every time you play it
if it has Specials that are memorable and a threat
if it has an absolute mandatory focus on teamwork

then it'd be fun
if its just "shoot the big number of baddies until they become a small number" then it'll be fun for 3 missions

 

[Deleted member 93]

looks like l4d2 but just carnage
im hyped

 

[Rabid]

if it has a Valve-tier AI director that changes the mission every time you play it

They've already shown that there'll be different encounters, zombie numbers, items and spawns throughout each level, yeah. It reacts to how well/poorly you are doing.

if it has Specials that are memorable and a threat

From what they've shown and said, this'll be the case. They work the same as L4D's in the sense that if they hit you and grab you (I assume they can all fuck you up in one way or another like that) you need another teammate to help you but they're not a 1/1 copy of the Specials, since they're not "mutants", they're just zombies who work differently (ie; big dudes in riot gear or zombies who're a little smarter and ambush you from around corners to jump you).

There's also not as many as far as I know, they have maybe four or five variations.

if it has an absolute mandatory focus on teamwork

See above, yeah. I don't even think you can "speedrun" through alone like you can if you know the maps on L4D given the sheer number of zombies and encounters.

 

[Akula]

Great novel

when the entire US military is completely useless because they use "cold war tactics" which involve one thin static defensive line and also therombaric munitions don't work on zombies because "muh brain" but some weeb on rollerblades with a katana saves the day

 

[Black Rain (1989)]

when the entire US military is completely useless because they use "cold war tactics" which involve one thin static defensive line and also therombaric munitions don't work on zombies because "muh brain" but some weeb on rollerblades with a katana saves the day

I thought the whole notion of shock and awe tactics not working on the zombies was completely rational, given that is what the US military has been working with since the days of Vietnam.

I don't think because you disagree with that it makes it a bad book, I thought the chapters dealing with the Russian Spestnaz and the German tankers was fucking great.

 

[Akula]

I thought the whole notion of shock and awe tactics not working on the zombies was completely rational, given that is what the US military has been working with since the days of Vietnam.

I don't think because you disagree with that it makes it a bad book, I thought the chapters dealing with the Russian Spestnaz and the German tankers was fucking great.

I just think the author fell too hard into the typical zombie trope of "military useless" without really looking into it much, like implying military rifles only fire in automatic and muskets are a better option, for some reason

 

[Rabid]

I just think the author fell too hard into the typical zombie trope of "military useless" without really looking into it much, like implying military rifles only fire in automatic and muskets are a better option, for some reason

I suppose at least Brooks pointed out that it was meant to be a big stunt to boost morale and that they'd literally just underestimated how difficult fighting the entire population of NY would be (not counting the zombies who broke out of houses from behind the lines) and packed the sorts of weapons that would mow down zombies without being too effective on keeping them down when the firepower ran out.

It was a little silly but I'm glad it wasn't a straight case of "well they just...... won."

 

[Akula]

I suppose at least Brooks pointed out that it was meant to be a big stunt to boost morale and that they'd literally just underestimated how difficult fighting the entire population of NY would be (not counting the zombies who broke out of houses from behind the lines) and packed the sorts of weapons that would mow down zombies without being too effective on keeping them down when the firepower ran out.

It was a little silly but I'm glad it wasn't a straight case of "well they just...... won."

It's just a problem I have with zombie media in general really, sure, by all means have some way to get the military defeated but they always do it in the most handwavy methods

TWD is absolutely the worst offender for this, I find it hilarious that because their zombies were so little of a threat they had to show the military getting overrun offscreen because it wouldn't be believeable at all if they showed it happening

just some soldier going "aaaaaa nooooo!!!!" as the camera pans away with screams and gunfire