World War Z
ONLINE ROMP REVELS IN SAMEY, SPRINTING UNDEAD ACTION DAVE MEIKLEHAM
PUBLISHER FOCUS HOME INTERACTIVE / DEVELOPER SABER INTERACTIVE / RELEASE DATE OUT NOW / COST £34.99/$39.99
078 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE
undead classes that include Mr Spitty
So-And-So, Charging Bastard, Lurking
Creeper With Boundary Issues and
Loud Jerk That Alerts All The Other
Zombs To Your Presence? Of course.Undead to rights
Though World War Z is undoubtedly
derivative, at least its core mechanics
are fairly well executed. Gunplay is
reliable, responsive and agreeably
meaty, while the globe-hopping four-
chapter campaign is pleasingly varied.
Whether you’re wasting zombies on
the ruined streets of Manhattan,
fighting off hypothermia and the
undead in the snow-covered squares
of Moscow, or trying to catch a ferry in
a dystopian, albeit autumnally pretty
Tokyo, the end-of-the-world scenery
is arguably more engaging than either
of Valve’s definitive online efforts.
The underlying tech powering
these vast undead hordes is also
quite impressive. Is World War Z
a technical knockout? Hell no.
When it comes to base looks, the
scrappy action – full of clippingNo, Brad Pitt isn’t in
this decomposing,
late-to-the-party
spin-off. Deal with it.
While it’s a bummer
that Hollywood’s
most handsome mug doesn’t grace
this chaotic, graceless, yet ultimately
likeable Left 4 Dead wannabe, at
least Saber Interactive used the cash
it could have spent on Mr Durden’s
impeccable face on almost limitless
piles of zombie flesh. Thought Dead
Rising had a lot of coffin-dodgers?
Think again.
Spend even the briefest of moments
in World War Z’s company and you’ll
come away feeling like you’ve been
transported back in time. Scrunch
your eyes a little, picture Gabe Newell
whispering sweet nothings in your
soon-to-be-chewed-off ear, and you
could well be playing Left 4 Dead 2.5.
A four-player co-op campaign
that revolves around slaughtering
hundreds of zombie pests? Check. A
constant need for tactical gunplay and
selfless revives? You bet. Specialist
and unconvincing animations – is
about as visually arousing as a plate
of steamed asparagus. Still, when
the zombie posses amass (and boy,
do they ever) the sheer spectacle of
seeing hundreds of sprinting cadavers
advance upon your squad’s position is
both alarming and stirring.
These swelling masses of rotting
humanity don’t just provide impressive
window dressing: such heaving corpse
piles also present tactical challenges.
When the undead begin to swarm –
most missions have at least one
set-piece where you have to stand
your ground against hundreds of
enemies who all pile on top of one
another – you’re forced to take steps
to beat back their numbers with as
little ammo as possible.
Example? In a cute move that
recalls the orc-smashing fun of the
Battle Of Helm’s Deep from The Lord
Of The Rings: The Two Towers, you
can send those zombie crowds
toppling like a flesh-eating house
of cards. Simply aim for the
ghouls propping up the undeadshort
cutWHAT IS IT?
An online adventure
where you kill all of
the undead.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
Valve’s Left 4
Dead 2... but a full
decade later.
WHO’S IT FOR?
Co-op fans who like
shooting athletic
corpses.