State of Decay

[Teal]

Want to know what it would be like to live the day-to-day life of a Walking Dead survivor? This is it. I was on the fence about picking it up, because I'd heard about some of the jankiness, the occasional stuttering frame rates. But it didn't take long to completely forget about all that because of the sheer terror, and feeling of just surviving that took over. Many games have tried to give a feel of the zombie apocolypse, but fail mostly because the main characters are indispensable. You die, and the game reloads to give you another shot.

There are no main characters in State of Decay, because death is permanent. You have a level 18 fighting machine that gets attacked by a zombie horde and dies? Well, he/she is going to stay dead. The game puts you in the shoes of another survivor in the group. It's an open world game, to boot, and you must scrounge and scrape for supplies, often weighing whether it's worth it to kick in the door of a building because you hear a groan on the other side...or are there more than one?

The characters aren't super-human, either; you can sprint, but only short distances, and if you over-do it, your character becomes very visibly tired, which makes the horde descending upon you even more intense. You can fight, using all sorts of devices, from axes to guns, to even a table leg, but all that swinging will take its toll on your character as well, and they can barely lift their weapon any longer.

Night time is scary as hell if you are caught out in the open. You hear the Zeds (their word for zombies) well before you see them, and when you see them, most of the time, they either walk right past you while you are hiding in a bush, or they've already heard you or seen you and are running in for the kill.

The zombies aren't shuffling slow pokes when they get sight of you, either. They can match you step for step in some instances. Getting in a car or truck provides some protection, provided you are moving, but they will break through windshields, clamor up into the bed of the truck, hang onto the hood...what's really bad is when your compatriots are riding in the BACK of said truck when they climb in!

I've only played about an hour or so, but this is just about the most fear-laden, intense experience I've had in gaming. No, it's not The Last of Us, and it won't win any graphical awards, but it hardly matters. I didn't believe it myself until I got into it, but you really don't care about that stuff once you get wrapped up in it.

Good, good stuff. And there's enough here in terms of game play AND replay for a 60 dollar title, which makes the 1600 points a steal.

[Macca00]

I bought it.

[Danimal]

You can also watch the Giant Bomb quick look at this if you're on the fence. I will get it eventually as it looked like fun but I don't have time to play it right now.

[Teal]

Holy crap...I just lost one of my people. And it AIN'T pretty. Wow. Big f*cker grabbed me and tore me in half. This permanent death thing is going to take some getting used to... Gotta be more careful!

[Teal]

Mark of a really engaging, fun game? Having to get up at 6:30am, and making myself turn it off at 1am. I'm gonna pay for that in a few hours, but dang...I just wanted to keep on playing!

[webdanzer]

Absolutely love it so far. The individual zombies --heck,even small groups-- are nothing to worry about, but accidentally wander into a horde alone while laden with supplies for the base, and uh-oh, the permadeath feature becomes a real adrenaline pumper!

[RallyMonkey]

Teal or Web,

Did either of you play Walking Dead? Curious as to how it compares as it seems similar.

[Teal]

Not similar at all, other than the premise. This is GTA meets Walking Dead.

[Teal]

Absolutely love it so far. The individual zombies --heck,even small groups-- are nothing to worry about, but accidentally wander into a horde alone while laden with supplies for the base, and uh-oh, the permadeath feature becomes a real adrenaline pumper!

Yeah, I did that...at night...with a full rucksack. I was almost back to the church, and ran past a house that was chock full of zombies. Heard the roar, and nearly crapped myself. Zombies came from everywhere, and it was all I could do to get back to the "safe" zone. It wasn't safe, because they all poured in with me, but the others came running with guns,and bats. I went down and had to jam on the A button, but managed. The really creepy part was when I lost my female character, and had to go on a mission to retrieve the supplies she left behind when she died.

[LAking]

Looks like a fun game at pretty good price but I'll probably wait for the PC version to see if the frame rate is better. Also, Last of Us is another zombie survival game that just came out and it's getting phenomenal reviews.

There is also another game on Steam, a Greenlight game that has not yet been released called Project Zomboid that looks somewhat similar to State of Decay, except with crude 8-bit type graphics.

Lots of zombie survival games coming out these days.

[Danimal]

I'm pretty sure Last of Us is going to be totally different then State of Decay. I was all on board to get this game until I watched the Giant Bomb video. I love how the game plays but there were frame rate and clipping issues. This won't prevent me from buying it I just know I don't have the time right now and maybe when I do there will be a patch. Pretty much every review echos Teal's comments and says its outstanding combination of genres.

The one I'm looking forward to is Dead State its a zombie survival isometric rpg. It's too bad this game didn't have co-op that would of made it an instant purchase.

Keep the stories coming guys I enjoy them.

[LAking]

I'm pretty sure Last of Us is going to be totally different then State of Decay. I was all on board to get this game until I watched the Giant Bomb video. I love how the game plays but there were frame rate and clipping issues. This won't prevent me from buying it I just know I don't have the time right now and maybe when I do there will be a patch. Pretty much every review echos Teal's comments and says its outstanding combination of genres.

The one I'm looking forward to is Dead State its a zombie survival isometric rpg. It's too bad this game didn't have co-op that would of made it an instant purchase.

Keep the stories coming guys I enjoy them.

I know they are different in many ways but they are similar in they are both games that put you in very tough and tense (zombie) situations where you are desperately trying to survive. They both require you to scavenge for scarce supplies and interestingly both games don't pause the action while you are using the inventory menu. They are both zombie survival games. Zombies, scarce resources, easy to get overwhelmed. Those are the key elements that create tension in both games.

[LAking]

ug, double post.

[bulls23]

Bought this yesterday and already have 5 hours in! Agree with OP completely where it is the best $20 game going right now and possibly ever. Plenty of things to do and replay value is off the chart. Blows The Walking Dead Survival Instict game out of the water. The Telltale Walking Dead game was legendary, but only allowed you to do certain things at certain times. State of Decay is fun, deep, and at $20, a steal.

The Last of Us game is for PS3 only, so not available for us 360 guys.

[ScoopBrady]

I am curious how it compares to ZombiiU. That has the same permanent death mechanic and it makes for high tension, ass-puckering gameplay.

[RobVarak]

I am curious how it compares to ZombiiU.

Reviews say it's similar but will be played by more than the 3 dozen people who bought a WiiU.

[webdanzer]

Jeez, this game has that 'just one more quest until hey look, it's 3am' aspect to it.

The jank is pretty incredible. Tearing and framerate drops are everywhere, yet somehow it doesn't seem to get in the way of the actual action, even though it does mar the experience.

Still, I've probably already gotten my money's worth for the hours I poured in this. You do have to make some tough choices, and just when you think you're getting the hang of something (be it combat, resource management, etc) the game likes to throw a screwball at you.

[Teal]

Jeez, this game has that 'just one more quest until hey look, it's 3am' aspect to it.

The jank is pretty incredible. Tearing and framerate drops are everywhere, yet somehow it doesn't seem to get in the way of the actual action, even though it does mar the experience.

Still, I've probably already gotten my money's worth for the hours I poured in this. You do have to make some tough choices, and just when you think you're getting the hang of something (be it combat, resource management, etc) the game likes to throw a screwball at you.

Yes, yes it does. I am butt-dragging this morning because of the "just one more quest" thing. Had to do something last night that was frankly very difficult to choose to do, but choosing to do nothing was more of a risk. Wild stuff.

[Teal]

Damn...stayed up too late again! This game's enjoyment factor and immersion are off the hook. Yeah, so it ain't the prettiest girl at the prom, but she'll put out, and she's good at it.

[webdanzer]

The game is a bona fide smash hit!

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/08/state ... -48-hours/

Undead Labs' zombie survival simulator State of Decay sold "more than a quarter million copies" within the first two days of its availability on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade platform, the developer announced on its official blog.

"The only game that ever sold more on XBLA this fast was Minecraft," the update reads. "We are not just riding on this train, however! We're never going to stop pushing to make the best games we can. If you're wondering what we're working on to make this game even better, please check out Jeff's Title Update post."

Well-deserved!

[Teal]

The game is a bona fide smash hit!

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/08/state ... -48-hours/

Undead Labs' zombie survival simulator State of Decay sold "more than a quarter million copies" within the first two days of its availability on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade platform, the developer announced on its official blog.

"The only game that ever sold more on XBLA this fast was Minecraft," the update reads. "We are not just riding on this train, however! We're never going to stop pushing to make the best games we can. If you're wondering what we're working on to make this game even better, please check out Jeff's Title Update post."

Well-deserved!

Yep. They're releasing the update this week, I think. Looking forward to it. This is actually a unique game, and a very good one, IMO.

[RobVarak]

I'm planning to binge on Call of Juarez tonight until I finish it so that I can finally give this a shot.

[Teal]

I'm planning to binge on Call of Juarez tonight until I finish it so that I can finally give this a shot.

Another arcade title that is well worth the dough. I've completed it twice, and still love going back for more...

[Teal]

So, I have 4 survivors left, and began with 12. I suck...lol. I also can't seem to keep the morale up. Just yesterday, I had it almost full, then a horde attacked, and bam...morale went through the floor.

I've gotta go clear out some infestations nearby the hideout. Funny thing is, I'm dreading it. THAT'S why this game rocks.

[Slumberland]

Finally got to play this last night, and in some ways it's the zombie game I've been waiting for.

It's strange that all my favorite games lately are $15 Xbox downloads.