There's nothing quite like a good zombie game to get in the Halloween spirit. Most zombie games pit you as the human action hero, armed with weapons galore on your quest to save the world from zombification. While blowing up those lumbering brain-eaters in a myriad of gruesome ways is a blast, that scenario has gotten stale.
'Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse' turns the tables, allowing players to take on the role of walking undead. This alone necessitates a few hours of gameplay'there are few game experiences so simple and yet so satisfying as shambling up to a civilian and taking a bite out of his skull. Combine the unique setting with little to no learning curve, amazing sound effects, random but hilarious comedic bits and a fantastic soundtrack, and it's clear that 'Stubbs the Zombie' is worth a rental at minimum.
The game's introduction is slim. Set in the 1950s, the setting is futuristic, utopian Punchbowl. The experimental city, funded by rich industrialist Andrew Monday, is full of robot helpers and flying cars. Despite the advanced technology, Punchbowl looks like the '50s through and through. It's replete with big cars with fins, lots of pastel colors, barbershop quartets and the stereotypical cheerleader-and-football-dude couple who serve as your first victims.
That's about all the background the game delivers before sending you into the idyllic town on a medulla-munching spree. The story progresses slowly'only in the latter stages do the details of why Stubbs has risen from the dead and what occurred in his former life take shape. For the majority of the game, you just stagger about converting civilians, scientists and cops into a horde of zombie followers.
Of course, you do develop a few methods of attack beyond simply snapping into someone's synapses. Besides taking a few swings at them, there are four special moves Stubbs can utilize in his crusade. He can release toxic gas that stuns nearby humans, or toss an exploding pancreas like a grenade. Stubbs can chuck his hand at enemies to possess them (always useful against army guys with rocket launchers), or remove his head and bowl it toward a crowd, detonating it at just the right moment.
All of these moves turn casualties into fellow zombies to join your growing army. Each move has a limited number of uses that can only be refilled by eating more brains, so players must utilize them wisely.
'Stubbs the Zombie' runs on the familiar 'Halo' engine, and fans of that game should only need a few minutes to get down to zombie business. But fewer controls are utilized, so even novice gamers should have an easy time picking it up. There are a handful of vehicles in the game, as well as a dance-off level that includes the requisite 'Thriller' reference. But at no point is the game difficult to play'if anything, it's too easy (especially when playing with a friend in cooperative mode).
What really makes 'Stubbs the Zombie' worth playing is the humor. Besides the many subtle, tongue-in-cheek '50s jokes and increasingly hilarious plot, your victims scream some of the most hilarious lines in recent gaming memory. A cutscene later in the game shows that aforementioned airhead cheerleader getting ready to hook up with another football player mere hours after her original boyfriend was turned into zombie food. A scientist, when attacked, will occasionally scream, 'I don't want to die! I just wanted to play God!'
The game also has a great soundtrack that's worth buying on its own merit, featuring lots of popular indie rock acts covering tunes from the 1950s. Particular highlights are The Raveonettes' version of 'My Boyfriend's Back,' Death Cab for Cutie's 'Earth Angel,' Oranger's 'Mr. Sandman' and Ben Kweller's 'Lollipop.' Unfortunately, the soundtrack is relegated to a few short scenes'while the zombie moans and dying words of Punchbowl's citizens are enjoyable on their own, it seems like a huge waste for these phenomenal songs to go largely unused.
The only other downside to 'Stubbs the Zombie' is its brevity'the game can be handily finished in eight hours. While the action is largely repetitive, the life of a zombie is addicting, and disappointment definitely sinks in when the credits roll. While playing in cooperative mode with friends may add some replay value, 'Stubbs the Zombie' lacks a multiplayer mode or any extra content when played on more difficult settings. Players would be wise to just give it a weekend rental'two days should be more than enough time to finish the game.
Just don't be surprised to find yourself murmuring the word 'brains' in a low growl and making chomping noises when you bite into that football player's cranium. Mmm, brains. So tasty.
