zombies

Windows Phone games suitable for the zombie hunter in all of us

Games

By George Ponder, Friday, Mar 29, 2013 at 8:45 am

Windows Phone Central Roundup: Zombie Games
Windows Phone Central Game Roundup: Zombie Games

Zombies. A pesky bunch of creatures that have had a presence in movies and television of years. They also seem to have a strong presence in our Windows Phone Store. These brain hungry monsters can be found in a ton of Windows Phone games from Zombies Ate My Pizzas! to Zombies, Run!.

For this week's roundup we picked three popular Zombie games along with one game that had a unique approach to taking out the Zombies.

With so many Zombie games available, it was tough picking just a few of the gaming titles. If we've overlooked your favorite Zombie game, feel free to shout out your recommendation in the comments below.

Cowboy Jed: Zombie Apocalypse, taking care of zombies in the wild west

Games

By George Ponder, Thursday, Mar 28, 2013 at 8:38 am

Zombies just won't go away and continue a strong presence in the Windows Phone Store. Now they are invading the wild west in the Windows Phone 8 game Cowboy Zed: Zombie Apocalypse.

As you would guess, you play the role of Zed, a cowboy dead set on wiping out the zombie invasion and protecting artificial brains that will cure the zombie hordes. He's got a handful of weapons to use against the undead, even a pet dragon (not sure where he comes into play though).

The story line is a little cheesy, the comic book graphics are good and game play takes a while to get used to but isn't too shabby. Overall, Cowboy Jed: Zombie Apocalypse is a decent game that is a nice way to pass the time with but needs just a little polishing.

Zombie Driver HD XBLA Interview and Contest [Updated]

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, Feb 14, 2013 at 12:38 pm

Seeing as how we don’t have a new Xbox Windows Phone release to talk about this week, it’s a perfect time for some Xbox 360 discussion. Zombie Driver HD - one of my personal favorite XBLA games of 2012 is on sale to Xbox Live Gold members for only 400 MS Points/$5 this week. It regularly sells for 800 Points, which is already a fair deal given the trend towards pricing XBLA titles at 1200.

To celebrate the sale, we’ve got Zombie Driver HD gameplay impressions and an interview with the game’s developer. Oh, and did I mention we’re giving away Zombie Driver avatar clothing and props as well? Find out how to win one after the break!

Dredd vs. Zombies: Upholding the law on Windows Phone 8

Games

By George Ponder, Wednesday, Dec 26, 2012 at 2:25 pm

Rebellion Games has been rather busy these day cranking out Windows Phone 8 games. First we saw Guns 4 Hire and now you have Dredd vs. Zombies.

In Dredd vs. Zombies, as you might guess, you play the role of Judge Dredd who must protect Mega-City Once from an invasion of grumpy, flesh eating zombies. The game has three gaming modes, weapons upgrades, nice looking graphics and overall is a fun, challenging game for your Windows Phone 8 device.

Extraction sneaks onto Xbox for Windows Phone and starts killing zombies

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, Oct 2, 2012 at 1:39 pm

This week’s Xbox Windows Phone release is a title we didn’t know was coming, but it comes from fan favorite publisher Chillingo and sells for a low price, so let’s call it a good surprise. Extraction (also known as Extraction: Project Outbreak) is now available for just 99 cents – less than the iOS version!

As the game’s title sort of hints, Extraction is a military-themed game about fighting zombies. But unlike Zombies on the Phone or Gun Bros, it’s not a twin-stick shooter. In fact, you could almost call it a strategy game due to the unique control method. Don’t skip the tutorial like I did or you’ll be totally lost.

Windows Phone Game Review: Kill Zombies for Money

Games

By George Ponder, Saturday, Aug 4, 2012 at 9:15 am

Zombies continue to invade the Windows Phone Marketplace. Kill Zombies for Money is one of the latest installments and is a multi-level, multi-game mode, fast action title where...wait for it...you have to obliterate zombie hordes.

You play the role of the mercenary searching various areas of the game, tackling missions, earning gold, and making sure the zombies don't make it out alive. Kill Zombies for Money is a decent game for your Windows Phone that is challenging enough to keep you interested for short bits of time.

Windows Phone Game Review - Bomberman vs. Zombies

Games

By George Ponder, Tuesday, Jul 17, 2012 at 8:40 am

Zombies just can't catch a break on our Windows Phone. We're constantly hunting them down and ruining their day. Bomberman vs. Zombies is no different but instead of shooting the Zombies up, your blasting them to smithereens. Bomberman vs. Zombies has seen a fair amount of success on the Blackberry and Android platforms. Success the developers hope will carry over to Windows Phone.

Zombies, Run!, a different type fitness game, is heading to the Marketplace

By George Ponder, Friday, Jun 15, 2012 at 6:17 pm

Here's an interesting Windows Phone game...

Zombies, Run! is a game (or is a exercise app?) where you listen to missions that place you against zombies while jogging. As the mission progresses you earn or collect supplies. After your run, you use the supplies at your your base township. The town in turn uses the supplies to support growth and as your town grows, more missions become available.

Asides from the video game features, Zombies, Run! will also track your distance, time and pace of your runs. A ZombieLink is also in the works to let you view and share your running data online. The game also has Live Tile support that will send you into the game where you left off.

Zombies, Run! contains more than thirty missions that last anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes. You can play the game while jogging around the neighborhood, around a track or from a treadmill.

Zombies, Run! is an interesting way to pass the time while you're working up a sweat. The app is already seeing success on the Android and iPhone markets and the developer is excited about bring the app to the Windows Phone Marketplace. The game already has t-shirts and game blog that you can find here at the Zombies, Run! website.

Look for Zombies, Run! to hit the Windows Phone Marketplace towards the end of June with five exclusive missions to the Windows Phone OS. Zombies, Run! will be offered for $7.99 and there is no word if a trial version will be available.

Source: digitalspy; Thanks, Vanessa and Gopalan, for the tip!

Windows Phone Game Review: Cradle to the Grave

Games

By George Ponder, Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 8:33 am

Cradle to the Grave is a Zombie defense game for your Windows Phone that reminds me a lot of the old Missile Command games. You know, where you have three defensive posts and you battle against vast numbers of enemy forces. Animations are very nice, game play challenging and entertaining and if you like wiping out Zombie hordes, Cradle to the Grave is worth a try.

Xbox Live: Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet! Expansion Details and Impressions

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, Mar 20, 2012 at 9:10 am

We mentioned a few weeks ago that Babaroga’s survival horror-themed board game, Zombies!!! (review) would soon be receiving its first PDLC expansion pack, known as ‘Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet!’ As it turns out, the expansion has quietly slipped onto the Marketplace and won’t require a new title update. Finding it might prove a challenge though – you have to actually start a New Game and then select Expansion Packs from the top of the screen. While ‘Not Dead Yet!’ may not be easy to find, its price is fairly easy to swallow: 160 MS Points ($2), a bit lower than anticipated.

Head past the break for WPCentral’s exclusive detailed descriptions of the expansion’s contents, hands-on impressions, and Achievement tips.

Zombies Ate My City for Windows Phone released onto the Marketplace

By Rich Edmonds, Thursday, Mar 8, 2012 at 11:13 am

It was only late last year that we covered the news of Chaos Created, a UK based studio, asking for volunteers in and around London to dress up as zombies and act out in footage for their upcoming Windows Phone title, Zombies Ate My City. The game has now been released onto the Marketplace and is available for... wait for it... absolutely nothing ($0 / £0).

So what is Zombies Ate My City all about? It's a 'transmedia' title that is part movie, part game, part augmented reality and part location discovery. A real mixup, which is unique to Windows Phone and is also a platform exclusive. You're tasked with heading to different locations using Bing Maps, much like Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst, and defend the area from zombies. Achievements are unlock-able as well as more powerful weaponry.

Windows Phone UK caught up with Ali Maggs, co-creator and programmer of the game:

"It was important to us to take advantage of Windows Phone’s software, weaving the game’s storyline around the capabilities of the platform. Windows Phone is perfect for us because all the phones out there have the same capabilities.

One of the things we will be doing in the Summer is building out a web based app, built on Bing maps, that will allow users to unlock new locations, such as landmarks, for Windows Phone players to then discover and defend. We want to make the experience as transmedia as possible, where we tell different parts of the story on different platforms in different ways."

You can download Zombies Ate My City from the Marketplace for absolutely nothing at all. While the game itself is free, should you wish to support further development then be sure to check out the ZAMC Theme Pack app that contains a handful of ringtones and wallpapers for £0.79 ($0.99).

Via: Windows Phone UK

Zombies!!! update adds ringtone - PDLC with new Xbox Live Achievements on the way

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Tuesday, Feb 28, 2012 at 7:10 am

The first 'Not Dead yet!' image reveals the new Meat Cleaver item.

Babaroga’s been hard at work updating their mobile Xbox Live titles, as evidenced by the recent Minesweeper and Sudoku updates. Now Zombies!!! - the developer’s only self-published Windows Phone game so far – has received a new update as well.

Zombies!!! version 1.2 release notes

Added a free ringtone (found under Options)

Free ringtones are always nice, but the really exciting news is what the next update will bring. The first Zombies!!! PDLC expansion pack should debut within the next month or so. ‘Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet!’ adds 18 new cards, new animations, five new Achievements worth 50 GamerScore, and more. Yes, this officially makes Zombies!!! the first Windows Phone game to break the 200 GamerScore barrier.

All five new Achievements are worth 10 GamerScore each:

Blunt Force Trauma: Player unlocks this Achievement by killing 3 zombies while the card “No Guts. No Glory.” is in play.
It’s Me! Let Me In!: Player unlocks this Achievement by playing the “There You Are” card to move their pawn from an outdoor square into any building. Zombies update adds ringtones - PDLC with 50 GamerScore of Xbox Live Achievements on the way
Shop Smart: Player unlocks this Achievement by using the “Hey, I Got One of Those” card to gain a Shotgun.
Night Drive: Player unlocks this Achievement by playing the card “The Keys Are Still In It” while the card “Too…Tired…To…Run” is in play.
Fresh Meat: Player unlocks this Achievement by killing 50 zombies with the Meat Cleaver.

We don’t have pricing details for the expansion yet, but 240 Microsoft Points ($3) seems likely. More expansion packs are planned for the future, each of which can be toggled on or off after purchase.

Asynchronous multiplayer (announced in WPCentral’s developer interview last year) will not debut with the ‘Zombies!!! 3.5’ expansion, though it should come along in the next update. Will Carcassonne beat Zombies!!! to the punch as the first mobile Xbox Live game with online multiplayer? Only time will tell.

Zombies!!! is a faithful adaptation of the horror-themed board game of the same name. See our review for more details. The game costs $4.99 and there is a free trial. Pick it up here on the Marketplace.

Thanks to everyone who tipped us about the Achievements.

Zombies Night Out looking for beta testers, teases with video

By Daniel Rubino, Thursday, Feb 9, 2012 at 6:52 pm

Zombies Night Out by EvoFX studio is getting ready for release but before they do, the first-person zombie shoot'em up needs your help. That's right, you can get some early beta action going and see what the next big game for Windows Phone may be.

As posted in our forums, you can email the company to be a part of test driving the new game which is previewed above. The first person shooter powered by the EvoFX engine looks to be buttery smooth and lots of fun at this early stage (official release seems to be around April).

Beta is free and won't ever lock or stop working
Your name will be included in the credits
No NDA--tell everyone, make videos

We're not one to tell you what to do with your free time, but why would you not want to participate in this? If it sounds good, head to our forums to learn the details.

Windows Phone Game Review: ByeByeBrain App-ocalypse

By George Ponder, Thursday, Jan 19, 2012 at 4:46 pm

The other day we took a look at ByeByeBrain, a zombie slaying tower defense game for your Windows Phone that has been around since the dawn of time and it simply flew beneath our radar. ByeByeBrain is a marvelous game and it has recently spun a sequel, ByeByeBrain: App-ocalypse. BBB: App-ocalypse, for short, takes the ByeByeBrain game to a new level by adding more stages, levels, and weapons into the mix.

The object of the game hasn't changed. You still need to position your characters in such a manner to prevent the zombie hordes from crossing the screen. As you wipe out the zombies you earn cash that can be used to purchase (or is it enlist) additional characters. You get twenty lives and with each zombie who survives your defenses and passes across the screen, you lose a life.

Windows Phone Game Review: ByeByeBrain

Games

By George Ponder, Monday, Jan 16, 2012 at 8:50 am

Yes... it's another zombie, tower defense game for your Windows Phone. But don't be too discouraged. ByeByeBrain is a wonderfully animated addition to our zombie/tower defense game line up.

Armed with five different, upgradable, volunteers to defend your city from the invading horde of zombies, the game takes on the typical tower defense goal. Prevent the hordes from passing from one side of your Windows Phone screen to the other. As you wipe out the zombies you earn cash and for each zombie that survives your onslaught, you loose a life (you only get twenty of them).

Xbox LIVE's Z0MB1ES!!1 (on teh ph0ne) coming January 4th

By Daniel Rubino, Saturday, Dec 31, 2011 at 3:50 am

The wildly popular Xbox title I MAED A GAEM W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!1 has been ported to Windows Phone as one of three games within the new title Z0MB1ES!!1 (on teh ph0ne), which we broke news of back in September. Now it looks like the game is set for release this coming week as the main Xbox LIVE title for Windows Phone. It will run for the very reasonable $2.99.

Back from our interview, the games within Z0MB1ES!!1 (on teh ph0ne) were described:

"Endless Zombies takes place in a little, infinitely looping labyrinth that has a room-by-room progression similar to that of Smash TV. It’s a neat challenge mode for some twin-stick time killing, but it’s definitely not nearly as epic as I MAED A GAM3."

Q: Gotcha. Time Viking, on the other hand, is a brand new game. How does it fit in with the two Z0MB1ES titles?

"It’s sort of the followup to I MAED A GAM3 that I’ve been wanting to make for a while. It’s got the same epic rock ballad progression as Z0MB1ES but a little (not too much) more polish. The economic logic of Z0MB1ES on teh ph0ne is amazing: Z0MB1ES on XBLIG was $1, therefore a $3 game on the phone must have three times as much stuff in it or else everyone will hate me. (If only publishers felt this way about iPhone ports. –ed.)"

Q: What is Time Viking's premise? Does the game have an ending?

"Time Viking is a twin-stick side-scroller where you control a time-travelling Viking who uses his telekinetic power to explode an endless barrage of robot ninjas whose exploded scrap in turn helps the Viking build a tower to the moon. It has an ending!"

Sounds pretty good to us and like we'll have another solid, exclusive game for Windows Phone to enjoy for the new year!

Source: Ska Studios; Thanks, Jamie, for the tip!

German "Windows Phone 7.5 Hotel" event looks to scare up some curiosity

Windows Phone News

By Daniel Rubino, Monday, Dec 26, 2011 at 2:44 pm

We're trying to wrap our heads around this one but aren't getting very far--so maybe our German friends can assist. Microsoft Germany put up a trailer video that you see above for "Windows Phone 7.5 Hotel" which was an event that took place in Berlin on December 15th.

The trailer is mostly CGI and has haunted-house like implications, what with that eerie lightning and all. There also seems to be a map and trying to find something, we're guessing. Next up is another video, evidently form the actual event from folks who traveled to the haunted hotel.

The good part in the video starts at around 2:25 where we start to get an idea of what this looks to be: a type of mass entertainment event where they have actors role-play specific parts and you, the bystander, become a participant in the charade--much like a murder-mystery cruise. This time there's something about the undead, people dressed in hazmat suits, reporters, etc. You can never go wrong with zombies, right?

Yeah, we're pretty baffled too but also intrigued as once again, we're seeing some real creative advertising here. Too bad we're just hearing of it now but hopefully we'll learn a bit more soon enough. Oh and that video is one of three, so maybe the other two parts will shed some light on the matter.

Update: Yup, WP7App.de confirmed with us what we suspected: "That windows phone hotel was a PR event where you had to chase ghosts (ghostbusters-style) with an app on a Lumia." Pretty cool idea.

Big thanks to Heiko R., for the tip!

Zombies Attack Free - Review

Games

By George Ponder, Monday, Oct 24, 2011 at 1:42 am

Zombies have become a very popular character these days and Windows Phone games have their fair share of zombie games. Zombies Attack! Free is the latest incarnation of the zombie themed games.

The game premise is simple, destroy the zombies by dropping an assortment of bombs on them as they parade across your Windows Phone screen. Any zombies that make it across, will eat away at your health. To see how you prevent the undead from devouring your brains, skip on past the break.

Xbox Live: Zombies!!! Mango update unleashed

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Thursday, Sep 22, 2011 at 12:33 pm

Babaroga’s Zombies!!! (review) is a very cool survival horror-themed board game for Xbox Live. The only thing I didn’t like about it was a nasty Broken Achievement that almost nobody could get. I’ve got good news and bad news then for my fellow Zombies!!! owners. The good news: an update that fixes the ‘Was it Worth it?’ Achievement is finally available. The bad news? It’s a Mango-only update.

Here are the full release notes for the first Zombies!!! Mango update:

Added Fast-App-Switching support
Fixed bugs that have been reported since the initial release
Reduced difficulty of “some” achievements :-)

While some Xbox Live titles have seen increasd frame rates with their Mango updates, the graphics in Zombies!!! remain the same. It looked great to begin with. More importantly, Babaroga listened to their fans and reduced the frustration of that infamous Achievement.

When WPCentral interviewed Babaroga over the summer, they promised asynchronous (turn-based, over the internet) multiplayer and paid downloadable content in a Mango update. Those features are still coming to Zombies!!!, but they’re not ready just yet. We’ll keep you posted on the next update’s progress.

For now, Zombies!!! players who are running Mango can commence to unlocking ‘Was it Worth it?’, while the rest of us have another reason to hope that Mango rolls out as soon as possible. Don’t have the game? It costs $4.99 and you can find it here (Zune link) on the Marketplace.

Xbox Live Developer Interview - Ska Studios, makers of Z0MB1ES (on teh phone)

Games

By Paul Acevedo, Saturday, Sep 10, 2011 at 10:25 am

We continue our Xbox Live Developer Interview series by speaking with James Silva of Ska Studios. James and his partner/fiancée Michelle Juett are currently finishing up the Windows Phone-exclusive collection Z0MB1ES (on teh phone). Join us as we hit them up for details on that game as well as their Xbox 360 brawler, Charlie Murder.

Head past the break for the full interview and exclusive Z0MB1ES (on teh phone) screenshots.