Gamebar

Zombie Smashers X2

Vitals

Developer: Ska Software Publisher: Ska Software Genre: Action > Fighting Released: May 14, 2005 Players: 0 Website Download Purchase

Related Articles

- Zombie Smashers X2 Review - 2005 Top 10 Games of the Year - 2005 Game of the Year: Multiplayer - 2005 Game of the Year: Sound - 2005 Action Game of the Year

Download this game Now!  

Zombies, ninjas, vampires, skinheads, metalheads, Nazis, pirates, robots, demons, government agents and punks? All in one game? Zombie Smashers X2 by Totally Screwed delivers them combined with action-packed fun!

At first you are asked to save Digg's sister, Missy, from zombies at the night club, and wherever there are zombies the Zombie Smashers are up to the task. You quickly learn that there is more to these zombies than meets the eye. You need to investigate and discover where they are coming from and who is involved. The fight against evil will take you from the streets near Zombie Smasher Headquarters to exotic places such as pirate ships, mummy-infested tombs, junkyards, France, Japan, the Interweb, and even the Moon! There are quite a few surprises and side-missions as well.

Anyone who has played River City Ransom should be able to identify the inspiration for this brawler. You fight enemies, collect money, and pay for items such as food and music CDs to upgrade your abilities and statistics. At first, you can only kick and punch, and the fighting can be almost boring, although you also have a special ability depending on the character you pick, and you can pick up different items and use them as weapons! Pick up a garbage can, crate, frying pan, or any of the many items strewn throughout a level, and you can smash them into your undead (or not) opponents. You can even chuck them at adversaries from a safer distance, and some items can be kicked. When you knock down an opponent, you can use the body as a weapon. Body parts can be used as well, such as decapitated heads, dismembered arms, or even a non-surgically removed spinal cord, which is one of the best weapons in the game. While you can use swords or hooks to spear your enemies from behind once you learn how, the spine also lets you slowly regain health!

You can get tattoos to upgrade your abilities. While each character gets only one special ability in the beginning, you can spend the cash to get more. For instance, Punker has the ability to smash an opponent's head to the ground while Rudy knows how to do a Monster Chop. Hiro knows Tae Fu, and it definitely changes the way the game is played once you get this ability. When I initially got the Kung Fu tattoo for Punker, for example, I found that it was like fighting in The Matrix. I could fight off multiple enemies on all sides, and the flying roundhouse kick would send a group of enemies flying. It was always satisfying to knock some opponents into the air and smash into them before they landed to make them fly for some distance. Combine multiple abilities together, such as the spinning uppercut, the head-butt, and some flying attacks and you have amazing Zombie Smashing powers at your disposal.

While they aren't necessary to complete the game, there are some magic spells to learn as well. One of them even gives you the power to summon a fully loaded Uzi! You can learn these spells by doing side jobs for the different people you meet throughout the game. Some of the jobs are simple, but others involve taking out certain boss enemies.

One of the biggest features in this game is the diverse soundtrack. The music is customizable, and you can also skip through songs when you pause the game, but the music definitely adds to the Zombie Smasher world. Punk, ska, electronica? Take your pick. It's fun to listen to this music even when you aren't fighting evil. Of course, if you aren't into it, the game allows you to play your own music.

I found that even when I thought I was finished with the game that there was still more to do. It turns out that the ending isn't really the ending, which is great because I knew I wanted to keep playing.


Graphics: =
The cartoony look might seem terrible, and they don't always match the detailed backgrounds, but the special effects and other graphical flourishes add quite a lot. It's a humorous game that doesn't take itself too seriously, and somehow the graphics enhance the feeling.

Sound: +
The music is really cool and fits the theme of the game quite well.

Game Play: +
With all of the moves possible, you would think that the controls would be unwieldy. While I felt that I had to customize the controls, the only difficulty I found was when I had to cast a magic spell, which requires pressing certain keys in the right order. Fighting sometimes was as simple as holding a key down and waiting for the punches the stop, but it was also fun to try combinations such as charging at the enemies that I just flipped into the air.

Value: +
There are plenty of missions, items, enemies, and locations in this game. You will definitely get your money's worth.

Concept: +
I really liked how the story, music, and controls blended together to make a great game out of what could have been a regular street brawler.

Fun: +
It's amazing how much fun it is to knock zombie heads up into the air, trip running ninjas, and even just pay attention to the story. The weapons and tattoos definitely make this game one of the best.

Overall: "BUY"
There was a bug that made enemies lose their shadows as if they were Peter Pan, but it was fixed in a patch that you can find in Totally Screwed's forums. Unfortunately the main website for the game wouldn't make its existence or location obvious, so I'm letting you know here. I'm also letting you know because you really shouldn't have any excuse not to try this game out. It is a blast to play and was one of the better games I've played this year.

Category Scoring Key:
+ Positively impacted score
= No effect on score
- Negative effect on score

Overall Scoring Key:
Buy - Surefire hit!
Try - You might like it!
Pass - Check out something else