Zombie Revenge

"A perfect port and a challenging game"

Zombie Revenge is a 3D beat-em-up that was released for the arcades by Sega in 1999. I played it and I thought the game was fun. Here I am, in 2002, after only having bought it recently for the DC (a shame, really...) This is one of those rare beat-em-ups that will make you come back for more countless times, and besides the porting job Data East has done is remarkable. But onto the review....

STORY - 9/10 - For such a 'sleeper' title, the story is very well done. Aside from stupid comments like ''He's the one making the zombies!'', the story is well written, and near 'the grand finale' is just keeps surprising you. Here's a short summary: a government planned using the dead as weapons (probably because the zombies would leave the battlefield clean after the battle), but something went wrong and the dead ran amok. It's up to three agents to go investigate what really happened (and meanwhile, kick their asses). I know if reeks of unoriginality, but I guarantee you will like it. No one cares about the plot in beat-em-up, but here you will. You will want to know what happens next! A good job from Sega!

GRAPHICS - 9/10 - Just like the arcade! Definitely one of the game's strong points. The three selectable characters, though not-so-stylish, are well designed and good looking in 3D, though the animation on some of their moves is a bit robotic. The highlights, though, are the enemies and the stages. The common ''trashable'' zombies WILL reflect the violence you apply to them, 'a la' House of the Dead (which this game is based on, by the way). Punch'em, throw'em, and blood will spill in large quantities. If you use a weapon and point to the arm, the arm will fall. Point at their head, and it will go flying, while the body continues to come after you! Use a shotgun near them and the result is a zombie exploding in 100 pieces! Surely great graphical details, way above the common enemy deaths in other beat-em-ups, the generic fall-and-blink-'till-they-disappear. Bosses are also well designed, and some of them make great use of the Dreamcast's power (get ready for a HUGE surprise at the end of episode 6). But the stages are, without a doubt, the best of the title. The places you fight in are beautifully rendered and feature lots of details. The textures are realistic and do a great job in representing destroyed and zombie-filled battlefields. The 6th episode is a stage you have already seen in a related Sega title, but I won't spoil it for you. The best of all is that the frame-rate is a constant 60 fps and never below! The camera is pretty good, but it tends to focus on your character, leaving zombies outside of the screen, so watch out! Bottom line, this game really showcases, in a very direct way, the Dreamcast's power.

GAMEPLAY/CONTROL - 9/10 - As you expect from a beat-em-up, the gameplay is pretty easy to describe: just beat the hell out of everything that appears before you! You go from stage to stage, battling every creature and boss you encounter. To do it, you can select 3 different characters, complete with the usual set of differences between them. When battling, you can punch, kick and throw. You can also dash, roll, guard, dash attack and use the all-around move at the cost of your life bar. But this game is a bit different from all other beat-em-ups. 95% of the times, you won't be using physical attacks. All the characters have a small gun, whose ammo can be constantly picked up during the entire game. It's rare to find yourself without bullets. The gun works like this: you point it towards the enemy, and anytime a sight is locked onto it, you can shoot. The longer you wait after the lock-on, the more powerful the shot will be, at the expense of the same ammo as a weak shot. Plus if you hold the fire button down, you can perform a super shot, which uses 5 bullets but instantly knocks down every zombie it hits. Besides, lots of weapons are littering the stages, adding a great variety to all the zombie-trashing taking place. Pipes, a drill, flamethrowers, shotguns, duel handguns, machine guns, a stun gun, land mines, grenades, laser guns and chain guns are all here to help you rid the world of this evil plague, though some may hinder you instead of helping. As you'd expect, zombies attack, and each time they do, they'll poison you. The poison gauge replaces your common health bar, and if it reaches a critical value, you'll be significantly slowed down, but will receive help in the form of some extra hits to your basic combos. The control is responsive and top-notch, though it may not seem like it the first tries you give the game. It's all a matter of habit. And if you don't like the button configuration, you can change it in the options, so, no problem here.

AUDIO - 8/10 - As you'd expect, every stage features a musical theme, and bosses do too. Although it is in a very low tone that can't be changed in the options, the musical score is high quality. And towards the end of the game, it just gets better and better. The final boss of episode 6, the episode 7 final bosses and the ending tunes will glue to your head, refusing to come out. Well worth hearing them all in the options menu, without all the action sound effects. Speaking of which, this game has lots of SE, for the many different situations. Your common beat-em-up shouts, noises, blasts apply here. The voice acting is a bit sore, though. The voice actors chosen to do Stick's and Linda's voices must have been in a real bad day, as they sound emotionless. Some parts are just laughable (Stick's ''DAMN!'' and Linda's crying come to mind). Luckily, the 3rd character speaks in japanese, and the main enemy's voice is stylish (if you've played Psychic Force for the PSX, it's the same actor who did the final boss Keith's voice)!

CHALLENGE - 7/10 (very hard difficulty, with default number of credits)- Finally, you buy a game and get some challenge, in this world filled of titles for the casual gamer. Though you may find, after extended play, that the difficulty lies in the control level more than anything else. And how true it is. Success in Zombie Revenge is derived from the effective use of the controls. The AI is not bad, but zombies don't move fast. If you can keep'em on the floor while you shoot another, they have no chance. And they rely in group attacks above all (expect to be shot and lose half life bar if you leave weapon-carrying zombies unattacked for some time). Featured are the annoying monkey-like creatures from The House of the Dead, that are an even bigger pain here. They are fast and annoying, with large life bars and generally attacking in groups. Bosses can also be a pain, and you won't get far if you don't master basic techniques, such as blocking their attacks and running. Still, the final bosses are somewhat easier than you'd expect, which was a great letdown to me. But don't worry, even the 1st one is capable of wiping the floor with you! Here is what you can expect from them: counters, acid spits, flamethrowers, shocks, lasers, missiles and even one that vomits in you! If you want a challenging game, search no more!

REPLAY - 8/10 - If you are a beat-em-up freak like me, the joy of constantly beating zombies speaks for itself. Plus, the game features multiple play modes. There's the arcade mode, an original mode that lets you play gun-free or gun-only versions of the game, a not-so-well-implemented fighting mode, and a great vs boss mode, that lets you practice against them so that you don't lose so many continues against them in arcade mode. The training room is basically a mini-game for the VMU, similar to the Chao mini-game in Sonic Adventure. In the options, you have many settings to mess with. The gore fans will be pleased to know you can unlock an option to change the color of the blood to red. Plus, all this madness can be played simultaneously with a friend! Which basically makes the replay value go through the roof!!

Final Thoughts - Zombie Revenge is one of those games that appears seamlessly out of nowhere. and manages to hook you with its addicting gameplay and graphical quality. Without any FEAR, play it, and let the zombies ENTER your house!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/07/03, Updated 01/07/03