Zombies Ate My Neighbors

"An absolutely amazing game that you need to play NOW!"

This game is absolutely amazing, and for so many reasons. Anyone who is familiar with the horrible science-fiction flicks of old, will instantly love this game, even though they may have hated the movies that this game flourishes from. Why? Because this game is meant to be funny, and it succeeds immediately, as soon as you are set down in Level 1, and you see your first zombie slowly stumbling towards a helpless and unknowing cheerleader. What do you have to do about it? SAVE HER! So, you shoot the zombie with your water gun, and step over and rescue the girl, therefore getting a 1,000 points, and guaranteeing your passage to Level 2 (you need to rescue at least one neighbor to advance to the next level).

Zombies Ate My Neighbors has loads more of the same humor throughout the game, and you can't help but feel that the creators must have had a ball making it. Level 8 features the Titantic Toddler, Level 6 throws you in some pyramids for some mummy-busting action,and one of the levels even throws you in a mall! (Dawn of the Dead, anybody?) Admist all of the laughter that this game manages to create, you may forget about your main objective -- to rescue the people. And what a crowd they are : cheerleaders, tourists, babies, old men, soldiers, dogs...you name it, it's most likely in the game somewhere. However, there are also tons of different weapons to look for -- soda, dinner plates, silver-ware,old-fashioned lawnmowers and a rocket launcher, among other things. This game also attempts to specialize what you can use against certain enemies -- for example, silver-ware for werewolves...makes sense, right? SO, you better start whipping out your old ''Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark'' and/or your ''Goosebumps'' book collections as a refresher course, because this game will demand common sense of you that isn't necessarily so common...unless your Mulder from the X-Files, that is.

Speaking generally about the graphics, I'd have to say that this game excels, although it doesn't blow away the Genesis systems top-graphical masterpieces. Different colors are bountiful, and your character is a detailed little bugger, with 3-D glasses and a skull t-shirt, and a hair-do that creates an extreme feeling of deja-vu for anyone that has seen the movie Eraserhead. Cheerleaders wear big-bimbo smiles on their faces, and zombies look at you with vacant stares. For the amazing detail alone, I'd rate this game high on any 16-bit systems list of graphical achievements.

The sound for this game could have been a little bit better -- the music was sort of hum-drum and forgettable most of the time, and the sound-effects were just lacking in general. For a game this good otherwise, the sound SHOULD have been better, to foster the cartoonishly creepy environments that the game takes place in.

What else does this game have? Well, a pretty high replay value for one -- secret levels, lots of power-ups and weapons and hard-to-get neighbors. But to begin with, there's a TON of levels in this game, so you'll certainly be busy for a while with this one, and, when you're done with that, you can also play through with a friend!
My only real complaint about this game is that there should have been more of a rating system. Sure, you get a bonus if you rescue all of the hostages, etc. But what about a total factor of a) how long it took the person to beat the level, b) how many secrets were found, c) how many hits were taken, d) how many enemies were killed, etc,etc. You get the point. A rating system would have made Zombies Ate My Neighbors into an absolutely PHENOMENAL game.

Regardless, this game is essential. Play this now! Afterwards, you'll certainly start aching for some crappy(and funny) horror/sci-fi flicks, and your old horror novelizations and comics that you read as a kid. Zombie-blasting perfection!

--PROS--
1) takes it cues from good ole' trashy horror/sci-fi flicks
2) the weapons are really cool
3) a top-down perspective makes this game more unique and easier to navigate
4) the loads of replay value in this game will keep you busy for a LONG time
5) the different environments are really, really cool
6) one of the most humorous games I have EVER played!

--CONS--
1) the music/SFX could have been much better
2) a rating system would have made this game into PERFECTION

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/25/04