A Mall not in PA, full of zombies, some survivors, weapons and some psychos. Why is it not in based in PA? the film was.
The game starts off with Frank West that character you will control in a helicopter heading off on a lead to a story. The interesting part is that the big story of the infection is seen through the lens of his camera as you snap pics to the events from the safety of the chopper. There are plenty of things that you should take a picture of, as some will be used in the game later. This kind of makes you feel as thou you are Frank for the ride to the mall. The story then moves to the mall being open to the hordes of zombies, not because someone is trying to let them in as a grand plan of some sort, but one of the people that you see in the one lobby is opening the door to get their dog. I love animals and I would never hurt one if I can help it, but if the dog is outside and the zombies are not eating it I would hope it would run for it, live close by and hope to see it after the whole thing is over.
Then the story drags for a few missions. Then it does pick up once you get to a certain point, then drops down a little. But once you get to the end of the third day the game picks up and changes right then and there. How does it change, well once the 72 hours are up, even if you get the ending your looking for, the army shows up, which you are told, and they start hunting for you and anything that is proof of what happened. So now you must avoid the zombies that are left and the army who don't got down easy.
Once the game is over you can start over with the stats of your last play-through. Which makes the psychos easier to handle, and some of them are a pain. Remember the photos you took? Will some of them are used to turn a survivor into a psycho. Or you can go for the 7 day achievement, where you must stay alive for that period and not die once. I believe it takes 14-16 hours straight to achieve this.
The graphics of the game are good, not amazing overall. The different weapons give the graphics a nudge in that the blood looks cheesy but really good. The mall is good looking and kind of what a real mall could look like. The zombies are the best looking once you get passed the fact that there are only so many different looks to them.
The sound is amazing. Each weapon sounds great and feels deadly. Guns work the best, but swords just feel more deadly what with getting your hands bloody. The music is good that is in the game, being a mall you would think it be more of a part, but the sound in the mall is not really noticed, but some stores play something.
The missions are varied, even saving survivors is different till you have to lead them back to the safe house. Once the army show up you have one mission. Survive. If you make it then you will complete the game.
Overall the game was great, but not amazing. I love the zombie genera and this game was a nice change from just shooting them. You could place a helmet on their heads and make them all look like a toy from the game. The voice work is good, but the lines are very cheesy, campy horror. The game is not trying to be very serious and it does poke fun at its self. If you like Left 4 Dead(which I know was released a few years later) you most likely enjoy this game. Once you finish this and are not up in arms about the game and you enjoyed it then pick up Dead Rising 2.