Zombie scenarios are pretty terrifying to think about.  But at the same time, they're sort of exciting because you get to imagine yourself shooting and hacking your way through hordes of the undead...the horrible, horrible undead.  Here's a list of some of the best zombie themed games, and we mean zombies, not monsters or demons like in Doom and Duke Nukem games, so don't get angry that they aren't on the list.  They're great games, but we're talkin' zombies here, people. 

 

7.)  Zombies Ate My Neighbors (1993)

Not exactly the scariest game on the list; it's was more of a shoot-em-up and have a good time doing it sort of game ripe with humor.

Game Plot:

You play as either Zeke or Julie, teenagers in a typical American suburbia overrun by zombies.  You save neighbors by touching them, and you get points for each.  If a neighbor is killed by a zombie you get to watch their soul fly to heaven.  After you've killed all the zombies on a level a door appears and takes you to the next level.

Gameplay:

Developed with an isometric view, this run and gun game allows you to see your enemies from far away.  You can shoot them and move quickly to the next one, all the while keeping yourself moving.

Overall:

Modern video game players probably wouldn't consider Zombies Ate My Neighbors to be worthy of their time with all the awesome new releases available today, but we just thought it deserved some time in our article because we remember playing it as kids, and thought it was totally awesome.  So relax.

 

6.)  Stubbs The Zombie: Rebel Without A Pulse (2005)

This game changes the zombie genre by involving a good deal of humor and the obvious fact that you get to be the zombie.  Note: Stubbs IS using that guy's own arm as a weapon against him.

Game Plot:

Stubbs, (that'll be your boy), is a salesman in Great Depression era America.  After impregnating a young lady named Maggie, her dad murders him in typical angry pitch-fork carrying American farmer fashion, and buries his body.  Maggie gives birth to a baby boy who leads a successful life, leading to his creation of Punchbowl, Pennsylvania.  The city is exactly how people envisioned the future in the 1950s, complete with plenty of robots featuring human characteristics, flying cars, lasers, and tons of futuristic looking buildings.  Anyway, on the day Punchbowl is set to open, Stubbs emerges from his grave which, conveniently for him, is located right under the Metropolis.  (Murderers generally don't mark the graves of their victims.)  Now undead, Stubbs goes to work eating people's brains, and generally ruining the city's first day, intent on seeking revenge for his fate.

Game Play:

Oh boy, this is a fun game.  Your objective is to kill and eat humans!  As Grand Theft Auto taught us, destruction gives us a boner.  You have a myriad of weapons at your disposal, and not the traditional kinds.  Stubbs is a zombie, so he can't really wield a gun or sword, but his body parts explode somehow, and you toss your intestines, arms, and can even roll your head like a bowling ball (all of which explode) at humans in order to kill them.  And while this may sound like it can get a bit repetitive, the developers thought of something rather innovative.  You can pull off your own arm, and send it running (a la Thing from Addams Family fame) after your enemies.  When it jumps onto their head, you have control of the human and you can get them to kill other humans.  Another important aspect of the game involves controlling your zombie horde.  After you've created a few dozen, you can let out a whistle and push them in a certain direction, getting them to eat humans, thereby growing your army.  You can also hide behind them to protect yourself from guns and grenades.  Don't forget you can drive cars into innocent groups of humans!

Overall:

Stubbs the Zombie: Rebel Without A Pulse is a great game.  It's innovative, unique, funny, and addictive.  Our only problem is that it's so short.  Really short.  You can honestly finish it in one dedicated sitting.  We beat it in around 5 hours of game play, which really isn't a whole lot.  But other than that, it's a great time and a fresh take on the zombie genre, so get out there and rent it.

 

5.)  The House Of The Dead Series (1996)

The House Of The Dead games gave you the chance to see your enemies up close.  Although, it has its' disadvantages...take these fat asses for example.

Game Plot:

It takes place in 1998.  You get to play as an agent sent to investigate disturbances at a place called the Curien Mansion.  When you arrive, there are corpses walking around, and evil flying demons attempting to throw people off of really high things.  As the game progresses, you learn more and more about the disturbances.  Dr. Curien is a "mad scientist" type character who had been doing studies in life and death, causing him to go insane and create an enemy known only as "The Magician."  Your goal is to save Sophie Richards, fiance of character Tom Rogan, and prevent Dr. Curien's creations from getting out and destroying the world.

Gameplay: 

It's an arcade game, so most likely you're using a light gun to shoot your enemies, but you could also play on the PC meaning you'll be using a mouse.  It's also a rail shooter, so your movement is controlled by the game.  Your actions will determine the direction of the game, for instance, you're presented with the opportunity to kill something.  If you complete the goal, the game will move you down an easier path.  It's also really violent, so you get to enjoy watching your victims explode when you shoot them, and a violent death screen when you die.  It's pretty gory.

Overall:

Most of us remember playing it the arcade.  It was pretty popular, and everyone loves using a huge light gun as their method of destruction.  It's a pretty challenging game too, so unless you're willing to put in a few hours and several pockets worth of quarters, you may not beat it.  We also like how your actions control the direction of the game.  If you suck balls, the game will take you to the more difficult or longer areas of the game.  Very innovative.

 

4.)  Alone In The Dark (1992)

Yes, the guys in red are zombies, in all their 1992 technology glory.

Game Plot:

Jeremy Hartwood has committed suicide in his mansion which was built by the member of an evil cult.  The cursed house caused Jeremy to go insane, leading to his suicide.  You can play as one of two characters.  Either as Emily Hartwood, Jeremy's niece who believes that his piano contains his suicide note and information about his suicide, or as Edward Carnby, a man sent to find Hartwood's piano for an antique dealer.  Once inside the mansion, the doors slam closed (in famous horror movie style) forcing the character to continue through the scary house. 

Gameplay:

Your character is required to solve a myriad of puzzles as they encounter zombies and other scary undead phenomena.  It's a great combination of horror and intellect in one game.  Sometimes you can't even kill some of your enemies in a fight, instead, the puzzle you solve could lead to their destruction.

Overall:

Alone in the Dark is a great game since it combines the elements of suspense and horror with challenging puzzles.  It's considered the very first "survival horror" game. 

 

3.)  Resident Evil 2 (1998)

Resident Evil 2's zombies are adept at clustering and then eating your neck with no problem.  Run, buddy.

Game Plot:

It's a few months after the events in its' predecessor, Resident Evil.  Leon Kennedy has arrived in Raccoon City for his first day on the job as a police officer.  What he finds is pretty much the opposite of what he was expecting: a zombie infestation.  The city is in dissarray, with no sign of human survivors.  Another playable character, Claire Redfield, is a college student hoping to find her brother Chris Redfield from the original Resident Evil.  Apparently, the T-virus created by the Umbrella Corporation was unleashed on Raccoon City as a test, and the infected people became zombies.  As the player, your goal is to survive the infestation and find information about the Umbrella Corporation before the city is destroyed.

Gameplay:

Resident Evil 2 made achievements in graphics and sound.  The environment is desolate and foreboding, meaning your nerves will be on edge the entire game.  There are more  zombies than the first game, but ammo is scarce, so you'll want to conserve it for certain situations, like when there are lots of zombies trying to eat your face.  The developers included lots of terrifying camera angles that make it difficult to see around corners.  This can get pretty annoying sometimes, but you're forced to deal with it and barrel on like a champion. 

Overall:

It's scary and violent, it has a lot of difficult puzzles and objectives as well as scary bosses and a lot of gameplay.  Resident Evil 2 is a great zombie game, and innovated the genre to where it is today. 

 

2.)  Dead Rising (2006)

Capcom loves zombie games, and that's partly why they created Dead Rising.  Although scary and violent, Dead Rising is much lighter than the Resident Evil franchise, but is still a whole lot of fun. 

Game Story:

You play as Frank West, a photographer and journalist who hears about what he initially believes is rioting in Willamette, Colorado.  A helicopter drops him onto the roof of the local mall, and he heads inside to investigate.  He discovers that the rioting is actually people who've been infected by an unknown biochemical agent and have become zombies. 

Game Play:

The gameplay is innovative in that nearly anything can be a weapon.  There aren't a whole lot of guns in the mall, but there are plenty of chainsaws, wooden things, chairs, zombie bodies, and more.  You have to survive for 72 hours when the helicopter is set to pick you back up, and during your stay in the mall you're inclined to help other survivors and also discover information leading to why this outbreak has occurred.  Dead Rising is considered one of the most innovative games of all time and is a good addition to your collection.

Overall:

We really enjoyed the innovation of this game.  While shooting zombies is always fun, getting to use everything and anything in such a well-designed and beautiful environment make for a great time.  Another enjoyable aspect of Dead Rising is that, similar to Grand Theft Auto, it's sandbox style so you can choose whether or not you want to complete side missions while you complete the main objectives of the game.  Completing different objectives properly changes which ending of the game you get to see, and there are three.  Unfortunately, Dead Rising is kind of short, but with the multiple endings possible you can make it your goal to see all of them, thereby adding to the replay value.

 

1.)  Resident Evil 4 (2004)

Put the axe down lady or I'll--forget this, you go boom now!

Game Story:

The President's daughter is kidnapped by a mysterious cult called Los Illuminados, and Leon Kennedy now a government agent thanks to his experience in the Raccoon City situation, is sent to rescue her.  He travels to Europe where the group is located, and finds himself in a village of people dedicated to them.  They're violently protective, and after a few battles with many villagers, we learn that the group infected the people with a microorganism known as "Las Plagas," parasites that control their host and make them violent and bloodthirsty. 

Gameplay:

This game broke the tradition of most games in the Resident Evil franchise.  Before Resident Evil 4, you stood a better chance of surviving if you conserved ammo and stayed away from fights.  But then the developers realized, "Destroying shit is fun," and gave us the opportunity to fight a smarter, scarier enemy.  In the game the enemies are referred to as "Los Ganados" and they even carry weapons and move faster.  They work together to destroy you and can communicate with each other since they aren't exactly zombies, but they aren't exactly functioning humans either.  Other fun features include the ability to actually aim your weapons so you can go for the head shot, or shoot your enemies anywhere you want on their bodies. There's also plenty of hand to hand combat and puzzles to please everyone.  Don't forget about sound.  Your enemies, especially the villagers and things you'll encounter in the castle are always chanting in some creepy language.  It'll freak you out.

The enemies are not only much smarter, but they offer many tricks and surprises for you just when you think you've killed them.  They're relentless, so you're constantly running for your life and shooting desperate hailstorms of bullets at them. The bosses are exceptionally terrifying, and you'll feel your heart pounding during many of the battles.  The game offers tons of jumpy moments and tension filled environments, meaning you'll likely play with the lights on.  Capcom even fixed the annoying "creepy camera angles" situation prevalent in many of their previous games, so you can always see your environment from Leon's point of view.  You even get to play as Ashley, but since she isn't exactly Claire Redfield you've got to stay on the run, dodging enemies and escaping by opening and closing doors and gates. 

Sometimes games in the zombie genre seem too short.  Such is not the case with Resident Evil 4.  It took us over twenty hours to beat it, and when we did, most of us were ready to get started again (when the adrenaline wore off.)

Overall:

Hailed by many as one of the best games of all time and certainly as the best survival horror game ever, Resident Evil 4 is definitely an item you'll want to own.  We've been talking up innovation a lot in this article and RE4 gets countless points for understanding our bloodthirsty desire to shoot up tons of zombies, face scarier enemies, play a long game, and still allow us to feel somewhat intelligent by including challenging puzzles and an interesting plot.  It's the perfect survival horror game, and you'll have a blast playing it.  There's a lot we didn't include in the description because we felt that it could ruin the game's scariest moments, but don't worry, knowing that there are plenty of scary moments won't make them less scary when you do encounter them...or something.  If you haven't played Resident Evil 4 yet, you need to.

 

 

Be on the lookout for Resident Evil 5, Dead Island and Left 4 Dead, three more zombie games due out later this year!  They look like the perfect addition to any zombie game fan's library.