As gaming technology continues to evolve and deliver more immersive experiences, the best zombie games just get scarier, bloodier, and more frantic. Over the years, developers have done some outstanding work in the zombie field, bringing all the B-movie thrills of classic movies to an interactive medium.
Thanks to The Walking Dead, zombies are truly in vogue, and we’ve got plenty of new games swarming towards us like a horde of rotting freaks. Here are the top 5 we can’t wait to try in 2017 (and possibly beyond, depending on certain release dates) …
Daymare 1998
Invader Studios were putting together a delicious Resident Evil 2 remake before Capcom announced their own official version, In its place, the team is working hard on Daymare: 1998.
So far, this looks remarkable, and should be quite a scare-fest. Inspired by cult films and games from the 90s (obviously the Resident Evil series), this has input from a designer who worked on creature-design for Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Resident Evil 0.
The footage revealed for Daymare: 1998 oozes atmosphere, and promises to be a slow-burning survival-horror game fans of the genre will lap up. There’s no release date yet, but fingers crossed it lives up to its potential.
Now, speaking of that Resident Evil 2 remaster …
Resident Evil 2 Remake
For years, fans have speculated on whether or not we’d get to see a remake of Resident Evil 2.
Well, Capcom is finally underway on this very game – but we’ve got little to go on so far.
Rumours abound, of course, but the original game remains a classic, which means Capcom have a terrific foundation upon which to build. They’ve also confirmed that this is being built from scratch, so expect the team to mix things up a little.
Of course, the Resident Evil games have gone back to basics recently, so hopefully this will amp the dread right up to make Claire & Leon’s first adventure even scarier.
We just hope the immortal ‘hold your fire! I’m a human’ line stays …
Days Gone
The footage released for Days Gone so far is tremendous. We get to see frantic, desperate survival with some of the most amazing zombie-swarming mechanics ever.
Days Gone is being developed by SIE Bend Studio, the clever folk responsible for creating the Syphon Filter series, and is a PS4 exclusive. There’s no firm release date for this yet, but we absolutely can’t wait.
Playing as a bounty hunter in an open world overrun by zombies, you’ll get to stay alive however you can: you might want to take a stealthy approach to avoid hordes, or take dozens down with rifles, explosives, Molotov cocktails, and handy environmental features. If you haven’t watched any gameplay footage from this yet, give it a try – it’s shaping up to be something really special.
OVERKILL’s The Walking Dead
OVERKILL, the team behind the Payday games, is collaborating with Skybound Interactive to create a new type of game based on The Walking Dead. Unlike the Telltale series, OVERKILL’s game will be a first-person co-op game, tossing a little role-playing and stealth into the survival-horror soup.
This promises to put you deeper into the universe of The Walking Dead than before, and the aspect of working with another player to fight off walkers and survive is pretty mouth-watering. As OVERKILL have got some hefty credentials in the world of co-op FPS games, this could well live up to its promise.
The chilling teaser trailer revealed a while back was certainly loaded with atmosphere, and bodes well for the project.
State of Decay 2
The first State of Decay was an impressive take on the zombie genre, putting you in charge of numerous survivors and helping them survive. It was a pretty deep experience, asking you to establish your own base, keep it safe, manage resources, and fight off zombies. If you were after more than just shooting zombies, State of Decay was the game for you.
With State of Decay 2, we’re promised a bigger world to play in, four-player co-op, and there will no doubt be other new features and improvements too. It might not be as eagerly-awaited as some of the other titles on this list, but State of Decay 2 could potentially be a classic.
Which zombie games are you most looking forward to playing? Let us know!
