Posted: 02-08-06 In: Reviews By: Munro2 |


Zombies. As gamers, we've seen just about every kind possible. From Half-Life 2's "fasties" that are practically a blur before they're in your face, to Doom 3's traditional shuffling hordes; there isn't a flesh colour, bone size or brain preference that we haven't encountered.

And Zombie Master doesn't try to break this mould - All your favourite zombies return in the usual stench of rotting flesh. Fans of the genre rejoice, then. The classic multiplayer gameplay is also intact; which means teaming up with your best friends to smite your oppressors back to hell (or just shivering in a corner with a shotgun raised to the door).

So what is it that makes Zombie Master so special? It's not exactly the first multiplayer mod to pitch players against a mass of computer controlled zombies. Although, the thing is, they're not exactly "computer controlled".

You've guessed it by now, haven't you? That's right; you can take the title "Zombie Master" literally. When you're fighting an ongoing plague of undead, you're not just blasting at individual targets, you're shooting tiny chunks of a huge entity; the Zombie Master. One player is commanding the masses, ordering them to attack, to retreat, to stumble towards you or to wait in that dark alley, until the time is right.

When I was given the opportunity to take up the rotting gauntlet of ZM myself, the very first thing I did was display a malicious, evil laugh over general chat to dishearten all the fools that were trying to take me on. After all, if you have the dead themselves at your fingertips, you might as well play the part!

But when I did get stuck in, I found it extremely hard to prise myself away. The interface is so easy to play with; it's almost exactly like C&C, or any other RTS game out there. You fly through the map as a spectator, commanding the zombies by simply selecting them and clicking where you want them to go. To yank some more from their graves, all you have to do is click on one of the convenient spawn points littered around the maps, select which type of zombie you want, and then send them into the fray- although it costs you. Naturally, the more players you kill, the more resources you'll be able to spend on your army. It's a system that just seamlessly works.

It's also incredibly simple to learn. At the time I was able to play, there were only three zombie types; fast, standard and hulk. If you've ever played the Ravenholm levels from Half-Life 2, you should already be acquainted with these; the standard zombie lumbers around, bashing into things and swinging at anything with a pulse, while the fast zombie is quick and agile and able to jump from rooftop to rooftop with a click of the mouse. The hulk is the complete opposite; slow and idiotic, it can take immense amounts of bullets and still knock people over with its devastating lunge.

A true master will quickly adapt to use all three of these effectively, learning that beneath the simplicity there's room for intricate tactics. The test map I played contained an open street with dark alleys and intimidating architecture, with a house at the back where players can set up a defence. A particularly favourite tactic of mine was to send a few fasties out in the open as cannon fodder- and while my prey wasted bullets, I sent hulks stumbling into the house at the back. Once they were suitably hidden, I created a few more fasties and started pounding the players, forcing them to retreat into the house- before surrounding all the exits. I zoomed in close, face-to-face, watching them realise their mistake. Watching them panic. Watching them die. It's a hugely satisfying moment to trample over your enemies in such a bold, glorious move.

But when you're reluctantly snatched away from your throne and placed back on the solid ground, Zombie Master suddenly becomes a whole new game. The very people you were trying to defeat are now your trusted allies; and if you don't stick together and plan as a team, you'll all perish. After all, unlike any other zombie game you may have played, where players can outsmart the AI by perching themselves somewhere out of reach- there's always someone watching you in Zombie Master. This means a back entrance to exploit, a space for a fastie to leap onto or a crate that can be smashed- all of which a computer would blindly overlook. It's safe to say that Zombie Master will make you permanently paranoid.

"It bridges the gap between horror films, and actually physically being killed by a crazed lunatic on your way home," boasts mapper FarrowLeSparrow. "The feature people most get excited about are the manipulates. They give the zombie master a certain control, almost dynamic power over the map on which they're playing. I don't want to spoil anything, but in the hands of a true master and a good mapper, the manipulates will leave you not just on the edge of your seat, but cowering under your bed."

And it's not just the zombie master who can influence the map - the other players can try the old hands on approach. The Half-Life 2 engine is stretched to it's full potential while players haul crates, chairs tables and anything else remotely stackable into sturdy barricades. Unfortunately, the most defendable locations are also the most dangerous - certain types of zombie are fully aware that "what goes up", must be smashed out of the way if brains are going to be on the menu, and you certainly wouldn't want to be left with no escape route if you have the undead pouring into your sanctuary. Presently this cowardly tactic is endorsed by the survival based maps, but some will boast human objectives, where players will be urged to abandon their barricades and fight their way to a certain zombie infested position.

Zombie Master may only be in its early stages, but it's already a fully enjoyable game without the steaming pile of weapons, zombies, maps and ideas that are yet to be weaved into the blood-stained fabric. With the way it's starting to look, ZM is going to be one of the greatest Zombie mods ever conceived - and it's not even breaching copyright or intellectual property laws!