Dead Effect PC Review
In Space, No One Can Hear You Sigh
This played out single player PC port is possibly the most predictable product in quite some time. Amusing alliteration aside, this mostly mobile marvel marries mindless mayhem with fair market value.
This new zombie FPS set on a dimly lit space station has all the right elements to have tons of fun mowing down the zombie hoards wreaking havoc on this floating coffin you happen to be on. With guns, zombies, space, gore galore, and shiny upgrades it’s hard not to enjoy this new title from inDev Brain.
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Gameplay of this type is certainly not breaking molds by any stretch of the imagination. It has a core concept however that gamers can’t seem to ignore, and it provides that need in abundance. Nazis seem to be the only missing enemy that every other game has for cannon fodder. It does have special powers that blow zombies apart and bullet time ability that of course shows all the blood and guts in slow motion glory that will leave the player wanting more.
The atmosphere is very much like Doom 3, but better lit. The graphics are good enough to not focus on, but also not good enough to point out either. The gore is over the top and cheesy, but that just adds to the appeal for most. The weapons in the beginning are only mediocre, and it takes far too long to get the upgrades that make them awesome. The real weak point in the gameplay is the mobility. The player is very slow, but the zombies are even slower. George Romero would be proud of these undead shufflers since most of them wouldn’t beat a turtle in a race, but somehow lunge quick as lightning when close enough to the player. The other key missing component is multiplayer, since this kind of game just seems like it would be so much better with other players taking out the undead right next to you.
The monetary system seems a bit off, especially due to the fact that you can revive on the spot with enough money. This mechanic is seen all the time in tablet or mobile games of the same genre. The reason that this feels like a mobile game is because it originated on tablets for iOS and android. This recent PC port seems to have forgotten where it’s going, and missing the micro transactions that make that kind of money system work. Since you can’t add money to the game for PC, it can take far too long to get upgrades that shouldn’t be too difficult to attain.
There are problems with this FPS, but it should be stated that this is coming from a very small team of designers, and as of right now it costs only a measly 8 dollars. This is a very cheap deal when it comes to zombie FPS, since most are starting around $50 to $60 and they have huge teams of designers for every aspect of their games. But the reason this will succeed is because of the same reason that summer blockbusters with huge plot holes, bad acting, and terrible direction make tons of money every year: it’s entertaining. We play games like this to forget about the world and have mindless violent fun while destroying innumerable amounts of zombies. In this way, this recent addition to the space zombie genre totally delivers and is well worth the price of admission, certainly lower than most movie theaters anyway.
Written by: Adam