THE DEAD TIMES

RATING:

ZOMBIE RATING:

DESCRIPTION:

There are Zombies for some unexplained reason and, for more unfathomable reasons, they are on a plane.

MY VERDICT:

Zombies on a Plane is a strange little game that I feel like I should send straight to the damnable bin of injustice yet, somehow, I can't shake it. There are two modes of play that are remarkably different; the first is a fairly generic FPS (First Person Shooter) where you have to shoot and survive against wave after wave of merciless undead while aboard a passenger plane akin to a Boeing 737. The major problem is the lack of any believability or explanation; how do the Zombies magically appear on the plane in mid-flight, crawling through the exterior doors? Why are there no passengers on the plane, only you and the unspeakable hordes? How did you get an arsenal of guns including a chainsaw and flamethrower on a plane in the first place? You also seem to have unlimited ammo for these weapons, only being restricted to killing methods by the number of waves you have completed. It's a moderate shooter but that's all - I really hoped for something with a little imagination. Thankfully, the next mode is a more original, daring and fun mini-game type affair where you play as the pilot flying the aforementioned plane in third-person, shimmying the controls and pulling suicidal manoeuvres to shake Zombies from the fuselage. Yes, this mode takes the "Zombies on a plane" concept to the extreme by taking a plane and putting Zombies, literally, on the outside of it. Again, it's all non-sensical; how did the Zombies get there? Why do they want to punch pieces of metal body work until they fall off? Sadly, while being better than the "just shoot it" first mode, it is not enough to save an entirely lacklustre game. Other problems are as numerous as the Zombies: the graphics are not especially good by modern standards, there are occasional bugs and both gameplay modes provide nothing in the way of longevity - play for 10 minutes and you've seen all the game has to offer.