New Year = New Walking Dead Details

Dave Brown



It is a new year and with it with find ourselves inching ever closer to one of the big zombie games of this year, Activision's The Walking Dead video game.  Last time we talked about it, it was revealed that Darryl and Merle would be faithfully recreated in the game. Since this news, there has been little on the news front concerning the game as Activision has been deathly quiet.  That was the case until last week when a leaked video surfaced showing the gameplay.


The footage shows the player as Daryl Dixon taking out zombies in an undisclosed small town. According to sources at Activision, the game is supposed to take place before the TV series and before Daryl and Merle meet up with Rick and the rest of the survivors.
While this video doesn't show a lot, it does give us a lot of hope that this is going to be the next great zombie video game we are all looking for. Stay tuned to Zombies & Toys as we will be delivering the latest news on this game as it comes to us.

The Walking Dead "Survival Instinct" Update

David Brown

Many of you know about the game The Walking Dead by Telltale Games that has been releasing episodes for a few months now.  That game is a great game and is deserving of all of the praise that it has gotten thus far.  The biggest concern that a lot of people have had, including myself is that it included locations and characters from the show, but the protagonist was not one of those main few we were familiar with. 

Activision is looking to change that next year with their newest video game inspired by "The Walking Dead". Titled "The Walking Dead 'Survival Instinct'" this game allows players to assume the role of Daryl Dixon.  According to Activision when describing the game:

It is a first-person survival title takes place within the universe of “The Walking Dead” and before the events of the AMC show, following Daryl and his brother Merle on a gruesome journey to reach the supposed safety of Atlanta as the world around them ends. Reedus and Rooker will bring life to their characters' desperate, unforgiving struggle against limited resources, the nightmarish walkers and, perhaps, their fellow survivors...

The best news of all came today when it was announced that Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker would be reprising their roles as Daryl and Merle for the game. This is exciting news and if it is an indicator of what is to come there is much excitement in the future.  Stay tuned to Zombies & Toys for continued coverage of The Walking Dead "Survival Instinct" and watch for the game to drop next year on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Windows PC.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies Review

Dave Brown

We have been talking a lot about Call of Duty: Black Ops II for the past few weeks and now that the game is out,  we finally get the chance to ask if it is worth the price of admission or not.  Activision has been so gracious as to give us a copy of the game for the purpose of this review. I would like to take a look at each of the different modes in the game ultimately, but would like to start with a mode that has been close to our hearts for a while now, the zombies mode.

The Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops II is a much more fleshed out experience than it has been in previous releases. In the zombies mode you can choose to do the story centric Tranzit mode, the Survival mode, or the new 8 player Grief mode. 

Tranzit is the so called meat and potatoes of Zombies mode as it allows you to traverse an open world setting finding all of the mysteries that the map has to offer all the while avoiding the hoardes of the undead that are following right at your heels.  In Tranzit you and up to three other players start out in the bus terminal on a ruined earth.  The dead have overrun everything and all you have at your disposal are your combat knife and a handgun.  It is up to you to find the weapons to survive from this point on.

As in the past games, as you kill zombies you gain point that can be used to purchase weapons, purchase powerups or access parts of the map that are locked.  In Tranzit mode you have two very important new additions to your survival plan. The first is the zombie bus which will allow you safe passage from one part of the map to the next, but is also succeptable to zombies attacks. The bus can also be upgraded with parts that are scattered around the map allowing for ladders which will allow roof access and various other add ons.

The second addition is buildables.  As mentioned earlier with the bus, you have the ability to find items scattered throughout the map. These items can be combined at workbenches around the map and used to create a number of different things including a tool that will open locked doors without the need for points in some cases. Tranzit is a fun mode, but be cautioned that you will have a very hard time if you choose to go alone.

If you don't feel like discovering the mysteries that lie within Tranzit you can play the survival maps, which function much in the same way that they have in the past, these are very fun maps that lend themselves to fast action and a dash of strategy.  The other mode that you can try out is the Grief mode.  This new mode allows two teams of four to take over a map and fight with or against each other against the undead.  The ultimate goal of this mode is for one team to be left standing.

You cannot just kill the other team members though, you must make them die from the zombies. All the team work in the world will allow you to survive far into the waves, but at the end of it all the question becomes when to choose to turn on the other team and fight your way to survival and victory.

With this all being said, I can enthusiastically say that Call of Duty:Black Ops II Zombies mode is everything that fans of the previous games asked for and so much more.  There is enough to keep even the most seasoned hunter busy for a while.  The tight controls and great ambiant sounds keep you in the action and you will be on edge the whole time.  Run out and pick up this game today. This is just one mode and there is so much to offer, the multiplayer and single player mdoes are great additions that all create one hit game. 

Call of Duty is available now on PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 systems and retails for $59.99.  Stay tuned to the blog as we further follow this game through the add ons and if you are lucky we may even throw in a few surprise announcements along the way.

Skylander Giants Review

David Brown

For those of us whom are zombie fans, the Activision company name is one that is synonymous with the decimation of the hoardes of the undead.  They have built a name from the Call of Duty franchise and further broadened their horizons with the Zombies subgame that many of us have played and loved. They are now bringing us a game that younger generations can enjoy while we mow through the undead mencae.

Last year Activision released Skylanders Spyro's Adventure for the Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 to cater to younder audiences. It was a big hit because of its great gameplay and the interchangeable characters that could be purchased to expand your game.  This month they have released Skylanders Giants, a game which they are anticipating to be a hot seller this holiday season.

In Skylanders Giants, players assume the role of the portal master as they utilize their skylanders in order to battle the evil Portal Master Kaos and his many minions. This time around Activision has added 16 new characters, new LightCore technology and new worlds to explore.  This begs the question, is it fun to play?

The game is compatible with last year's game, but if you haven't played before, you will need to pick up a starter kit, which features a portal (a shown above), the game and three characters.  The portal is your method of transporting characters into the game world.  It is interesting to see it glow with "power" as it is plugged in to your gaming system.  When you begin the game you are instructed to pick one of your Skylanders and place them on the portal. Upon doing so, they are scanned into the game world and you are ready to play. 

 

The figures themselves all hold the information about their in-game progress. This is intriguing as you can level your characters up and take them to another place where the game is and all of your character information will be accessible, this includes leveling information as well as gold supply.  These figures are a fun form of collectible that is not only fun to look at but useful in game as well.  The figures are detailed and you can tell care was put into their design.  But this means nothing if the gameplay is not up to par.

 

 

The controls in Skylanders Giants are simplified to accomidate younger players. The face buttons are responsible for the various attacks and the control stick moves your character around.  This is not a game of platforming prowess, but more-so one of strategy and proper character utilization.  In each level, you have objectives, not only for level completion, but for item collection and overall efficiency.  There are certain areas that can only be accessed by certain Skylanders, so this can cause some problems if you don't have certain characters.  There are eight different character types and unfortunately in the starter pack you only get three, so there will be areas of the game world that you cannot access.

 

Skylanders is a game not only of action, but of good puzzle solving skills.  There are a number of areas where you must unlock doors that are locked with puzzles or create paths to get through the level and these offer a good challenge while not turning away any specific player groups.  The atmosphere is kid friendly as their are many bright shiney color and the dialogue, while sometimes repetitive, is enjoyable by younger audiences.  I found myself having a lot of fun with this game despite it being for younger audiences. 

 

If you have children and want a game that isn't overly violent for them, get this game.  It will give them something fun to play while you are erradicating zombies in Call of Duty.  Skylanders is available now from Activision on the Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS and Playstation 3. It will also be available for the Wii U system in the future. It may not have zombies (although it does have an undead class), but it is still a fun diversion for kids and adults alike.