A New Zombie MMO The War Z Aims To Be The Greatest Ever
Look out gamers. Last of Us and Arma’s mod DayZ might not be the only MMOs to train for the zombie apocalypse. The War Z is still in development, but as are all MMOs, there are lofty expectations with the arrival of the game. In a free roaming world filled with zombies and other survivors, undead based Massive Multiplayer Online games are the way to go for a realistic gaming experience. I mean, about as realistic as shooting the reanimated dead can be I suppose. Instead of following a linear storyline, the player can experience the online world as a whole without being forced to walk a certain path. With this style of game, you’ll come across plenty of good and bad guys, both of whom can switch sides in an instant.
It’s been five years since the outbreak; leaving in its wake a post-apocalyptic nightmare with ninety-five percent of the human population gone. In order to stay alive, you will need food, weapons, and other supplies. Some of you will be able to scavenge as you navigate the terrain, others will be forced to fight for survival as you encounter zombies and other players. Every decision will have an impact on whether you live or how quickly you die.
…Choose one of the hundreds of servers to play on. Each game world has an area of up to 400 square kilometers. As more worlds become available, just switch between them at any time, without losing your character’s data, or paying any “world transfer fees”. Start playing in our first world “Colorado”, today, and prepare yourself to join other gameplay locations scattered around the world as we release more and more content. – The War Z website
IGN recently sat down with some of the people behind the game and so far the talking points have been pretty heavy on an experience that will rival and perhaps even surpass the best zombie games. There’s no classes to unlock, no guns to unlock, and you’re guaranteed a different experience every time you log into the game. Pretty f*cking sweet. While the world you’re in will truly be sandbox style with no set “goals” per se, if you need help with your own goals (whatever they may be), you can post these for a bounty and other players will come to assist you. Or kill you and steal your sh*t. Genius!
While baddies in the game will be a lot dumber than you, they’ll only be a smidgen slower than your own player. So don’t expect to be run through crowds willy nilly like you would in Dead Rising especially since endurance will play a factor. However, similar to that series, you will need to stave off infection should you be bitten by a walker and are able to escape. A zombie vaccine is available but hard to find. Depending on the game mode you’ll either start with a pistol or have to find one, but that shouldn’t be a huge issue. While the photos depict a third person shooter, you can choose to switch perspectives on the fly.
Adding a specific social element to the game are safe settlements which are essentially fortified bases where players can gather and interact, as well as store supplies and post messages for others. At these settlements you can announce missions, look for partners/clans to team up with, and share your items among other players you have created (up to 5). And although other players can attack and kill you in these settlements, their reputations will be red flagged and they will also be subject to harsh repercussions from on-site guards.
Individual servers are available for all players free of charge, and some servers will even be able to be rented, for those uber-nerds who wish to have a giant LAN party. The more you play, the more your players skills will increase in the areas of which you have excelled. Which means it might be best to play the jack of all trades route. Only two modes of difficulty will be available, Normal and Hardcore. If you die in Normal mode, your player, skillset and his/her inventory will be locked out for a set amount of time. In Hardcore, once you get killed, it’s a wrap for your player. Period. No 1-ups, restarts, or anything else. It’s back to square one with a whole new character. Choose wisely noobs.
All this talk of The War Z has me amped enough to buy a new desktop to give this game a shot when it releases. Or maybe I’ll just be a less productive as*hole at work and install it at the office.
More info at: The War Z website and IGN
