Why Guys Love Zombies

There have been a lot of articles hitting the internet recently concerning the ostensibly inexplicable attraction between guys and zombies. And by attraction I’m not talking about that urge you get to type words like “Kate Beckinsale” into Google images. I’m talking about the attraction guys get to pit themselves against shambling, moaning hordes of walking dead and stick them with long, hard and pointy with swords, knives, and other manner of disagreeable item.

I would like to make it known that I am not denying women their share in this strange relationship. It’s just that this conversation has a natural bias towards men. I recall only one woman I’ve ever spoken with who enjoyed playing games like Left 4 Dead, and that’s one more woman than I expected to confess to such an enjoyment. Typically, when I speak to women about zombies, the #1 reply I get is, “I just don’t get them.”

But all you men out there reading this blog, you do get them, don’t you? You do get why there’s rarely a more satisfying pastime than slaying zombies alongside your closest friends.

For those of you who don’t get them, I am going to offer a little insight.

First of all, no one actually wants the zombie apocalypse to happen. Despite any reassurances or reservations you might have about humanity’s ability to survive it, no one wants to put down a walking corpse that somewhat resembles their aunt or next-door neighbor. The psychological ramifications of participating in such activities don’t bear mentioning. However, once these activities hit the big screen or the latest console, they take on entirely new meanings, ones that guys everywhere can get behind. A few of these meanings being…

#1: IT’S ALL ABOUT POWER

Power is attractive to guys. Being able to trump difficult situations through sheer willpower and manliness is the fuel that spurs men to greatness…or to the grave. Regardless of the outcome, witnessing feats of power is synonymous with adrenaline, the kind that releases endorphin into the brain. Endorphin feels good, therefore power feels good.

Power can be destructive (the best kind of power). Unfortunately, power in large, unrestrained amounts is disruptive to society and must be harnessed in more agreeable, manageable forms. Enter the age of zombie video games and movies with loads of safe, explosive power and you have the perfect venue for guys everywhere to satiate their subconscious desire to kick something in the face (or in the case of Dead Island, kick about 10,000 things in the face).

#2: IT’S ALL ABOUT HEROISM

Quick! What’s the one thing every guy ever wants to be at one point in his life? If you said Kate Beckinsale’s husband, you’re probably only half right. If you said a hero, congratulations, you’ve unlocked the secret to every guy’s inner desires. Despite what you might think, being a hero is not synonymous with Batman or Superman. Sure, a lot of guys want to be the Dark Knight or America’s love-child in a red cape. Heck, I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon wondering who Kate Beckinsale would love me more as.

No, despite what you might think, being a hero is much more synonymous with respect. And if there’s one thing a guy loves more than Kate Be…you know what? I’m going to stop now.

Guys love respect. And if respect comes from rescuing small children from being devoured by the undead and valiantly rescuing a bikini-clad damsel from her infected husband (something you do more than once in Dead Island), so be it. The zombie apocalypse sounds intriguing because it gives every man equal chance to step up and become humanity’s last hope for survival. On that note…

#3: IT’S ALL ABOUT SURVIVAL

I’m not a huge camper or outdoorsy type. You know who is though? Every other guy out there. That is, of course, a gross exaggeration, but guys do share an enigmatic love for the rawness of nature. Out there, it’s just you and the elements. You add a few points to your manliness counter every time you can step out of a forest or off a mountain and claim, “I survived.”

Survival is why Bear Grylls has a paycheck. It’s also why the concept of holing up in a shopping mall surrounded by zombies and living off your last supply of rations, ammo, and sanity sounds unnaturally appealing to guys. I’m not saying that purifying toilet bowl water or checking out the local pet store for food sounds fun. However, pitting your wits against insurmountable odds (and potentially succeeding) is what makes the zombie apocalypse a viable subject matter in movies and video games. Survival is the fire that fuels the plot of zombie-related entertainment, without which you’re just left with thousands of gross-looking people. And that’s not even counting the zombies.

#4: IT’S ALL ABOUT TEAMWORK

Sure, it’s fun to be the hero or the sole hope for humanity. But there will come a time when help from your closest companions or even complete strangers is unquestionably needed. It is in these times that proper teamwork becomes your greatest asset. Games like Left 4 Dead exemplified this necessity. I typically prefer to play video games by myself, but I never even attempted to play Left 4 Dead on a higher difficulty than medium by my lonesome. The game is crafted in such a way as to demand that players work together. If you can’t trust your teammates, you’ll probably get devoured pretty quickly.

There is something exhilarating about placing your life in the hands of another person. In a video game where the worst that can happen is that everyone dies and you try again, relying on your teammates becomes a natural part of the experience. Much akin to real-life sports, teamwork paves the road to success. And success that is shared as a result of collective effort tastes all the more sweet in the end.

#5: IT’S ALL ABOUT CARNAGE

Who am I kidding? Killing zombies in bloody fashion is freaking awesome.

Dead Island

Techland’s zombie survival/horror game recently hit shelves across the United States, bringing with it hours of fast-paced hack-n-slash. On the surface, Dead Island is exactly what consumers might expect it to be: a bloody trek from point A to point B that pits the player against hundreds of shambling zombies just begging to be maimed and decapitated. Under the surface, Dead Island offers a level of character and weapon customization previously unseen by games falling under the umbrella of zombie survival/horror.

Dead Island borrows from several different games of similar genre, most notably Dead Rising. Like in Dead Rising, players can craft weapons out of random brick-a-brack found almost anywhere in the tropical paradise of Banoi, New Guinea. Players can then combine these items with a foundation weapon, such as a baseball bat or knife, to create devastating modifications. Want to burn zombies with a flaming axe? You can do that. Want to crush skulls with a morning star pulsating with electric current? You can do that too.

Modifications also extend to small arms (pistols, shotguns, rifles). You can imbue your bullets with fire, lightning, and even the ability to make zombies puke their guts out on contact. Small explosions and splash damage can also be crafted using specific components. Want to blow away hordes of the undead in one fell swoop? Simply string two empty deodorant cans together with duct tape and you have yourself a genuine homemade bomb. Classics like the Molotov Cocktail can also be crafted should you run out of melee weapons or are simply in the mood to cause mass destruction.

In addition to the innumerable choices available regarding what weapons to use, players can outfit their characters with certain skills. By adding points to three different skill trees – combat, fury, and survival – players can further build and craft their character toward individual tastes. Although each playable character has the same three skill trees, each tree will affect its respective character differently. For example, the survival tree will allow one character to regenerate health over time and another more efficiency with med packs. Combine effective use of skill points with a fully-upgraded, modified weapons and you have yourself a lean, mean, zombie-killing machine.

This doesn’t mean Dead Island is easy in any sense of the word. Characters do not have a large vessel of health to draw from, meaning the level of danger when surrounded by zombies (and you will get surrounded) is very high. Health can be restored using med packs or food found scattered amid the remains of Banoi. However, these will not save you if you go into combat unprepared or happen to get too close to a suicider, a zombie with the ability to explode violently, instantly draining your character’s health to zero.

Zombies are fairly diversified, ranging from your typical slow, shambling zombie to extremely fast, agile zombies with bone scythes for arms. This helps keep combat from getting dull and ensures there’s always a surprise waiting around the next corner. Zombies also increase in health and scale the more players are involved in a single game. Since Dead Island supports up to four players in a single game, the potential for challenge and the necessity of teamwork is increased.

The multiplayer aspect of Dead Island is something for which I applaud Techland. The game will notify players every time they come within close proximity of another player with the same or less level of story progress. Simply press one button and you can join the neighboring player’s game in seconds. Dropping out of another player’s game and back into your own is just as quick and easy. The game thus ensures players the opportunity to play in a manner that suits their individual tastes.

Dead Island also capitalizes beautifully on what zombie games do best: give their players the opportunity to kill zombies. And if you play through Dead Island, you will kill a lot of zombies. Killing is ultimately satisfying and fun to watch. Decapitated heads fly after being separated from their shoulders. Limbs break and are severed with realistic gluts of blood and gore. Zombies react accordingly to being set on fire or electrocuted. All in all, Dead Island excels at creating a environment in which players can enjoy dispatching the undead in creative ways.

Sound effects in Dead Island are great. The sound of a sledgehammer turning a zombie’s head into pulp is grossly satisfying. Voice acting is good and fairly diversified across the board. Zombie’s moan and scream in a way that complements the tedious nature of combat. The music in Dead Island is mostly soft and reminiscent of a tropical paradise. It’s not amazing, but it certainly does not detract from the overall feel of the game.

My biggest complaint with Dead Island lies in its graphical qualities. Banoi looks beautiful in all the right places, but that’s where the good graphics end. Voice syncing during cut scenes is downright terrible and all the in-game characters have this weird quality about their faces that makes them look older than I imagine Techland wanted to depict them. Graphical glitches plague every corner of Banoi. Several times, I notices palm tree leaves jutting through scenery or zombies magically dropping through the floor. The moment I realized Dead Island had some serious issues was shortly after a zombie lobbed a knife through a concrete wall and into my character.

I am a firm believer that graphics do not equate to gameplay. I still enjoyed playing Dead Island regardless of its obvious flaws. Nevertheless, Dead Island had the feel of an unfinished game, one that was released prematurely. I know Techland is working on fixing some of these glitches, but the fact that they were not fixed earlier lost the game some points in my mind.

VERDICT

Despite a few issues, I still rate Dead Island my favorite zombie game to date. I have been waiting a long time for a zombie game that allowed players to customize characters and weapons in such a detailed manner. I would have liked to see even more customization options, but overall, Dead Island succeeded in paving the road for what I hope will be a pattern for zombie games to come.

SCORE: 8.5/10