Zombie Smash
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Popular smitage game ZombieSmash receives major update
When we anointed ZombieSmash as one of our Daily Apps last month, we mentioned that the game was about to receive a major upgrade -- and it just did. Adding a second campaign of carnage and smiting, the newly updated software offers an additional 30 levels (or "days") of gameplay, basically doubling the original game. On sale now for just US$0.99 (iPhone) and $1.99 (iPad) at the iTunes App Store, you can crush, explode, squish and otherwise wreak havoc among the rampaging zombie hordes. In my play-through, I was a little disappointed there weren't more basic tower defense strategy elements built into the gameplay, but I found it a delightful diversion. (For rather bloody limb-by-limb dismembering values of "delightful," that is.) The update provides 25 new Game Center achievements, improved "zombie spawning," bunny zombies (for an Easter easter egg), an enhanced soundtrack and more.
Hands-on with Zombie Smash!
I've been playing with a beta of Game Doctor's Zombie Smash! for three weeks now and I can honestly say it's the most fun I've ever had on my iPhone. ZombieSmash! is a "Survival Comedy" game featuring undead-themed castle defense and entertaining, physics-based gameplay. The game casts players as Joey, a lone survivor pit against a herd of writhing, unrelenting zombies. To defeat the undead masses players must use their fingers to flick and smash the zombies until they're un-undead. The game features six "species" of zombies, each with their own skills and abilities. Picking up and smashing zombies together, or flicking them into the air only to see their bodies crumple on the ground is fantastically entertaining thanks to the rag doll "SplatterEngine" used in the game. In addition to your fingers, you can acquire over 20 special weapons from the in-game store. The weapons can be purchased using the star points that you collect when defeating a zombie. Besides the standard collection of guns, you're able to purchase land mines, grenades, wrecking balls, liquid nitrogen containers, and even a friggin' asteroid. In addition to the 31-night Campaign Mode, the Endless Siege and Sandbox modes lend towards the re-playability of this game when you just need to do some zombie smashing to relieve your frustrations. The game is also helped by its original soundtrack which was composed by famed game music composer Chris Hülsbeck who scored many Commodore 64 games. ZombieSmash! goes on sale today for $1.99 for iPhone and iPod touch running OS 3.0. %Gallery-88336%
The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Gamedoctors
Being a giant, beloved video game blog has its downsides. For example, we sometimes neglect to give independent developers our coverage love (or loverage, if you will) as we get caught up in AAA, AAAA or the rare quintuple-A titles. To remedy that, we're giving indies the chance to create their own loverage and sell you, the fans, on their studios and products. This week we talk with Matthias Hoechsmann of German developer Gamedoctors. The studio (chock full of actual doctors) has just launched its first title, an iPhone/iPod Touch game called ZombieSmash!. How did your company get started? The Gamedoctors story is quite different to the much-seen "team of seasoned game industry veterans creating an iPhone game" story. We are, in fact, seasoned Ph.D-honored scientists who grew up with games and just want to bring our own fresh perspective to the iPhone and other platforms (get the company name, eh?). Why did you want to make games? There are a lot of ways to answer that question but I think when you boil it down, the "why" is much the same for everyone who got into this business. We love games. We have some ideas that haven't been done before, and we're taking matters into our own hands to make them come to life. Or, in the case of ZombieSmash!, unlife!
