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State of Decay rises on XBLA June 5
Undead Labs' zombie game State of Decay is set to launch on Xbox Live June 5 for 1,600 MS Points ($20). The news comes via Major Nelson on Twitter, with Undead Labs confirming the date on its blog. No word on a date for the PC port yet. Undead Labs announced it was working on a zombie MMO in 2009. In early 2011, the company revealed a title codenamed Class3, which was positioned as an open-world zombie game targeting XBLA that would serve as a precursor to its announced MMO. In 2012, Undead Labs re-branded the downloadable game as State of Decay, which still retains its focus on survival mechanics in an open-world environment.
State of Decay pegged for June 5 release, according to GameStop
GameStop expects Undead Labs' zombie-packed Xbox Live Arcade survival horror game State of Decay to launch on June 5, according to a product listing obtained by IGN. The retailer lists State of Decay at 1,600 Microsoft points ($20), putting it in the same premium price range as big-name XBLA releases like The Walking Dead and Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. Developer Undead Labs has not officially announced a price for State of Decay, and only divulged a nebulous "June" release date when a trailer launched last month. Undead Labs community director Sanya Weathers notes in a forum post that June 5 is the developer's launch goal, but a final release date has not been determined. "We have not completed certification," she explains. "Until we've completed certification, there is no date."
Ask Massively: Why we cover what we do, part two
Last week, I promised you a second round of questions and answers regarding the types of calls Massively makes on which games and stories it will cover and why. Let's get to it. Mike9 wrote, "I will play [State of Decay] because it looks awesome, but I never understand why Massively covers it; it is a single-player game, not an MMO by even the loosest of definitions, not unless Super Mario World is also considered an MMO now (well, I guess that did allow two players)." I assume you're looking for a better answer than braaaaaiiiiinnnnsssssss!
State of Decay gets new trailer, coming to XBLA in June
Undead Labs has announced a June release window for State of Decay on Xbox Live Arcade. The game, formerly known as Class3, features a whole mess of zombies and survival horror action. While State of Decay will come to PC in addition to XBLA, the release window announcement from Undead Labs only specifically notes that the Xbox 360 version will launch in June.The developer recently unveiled a new trailer for the game as well, which we've embedded above.
State of Decay coming to Xbox Live in June
Undead Labs' zombie actioner State of Decay is coming to Xbox Live this June according to a brief update posted by Undead community guru Sanya Weathers. And when we say brief, we do mean brief, as the sum total of the update is "June. Officially." Fortunately the firm also released a new teaser that shows off a heaping helping of bloody, brain-bashing gameplay. You'll find it after the cut.
State of Decay Q&A talks skills, traits, and more
Undead Labs has posted the results of its latest State of Decay-focused Q&A session. The company parsed a bunch of the best community-generated queries and posted the answers in a mammoth forum thread that represents a great starting point if you're looking to learn more about the upcoming console zombie title. Several of the questions involve the previously mentioned skill system, and there is also some info on traits and survivor characters. Most crucially, we learned that sexting is an actual skill in the game (as are Sudoku and Reality Show Trivia)," according to community guru Sanya Weathers. "It does nothing in a world where cell towers no longer function," she quipped.
State of Decay's character development detailed
Undead Labs has released a new dev diary covering skills and characters for its State of Decay zombie survival title. All available survivors have four basis skills (cardio, wits, fighting, and shooting), and each character has a star rating ranging from one to seven in each skill. Additional stars are gained by successfully using the skill, and additional stars also provide the player with both active and passive abilities. State of Decay characters also have unique trait combinations. Traits range from personality (chatterbox, selfish asshole, born leader, and more) to job history to hobbies, some of which provide additional skill stars. In terms of character customization, the game allows you to choose a weapon specialization and a number of signature abilities, with the ultimate goal being a unique survivor who is both challenging and rewarding to play. You can learn more, and see some example builds, at the game's official website.
Learn to live in a State of Decay with Undead Labs' new survival guide
There's a lot to consider when you're stuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Do you have enough food? Will your shelter hold up against the endless legions of undead? Do you have enough of that ammo that makes zombie heads explode? Thankfully, Undead Labs is here to help make State of Decay players' transitions to the post-apocalypse as simple as possible. The studio has released a day-by-day survival guide written from the viewpoint of characters within the game's universe. The guide provides a flavorful look at some of the features players will be utilizing to survive in State of Decay. Players will learn how to construct a defensible stronghold, how to scavenge for supplies, and of course, how to defend themselves against zed onslaughts. It's quite a read, but a very worthwhile one for anyone who would prefer to remain on the side of the living in the war against the undead.
Check out two minutes of State of Decay zombie-killing action
It's been a few weeks since we've heard from the Undead Labs dev team. Happily, the newest State of Decay update comes with a gruesome slice of gameplay video. The two-minute clip focuses on the weapons and tactics necessary to clear a path through a horde of undead. There's a brief bit of driving action, too, and we also get a glimpse of the game's map functionality and UI. Community manager Sanya Weathers also offers up a teaser on the, er, state of State of Decay's development. "It's the most wonderful time of the year... that time when we're seeing the light at the end of the development tunnel," she writes. "We're polishing up communications, tactics, and all of the elements that make a game more than a simple 'see zombie, shoot zombie' kind of thing."
State of Decay demonstrates the virtues of stealth
Pop quiz, apocalypse survivors: You desperately need to get into a nearby gun store to complete a mission, but it's surrounded by a small horde of zombies. Running through them and shooting your way in are both undesirable options, so what do you do? What do you do? In a short alpha video from Undead Labs, a State of Decay player instead uses tricks and stealth to achieve his goal. He tosses some fireworks from a nearby water tower, prompting the zombies to investigate and leave the scene. Following that, it's a quick dash in and out to trigger a job well done. You can watch this nail-biting footage after the jump, and don't forget to check out Massively's report on the game from PAX.
Undead Labs talks about guns in State of Decay
Today's official blog post about State of Decay is not about careful examination of different cultures. It's not about understanding what creates a zombie and how the sickness can be stopped. It's not even about the careful process of finding and maintaining your food supplies in the wake of societal breakdown. No, this is a blog post about guns. It is all about the weapons you will use to blow the undead into little bite-sized chunks of zombie. The centerpiece is a huge list of guns that players can expect to find and shoot in the game, each with varying properties and ammunition types. It's also meant to expand in the future. So there's no subtlety here, just deadly firearms and the promise of using them to mow down shambling zombies to ensure your own survival. What more could you really want? Aside from functional vehicles and a planet not crawling with monsters that want to eat your brains, of course.
PAX Prime 2012: Undead Labs' State of Decay
Everyone loves zombies, right? Apparently so because they're absolutely everywhere (like Miami, for instance), but we keep on lapping it up. Secretly, though, I think a lot of us are tired of the same old zombie games. After all, if you're one of the truly hardcore that has a zombie apocalypse plan that includes where you'll hole up, how you'll find weapons, what you'll eat, and so forth, it's a little disappointing that most games tend to focus solely on the zombie-shooting part of the zombie apocalypse (not that there's anything wrong with zombie-shooting). Undead Labs' upcoming MMO State of Decay might change all that. The game will take place in a persistent world where players are responsible for rounding up survivors, finding the necessary resources to build defenses and stay alive, and of course, fighting off the zombie hordes. Finally, those of you who have long debated the merits of going to the gun store vs. not going to the gun store in the event of an apocalypse can see whose plan works better. And what's more, at PAX Prime 2012, I got to sit down and play around with it myself, though not for nearly as long as I would have liked. Regardless, if State of Decay is on your radar -- and it should be -- then I'd be glad to tell you all about my 20-odd minutes with the title.
State of Decay is the new name for Class3
It's been a long time since we've heard anything concrete on Class3, the upcoming zombie XBLA game from Undead Labs. Well, that's probably because Class3 is dead – it's now called State of Decay.The latest trailer above reveals the new moniker, and also a new platform: the PC. Microsoft Studios is still publishing State of Decay, and while this new trailer seems counter to the low prominence of combat Jeff Strain promised us so many moons ago, we're just glad this project is still skulking around.
Undead Labs reveals State of Decay gameplay trailer
Undead Labs has been working in relative secrecy for going on two years now. All we knew about the firm's cryptically (and temporarily) titled Class3 was that it had something to do with zombies and that it was coming to the Xbox 360. Now, thanks to a new trailer, we know that the game is officially called State of Decay and it's also coming to the PC. Whether it's an MMO or simply a precursor to the rumored Class4 MMO is still undetermined. All that said, the trailer shows off plenty of open-world third-person shooting action, zombie-centric gore, and even a muscle car and the requisite rusty old pickup truck. Undead says that State of Decay is set in an "open sandbox world [that] develops in real-time" and that gameplay involves "designing and fortifying your home base." Click past the cut for the full video.
