The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
Today, we once again delve into the shambling shoes of the undead with Age of Zombies.
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Developer: Halfbrick Studios
Region(s) available: North America, Europe
Players: 1
Riding on the tidal wave of undead-related offerings that seem to have washed over the industry like the stench of decay these past few years, Age of Zombies proves yet again that our rotting friends still have plenty of pulling power. Here, you play as walking 80s stereotype Barry Steakfries, a chap who has a penchant for face-palm inducing one liners and ends up getting sent back in time to eliminate a zombie army cobbled together by a crazed scientist.
Viewed from a fixed top-down perspective, gameplay involves manipulating Bazza by fiddling with the D-pad or the PSP’s pint-sized nub, while blasting the legions of shambling undead in your path. In terms of weapons, you’ll scoop up a variety of limb-destroying delights including bog-standard firearms such as your trusty pistol (complete with obligatory infinite ammunition) to meatier weapons such as Shotguns, Bazookas, grenades and mines. Naturally, you’ll have to watch your ammo count for the bigger guns, so don’t go blasting mindlessly.
All the time you’ll be keeping an eye on the zombie thermostat on the left hand side of the screen, which when depleted means you’ve sent all the undead back to their graves. You’ll then subsequently move on to another section or square up against a boss character. If you happen to kick the bucket at any point you’ll still be able to have another shot at things – that is, provided you have any extra lives remaining. If not, then the game boots you back to the start of the level.
Players will visit plenty of time zones throughout your journey too, including the lush grasslands of prehistoric ages to the dusty sands of Egypt. Likewise, enemies are quite a diverse bunch, ranging from your standard brain-hungry sorts to gangster zombies, undead ninjas and even a hulking, zombified T-Rex. The main game mode will take you through five eras in total, each one packing in about 10-15 minutes worth of zombie-slaying antics. Beyond the main campaign, there’s also a Survival Mode to sink your teeth into, which pits you against perpetually respawning zombie hordes.
That’s it for this week. Tune in again Monday morning for another peek Inside PlayStation Network.