Review

Undead? At least it's not ungood.

By Omar L. Gallaga
American-Statesman Staff
Friday, January 13, 2006

Overview: Even if eating brains isn't really your thing, there's a lot of fun to be had in "Stubbs the Zombie," a stylish and funny action game that, truth be told, could use a little more action.

The game, developed by Wideload and Austin's Aspyr Media Inc. (the game's soundtrack and overall warped sense of humor speak well of its local ties), is a simple and original affair. You control Stubbs, a fedora-wearing, innards-missing zombie who is pursuing the love of his afterlife, a perky (both in personality and physically) blonde whisked from level to level (Princess Toadstool, anyone) as Stubbs, losing limbs and organs, follows. It all plays out in Punchbowl, Pa., circa the 1950s (if the 1950s had hover cars and "Jetsons"-like robots), in what can best be described as a town where Tim Burton meets George A. Romero.

The game, which uses the "Halo 2" game engine, is nicely crafted and fun, but technical limitations, the brevity of the game itself and some dodgy controls keep "Stubbs" from being ghoulishly great.

Modes: Single player, co-op multiplayer. No online play (I suppose that's because it's Xbox "Live.")

Game Play: The object of the game is to get Stubbs through seemingly arbitrary levels by chomping on policemen, scientists and other random folks, raising a zombie army and controlling them with a simple "Follow" command. Along the way, Stubbs develops new abilities and attacks, like a flatulence-based stun attack, a detachable hand that can get into tight spaces and grenades made out of his internal organs.

The gameplay is very original and fun at first, but the controls are not very well thought out. A command for whistling to your zombie horde requires turning toward them and waiting before hitting the "Y" button, which just doesn't work very well.

Controls for the detachable hand (you see it from the hand's point of view; think "The Addams Family") are apt to make you nauseated, while Stubbs' attacks themselves require precise positioning and a lot of patience.

That said, the very violent game delivers on the zombie side. When Stubbs attacks someone, blood spurts in a Tarantino stream toward you. Stubbs can pull off limbs and use them as weapons. While the gore is gratuitous, the game's tone is satirical and cartoonish; it feels more like "Mars Attacks!" than "Dawn of the Dead."

Technical Presentation: While it uses a still-recent game engine, "Stubbs" often looks murky, especially in outdoor environments. It's not always easy to tell zombies from civilians and sometimes you can't see five feet in front of your character's face.

The soundtrack is fantastic, though. It features acts like Flaming Lips, Cake and the Raveonettes taking on retro oldies, and the voice acting is stellar. The game's art design is future-retro and Stubbs himself is a marvel of gruesome character design.

Still, the muddy textures (at least on the Xbox) and sloppy gameplay could be much improved upon. Here's hoping Stubbs makes the leap to a next-generation console like the PlayStation 3 or Xbox360.

Ease of Use: While the controls are easy to learn in theory, it's not always easy to pull off using the weapon you want. It's also not always clear what the mission is on a given level. I spent hours trying to get out of a science lab before realizing that possessing a guard and killing everyone in sight was the only path to victory. The game sometimes favors style over substance, which in a more poorly designed game would be the kiss of death.

Nice Surprise: The game's voice acting and intro are laugh-out-loud hilarious. Few games can pull off true hilarity, but the writing and design team behind Stubbs definitely know their undead lore. There's also a few out-of-nowhere moments that break up the zombie-attack monotony: a "Parappa the Rapper"-style dancing mini-game and the ability to drive vehicles.

Enraging Quirk: The "Y" button doesn't always do what it's supposed to. Too many commands are mapped to too few buttons.

Tip: Once you've converted more than one or two humans to zombies, let them do most of the work while you hang back and munch on just one or two enemies at a time. You won't get very far if you keep Stubbs ahead of the pack against multiple enemies.

Bottom Line: "Stubbs the Zombie" is stylish and original, which automatically puts it (disembodied) heads and shoulders over most games. If it wasn't for a few technical frustrations and the brevity of the game, it would be a stunning piece of work. Still, there's always room for a sequel, and there's plenty of room to address those issues and keep the zombie's story (ahem) alive and kicking.