Nation Red is a Top-Down Zombie Shooter sold in digital form on the internet through distributors such as Direct2Drive and Steam. I bought my copy of Nation Red off Steam during a Halloween sale for $3.39 from its original $10 and convinced a friend to buy it so that we could play the 2-player co-op. Wow, was it hard. It was not surprising that it was fun though, I mean c'mon it's killing zombies! Okay, there are also bad zombie games out there...but fortunately this one is fun.
Graphics:
Image by Shuriken
The graphics are rendered in 3D but are presented in an 2D format that references old school top down shooters. The details of each of the models isn't state-of-the-art, but is possibly done so to avoid graphics lag when trying to render so many units on the screen at once. The graphics wasn't the most important aspect of the game, nor was it its strong point; however, it was satisfactory since it still depicted the most important parts: the weapons, and the slaying. The graphics were done appropriately and efficiently since it had that level of believability or satisfaction of each kill the player makes while still keeping the game running smooth despite the amount of zombies, explosions and blood that's on screen. It did get confusing during 2-player co-op missions where both players are together in a pile of zombies since the color and structure of the player's character and zombies are very similar. It helps a bit when that bright ring around the player shows up to indicate the position of the character. Graphics: 8/10
It just seems to match a zombie apocalypse to have Heavy Death Metal playing the background, doesn't it? Even though I'm being halfway facetious, the music really got me pumped in killing zombies. The grungy effect was strong and the drums were powerful. If you asked me to hum any of them to you, I probably couldn't. The soundtrack isn't very memorable, but it's definitely fitting for the game. I would still listen to the soundtrack if I ever got the music files though. The sound effects were very clear despite the music blaring through my headphones. Each gun has a distinctive sound it makes and most all of them are decent. There weren't any corny, carbon-copy sound effect of a gun shot or anything, and if there were it worked for the game. 8/10
Gameplay:
Image by Shuriken
There are several game modes for Nation Red, but the ultimate goal is to kill the zombies and stay alive. Each stage is a boxed arena where zombies are capable of coming from any direction towards the player that spawns right in the middle. The list of weapons is a decent amount and each one has their advantages and disadvantages so that no weapon will seem useless (though I tend to find the play style I like and stick with certain weapons over others). The game if fast-paced and gets right to the point. The difficulty doesn't sluggishly work its way up each time your start a new game. Once you begin, be prepared to shoot-run-reload-repeat. If you die, then jump right back in and restart. Most of the game modes are infinite and don't have a real ending to them, so it's a matter of endurance and aiming for the high scores like an arcade game. There is a Mission mode for single player where certain conditions are set and need to be fulfilled. Some missions have you fight bosses that possess a high amount of stamina and a weapon while others have you defending a AI partner. The perk system adds a strategic dynamic to the survival and allows players to create a type of character that matches their play style (up close and personal or distant and deadly, etc.). Plenty of weapons and power ups drop in the battlefield which makes the experience different each play through. Because of these dynamics, the replay value is very high especially with multiplayer. The game is challenging and multiplayer allows the experience of two players to fight the odds, online or offline. If there was anything else I wanted in the game, it'd be a system for communication and a higher number of player count in multiplayer. Gameplay: 9/10
Overall:
Image by Shuriken
The game may eventually wear out its novelty, but it's one of those games you can go back to and jump on for 10 minutes and enjoy it. It's great that videogames have strong storylines, amazing cinematics, and deep leveling systems, but sometimes a gamer just wants to play and not have to build up to that satisfaction. I would not recommending getting right this instant since it's not the type of game for everyone, but the next time you see it on sale for $5 or less, buy it! Overall: 8.5/10 (Lunch costs more than this game and this game will last much much longer than your lunch...unless you're starving, then go eat, don't turn into a zombie...)
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