gameplay=great. but game suffers from bad design decisions.
The graphics: 8.5
Today the graphics are starting to show their age, but back when it was basically a launch title for the Xbox 360, it was a sight to behold, with all the vibrant colors and advertisements you'd expect to find in a real mall. I suppose the background is perfect to show the contrast between the colorful scenery, and the darkness and gloominess of what's actually happening to you, which has a bizarre effect on you, instilling a feeling you can almost associate with claustrophobia. Why no 10? Because I, like many, had to play this game on a standard television. No high-def to be found within the confines of this abode, I simply can't afford it. You can imagine my frustration when having to squint and struggle to read messages that are vital to your progression.
The audio: 9.0
The audio is amazing in this game. The elevator music-style jingles playing throughout the mall compliment the gut-wrenching sounds of busting heads, slicing flesh, and spurting blood. The distant rock music that starts playing when you enter the park area almost makes you stop and realize the frantic situation you're in, and make you really feel like you're completely alone with no one to help you...but then you just proceed to kick soccer balls at zombies' heads and laugh about it too.
Gameplay: 7.0
This game has a lot of potential, and is still really good, when you're roaming around just finding things to beat zombies over the head with. The problems occur when you go to save, or start a mission. The Save system almost seems like it's there just to taunt me, I mean, what were they thinking?? One save slot, and that's it. By the way, the game's story mode runs in real-time, meaning you have to get to each mission, side quest or main, on time. If you save, without realizing you've got 30 seconds to get to the next story mission, you've got a big problem. If you miss a story mission, the rest of the story is impossible to get to. That's right newcomers, I said it. If you're late for a mission, you cannot proceed, and must load your save file to continue playing the game, but OH NO, you f*&%cked up because you had 30 seconds to reach that mission when you saved, and the quest-giver is at the other end of the massive mall.
So guess what? You have to restart from the beginning. At least the developers had the courtesy to let you keep your characters stats when you restart, so you're not a complete whelp all over again, but if you're actually in this situation, this feature is hardly appreciated. After being late for missions several times, I basically stopped playing the game, maybe mid-way through the campaign. But that's more than enough to write a review on everything except the story, which I wouldn't spoil any way even though it's not exactly compelling.
This game is good, but it's exactly that. Just good. If the gameplay mechanics remained, but the save and quest systems were just a little more forgiving, it would be fantastic! The chances of a re-release for the 360 are slim, which disappoints me (If you own a Wii you're in luck. The upcoming Wii version promises to address a lot of these issues) . It's a little hard to recommend a purchase, since despite being an older game, it's not that cheap. I got my copy new for 40 bucks slightly before christmas of '07. So yeah, if you're still interested in this game ,which you probably should be, give it a rent.
