By Mark Taliaferro
TFW Contributing Writer
There’s nothing hotter right now than zombies. Everywhere you look in the entertainment world, you see the undead.
AMC premiered its new zombie series “The Walking Dead” on Sunday night. The show is based on a popular comic book series, which has just been re-released in a collection of gorgeous hardcover editions that can be found at Rock Bottom Comics in Fayetteville.
If you want to get in on the zombie action in an interactive way, there are plenty of options.
‘Call of Duty: Black Ops’
"Call of Duty: Black Ops" releases Nov. 9. The game features the return of the popular zombie mode featured in "World at War." In zombie ops, players control one of four characters: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara or Fidel Castro.
The newest in one of the most successful video game franchises — “Call of Duty: Black Ops” releases Tuesday, Nov. 9. The multiplayer zombie-killing mode that was popular in “CoD: World at War” two years ago makes a return in this game but with a little more personality.
In the zombie mode, players will take control of one of four characters: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara or Fidel Castro. The mode starts with a hilarious introduction in which the four historical figures are forced into some brutal zombie-slaying.
For those who have never played it, the zombie mode simply pits you and three friends against a never-ending wave of zombies. The goal is to survive as long as possible. It may sound simple and repetitive, but the developers make it fun and addictive.
‘Red Dead’ Zombies
“Red Dead Redemption” is already on the short list of best video games of 2010, but the newest downloadable episode really puts it over the top.
“RDR: Undead Nightmare” is a $10 downloadable expansion to the fantastic Old West game from the makers of the “Grand Theft Auto” series. The new episode puts you in the middle of a zombie outbreak in the Old West. The expansion is good for six to 10 hours of game play, which is as long as many $60 new releases.
The only caveat I would put on this recommendation is that you should finish the “RDR” story before firing up “Undead Nightmare.” There aren’t any spoilers in the expansion, but there are enough references and inside jokes that you’ll be missing out if you haven’t finished the base game.
The expansion can be downloaded on Xbox Live or the PlayStation 3 Network. A copy of “Red Dead: Redemption” is required.
Board to Death
There are several zombie board games, but “Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game” is easily the best.
The game has an incredible amount of atmosphere and personality. The designers placed a lot of emphasis on horror-movie clichés, and I mean that in a good way. The characters you use in the game will feel familiar because they’re based on classic horror-movie stereotypes.
The game’s semi-competitive design is also great. Depending on the number of players, one or two people will control the zombies with the rest of the players controlling the humans. The ideal number of players is five because you will have four as human characters and one player controlling all the zombies.
