Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse Impressions

SAN FRANCISCO--Wideload Games and Aspyr were offering invited press a demo of a work-in-progress version of the upcoming PC, Mac, and Xbox game, Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse. The original game is the first to be released from the fledgling studio, which, while new, is hardly made up of newcomers to the industry. Alex Seropian of Bungie fame and Mac folk hero heads up the studio's roster of employees, several of which share his Bungie roots. The cumulative experience the team brings to the table has ensured that Stubbs is shaping up to be a polished debut for the studio.

The demo we were given included a cinematic that showed off the game's winning sense of humor as well as two different segments of gameplay that gave us a sense of the unique mechanics Wideload is cooking up for the game. The game's premise is a simple one--well, sort of. You'll be cast in the role of deceased traveling salesman Edward Stubblefield, whose eternal rest is disrupted in the 1950s when an ultramodern city of the future is built on his resting place. Unlike the disturbed undead in modern cinematic classics such as Poltergeist, Stubbs' spirit takes a more hands-on approach to dealing with the intrusion of his personal space and emerges from the ground as a zombie eager to kick ass and take names.

The cinematic offered a look at the game's quirky personality, which has a winning, albeit naughty, charm. In the clip, a pair of policemen pull up to a gas station to fill up their flying car (which is tricked out in truly awesome '50s sci-fi fashion). A helpful attendant robot shows up to service their vehicle. As the robot fills their gas tank, his enthusiasm, coupled with the manner in which he goes about filling the car, unnerves the officers of the law. For those who need a mental image, we'll simply paint you this picture: The enthusiastic bot manages to fill their car and cup his head in his hands. Draw your own conclusions. While the poor car is being filled, one officer heads to the restroom while his partner attempts to keep the bot-on-car action platonic. Sadly, the lawman has a rough time in the toilet--Stubbs sends him to the hereafter as he exits the loo.

Following the cinematic, the first gameplay segment found our boy dealing with being captured by the police and bound to a slab. Fortunately, unlike your average zombies, who aren't typically great problem solvers, Stubbs has a pretty wide arsenal of abilities to help him out. In this particular segment, Stubbs removed his arm, at which point control shifted to the severed limb. You can send his limb to roam independently and even possess unsuspecting non-player characters by clamping on to their heads. In this case, Stubbs' arm nabbed control of a nearby officer who freed his body from confinement. Once Stubbs was free, we got a peek at his other abilities, which include the expected brain-eating action (you do have to respect the classic after all) as well as deadly flatulence and using his internal organs as grenadelike projectiles whose explosions are perfect for taking out foes quickly. The other major perk to combat is the whole zombie thing. As horror fans will tell you, anyone killed by a zombie will become a zombie. This lets Stubbs gain a posse of capable, although not-too-bright, minions who'll come in very handy. While you'll be able to make use of your undead entourage, you won't have to sweat any type of secondary control mechanic. You'll simply shove them to get them going in a particular direction or whistle to get their attention. When they encounter a foe, they'll use what little brains they have and get to the brain eating.

While the first segment showed off many of the different gameplay mechanics at work in an indoor setting, the second segment showed off the possibilities when you guide Stubbs through an outdoor area. The level takes place in the countryside and has Stubbs and his undead posse taking on a militia of surly old men who are in need of a whupping. It proved to be a nice showcase for the uses of your minions. Besides being intimidating and having a natural inclination to kill, your pals can shield you from gunfire. It appears that you'll be able to make strategic use of the gang. For instance, you can send them on a frontal assault to distract the NPCs so you can sneak behind them and engage in some brain-chowing, ending their threat and making some new friends for yourself.

The visuals in Stubbs the Zombie are looking good, thanks in equal measure to the game's use of the Halo engine and a whimsical art style. They create a unique world that's ripe for being messed with. The futuristic city that disturbs Stubbs' rest is a smart collection of '50s sci-fi elements that call to mind the way residents of the era expected the distant future to look. The outdoor environment we saw looked nice and featured some good detail in the form of interactive elements. The level also offered a fairly expansive scale that proved that the versatile engine is up to the task of Wideload's demands, which bodes well for the final game.

The audio was still shaping up and was modest in scope, although the soundtrack should certainly pack some punch with the eclectic assortment of tunes being assembled for the game. The voice acting we heard made use of a whimsical tone that had its tongue firmly planted in its cheek. The one-liners heard from NPCs and Stubbs himself were good and funny, which only helps the experience.

Based on this early look, Stubbs the Zombie ought to be a cool romp that anyone with a twisted sense of humor and a love of action games will definitely want to check out. It's a given that zombie lovers will flock to the game because of its groundbreaking portrayal of the undead. The game's fresh, stereotype-free hero boldly moves zombies out of the shadow of being cannon fodder to be taken out for points and into the same heroic category as Mario, Sonic, and Master Chief. Look for more on this promising game in the coming months. Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse is currently slated to ship this fall for the Mac, PC, and Xbox.