Stubbs the Zombie is every zombie fans dream come true. However, the whole experience is awfully short.
There's a lot of people out there who are just wild for zombies.
Zombie movies, zombie books/ comics, etc.
However, there really seems to be a lack of good zombie games out there. Besides the new-ish Dead Rising game, us zombie gamers really only have the Resident Evil series to look forward to. If you're like me and don't much like RE, then there's just not a lot for you to sink your teeth in to.
(no pun intended! hah!)
In comes Stubbs.
A zombie with a heart of gold, but an undeniable hunger for brains!
The whole game is set in the late 1950s and it shows. The soundtrack is comprised of a bunch of old popular songs (such as Mr. Sandman) re-recorded by new popular bands, and each song fits into the game in both a funny and creepy way. Not to mention everyone is dressed in the most stereo-typical manner for their 1950s character type (gangsters, rednecks, police, etc.)
The whole game is built on the Halo engine, which is sort of a blessing and a curse. The controls will feel familiar, and it won't take long to master all of Stubb's attacks, but sometimes the game feels kind of slow. Almost as if you expect Stubbs to move like Master Chief at times. However, he IS a zombie, and you'll find yourself dragging through some big open environments at times.
The best part of the game is easily the Zombie Horde feature. When you eat someone's brains, they will quickly rise up as your zombie follower. The game can support a surprising amount of zombies and enemies on the screen at once. You can only give them basic commands like "attack" or "follow me". When enemies appear on the screen, it's fun to watch your followers go wild. They chase police men around the environment, beating them with the very limbs they tore from their bodies.
The gameplay features get much deeper than this the further you get into the game. Stubbs learns a variety of moves, such as the ability to tear out his own kidneys and throw them as grenades, or the ability to roll his head around like an explosive bowling ball.
One of the later attacks that I found especially usefull was the ability to take control of Stubbs detached hand and possess living enemies. Unfortunately, this is the only way to ever use guns in the game, but it adds a layer of strategy I've never seen in a game before.
Your hand can climb up walls and take control of police snipers, and then you can use those snipers to pick off the other policemen before they know what's coming. Stubbs is obviously the underdog in this game, and his abilities are a really interesting way to even the playing field.
The game is terribly short. On my first play through it took me a few sittings, but the 2nd time I played through with a friend, and we beat the game in just a few hours. The game IS challenging though. Some parts will really make you think on your toes, which is hard when you're a zombie! Co-op is a really great feature because it allows you to respawn when your teammate is out of danger (much like Halo).
Overall:
Stubbs the Zombie is one of my all time favorite games. It's a much more light-hearted game for us zombie fans, and it does it with amazing style and originality. There's a few minor annoyances that you may need to consider before diving in, but it's an experience you'll want to return to again and again.