Some dull action sequences make Zombie Shooter 2 a bit disappointing, even though it's a fun game in general.
The new Isometric Action game uses the same engine featured in Alien Shooter: Vengeance, with some extra eye candy effects that long-time fans will probably enjoy. In Zombie Shooter 2, you can set your video configurations to make the game look nightmarish, like a Horror/Cult movie from the 80s; personally I found this new option quite nice. It's also easy to notice the improvement on special effects, such as blood pools, explosions, gibbed bodies and so. There isn't really anything to complain about the graphics. The same goes to the sound effects, although I would like to emphasize the great soundtrack, which suits well while facing the hordes of living dead.
What really matters in a game like Zombie Shooter 2 is the action, and unfortunately there're some boring sequences along in your path. I'm referring to exactly what Sigma Team was so proud to introduce to the series: the vehicles. Although both the military jeep and the tank are quite powerful, the areas where you must drive them are so full of though zombies that will make you spend a lot of your time. Maybe I got the wrong impression because I decided to set the highest difficulty level, which didn't make the game as impossible as it was suggested. From what I could notice, the enemies are stronger and more resistant, but it's quite easy to exploit their dumb AI and pass through the maps without too much trouble.
The bestiary in Zombie Shooter 2 consists mostly in different types of living dead humanoids, although you may find sometimes a pack of rats charging at you in the underground areas. The zombies range from melee tanks to ranged shooters, although you'll probably keep using the same survival techniques to beat them all, no matter what. It's so frustrating to get a game where your avatar must survive a zombie apocalypse, but there is no need to use any of your instincts to keep yourself alive. You just keep your character in a small room or camping in a corner, to finally "surprise" each zombie that comes blindly after you.
The lack of the struggle for survival could have been fixed if Sigma Team put a few concepts from the zombie Horror movies out there. I mean, when the world is overrun by the living dead, would you pick up your gun and go blast every flesh-eater in sight or use your head to set outposts and beat the enemy strategically? For example, there're several scripted moments where lots of zombies attack you from every side; wouldn't be it a good idea to lock yourself in a house, blocking all the possible entrances and setting traps to take advantage? None of this is possible in Zombie Shooter 2; your best answer to any wave of monsters is simply grabbing your most powerful gun and take them all down.
A strong aspect in this game is the replay value... as long as you can stand the fact that you'll have to face the boring vehicles sequences again. Sigma Team put several classes to choose from while customizing your avatar. Picking up a class isn't a very dramatic choice, although it may change substantially your gameplay experience. For instance, one class can boost your experience to make your character level up faster; or you may prefer to choose a melee tank, to take advantage while using your fists against the undead; there is even a class with a special power that grants constant health regeneration.
After choosing a class you can boost your attributes with the initial points the game gives to the player as a bonus. If you increase your strength, you may carry more ammunition and will extend your maximum health; adding points to accuracy gives additional damage for all your weapons; boosting your speed grants you a great mobility, which is particularly important during your battles. As far as I could notice, there aren't any useless attributes to choose from, although it's always a good idea to plan ahead your character and keep upgrading only a few ones. For example, my survivalist girl was specialized in getting more experience per kill, and I decided to boost her speed and accuracy so I could dodge the projectiles easier and deal greater damage to my enemies. There're a lot of nice combos, therefore experimentation is the key. Zombie Shooter 2 may keep you busy for a few weeks if you're interested to try some character builds.
Your arsenal consists in pistols, shotguns, machine guns, rifles, laser guns and all that explosive stuff we are familiar. Personally I kept using a powerful Gatling gun, which has several advanced versions that appears throughout the game. The same rule applies to any other type of weapon. For instance, if you like energy-based guns, you can keep using them as soon as they're available in the on-line shop; all you need is to upgrade periodically to a better laser weapon when you have money to do so. Don't be afraid to try new weapons, since the game is kind enough to keep your cash reserve high; just remember to use the good sense and spend it wisely!
There're several different types of items other than guns: implants are like those magical necklaces in Fantasy RPGs; they boost one or more attributes of your hero. Medkits and armors ensure that your character can take some bites and still stand on foot; do never attempt to rush through zombies without protection, for their attacks may be too much to take depending on the difficulty level. A few other cool items also make their appearance: improved flash lights, night vision goggles and even flying bots to support you during your troubles.
The replay value in Zombie Shooter 2 isn't only about repeating the main campaign. There're a few cool modes that will give an extra breath to this game before you uninstall it. One you must control a powerful turret in the middle of a zombie invasion; each level allows you to upgrade a given property to help you survive the next attack, which gets tougher as the time passes. There is also a very arcade-based mode called 'Survival', which there is no victory in sight; you just keep killing a lot of flesh-eaters until it gets impossible enough to make you give up. It's really just to set your best score, nothing else. However, don't get disappointed already because I didn't talk about my favorite one yet. The 'Survival Career' is somewhat similar to the regular 'Survival' mode, except that you can upgrade your character like in the campaign mode. And the game actually gives you a level progression, instead of making you stay in the same large arena until you're outnumbered enough to die.
There isn't anything extremely wrong in Zombie Shooter 2; it's just that Sigma Team was a bit lazy to put a few more interesting features (a multiplayer component wouldn't hurt) and to design the campaign levels more carefully. I kept my expectations high because I simply loved the first game, so I thought it would be nice to experience everything again with better graphics and gameplay mechanics. I hope Sigma achieves a better zombie apocalypse game in the next Zombie Shooter installment.