Survival Horror
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Price range (£)
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Dead Island 2
The zombie apocalypse has hit the iconic, sunny realms of California. Building on the strengths of the multi-million best-selling hit Dead Island, Dead Island 2 delivers a shared survival, open-world zombie experience set in a clash of natural beauty and bloody horror and violence: paradise meets hell once again! Developed by award-winning studio YAGER, it combines the classic Dead Island elements of immersive close combat, action and role-playing with crazy, never-before-seen handcrafted weapons and over-the-top characters.
Dead Island 2 picks up the Dead Island and Escape Dead Island storyline several months after the events on the Banoi islands. The United States military has put the Golden State under full quarantine which, for some, is a dream come true with a promise of a fresh start.
Developed in Unreal Engine 4, Dead Island 2's newfound bloody paradise is an action-packed playground featuring the acclaimed, seamless multiplayer for up to eight players who cooperate, compete or simply coexist in a truly social, new-gen multiplayer experience. Dedicated classes offer a variety of gameplay: From the action-oriented berserker to the stealthy hunter, every character offers a different style of play. An in-depth skill system allows the player to handcraft their own heroes and weapons.£54.99 Pre-order -
Dead Rising 3
Dead Rising 3 is, as the title gives away pretty quickly, the follow-up to Capcom's previous zombie-centric open world brawlers. More than that, however, it's one of the Xbox One's launch titles and, at the time of release at least, a platform-exclusive.
The game drops you, as mechanic Nick Ramos, into Los Perdidos, a city loosely modeled on Los Angeles. You have one week to help some other survivors fix up a plane and get out of there before the military firebomb's the place to burn the zombie plague afflicting it out of existence. Simple, right? Yeah, right.
One way that the game makes use of the console's grunt is with the sheer volume of zombies you'll encounter on screen. There might be hundreds in front of you at once, and with vehicles strewn around to speed up your progress you could mow down thousands of the lurching undead in a day.
Dead Rising has always been about getting creative with what you use to take out enemies, and this entry ups the game even further. You can now craft weapons in the field, for starters. As you progress you'll pick up blueprints for weird and exotic weapons and as soon as you have the components you'll be able to assemble them. One highlight, for example, is the super combo weapon that grants you a fire-breathing dragon's head, metal wings and jet propulsion. If that won't rack up your multiplier, who knows what will. The ante's really been upped, however, with the inclusion of vehicle mods. Riding around on a motorbike with a steam roller's front wheel is a surefire way to bring wide scale, bloody carnage to the game.
And carnage is definitely what Dead Rising is all about...£39.99 -
Dying Light
From the company that brought the world Dead Island comes Dying Light. The former was a game about an island overun by the undead and this game is... well, it's a game about a city overun by the undead. But Techland certainly proved its chops with zombies in the first game and has done a lot to set this one apart.
The inclusion of parkour-style movement goes a long way to separating Dying Light from Dead Island - it makes for a quicker game that can generate an exhilarating feeling of speed and elegance as you move through the undead horde. It's this first-person free running that really marks Dying Light out as its own game.
You play as Crane, a GRE operative sent into the quarantined city of Harran to track down some guy who stole a file from your employers. You end up playing a double agent, helping the survivors within the city as well as using them to find the file.
When night time falls the city of Harran changes. Zombies give way to mutated abominations called Volatiles - fast, agile monsters that are almost unstoppable in the early game. If you try to run you will die, if you stand and fight without your UV torch out you will die.
The action isn't all about free running. There's also a fair bit of melee combat, complete with cool-looking improvised weaponry and satisfying slow motion head shattering. There's also a scattering of more explosive weaponry. There is little more satisfying than standing on a rooftop and tossing some firecrackers in to the street to draw in the large herd of stumbling infected and then nonchalantly tossing a Molotov cocktail in to the milling mass and cackling with glee as the fire spreads, clearing out a whole section of road, giving you enough space and time to pick the lock on a police van and claim the goodies inside.
It's also worth noting Dying Light's multiplayer 'be the zombie' mode. If you're the zombie, be prepared to become an undead Spider-Man of sorts. You are guaranteed to have a blast tormenting your human prey, especially if they are uncoordinated and bumble around in the dark.
So, whether you're living or dead, Dying Light has something to offer you.£34.99 -
Resident Evil Revelations 2
While the Resident Evil series has shifted further and further towards action-oriented, shoot-'em-up gameplay in recent years, Resident Evil Revelations marked a move back towards the series' roots. Revelations 2 leans into that tonal shift, emphasizing survival-horror and suspense while offering its own contribution to the series continuity.
The game's story takes place between Resident Evil 5 and 6. There are four playable protagonists to try your hand with. Series favourite Claire Redfield is back but she, along with newbie Moira Burton, has been kidnapped by mystery attackers and taken to a prison island laden with all sorts of nasty creatures and traps. Also in the mix are the pair's would-be rescuers: Moira's father Barry Burton (longtime fans might remember him from RE3) and the enigmatic Natalia Korda.
The main story is structured into four episodes, each featuring two campaigns, with two bonus episodes changing up the gameplay. They've all been designed with co-op in mind, and two players can team up on the same machine. Different characters have different strengths. Barry, for example, is a tank with plenty of firepower, while Natalia specialises in pointing out hidden enemies. If you don't have anyone on hand to help, however, fear not. Solid computer-controlled companions and the ability to switch between them at will make the life of the lone wolf much easier.
Playing to Resident Evil's survival horror roots, ammo is scarce and players who can take a stealthy approach will be rewarded. Scavanging is rewarded by hidden items such as ammo, keys and plenty of goodies to upgrade weapons with, so playing close attention to your environment is crucial.
Raid mode also makes a return, with players charged with completing ever-more-difficult challenges such as eliminating enemies or defending positions. There's an RPG-ish feel to the mode, with monsters having level-based strength and buffs such as elemental effects and shields. Best of all is the fact that the mode features playable characters, enemies and environments not in the core campaign.
Resident Evil Revelations 2 is a return to the series' roots, but comes with plenty to keep newer players happy.£32.99 Buy Now -
State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition
"The end is here. Life as you know has gone to hell. Now, you and a few scattered survivors must band together to survive and rebuild. Choose where to make your stand, design and fortify your home base, perform daring raids for food and ammunition. The open-world constantly generates new content based on your actions and the ever-increasing zombie threat. No two players experience the game the same way. How will you survive the (next-gen) zombie apocalypse? "State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition" brings the hit zombie-survival-fantasy franchise to Xbox One and PC, delivered in beautifully premastered 1080p. Features: All 'first-year' content completely remastered: The original "State of Decay," along with major add-ons "Breakdown" and "Lifeline" are fully-remastered in stunning 1080p. Improved lighting, textures, and shadows bring the faded beauty of Trumbull Valley and the city of Danforth to life like never before. Animations and combat mechanics are completely over-hauled to add a new level of intensity and action. Hundreds of a smaller improvements to core game systems make "State of Decay: Year-One Edition" a must-have for Xbox One and PC. Xbox One additions: Community Challenges and Rewards; Individual Rewards; Game DVR New content: More than you can pack into a single backpack, "State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition" has enough content to satiate new and old fans alike: New Mission Type: Cleo Drop - Mysterious military-looking supply crates are dropping into remote areas across all maps, and their beacons seem to attract massive hordes of zombies. If you've got the firepower, you can pick up some of the rarest and most powerful equipment in the game. New vehicles: SUV... and more - The new SUV sets a new standard for durability, and it doesn't end there - brand-new vehicle skins are distributed across all maps. Unlocking Heroes: Lifeline Roster- Your favorite characters from "Lifeline" can now be unlocked in "Breakdown" with a new set of Challenges. Hop into the familiar boots of Hawkes, Kilo, and Vince ... or take control of the previously unplayable Kelly "Sasquatch" Eldridge. New weapons: Under-barrel attachments and Incendiary Ammo - Now if you find the right weapons, you can switch to an under-barrel grenade launcher or a masterkey shotgun on your assault rifle ... or load incendiary ammunition into any shotgun, and take out crowds of zombies without even switching weapons. New Music: Featuring 30 minutes of intense new music from award winning composer Jesper Kyd. Community Improvements: The facility actions from 'Lifeline' now show up in every version of the game, including ammo-refilling and snack-making at your base. NPC Enclaves are also getting a makeover, making it easier to trade and build trust with them."
£19.99 -
The Evil Within
When The Evil Within was announced, it sent shivers of delight and horror through the gaming community in roughly equal measures. Developed by Tango Gameworks, the game marks the return to survival horror by acclaimed Resident Evil creator Shinjo Mikami. Expect chills, nightmares and gore by the bucketload...
The game revolves around detective Sebastian Castellanos, a man investigating a string of grizzly murders. As you'd expect from the creator of Resident Evil, though, things don't stop at gory slayings and things quickly descend into horrible supernatural nastiness.
Because, oh yes, there is PLENTY of horribleness. Multi-armed spider lady things? We got 'em. And they are utterly nightmarish. The Evil Within certainly reeks of atmosphere and doesn't fall back on a splatter-fest, but it's not shy about its monsters, either.
Like early Resi games, fighting will for the most part be a last resort. You don't want to be fighting these things if you can avoid it. Expect a lot of creeping around and running away, keeping a jealous guard of the scant resources you've scavenged from your environment.
The Evil Within, for all its modern polish, is a return to the survival horror genre's roots from one of the genre's true masters.£54.99 Buy Now
