Review: Zombie Racers - They're Best Beneath Your Tires
by Felix Xiao
November 8, 2010
Overview
Zombies have become a part of too many iOS games to count, and this top-down racer has them scattered all over the tracks. In Zombie Racers, your goal is to run over as many filthy monsters as possible while heading in full gear for the finish line.
Features
The game has a story mode that features races on 14 tracks and 3 different free roaming modes in which you do whatever you want. The controls are very basic and require you to tap 2 arrows on the sides of the screen to turn. There are 10 cars that can be unlocked and upgraded to improve acceleration, steering, and maximum speed. Zombie Racers also has several Openfeint achievements to unlock and online leaderboards.
The Good
There lies no doubt that the game is fueled by a superb concept. Whereas in most top-down racers your only goal is to finish as fast as possible, you also get the joy of splattering zombie blood all over the place. The Dusk To Dawn, 666 Zombies and Every Last Drop free roam modes offer some more relaxed mayhem and don't require you to focus on beating the other opponents, at least not in completing a race.
Zombie Racers has plenty of content, with 14 tracks and cars that can be upgraded. You start the game with 4 vehicles and can purchase the other ones by completing parts of story mode. A well-done soundtrack is included to provide the ideal setting for zombie slaughter. A multiplayer mode is also due in the next update, and it'll be interesting to see how it'll be implemented.
The Bad
Unforunately, story mode has certain elements that make it a lot less fun than it should be. Each race has 6 long laps that are repetitive and take forever to complete. You have no idea where the 3 opponents are at any given moment due to the lack of a minimap. If you do manage to get a good lead, you have no clue if you're ahead of the pack or barely holding on. On top of that, the game requires you to finish in first in order to move on to the next race. After playing for 5 minutes and almost 6 laps, you have no choice but to press the retry button if you lose the lead in the last half lap.
The controls don't feel right at all, largely because there are no gas or brake buttons. All you have to guide your car are 2 arrows that make turning extremely inaccurate. When you get stuck in a corner, it'll take an eternity to get out because you can't simply back out. When going on straight tracks, your car seems to enjoy slowing down randomly while you watch the other racers speed past quickly.
While this game looked great in previews from several months back, the graphics in this version are horrible. The cars, zombies, and tracks lack polish and instead are choppy and pixelated. Retina Display isn't supported, and the artwork is sub-par regardless of the device you're using. Even if multiplayer is implemented in the next update, it likely won't be much fun if it's just more of the repetitive single-player gameplay. EA's Reckless Racing has set the bar high for top-down racers, and this one can't compete with in any way.
The Verdict
Zombie Racers will provide you with many tracks and game modes in which you can mow down hundreds of zombies. However, the graphics and user interface completely ruin what would otherwise potentially be a great game. Steer clear of this $2.99 game, as there are much better alternatives available, some of them for a cheaper price.