Although this is not what I had in mind for my first video game review, I feel I must air my opinion on this game now. Before I go any further, I must vehemently insist that the views expressed in this review do not reflect the opinions of all members of Immersed Gaming. I am not going to express any political viewpoints in this review, only straight facts and moral standpoints. Immersed Gaming is a firm believer of unbiased journalism.
The online video game, called “Tea Party Zombies Must Die!!!” was first brought to my attention from Game Informer’s online website. While I love Game Informer, subscribe to their magazine and read their posts everyday, I can’t help but be slightly offended by their coverage of the game. The title alone, “Conservatives Upset Over Tea Party Zombie Game,” paints their coverage of the story already in a negative and biased color. While I am the last one to judge another websites politics or business methods, I find it hard to understand how self-proclaimed journalists can shed their bias within their news…then again, it’s all about the views, isn’t it? Regardless, this is not a review or rant about Game Informer.
This game was created by “StarvingEyes AdverGaming” who, according to the website, are from Brooklyn, NY. Apparently this is not their first game, having made several random others such as “Kung-Fu” Election (where the player fights as one of the 2008 presidential candidates in a Mortal Kombat-esque fighting style).
The goal of the game is to fight your way through three different level areas, each of which have their own level-specific zombie types. The 3 different areas are, “FOX News,” “Trailer Park,” and “American For Prosperity.” The game pretty much plays like classics Doom and Duke Nukem’, with the exception of higher picture quality levels, and of course, shorter gameplay.
There are several zombie types that you will encounter within the game. A few examples of the “normal” zombies are: “Generic Pissed Off Old White Guy Zombie,” “Pissed Off Stupid White Trash Redneck Birther Zombie,” and the Ku Klux Klan-dressed zombie labeled, “Expresses Racist Views Anonymously On The Internet Modern Klan Zombie.” The zombies only go downhill from there. You will later end up facing zombies stylized to resemble popular Right-wing Politicians and journalists (all whom have appeared or have a show on FOX news) such as: Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Bill O’Reilly, Brit Hume, Sean Hannity, as well as the female zombie labelled “Factory Made Blonde FOX News Barbie Who Has Never Had A Problem In Her Life Zombie,” and the end-boss, Glenn Beck. Then come the zombies who are made to resemble those from Koch Industries. All of the zombies with real names have an actual picture of their respective character as a face, clearing depicting who they are to everyone.
The game starts you out in a generic area which is surrounded by the three different level area warp zones. You must first kill one or two generic zombies with either your melee weapon, or a pistol which appears behind you in order to advance on to one of the three locations. When I played, I chose to go to the “FOX News” area first. As I fought my way through a building stylized with TV’s and desks that would resemble the Fox News Studio, I eventually came to the “special” zombies such as the ones seen above. These zombies are harder to kill than normal zombies, who only take one hit with a melee weapon to kill. When I successfully completed several zones, I had to fight the level boss, who was a grotesquely overweight rendition of Glenn Beck.
From there, I was transported back to the main hub where I advanced to the trailer park. Once again, I fought my way through the zones until I was faced with the next boss, the “Harpies” Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann. I then progressed the last area, “Americans For Prosperity,” where I was eventually pitted against the “Koch Brothers Zombie.” This was a two-headed, Goro-like creature who was the hardest boss of the three. When I finally beat this boss, I was “awarded” with the special video ending that includes (but is not limited to) a donkey defecating on popular members of the Republican party.
Gameplay
The game follows an outdated style of FPS which is an exact replica of Doom and Duke Nukem’. The control scheme (arrow keys to move, Z to change weapon, X to reload, C to attack) is clunky and hard to get used to, and the graphics aren’t the best I’ve ever seen, even for an indie online game. The level design is appropriately decorated, to say the least. However, another one of the game’s many downfalls is the movement. I found myself getting stuck on everything except the ground, which makes some areas incredibly annoying. There is no soundtrack, only the droll and eventually highly annoying sounds of zombies. The only thing I can say about the game is that it is “clever,” and I don’t necessarily mean that in a positive way. It is definitely something I never expected to exist, and I’m glad I no longer have to play it. I’d rather politics and political attacks stay out of video games and remain in the other mediums that I care less about.
Closing Comments
Obviously, this game is not a game for children, or in my opinion, anyone at all. It’s blatantly a personal and political attack against many public figures. I don’t condone these kinds of attacks on anyone, regardless of their political beliefs. Say what you want about these people, or what they speak out about, but it is NEVER appropriate or professional to create something like this. It is hurtful to these people, as well as their families. Many of these people have children who ALREADY have their parents in the public spotlight everyday. Now, the negative reaction to their mothers and fathers has hit a medium that they are exposed to. It’s incredibly disturbing to me. I would never want something like this done to me, my family, or anyone I know, and I’m sure you wouldn’t either.
Recommendation
SKIP IT
[Original Story: Game Informer]
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