Nation Red
You people are awesome. And by “you people”, I obviously mean the Jews our listeners. Take MSI Magus, for example. Not only did he donate the prize for the new contest (two copies of Nation Red, downloaded from Steam), but he also sent in a review of the game in order to give you a better idea of what the game is all about. And, without further ado, here it is.
Article by: MSI Magus
It seems that the market has been flooded with Zombie games recently. Off the top of my head, we have Plants Vs Zombies, World at Wars- Zombie mode, Zombie Apocalypse, Left 4 Dead (1 and 2), Zombie Driver, Zombie Bowling… You get the idea. With so many zombie games, people might see Nation Red and think, “Who needs another one of thes?” I would argue though that Nation Red is not just another cheap zombie cash in, but a great classic arcade style survival game from a developer who is actively communicating and listening to their fan base.
Nation Red sets you, as a soldier, in a zombie wasteland with the only goal being to survive and score huge points in the process. Think of it as Robotron X or Geometry Wars, but with zombies! The game controls via the keyboard and mouse, or with a dual-stick controller (your 360 controller being an option). The mouse/keyboard combo allows a little better accuracy with your shooting over the twin stick controls, with the trade off being the controller makes it much easier to use the barrel roll dodge. This is a trade off I’ll gladly taken given how important avoiding the mass of zombies will be!
One of the main things that makes Nation Red so fun and sets it apart from the flood of zombie and twin stick games on the market is its perks and item drops. As you kill zombies in most of the game modes, you will gain levels that grant you various perks. The simple ones give basic effects such as increased damage, attack speed or armor. Some perks, though, can majorly effect the way you play granting things like the ability to teleport or setting all zombies near you on fire. The zombies you kill, aside from giving experience, have a chance to drop new weapons, such as machetes, uzis, shotguns, and even some rather cool and unique weapons like the steam/nail guns. Zombies can also drop power ups from time to time that will last for a few seconds, giving benefits like a sentry gun that mows down enemies, grants invisibility, or inserts a doppelganger that fights with you, or double experience. All in all, there are dozens of perks, weapons and power ups that keep the game fresh.
There are several different modes you can play, most of which I find a blast. The main mode is mission mode which has you fighting waves of zombies in eighteen different levels. Each level looks and plays the exact same as the rest of the game, but will have a twist over the other stages. One stage may have you surrounded by zombies from the start, another has you protecting a civilian whom if he even gets hit once dies. Other stages toss in tough boss zombies such as a zombie with a machine gun or meat hook.
The next mode is survival mode, which is the one mode I find really boring. Survival mode has a timer and asks you to survive as long as possible. The problem is that you cannot get any perks, new weapons or power ups. I usually love survival modes. If the base game play is good, it is just the same game with a tougher objective. However, without the perks, weapons and power ups, this survival mode just feels boring and like any other arcade-style twin stick game.
Next is my favorite mode:free play mode. This is what survival mode should have been! It removes the timer, but technically there is still no end to the stage. It just tosses you in there with wave after wave of zombies, including the bosses from mission mode, and asks you to survive while racking up the biggest score possible. Outside the timer, the big difference here is that you can now gain perks and new weapons/power ups again, returning much of the fun to the game as well as a level of strategy. I will find myself antsy and panicking as I debate, “Do I grab the flame thrower that dropped and hope for the perk that causes larger gas cannister explosions, or do I play it safe and keep my shotgun and grab a perk to reduce my damage?” These combos and layers of depth help to give Nation Red’s free play mode that “just one more round” or “I have to top that high score” mentality we gamers get so addicted to.
Finally, there is barricade mode where you must protect a base from zombie hordes. You start off behind a few stone barriers that have gaps that the zombies can pour through. Behind the barrier, there are also turrets to help you mow down the zombies. The problem is you have to balance protecting yourself with keeping the turrets going and not letting zombies get too far. Unlike most protection missions, it is not a matter of how much damage your base can sustain. Instead, if even a single zombie slips through it’s game over!
The one thing all these modes have in common, and what keeps me coming back and playing this game (aside from the perks) is that games only last a few minutes. You are very likely to die…a lot! It is kept from becoming too frustrating, though, since as I said the games rounds generally only last a few minutest. When you do have one of those rare runs where you managed to survive fifteen minutes before dying, it results in one of those classic moments; the ones where your glad no one else is in the room because you jump up and do a stupid dance yelling at the screen… Or maybe only I do that?
Outside the fun game play, I think Nation Red deserves to be supported for what the developers are trying to do, which is trying to support the game based on fan feedback and have vowed to never charge for DLC. Just in the three months I have owned Nation Red, they have added two new game play modes,went from one level of difficulty for missions to five, added several new weapons and perks, a new free play stage, new achievements, 360 controller support and added both online and offline co-op! Adding all of this for free would earn my respect, but doing so because players at their forums asked for them has given me an appreciation for DiezelPower I have never felt for any other developer. I can not think of a single other game I have ever played where I have had a conversation with the developer about what I would like to see changed in their game, let alone had the conversation then result in a change. For $10.00, I think this game is a fun little buy, and if you can find it cheaper on a Steam sale as I did (whoo $5!), it is a steal. If nothing else, Nation Red has a demo so give it a try; developers doing as much as these guys for their community deserve at least that much!
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Tags: Nation Red, steam, Zombies
