Zombie Apocalypse. Heard of it? Don't worry, not too many people have; let me catch you up. ZA is being published by Konami, a well known publisher in the games industry. This top down arcade style shooter will be available for download on Xbox Live and Playstation Network in the near future, so if you're a PS3 owner, get ready for one small taste of the likeness of a better game. That's right, I said it. Zombie Apocalypse is about as original as Miley Cyrus, holding out for a small fortune with the release of a game so similar to one released not even a year ago. Of course I am talking about Left 4 Dead.
ZA promises to take you through the zombie invasion one day at a time (55 days total), killing hoardes of zombies (and special zombies--how unique), with an arsenal of weapons (admittedly much wider than those availabe in Left 4 Dead), and exploding "zombie bait" taking the form of a cuddly teddy bear (which is the game's equivalent of a pipe bomb).
Now maybe I'm over-exaggerating--no, no wait I'm not. Here, look at this.
Left 4 Dead Characters:
Zombie Apocalypse Characters:
I'm sorry. I think I'm seeing double. Okay, okay. So L4D is a first person shooter and ZA is an arcade shooter. Maybe that justifies this lack of originality. Oh wait. No it doesn't.
I mean this has to be a copyright infringement of sorts. The characters look the same, the premise is the same (there is even up to 4 people multiplayer--whee!), even the areas look similar. I understand that games have things in common. Multiplayer--got it, games have that in common. Common areas--makes sense. Zombies--its a given. But the only difference between a game being the genre?! That's just ridiculous.
This should set off a bell in someone's mind that there is something odd happening int the video games industry. The lack of originality put into this game (from what I've seen so far. I have never played it and cannot judge it beyond what I have seen) is atrocious. I really hope half-ass copies of already made games don't become a trend in video games.
Left 4 D---Err--I mean, Zombie Apocalypse
A Fun First: Swine Flu
So in the past week, it seems that everybody has their mind on the flu. Not just any flu mind you, the SWINE FLU (commence shudder). Yes indeed, it is the virus that has swept across the globe killing countless victims. Well, they always keep a count, don't they? Notice how unsavory this news story was only a few weeks ago when the disease was limited to Mexico and the number of cases in major countries (namely the U.S.) was a pitiful (and not newsworthy) number.
I do believe that the swine flu has claimed fewer lives in its spread here in the U.S. than there are deaths caused by car accidents in one day. But boy is the scare big. I've had a cold the past few days (I feel much better now), and I think I've had three people accuse me of having the dreaded swine flu (joking or not, its still a bit ridiculous). Its even more interesting to see the panic this new string of influenza has induced. It makes sense in Mexico. It makes sense in the elderly and in children. But seriously, the swine flu has been fatal in very few cases.
In my opinion (and its not an overly educated one, but a fair enough guess), this string of flu is a lot like the string of the bird flu that we are used to. The big differnce, and the reason why many people have been affected by it, is that we aren't vaccinated against it as we are to the common bird flu.
Considering the mass panic the government is inducing, and the fear in the hearts of family members who have witnessed their loved ones destroyed by this virus, I would say that this strain would be better called ZOMBIE FLU.
That's right. Zombies. And do you know what I'm going to do? In the words of Max Brooks, I'm going to organize before they rise! That means keeping my eye on this "swine flue". Bah. Who do they think they are fooling? I'll tell you what this virus is: a zombie one. Yup, the non-fictional t-virus, the 28 Days Later flukey gone wild, the real shiznit. Their numbers may be small now but just wait. In a few weeks the number of "cases" will rise and soon entire regions will be engulfed by the swine flu! They may even get me...Oh GOD no! NOT THE SWINE FLU! AH! OMG AM I GONNA DIE?! OMG SWINE FLU! HEY HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT SWINE FLU...? HEY...hey........
4//Itchy/Tasty
Seriously. Enough already. This pales in comparison to the diseases you SHOULD be afraid of.
