Every zombie movie worth its salt contains at least one stand out sequence in which a decomposing beasty will lurch out of nowhere to take our heroes by surprise. And given that no-one saw it coming, CoD: Zombies sudden appearance in the Appstore had a similar effect.
Originally a bonus level from the console(s) release Call of Duty: World at War, the game puts you in the boots of an unfortunate WW2 grunt, barricades you inside in a ruined bunker, and pits you against endless waves of attacking nazi monsters. Of the undead variety.
The aim of the game is survival, as zombies come crashing through the windows at an alarming rate, your job is to repair the makeshift barricades whilst spraying intruders with bullets. This racks up a score (see top-left) which unlocks ammo, weapons and allows you to clear debris thus accessing hidden nooks and crannies of the crumbling shelter.
During these assualts, the level of attention to every gory little detail is incredible; shotguns blow bloody chunks out of zombies, flame-throwers set them ablaze, while your trusty combat knife elicits a satisfying thunk! when you bury it into a pasty white face. Controls are spot on, sound effects are blood-curdling and the game’s graphics are suitably grotesque.
But… and it’s (potentially) a big one. A solitary map and zero story mean you’re not exactly getting much bang for your buck.
So disappointingly there’s slim pickings to had on single-player, but fear not, because multiplayer is where the game (appropriately) comes back to life. Boasting the ability to set up 4-player matches over bluetooth or wi-fi, this band of brothers versus the undead scenario blows the scant solo mission away. However if you’re a lone gunman at heart (or don’t have wifi/3 iPhone wielding mates), this title’s hard to recommend.
That said, if you can overlook these shortcomings, then it’s Sieg Heil all the way. Put on a pair of headphones. Turn out the lights. And get online. Because ultimately Zombies represents a significant (goose) step forward for premium, damn near console-quality gaming on the Appstore. War may be hell, but this is FPS heaven.
iFanzine Verdict: 8 out of 10