Sega's Zombie Revenge is a port of a Sega arcade game.  It is an arcade action title similar to that of 'Dynamite Cop'.  The game is presented in a third person setting and combat is fought in zones on a linear trail through out the game.  Fighting is done using one or more of a variety of weapons found within the many levels of the game, or through the use of more traditional means... punches and kicks.

Graphically, Zombie Revenge may be the prettiest game you could own for your DreamCast.  I was surprised at the detail of the environment and the many unique looks the game had to offer.  Nothing was repetitive and an excellent use of lighting and other effects can be found just about everywhere.  As you would expect, the frame rate in this game, like most others was 60 frames per second or more, which just adds to the realism of the game.  Hats off to the level design teams and graphic artists.

Playability is not so one sided though.  There are some good strengths, but too many weaknesses in this department.  To start off on a good note, I will say that the sheer number of weapons made this game fun.  Nothing is neater than using a 5 foot drill to rip zombies apart.  Finding the secret weapon room containing grenades and a chain gun also made my day.  Zombie Revenge has an excellent idea in using combinations of weapon and conventional fighting attacks.  Not to be ignored is an element of the game where you can do a series of combos by punching and kicking.  This may be performed for fun, to save ammo, or to escape from a corner.  The only other game I have seen that has a good balance of combat like this is 'Oni' for the PC.  Now for the bad news.  Hand to hand combat is very clumsy.  Often times you start a combo and it will continue even if the enemy moves out of the way or dies early.  Running and escaping is almost useless since the battle zone is on the small side.  Also, you seem to get stuck on invisible walls and objects while in the heat of battle, which can get frustrating.  While hand to hand combat is unique and there are a fair number of moves, the gun is still the best way to dish out damage.

Another component that the game needs some improvement on is sound.  I hardly ever address this because most game do not have problems, but Zombie Revenge has some extremely repetitive sounds for both monsters and your character.  Every time you get hit you get the same "Uhgg" sound effect, which seems to annoy you as time goes on.  Also, there is an enemy character that looks like a mini-me Frankenstein, and the sounds they make want to make you mute your TV.

While the levels are gorgeous and neat to see, the combat seems to get old.  All weapon upgrades are temporary and character stats do not change.  There is practically no character interaction either.  This game could have gone from average to excellent if there was more focus on plot as you went through the game, and there were more character to talk to and interact with.  Tweak the fighting engine and you would have a perfect game.  I was very excited to play this game at first, but after playing it for awhile, wish that more emphasis on story would have been attempted.  Lastly, the use of a timer serves no real purpose in this game.  I seem to run down to the last 10 seconds (or less) in every area and do not get to explore and search for hidden rooms like I would want to.  The timer should not have been implemented in the game.

This game will not appeal to everyone, but it is an excellent showcase of eye candy that owners can be proud of.  Action fans will enjoy this title, but I am a bit picky, so I thought things got a little dry after awhile.  A few strong points and a few negative points mean that you should do the final judging for yourself.  Rent this title and make the final decision, you will at least appreciate the excellent level design and art the game has to offer.

reviewed by Todd Alexander