''Zombie Tycoon'' is a
real-time strategy for the
PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...
developed by
Frima Studio
Frima Studio is a Canadian digital entertainment studio. Headquartered in Quebec City, Quebec and founded in 2003, the company develops video games across a variety of platforms. Frima also produces animation for television and film.
In 2010, F ...
and published by
Sony Computer Entertainment, with the participation of
Telefilm Canada. It was released on October 29, 2009.
''Zombie Tycoon'' differs from most zombie games in the fact that the player is able to control and customize three squads of
zombies rather than fighting them off. The game is not a
tycoon game as the title suggests, with gameplay closer to being a real-time strategy game. Like ''
Dead Head Fred'', ''Zombie Tycoon'' uses the
Vicious Engine
The Vicious Engine is a game engine that offers functionality for rendering, sound, networking, physics, game play scripting, and lighting. It was developed by Vicious Cycle Software, and was first released in January 2005. No additional third-pa ...
.
A sequel, ''Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge'', was released in 2013 for the
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international territo ...
,
PlayStation 3, and
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
.
Plot
''Zombie Tycoons plot is told via voice-acted animated cutscenes as well as in-game text and dialogue. A
mad scientist named Brainhov and his two subordinates have finished perfecting "formula Z", a formula that brings the dead back to life and transforms living humans into zombies. After unsuccessfully testing the formula on the hunchbacked subordinate Ernest he decides to test it on himself, turning into a zombie. The other (nameless) subordinate decides to utilize the formula to conquer the world by using the former Brainhov's invention.
Gameplay
''Zombie Tycoon'' plays like a real-time strategy game. Gameplay takes place in different cities, each level giving different objectives. Buildings are destructible, but enemies may attack from the building, throwing things such as
Molotov cocktails. Special enemies such as bounty hunters may organize a resistance force and must be eliminated quickly.
The player controls three squads of zombies using a flying camera to dispense brains, which the zombies follow. Zombie squads may be equipped with several items to improve their offensive, defensive, or movement capabilities.
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
s may be destroyed by zombies to increase their numbers, allowing up to 8 zombies for each squad. The game is lost when all zombie squads are eliminated.
Reception
''Zombie Tycoon'' received mixed reviews from critics. On
Metacritic, the game holds a score of 68/100 based on 5 reviews.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave the game a 5.2/10, citing "Frustrating AI, an imprecise camera, and bad AI." On the flipside,
Pocket Gamer UK gave it 8/10, believing it was "fun, funny, and very original."
[http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/PSP/Zombie+Tycoon/review.asp?c=16524 Pocket Gamer UK Review]
References
External links
Official website{{Vicious Engine games
2009 video games
PlayStation Network games
PlayStation Portable games
PlayStation Portable-only games
Video games developed in Canada
Video games about zombies
Frima Studio games
Sony Interactive Entertainment games
Single-player video games