Dead Nation

Dead Nation
Developer(s)	Housemarque
Publisher(s)	Sony Computer Entertainment
Version	1.07
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3
Release date(s)	NA November 30, 2010 EU December 1, 2010
Genre(s)	Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)	Single-player, offline / online multiplayer (co-op)
Rating(s)	ESRB: M

Dead Nation is a shoot 'em up video game for PlayStation 3 developed by Finnish video game developer Housemarque. It was released on November 30, 2010 in North America, and December 1 in Europe, on PlayStation Network. Dead Nation takes place in a fictional world afflicted by a zombie apocalypse. The player can play as a male or female character and fight different types of zombies. Dead Nation was one of the games given by Sony as part of their 'Welcome Back' package because of the PlayStation intrusion.

Gameplay

Players are awarded score multipliers and money when zombies are killed. Money is used to purchase and upgrade weapons and multipliers grant better scores. Each time players are hit, they lose multipliers and health. Players fight their way through ten levels, using weapon shops that allow weapon upgrading and armor swapping. During the levels, players can find chests that hold ammunition, multipliers, money, or armor pieces. At times the players are trapped in areas where they must survive until they have accomplished a certain goal. Armor sets influence strength, endurance and agility.

Zombies are attracted by flares, car alarms, grenades, mines, and vending machines as well as explosions or bright lights such as an exploding car or gunshots. Zombies can be killed by environmental hazards which the player can use to their advantage. Players will encounter a variety of zombies. Players can use a melee and rush attack against zombies, as well as a variety of weaponry.

The metagame allows players to follow their country's progress in relation to other countries, as well as local leaderboards. Using the PlayStation Network, players are grouped with other players from their country. When a country is rid of zombies, a new infection cycle begins. Multiplayer can be done locally or online for two players.

Development

The game engine has been noted for supporting large numbers of zombies on screen as well as impressive lighting effects.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	78.17%
Metacritic	77/100
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	B+
Edge	5/10
Eurogamer	6/10
GamesRadar	8/10
GameZone	8.5/10
IGN	7.5/10
VideoGamer.com	7/10
Joystiq	5/5

Dead Nation received mostly positive reviews. On review aggregator sites GameRankings and Metacritic, Dead Nation is rated 78% and 77/100, respectively.

Updates

Dead Nation lacked online voice chat upon release, but an update released on March 10, 2011 added this feature. The update also included laser sight upgrades for guns and display improvements including visual indications when the rush meter fills and when players take damage.

A DLC expansion called 'Road of Devastation' was released on September 27, 2011. The pack focuses on continuous survival, and presents players with upgrade paths instead of stages. Each round ends by returning to a laboratory, where the player receives prizes for their achievements before starting the next round. Deaths require the player to restart.

External links

• Official SCEE site