And the blog is back from the dead! Resurrected if you will, yes that is two zombie puns in the first sentence. But I really haven't had much to say for the best part of 2 years. That or I'm really lazy.
Anyway the other week, I went to see the zombie film The Dead, as part of Leeds film festival. A rather unique film in that it was filmed in Africa Burkina Faso to be precise. Now the story of the filming could have been a film in itself, the lead actor got malaria, their equipment took 5 weeks to get into the country on what was suppose to be a 6 week shoot, they got mugged and held at gun point at checkpoints lots.
The result is one of the most strikingly beautiful zombie films ever shot and makes a refreshing change from the scenes of urban decay that has dominated the genre since Dawn of the Dead. The African countryside is both beautiful and brutal, adding another survival element.
The plot is basically a journey, for one American soldier who has ended up in the middle of the uprising of the dead, all alone, trying to get somewhere which will enable him to escape. Along the way he meets other people, the main one been an African soldier who has deserted to go in search of his family. The film is acted well and there is not much to criticise in terms of plot apart from one scene that seemed out of character but this cannot be discussed without spoilers.
Another review I read of this called it Resident Evil 5 the movie, by this I can only assume he meant it was in Africa and featured zombies as it has nothing in common with the game, for a start the lead doesn't have to look after an annoying A.I control partner.
Overall this film is worth a watch and one of the best serious zombie films I have seen in quite sometime. Oh and the zombies are proper none running zombies. With some brilliant effects and sound effects of zombies walking on broken bones that are simply brilliant.
Showing posts with label zombies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zombies. Show all posts
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Zombies: Transport
You know what a zombie is, you have your weapons and a decent plan. Now you need to consider your transport options, what follows is a run down of the main transport types you will have access to, with a few none so common ones thrown in at the end.
General advice:
Ask yourself the following questions before you choose your mode of transport.
1. How far are you traveling? If it is long distance then something with good miles per gallon ratio is going to be needed to0 minimise fuel stops or even searching for fuel.
2. How far into the zombie outbreak is it? If it is early and everything is going normal still, then it is going to be fairly straight forward to make it from A to B. However it is late in the day, i.e. zombies are at your door, then it is going to be difficult.
3.How hard is it going to be to get fuel? Related to the above because one it is going to be risky stop for fuel, not only might the petrol stations be full of zombies but there is a high chance that the fuel will be all gone.
4.What is your route? Again, deep into the zombie outbreak the main routes are going to be blocked with abandoned cars, some of which might contain zombies. Every car is a threat, especially if you are walking past them. Random zombies could grab at you and bite you, leading to your doom.
Types of transport:
Cars
Your bog standard car is the most likely method of transport. The problem is that they are designed for roads, and decent roads at that. They don't do fields well, as anybody who has been to a festival will testify, this is a problem when a road is likely to be littered with broken erm cars.
Not the best choice, but maybe your only one and if you are early enough to avoid the panic, it will do just fine.
4x4
The vehicle that plagues the middle class school run. Mainly used by idiots who have never taken it anywhere near off road. But their time has come now, as most likely all the owners will be dead, you could get one fairly easy if you live in say Harrogate or Chelsea. They can handle off road (assuming it is a decent model and not the just for show models). Better than a car but not by much.
Trucks,lorries and buses
They are big, slow, poor mileage. In short useless, apart from for mobile fortress type missions (think the truck from Dad's Army). If used to escape, they will just turn into your grave.
Motorbikes
Dirt bikes in particular are brilliant get away vehicles. They are quick, dirt bikes can go off road and light weight so can be pushed if necessary. Their negatives are that they offer no protection, one stray zombie arm and you are a goner, plus they have low mileage.
Bicycle
They are quiet compared to the other things on this list, they are easy to maintain, mountain bikes can go off road with ease, they don't require fuel. The negatives are that unless you are a top bike rider or been taking a hell of a lot of EPO, you aren't going to be able to travel huge distances in one go.
Overall the best one to go with, just don't forget safety, it would be sad if you survived the hoard only to end up cycling over the end of a cliff.
General advice:
Ask yourself the following questions before you choose your mode of transport.
1. How far are you traveling? If it is long distance then something with good miles per gallon ratio is going to be needed to0 minimise fuel stops or even searching for fuel.
2. How far into the zombie outbreak is it? If it is early and everything is going normal still, then it is going to be fairly straight forward to make it from A to B. However it is late in the day, i.e. zombies are at your door, then it is going to be difficult.
3.How hard is it going to be to get fuel? Related to the above because one it is going to be risky stop for fuel, not only might the petrol stations be full of zombies but there is a high chance that the fuel will be all gone.
4.What is your route? Again, deep into the zombie outbreak the main routes are going to be blocked with abandoned cars, some of which might contain zombies. Every car is a threat, especially if you are walking past them. Random zombies could grab at you and bite you, leading to your doom.
Types of transport:
Cars
Your bog standard car is the most likely method of transport. The problem is that they are designed for roads, and decent roads at that. They don't do fields well, as anybody who has been to a festival will testify, this is a problem when a road is likely to be littered with broken erm cars.
Not the best choice, but maybe your only one and if you are early enough to avoid the panic, it will do just fine.
4x4
The vehicle that plagues the middle class school run. Mainly used by idiots who have never taken it anywhere near off road. But their time has come now, as most likely all the owners will be dead, you could get one fairly easy if you live in say Harrogate or Chelsea. They can handle off road (assuming it is a decent model and not the just for show models). Better than a car but not by much.
Trucks,lorries and buses
They are big, slow, poor mileage. In short useless, apart from for mobile fortress type missions (think the truck from Dad's Army). If used to escape, they will just turn into your grave.
Motorbikes
Dirt bikes in particular are brilliant get away vehicles. They are quick, dirt bikes can go off road and light weight so can be pushed if necessary. Their negatives are that they offer no protection, one stray zombie arm and you are a goner, plus they have low mileage.
Bicycle
They are quiet compared to the other things on this list, they are easy to maintain, mountain bikes can go off road with ease, they don't require fuel. The negatives are that unless you are a top bike rider or been taking a hell of a lot of EPO, you aren't going to be able to travel huge distances in one go.
Overall the best one to go with, just don't forget safety, it would be sad if you survived the hoard only to end up cycling over the end of a cliff.
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Zombie Plans: Best case sernerio
There are two kinds of people in this world, those with zombie plans and those without, we like to call them dinner"
Zombie Plans
The above quote is from the zombie special of Red Vs Blue and never has a truer word been said by a Halo character. If you don't have your plan erm planned then you will end up as zombie dinner. So here are the basics that you should be looking at to make sure you live.
Rule 1: Always be on the look out for news articles that may concern zombies. Unexplained disappearance, strange deaths from bites that sort of thing. If they start to become common then it is time to activate your plan.
Rule 2: Have a safe place to run away to, if you are on the ball you will be able to get almost anywhere because you will know a good few days before the outbreak starts to break down society. This place should, if possible, be in a secluded place, have its own water source and a generator is always good. The first two of these are the most important.
Rule 3: Get your food ready, tinned goods, bottled water for the journey and in case anything goes wrong with your water supply should also be bought in bulk. You might even be that far ahead of the game that you have time to go to the supermarket and do a shop. Remember nobody can reclaim credit card bills when there is a zombie outbreak.
Rule 4: Travel in small groups, 5 max, if you are meeting more people, then arrange to meet them at the hideout. Large groups just make travel more complicated. If they don't turn up and your cannot get hold of them because the mobile phone networks have crashed don't go looking for them. It might sound harsh but it will save your life.
Rule 5: Bring useful supplies only, travel light. Look at my weapons post for more info on weapons. So if you fail to get to your hideout before the main wave of zombies come you aren't going to be dragging a huge suitcase around full of pointless things like computer consoles, cd players ect.
Rule 6: Remember to bring some form of entertainment though. Boardgames, books, a pack of cards. If every person in a group of 5 brings 2 or 3 books then that's a lot of reading to be had. Hell you can even pre-pack your hideaway with all sorts of goodies.
Rule 7: When you get to your hideaway, fill anything you can with water from the mains. The more water the better, you don't know how long this is going to last.
Rule 8: Remember medical supplies. Also if you have a doctor friend bring them along. If they don't believe in zombies then tell them it is a surprise holiday or something.
Rule 9: Fortify your hideaway if possible. Add layers of defence, fall back points ect. A nice look out tower will prove useful too. To see both zombies and humans.
Rule 10: Pack lots of condoms, one they are useful for keeping things dry if you have to abandon your hideaway and walk to a new place. Also nobody wants to have a baby in the land of the dead. Although they might be useful for bait... (joke, please don't feed babies to the zombies)
These are the basic rules, follow them and you will stand a good chance of living.
Good Luck.
The above quote is from the zombie special of Red Vs Blue and never has a truer word been said by a Halo character. If you don't have your plan erm planned then you will end up as zombie dinner. So here are the basics that you should be looking at to make sure you live.
Rule 1: Always be on the look out for news articles that may concern zombies. Unexplained disappearance, strange deaths from bites that sort of thing. If they start to become common then it is time to activate your plan.
Rule 2: Have a safe place to run away to, if you are on the ball you will be able to get almost anywhere because you will know a good few days before the outbreak starts to break down society. This place should, if possible, be in a secluded place, have its own water source and a generator is always good. The first two of these are the most important.
Rule 3: Get your food ready, tinned goods, bottled water for the journey and in case anything goes wrong with your water supply should also be bought in bulk. You might even be that far ahead of the game that you have time to go to the supermarket and do a shop. Remember nobody can reclaim credit card bills when there is a zombie outbreak.
Rule 4: Travel in small groups, 5 max, if you are meeting more people, then arrange to meet them at the hideout. Large groups just make travel more complicated. If they don't turn up and your cannot get hold of them because the mobile phone networks have crashed don't go looking for them. It might sound harsh but it will save your life.
Rule 5: Bring useful supplies only, travel light. Look at my weapons post for more info on weapons. So if you fail to get to your hideout before the main wave of zombies come you aren't going to be dragging a huge suitcase around full of pointless things like computer consoles, cd players ect.
Rule 6: Remember to bring some form of entertainment though. Boardgames, books, a pack of cards. If every person in a group of 5 brings 2 or 3 books then that's a lot of reading to be had. Hell you can even pre-pack your hideaway with all sorts of goodies.
Rule 7: When you get to your hideaway, fill anything you can with water from the mains. The more water the better, you don't know how long this is going to last.
Rule 8: Remember medical supplies. Also if you have a doctor friend bring them along. If they don't believe in zombies then tell them it is a surprise holiday or something.
Rule 9: Fortify your hideaway if possible. Add layers of defence, fall back points ect. A nice look out tower will prove useful too. To see both zombies and humans.
Rule 10: Pack lots of condoms, one they are useful for keeping things dry if you have to abandon your hideaway and walk to a new place. Also nobody wants to have a baby in the land of the dead. Although they might be useful for bait... (joke, please don't feed babies to the zombies)
These are the basic rules, follow them and you will stand a good chance of living.
Good Luck.
Monday, 8 December 2008
Zombie Review: Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead
This is the most fun you will have playing co-op this year, even more fun than Gears of War 2, yes it's that good.
Ok now I have got the big statement out of the way here is my review and you are about to learn why I don't work for a computer game magazine.
First off don't buy this game if you have no friends to play it with, as it really is a co-op only game although you can play it with bots, it's just not as fun. The bots are good enough, for starters they never friendly fire and they will never leave a man behind however it's playing with your mates where this game comes into its own. What is more fun than mowing down zombies with your mates? In the world of computer games, almost nothing. Then when one of the special infected attack, screaming "Hunter" or TANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKK!" while everybody panics, it just gets better.
On to the game itself, with only 4 levels that take about one hour each to complete it isn't the deepest of games, however each level meets the standards that we have come to expect from Valve and each one has a unique feel and assuming that we are getting some DLC then we will be seeing some more top levels in future, hopefully involving vehicles, I mean how fun would it be with one person driving a truck while the rest have to kill the zombies chasing you!
Another slight flaw with the characters is that they are all basically the same, just with different skins, it would have been nice if there were some differences between them, like one could run faster or one could hold more than one med pack to add some more tactical elements to the game.
This is basically the game that any zombie fan has being wating for for the past, well ever, it maybe simple in it's appoarch, go from point A to point B while fighting off zombies but never has linear co-op been this fun. If you like zombies, have friends and a PC or 360 then buy this game. You will not regret it.
Friday, 17 October 2008
Zombies : An Introduction
Zombies!!!!!!!I promised them and here they are! This is an introduction to my favorite creature of horror, better than werewolves, vampires and witches.
The Oxford English Dictionary definition of a zombie is 1. a corpse supposedly brought back to life by witchcraft. 2. a lifeless or completely unresponsive person
We are dealing the first part of this, the whole corpse thing however I'm going to add something to this and that is that zombies can be brought back to life by science as well as witches. For evidence of this refer to Night of the Living Dead and Shaun of the Dead where it is implied a satellite crashing and releasing something into the atmosphere caused the recently dead come back to life.
In short a zombie is a walking dead person who wants to eat the living, not just humans once again Night of the Living Dead shows us that zombies will eat animals if need be.
The Detail
Now it's time to go into detail about what a zombie is and what it is capable of. In this section I will be referring heavily to the Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks (a book that I highly recommend if you want to survive) as well as anything I have learned from "films" about the living dead.
- Sight - A zombie's eyes are the same as a humans'. They can spot prey from the same distances that a human can. However it is unknown if they use their sight to distinguish humans from other zombies, Shaun of the Dead demonstrates this theory when they successfully get past a horde by pretending to be zombies. However this course of action is NOT recommended.
- Hearing - They have good hearing and can use sound to determine direction.
- Smell - Many believe that smell is how the undead detect humans that are among them (hence why pretending to be a zombie is not a wise move). This could explain why even zombies with poor eyesight or no eyes at all can still move in on prey. With the exception of Shaun of the Dead films back up this assumption.
- Feeling - They have no sense of pain, this is why the can carry on even after they have suffered injuries that would kill a human. This is one of the reasons they are so formidable because pain cannot stop them.
- Decomposition - A zombie is able to "live" for around 3-5 years before decomposing so much that they are no longer a threat. They are dead so they have no way of fighting off the things that cause of decomposition.
- Fluids - They don't have blood or other bodily fluids, well they do, it's just useless and will eventually congeal. This is an advantage to humans because it means there is no risk of infection from getting zombie blood on you. See many zombie films for evidence of this as the people get blood on them but rarely turn. It is only bites that can cause zombification.
- Speed - Now this is an issue I'm going to come back to but in short zombies are slow due to rigor mortise and the like setting in. They CANNOT RUN. If you think they can then get the hell off my blog!
And that's it for now. Although zombies will be returning in future posts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)