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The name of the game Stubbs the Zombie in Rebel Without a Pulse gives away all the information one would need in deciding what this videogame is all about and how it will play out. “Stubbs the Zombie” is the main character, which means you play as the zombie himself. By using the word “in,” this should cue the gamer that it will play out like a movie. “Rebel Without a Pulse,” well this can only mean that our dead character will be running around a city at about the time James Dean was driving around on motorcycles. If you’re into 1950-based zombie movies, this game should leave your fingertips tingling, otherwise the novelty just might wear off a bit.

Stubbs the Zombie takes place in the “futuristic” world of the 1950’s where life is supposed to be like Camelot (or Pleasantville if you have seen the 1998 movie with Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire). The game gives an interesting twist by letting you actually play the zombie to cause mayhem and horrific violence throughout the city. The game is rated M, and the reasons for this are in the gory violent scenes of Stubbs’ main move, the eating of people’s brains, and the sophomoric humor placed throughout the various cut scenes. You get all of this and a storyline similar to a zombie action movie, which means not much plot, but plenty of killing. A fun twist to the normality of video games if you are looking for something different.

The graphics of the game are good, but did not entail much detail unless you were using some of Stubb’s special powers. Even the cut-scenes played a bit too clean-edged in many parts. What was nice about the game is that the controls were extremely easy to use. You don’t need a 12 page manual to figure out how Stubbs moves through the town gathering up minions to help him on his many quests to seek revenge and find love throughout the game. Thumbstick controls moved the character and the camera around to different places. Each button played a single maneuver for the character to use in the game. After maneuvering behind a person, the gamer can use the Y-button to put on the instant killing brain eating move. Other buttons helped Stubbs jump or attack an opponent by swinging at them. Some of Stubb’s specialty weapons include the flatulence button (Are zombie movies getting too PC? They can’t just call it the fart button?), which stuns people in the general vicinity to make the brain eating maneuver accessible. Or you can use the triggers and black and white buttons to throw different body parts. This is another place where the game is unique. By throwing your exploding pancreas you always have the ability to blow up people in different areas. I found this fun, but I was not very accurate with it. Throwing your hand or head gave another unique perspective on the game. Using your hand, you were able to control the person your hand is attached to, giving an added dimension to the game. Be careful though, humans can’t take the abuse that zombies can. Bowling Stubb’s head was another useful tool that I completely had no business using. All these weapons were easy to find and easy to get accustomed to using in the game and my reaction times did not have to be as stellar as they were in other games.

The idea of the game is pretty amusing but not new to the gaming world. It is always nice to see a spin put on a game where you are playing the other side. Stubbs the Zombie has four different expertise levels which gives the gamer a chance to replay a game at a harder level if he prefers. I found that just about any type of gamer can play with success at the first three difficulty levels. The concept that this game is extremely similar to a zombie movie also made it more interesting than, well, a zombie movie. The fact that when Stubbs kills another person, they become part of his armada was enjoyable. It gave the game believability because as more zombies moved around Stubbs, less attention was paid to Stubbs. This gave the gamer a chance to move with more ease through some levels and it was always fun sneaking up on a human from behind who was preoccupied with other zombies.

Stubbs the Zombie is a game that I found to be easier than many of the games I have played before. I found the storyline a bit lame (but we covered this earlier, it is a zombie game) and the graphics just average. For some sick and twisted reason, though, I kept playing this game. I had to see what was next, I had to see what new power I would acquire and how it would work in killing humans. I had to see if Stubbs was going to get to his love and what would happen to the city. I guess it was like sitting on the couch late at night, flipping through the channels and catching a movie you’ve seen, but feel you need to stay up and watch it all the way to the end. You can get away with renting the game since it should not take too long to get through. If you’re looking for a game that tries new ideas, then play it. If not, you will be disappointed and this game will be too slow for you.