First Impressions: State of Decay

If you ever found yourself in a world overrun with zombies that forces you to band together with other survivors could you do it? Luckily, you don’t have to worry about this being a real life situation to find yourself in and Undead Labs has you covered in letting you experience it in a fantasy life. Out now is State of Decay, one awesome Xbox Live Arcade game for 1600 Microsoft Points that puts you in the shoes of survivors who find themselves lost in a world filled with the undead.

For those of you unfamiliar with State of Decay here is a little synopsis. You start the game on a little dock up in the mountains back from a fishing trip and right in the middle of a zombie attack. Your weapon of choice? A tree branch that does the job in bashing those zombie heads in as you and your buddy Ed make a run for the ranger station to try and find out what the hell is going on. From there it's a matter of fighting and looting your way to further survival.

Undead Labs made this game quite realistic in that when you take loot a supply from a building it doesn’t regenerate or come back; that building is forever empty. It makes the player have to think if those first aid pills are worth taking now or leaving for later when you could be even more desperate. Just starting the game I've been doing the scared thing and grabbing every bit of supplies I can, as you literally start off with nothing but a backpack, your tree branch and one first aid pill. That's where the inventory problem comes in as you have a finite amount of spots in your backpack, forcing choose what to grab and what to carry.

I found myself leaving some supplies in the ranger station while I went out scavenging the rest of the campgrounds. Even then I found myself in a pinch needing something I left behind there. I love being able to crouch and sneak around zombies or even creep up on them to bash the heads into the ground or a nearby wall. Even after a couple of hours I cannot wait to play some more of State of Decay; this game is just that damn fun and nerve wracking. I am counting down the days until I do something stupid and kill off one of my survivors.

State of Decay is one game well worth picking up on Xbox Live Arcade and in the next few weeks look for my full review of the game as I delve deeper into the world. Since it's an open world environment, I’ve barely scratched the surface of State of Decay. First impressions though? Man what a game. For the hours I've played I feel like I've done so little as there is just so much for you to do. Scavenging houses, businesses, sneaking around zombies, bashing zombies heads in...it’s overwhelming the amount of freedom the player is given in deciding how to play State of Decay. After your first encounter with zombies you know this isn't going to be a picnic of a game as every choice you make or item you take will affect the game's overall outcome.

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