Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the dead have returned to life and they want to feast on your braaaaiinnnss!! Yeah, 2010 is the year of the zombie. And 2009 was the year of the zombie before that. And 2008 before that. Okay, maybe we’re sitting in the middle of a solid zombie decade. But, hell, turning shambling corpses into bullet-riddled corpses is fun, so it looks like we can look forward to about another billion or so titles featuring those grey-matter-munching carnivores.
Probably the most flattering thing I can say about Nuclear Wasteland 2030 is that it actually works, and it looks fantastic (for an indie game). I was initially skeptical of a $1 indie FPS, but the engine runs surprisingly well, the environment is fairly detailed and loaded with obstacles and items, and the framerate is pretty solid. There’s even an options for inverted vertical axes for backwards-minded players like me. I expected a clumsy, chugging mess, but instead I was treated to a smooth zombie-slaughtering simulator.
The action takes place in an enclosed post-apocalyptic Western-themed locale, which is pretty well detailed with lots of cover and barrels of green sludge. The main character fittingly starts with a six-shooter, which suits the mood of the game perfectly, but will soon find the standard assortment of upgrades. The zombies spawn in waves, and in between each wave there is a brief respite to acquire life and new guns from rooms that unlock after each wave. It’s all very basic, but functional.
But once you get over the fact that they’ve actually created a functional FPS using Microsoft’s XNA software, you’re left with what is essentially Left 4 Dead-lite. Just because something is functional, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worth playing, does it? The lack of enemy variety and environments is glaring and the total lack of multiplayer ensures the game becomes very repetitive in a hurry. Although the newspapers during the initial load screen do a fantastic job of creating atmosphere, there is no actual narrative or story.
These are all shortcomings that should probably be expected of an $1 first-person shooter, but then again, that begs the question of whether or not we need a $1 first-person shooter. Indie games excel at preserving genres that otherwise might fall by the wayside (like 2D platformers or shmups) or as a way for developers to create new, experimental concepts. But do we really need indie games that are essentially stripped-down versions of retail titles? Why would you spend the time to play this functional, yet vapid zombie-killing first-person shooter, when the real Left 4 Dead is a measly $20? Plus, there are tons of other quality FPSs on Xbox like Timeshift, Singularity and Wolfenstein that are also stupid cheap and feature vastly superior graphics, multiplayer, original weapons, stories, and Achievements.
I don’t mean to poo poo the accomplishment that Nuclear Wasteland is. It’s a fantastic tech demo, and clearly a demonstration of talented designers who created a project out of love. What they’ve accomplished is impressive, but it is swimming in an awfully crowded pool of radiaoactive goop. You don’t have much to lose for a buck, but it doesn’t offer anything that hasn’t been done better elsewhere.
Nuclear Wasteland 2030 was provided for review by Sick Kreations. It is available for 80 MS points ($1).
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