State of Decay

State of Decay
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Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Reviewed On: Xbox 360
Cert: 18
Available On: Xbox 360

Following what happens to explorers in Tomb Raider, Far Cry 3 and now State of Decay, the message from videogames is clear: God bless the great indoors. State of Decay opens with a tourist who happens upon a zombie outbreak. Soon enough, he's joining a community of other survivors, building his reputation and creating safe houses and stash points for supplies – and, of course, bludgeoning and shooting countless zombies. State of Decay is an ambitious open-world survival horror, but its graphics aren't the prettiest, and it's got a few graphic and gameplay bugs. While some might tire of the button-mashing nature of the combat, there's much to admire, such as the notion of building communities to survive and the ability to switch between playable characters. There's an endearingly harsh and serious approach to its storytelling: When you die, that character is gone for good. You even hear a brief eulogy!