H1Z1: Why kill zombies when you can kill each other?

Zombie apocalypse destroys the world as we know it. Few people are left behind to fend for themselves. That’s the only prelude you need to understand H1Z1.This game doesn’t do anything new in the genre of survival games, but that’s because it chooses too. Intstead it will take an old and wrinkled formula and flesh it out, decorate it, and make it look pretty again. It mostly succeeds at this and takes the pieces most important to gamers pretty seriously. This means combat, graphic design and overall flow of the game run smoothly. There are some bugs that need attention to avoid it feeling like a Bethesda production, but the developer is aware of this and actively working to address known issues.

As you traverse the environment and encounter your primary targets, zombies, you’ll be able to pick them off like a pro with you bow, pistol or rifle. While this does create a satisfying feeling and make you feel like a badass, anyone who has a shred of experience playing games like Counter-Strike or Call of Duty will quickly tire of the low difficulty in H1Z1. Review the AI of zombies and you’ll discover it’s mediocre at best and will leave you wondering if the developer tried overly hard to imbue actual zombie-level intelligence into the AI.

Still, towns are crawling with the undead and fighting your way through will lead to good loot which can be used for crafting, even and up to things like buildings. You’ll likely find more suitable uses for items however, like repairing vehicles to allow you move with speed across the wasteland.

The real kicker in this online survival game is other players. While the potential for teamwork exists, any alliance is likely to be fragile at best. The whole, “we’re in this together” thing will only go so far with even the most good-natured players; they will eventually notice you’re carrying things in your knapsack and greed will take over. If you offer help you may as well hold of a sign that says “H1Z1 Sale! Fool with loot and doesn’t care to keep it!” This could leave you with a bullet in the brain quite easily. That possibility will always be lurking in the back of your mind during these chance encounters and keeps the adrenaline pumping even as zombies somewhat lose their novelty. So don’t be mad if you get stabbed in the back, it’s a dog eat dog world. Or rather, a zombie eat dog world.

While the PVP mode is king here, you can also fight against the environment or engaging in the battle royale mode which is a battle with other player to be the last man standing. It’s a nice wrinkle and offers a little change of pace from the wide exploration and tedious planning in the default game mode.

There’s a lot of content to behold here and you can easily spend hours in this gorgeous world. Did I mention how stellar the details and textures are? You can get an H1Z1 STEAM key cheap here and see for yourself. I’ll save you the trouble of trying to negotiate an alliance if you come across me, just fight. Because I’ll be trying to shoot you in the face from the get-go. Good luck!