|
Bloody your friends for cheap
Once I had finished plugging away on the fifth mission that saw me running in around mashing two buttons until I was bored zombie-stiff I noticed that there were multiplayer options on the main screen. At first this seemed really odd because the game design and combat system didn’t seem like they were suited to deathmatch. After all, did anyone actually enjoy Metroid Prime 2’s lock-on spam fest?
For some reason, Infected wouldn’t let me use my default network connection profile, and this is odd because prior to firing the game up I had been browsing Got-Next. I also find it strange that only two people can play together online, but up to eight can battle it out in “ad-hoc” local games. I would make a snide comment about how Gamespy technology isn’t what it used to be, but finding a game online was as simple as pressing a button.
Now having experienced all that Infected has to offer: two players locked in a battle to the death, I wish that my router had died instead. The gameplay mechanics that come across as snore-inducing in single-player feel fundamentally broken when used against a live person. The battle quickly becomes not against your opponent but with the controls. Finally because there are few, if any, health pickups deathmatch boils down to one person doing the killing and then being killed when his victim respawns.
However, Planet Moon Studios does introduce a very interesting idea into the standard deathmatch genre. When you are beaten by your opponent their character “infects” your copy of Infected. Suddenly all the zombies in New York City look just like them, and the only way to clean the “infection” is by beating a few single player levels or winning online. I really like this idea, but the execution is lacking. Blowing away zombies is boring enough without all of them looking the exact same.
Turning the shotgun around
For what it is, a painfully simple action game with a smattering of clever ideas and twisted humor, Infected does a great job of entertaining people who are looking for exactly what it has to sell. If you’re willing to look beyond rough edges (why does completing a mission dump you back to the main menu) and are happy with simple action games then this is the PSP game you’ve been waiting for. However, if you really love Santa Claus and like your games to have a little variety then this is not one for you.
|
