Check out our full review below. Mini review by Vaughn Smith
January 20, 2006 – I was always fond of the saying “Turnabout is fair play” and that old phrase certainly describes the events of Aspyr & Wideload’s Stubbs the Zombie. After countless games in which you’re the hero battling the undead, Stubbs allows you to turn the tables on the hapless human race….and it’s a hilarious romp chockfilled with humor, action, guts, gore, brains and blood….lots of blood. Definitely not for the kiddies.
As Stubbs, you’ll instantly rain on the parade of Punchbowl, PA, an idyllic town existing on the cusp of the future while the rest of the world is living in the innocent late 1950’s. Nothing ever goes wrong in Punchbowl…until Stubbs decides to pop out of the ground one day after being unceremoniously dumped in an unmarked grave back in 1933. Stubbs isn’t like those other zombies you’re familiar with; he’s never without his trademark fedora or his cigarette dangling precariously out of his mouth and you’ll always recognize that huge gaping hole where some of his internal organs used to be. Heck, he’s almost cute.
Stubbs starts off with only limited abilities such as brainsucking and punching, but as the game progresses he’ll dispatch the living with flatulance, guts tossing, possession and even head tossing. Stubbs will also find himself zooming around Punchbowl in some of the vehicles of tomorrow…today! One of the games most talked about mechanic is the age old adage that if a zombie bites you…you become a zombie…and sure enough, whomever Stubbs eats eventually starts to play for the other team: The Undead! On the easiest levels recruiting a team of mindless monsters isn’t quite the necessity it is on the harder difficulty levels. Those other zombies can take a bullet meant for you…so don’t be afraid to send them out on the front lines.
As far as presentation Wideload pulled out all the stops. Not only are the visuals great, but Wideload really captured the look and feel of old grainy movie footage as well as the essence of small town middle America in the 50’s. The game is jammed with visual humor, countless gags as well as great oneliners that will have you often laughing out loud. The amount of dialogue recorded for this game is off the map. You’ll hear some repeats but I found the game to be fresh from beginning to e