Review - Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge

If you could command an army of zombies to do your bidding as you take over the world or seek your revenge could you manage the pressure? Frima Studios poses that question with their latest game Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov’s Revenge, now on the Playstation 3 and PSP Vita.

In Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge, you bounce between two main characters: Tycoon and Brainhov. Each character controls a different style of zombies. Tycoon's zombies are slow tanks and Brainhov's are faster and weaker. Each one is also a different color to help keep the zombies separate. At times the stages can get hectic and overwhelming when a huge horde of zombies is duking it out to see who wins. On top of having a horde of zombies at your disposal you get a few extra useful tools to aid you in the fight.

The mobile spawner Tycoon or Brainhov drives not only spit out your replacement zombies, but they also have turrets on top that can mow down other zombies or attack buildings. You also get a monster to cause some damage to your opponents, with a variety of them with all their own abilities. Choosing the right monster can help turn the tide in battle. Over the course of a stage or multiplayer match you build up a horde pack that you can unleash to help distract your opponent and let your stronger forces get in to cause some damage.

In each stage are buildings dotting the landscape that you can attack to capture that add to the total number of horde zombies you have at your disposal. This horde is something that has to recharge once used, but does come in handy to scout a new area in addition to doing some fighting for you. In one stage I had about 60 zombies in my horde and when I sent them to take on a pack of gun toting humans they didn't stand chance. Certain buildings you come across add to your horde count, but also turn your regular spawning zombies into specialty type zombies.

These specialty zombies include ninjas, engineers, feral scouts, sunflower spies, radioactive ones or even boxing zombies that can change the tide of a battle. The zombies really give you a great feeling sending your mass of zombies across the stage, taking out buildings and other zombies in their wake. Every stage has the classic fog of war on it leaving it up to you sending your zombies out to uncover what sort of buildings or possible enemies could be around you.

The game is super easy to play, with each of the four buttons on the controller controlling a certain group from your mobile spawner, monsters and two different packs of zombies, with each being able to turn into different types when you find the building on the map. In story mode, each stage tells you the parameters of how to beat it as well as optional missions you can take on if you are a bit of a perfectionist. After every mission you get a list of the goals you accomplished and what you missed with the option to replay the mission if you missed something.

Multiplayer is pretty fun too. One of the cooler functions is cross-platform play between the Playstation 3 and the PSP Vita. You wouldn’t even know what your opponent was playing on and it doesn’t take away from the gameplay at all. The multiplayer aspect is the perfect complement to the story that makes Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge just a fun all-around game. I've had an awesome time playing the game and look forward to finishing up the story mode and getting my hands on the multiplayer mode to test my skills of commanding my zombies to victory. The new addition in the series is welcoming to all manners of players. With a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously, easy gameplay mechanics and a great multiplayer mode, Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge is a downright fun game.